RallyMoto Magazine May / June

Jan/Feb 2022 

MAY/JUNE 2022 

WALES X ROUND 2 

THE CRC RIDERS ROADBOOK TRAINING 

WHAT’S IN A RECCE? 

CLUTCHING IN COMFORT | OLD BIKES RULE | HELLAS YEAH!

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RallyMoto Magazine 


Contents 

RALLY HO! 

WRITTEN BY ROBERT HUGHES 

What a great weekend we had running the 

Kielder Adventure Rally Camp - the guys 

had a great time and really got themselves 

up to speed on Adventure Rallying and all 

the tricks of the trade. 

We are now full on with the ABR Festival, the 

Adventure Cannonball Weekend, which will be 

a load of fun, with both tough and easy routes. 

Then the Dark Skies Wales is upon us as the first 

round of the Dark Skies Trophy, with full on rally 

stages and some more technical navigation and 

riding for the Rally Class. 

The Dark Skies Adventure Class will run an extended route that should 

have been the Wales 500, whilst the Newcomers Class will be a shorter 

route with the option of some training on the Friday. 

4 WALES X ROUND 2 

AND HELLAS SHAKEDOWN 

7 KIELDER ADVENTURE RALLY CAMP 

LEARN TO ROADBOOK AND GET HOOKED FOR LIFE! 

8 WHAT’S IN A RECCE? 

BEHIND THE SCENES OF ROUTE PLANNING 

10 RIDERS OF THE CRC 

TRYING IT OUT ON TARMAC 

14 BE LIKE PHIL 

AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST! 

17 RIDERS’ RIDES 

OLD BIKES RULE 

18 STRONG ARM TACTICS 

SOMETHING FOR YOUR STIFF LITTLE FINGERSS 

19 MEMBERS ABROAD 

Q FROM HELLAS AND BEYOND 

The Dark Skies event also sees us using the RallyMoto Digital Roadbook 

app in all classes, but I note from entries that the Rally Class is 98% paper. 

There have also been some upgrades to the RallyMoto Digital Roadbook 

app, with a landscape orientation and also the capability of using a remote 

controller. 

Lot’s of work to do, but please do drop by and say “Hi” at the ABR Festival. 

In partnership with 

3 - 2 - 1 - Goooo!

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WALES EXTREME ACB 


WALES 

After the weather gods decided a wash out was what 

we needed on our first attempt to run the course in 

February, we thought we’d come back for another go. 

This time the event preceded the Hellas Rally, and so offered several 

riders an opportunity for a ‘shake down’ with some more challengeing 

navigation to contend with in addition to some of mid Wales’s more 

challenging yet all time classic terrain. 

As always it was a mixed turn out. It was great to see Ian back out 

on the 690 after a long period off 

the bike due to injury. His ride has 

clocked just under 100k miles and 

has seen him through many Adventure 

Rallies. In proper malle moto 

style he used it as it was intended, 

riding from the south of England to 

Rhayader, riding 200kms of slate 

and riverbeds, then rolling on home 

again. Nice one Ian! 

hosting an event in the same part of 

the world, ableit a scaled down version! 

Thanks to those who made the effort 

to come along. It was a great day 

for the riders and organisers alike. 

Our next stop in Wales will be the 

Dark Skies Rally which we are putting 

every effort into making a mega 

event! 

NAME POINTS PASS/ FAIL 

Ian Higson 1 PASS 

Matt Townsend 2 PASS 

Michal Bisga 3 PASS 

Neil Stockton 6 FAIL 

Sam Haeata 9 FAIL 

Dave Campbell 10 FAIL 

Luke Rogerson 16 FAIL 

Richard Perretton 21 FAIL 

Martin Bennett 22 FAIL 

Rik Griffin 22 FAIL 

Phil Harris 41 FAIL 

Mark Hollingsworth 

55 FAIL 

Davood Daryan 60 FAIL 

James Swindells 81 FAIL 

John Wright INCOMPLETE FAIL 

Simon Henderson INCOMPLETE FAIL 

Less than 5 penalty points = Pass 

We also caught up with Phil, who had 

only recently popped his roadbooking 

cherry on the Cannonball Rally 

Challenge, more on that later.... 

