NORTHERN IRELAND DRAG FEST 3rd – 5th AUGUST 2001

THE ROCKY ROAD CONTINUES…

(In the land of the black stuff - & we're not talking tarmac!)

By:  Sammy Mack

Friday morning.  Set off early to beat the traffic 6.30am to be precise.  Arrived at the Holyhead ferry terminal in plenty of time, with all the gang ready and raring to go.  So far, so good. 

Getting onto the ferry was fun, with the caravan grounding out and a few scrapes to the exhaust on the van, which was already held on by bits of wire!  With the ferry under way, we headed swiftly and sharply to the bar. 

Two hours and eight pints later, (that was just the wife) we arrived in Ireland.  Getting  off the ferry proved just as much fun as getting on, as one of the seamen told me that he couldn't lower the ramp any more because the tide was out, so we were  looking at a drop of about 10ft!  At that point the caravan did not look as if it was going to make it.  However, to our amazement the caravan glided over the huge  drop, but the van was another story.  After a loud crash, bang, scrape and a few choice words, the exhaust caught the ramp and snapped in half! (WONDERFUL).

Anyway, after lying through our back teeth to port security about all the food we had stashed in the caravan we  made it to the other side, however, one car short.  Yes, Darren and Carrie had trouble starting their car, and so  with nowhere to pull up we had to carry on the journey on unfamiliar territory and very uneven roads without them.   To top all this, the mobile phones were not working for us to contact them.  Somehow, we all managed to meet up by a service station half an hour down the road, even though none of us knew where we were. 

3 hours later we were still on the same road, wondering when it was going to end.  With 3 vehicles consisting of 2 pregnant women, 1 screaming child and an irate scouser at the wheel of the van it was becoming a nightmare.  The van, at this point, was sounding more like a JCB.  However, 5 hours later and as many stops, we arrived at Bishops Court and all breathed a sigh of relief.

We were quickly shown to our campsite and set up in time for a late supper on the BBQ and a few pints of Guinness.  Hooray!

Saturday.  All set for the shows, or were we?  After going out for a practice session on the bandit, I noticed 3rd gear wheelies were starting to slip, so I decided to replace the clutch with a street racer kit supplied by E.B.C.   What should have been a 20-minute job turned into a nightmare.  With all hands on deck we were still at it 2 hours later.  It all came down to an oversight on my behalf, not slotting in the clutch basket properly, in fact, only 1 mil out.  However, with the clutch finally in place and five minutes to go before the first show, I donned my  leathers and headed out on track.  The weather up to this point was glorious, but was soon to change for the worse.

Jason Finn appeared first, followed by Sonnie Ferguson, and the weather still held out.  But next to appear were Phil and myself, and the heavens opened!  We performed as well as we could due to the weather and then returned to the van to dry out.  The next show was not much better as the weather was much the same, but we still had fun.

However, Jason and Sonnie had left and we were still there for another day, so once  again I donned my leathers and performed an unscheduled show in the late evening.  This time on the large racetrack opposite.  It pulled in the crowds who seemed entertained and happy for a little extra show.  It also brought out the up and coming stars such as the 8 year old boy on his mini moto, whom ended up with one of my  flares strapped to his bike!  His Dad looked on in horror, as he couldn't see his son for the trails of orange smoke up and down the track as he flashed past!  It was all good fun.

We retired for the evening back to our campsite to kill the rest of the beer before our long treck home the next day.  With BBQ up and running and the disco lights shining a great party was had by the crew to celebrate an excellent weekend.  Thanks M.A.G.

On the whole, it was a superb weekend, jam packed with entertainment.  For those who couldn't make it, it is a must see for next year!  Hopefully, I will be there again to entertain you.

So many thanks to M.A.G. sport and all the team who made the weekend possible.

Also:

Missus and baby Sam
Father
Phil the fearless
Darren and Carrie
Andrew and Gemma
Rob

Until next time stay tuned for the next episode of

THE SKINT SCOUSER ON THE ROCKY ROAD TO STARDOM!

Take it easy……….
 

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