This was of course the weekend that 

the Wales 500 had originally been 

scheduled to run on. It’s a sore subject, 

but we tried to make up for it by 

SCORING 

Missed nav point 1 

Course cut / Miss waypoint 15 

Speed zone over speed 5 

Over speed on course 110kph 5


ROADBOOK + ADVENTURE RALLY 

TRAINING 

ROADBOOK TRAINING 


WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL 

WORLD OF ADVENTURE RALLYING 

IN THE INCREDIBLE 

KIELDER FOREST 

It always gives us a warm feeling introducing new riders to Adventure Rallying, and what a 

venue to begin ones journey in! For two days riders were able to put their newly learnt skills 

to the test in the fantastic Kielder Forest which offers hundreds of miles of hard packed gravel 

tracks in remote wilderness, perfect for gaining a real long distance rally experience. 

After a ‘classroom’ training session on the morning of the first day they were straight out into 

the forest for the weekend’s shortest and most basic roadbook route, designed as a confidence 

booster to get them into the navigation groove. After a debrief and lunch break they were 

back out riding a slightly longer route with more advanced navigation to prepare them for the 

following day. All questions and queries were answered over dinner that evening, as well as 

a briefing for Sunday’s 120km roadbook which was to be ridden in full Adventure Rally conditions. 

By the end of Sunday’s ‘mock rally’ event, all riders were equipped with all the knowledge and 

experience required to take their roadbooking skills to the next level and ride confidently at a 

real event, being a RallyMoto Adventure Rally or even a rally abroad. 

GO FROM ZERO TO HERO! LEARN ALL THE SKILLS YOU NEED 

TO RIDE ADVENTURE RALLIES 

Some of the participants had zero knowledge of roadbook navigation, whilst others had actually 

entered events before but wanted to hone their skills and learn more about how to get better 

results and the finer details of the sport. 

There are two more opportunities this year to take part in a weekend just like this, so head to 

the website to find out more. 

We hope to see you there! 

6 

JULY 16/17 

LIMITED PLACES 

AVAILABLE! 

SEPT 10/11 

It is great to introduce new riders to 

Adventure Rallying, and what a venue 

to begin ones journey in! 

For two days riders of the Kielder Adventure 

Rally Camp were able to put their newly acquired 

skills to the test in the fantastic Kielder 

Forest which offers hundreds of miles of 

hard packed gravel tracks in remote wilderness, 

perfect for gaining a real long distance 

rally experience. 

After a ‘classroom’ training session on the 

morning of the first day they were straight 

out into the forest for the weekend’s shortest 

and most basic roadbook route, designed 

as a confidence booster to get them into 

the navigation groove. After a debrief and 

lunch break they were back out riding a 

slightly longer route with more advanced 

navigation to prepare them for the following 

day. All questions and queries were 

answered over dinner that evening, as well 

as a briefing for Sunday’s 120km roadbook 

which was to be ridden in full Adventure 

Rally conditions. 

By the end of Sunday’s ‘mini rally’ event, all 

riders were equipped with all the knowledge 

and experience required to take their 

roadbooking skills to the next level and ride 

confidently at a real event, being a 

RallyMoto Adventure Rally or even a rally 

abroad. 

Some of the participants had zero knowledge 

of roadbook navigation, whilst others 

had actually entered events before but wanted 

to hone their skills and learn more about 

how to get better results and the finer details 

of the sport. 

There are two more opportunities this year 

to take part in a weekend just like this, so 

head to the website to find out more. 

We hope to see you there! 

rallymoto.co.uk/adventure-rally-training-days/ 

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road, is now a chopped up muddy slosh fest. 

RECCES & 

ROUTE PLANNING 

There is a journey behind every roadbook. It begins with 

an idea for an event and a decision on a location. From 

there it’s a combination of knowledge, memory, and a bit 

of exploration which gets a rough route mapped out, and 

then comes the reccying. 

For our major events such as the 500s and Dark Skies Adventure Rallies 

we are fortunate enough to have access to several forestry areas in 

both England and Wales, however this privilege does come with several 

caveats. 

But that is the nature of our job, we have to be able to change things around and adapt to 

the circumstances. So we make note, and once an initial recce is done (often in the trusty 

Land Rover for comfort and dryness) then most often it’s back to the office for a rewrite. 

Anytime a route is adjusted it again has to be physically checked, so there is plenty of 

traveling involved! 

The other crucial element to check is that the keys work in the gates we are using. Some 

go unused for long periods of time so a bit of WD40 is always to hand to ensure smooth 

gate operation for the actual event. 

Once the route is confirmed, the roadbook is then written, which of course also has to be 

checked, this time usually on bikes. Even after the route and roadbook have both been 

thoroughly checked, there is still always the chance of last minute road closures, fallen 

trees or other events in the area we weren’t aware of which may impact our route. In this 

case any changes are brought up in the briefing at the event so riders can make note 

of any changes on their roadbooks. 

Then finally, it’s game on! 

Each time we enter forestry, whether it’s to check a route or to run the 

actual event, paperwork has to be submitted, permission to access 

must be formally granted, safety wear must be worn, and insurance be 

put in place. 

Once we are in then it’s a case of checking our route against the paper 

map as quite often things aren’t always as they seem! Sometimes what 

appears to be a track, isn’t, what seems to link one section to another, 

doesn’t, and what we remembered to be a suitable hardpacked gravel 

Check out our behind the scenes video on route 

planning on our youtube channel: 

RallyMoto: Adventure Rally & Roadbook Challenges

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WHEN IN 

WALES 

WALES... 

It was an unlikely pair; a new Harley 

Panamerica and a 500 EXC rally bike, but the 

match was in the minds of the riders who 

both couldn’t think of any reason why not to 

embark on a 424 km long, all tarmac, digital 

roadbook adventure through the heart of 

Wales! 

And besides, there was a best 

time to beat! The Cannonball 

Rally Challenge route had 

only just recently been 

released to the public, and so far only 

the recce team (thanks Simon and Jeff) 

had completed the entire route in one 

day. It took them 12 hours from start to 

finish. So when I mentioned the event 

to Vanessa (AKA the Girl on a Bike) over 

a cuppa one mid week afternoon, she 

jumped at the opportunity to get some 

roadbook practise in before heading 

off to the Tunisia Desert Challenge the 

following week. 

Now i’m not much of 

a road rider myself, 

however my 500 is 

equipped with big tank, 

heated grips, 

a seat concepts seat 

and a fresh set of TKC 

80s, so I was ready to 

go! 

The plan was made 

and a few days 

later we rode 

from our homes 

in the Wye Valley 

up to Ruthin in 

North Wales, which 


honestly was the most painful part of 

the journey being mostly A roads. 

Once we got going on the roadbook 

route the following morning the riding 

was nothing less that glorious and 

totally enjoyable! In fact some of 

the sections were so tight and windy 

and borderline off road due to the 

neglected state of them, that I was 

grateful to be on a more nimble and 

lightweight bike! 

We certainly didn’t race, but we kept 

the pace up. We did stop several times 

to get some photos and videos as the 

scenery had to be appreciated, plus we 

had an hour’s break for lunch and fuel 

at the halfway point in Machynlleth. We 

reached the final 

destination in 

Abergavenny at 

6pm, making 

our total time 

on the road 11 

hours and 20 

minutes... 

Not that 

we we’re 

competitive or 

anything!!! 

Gabriella


MORE RIDERS OF THE CRC 


“Thanks to Burt and the team 

for putting together the Wales 

Cannonball. Completed the trip 

this weekend. Some great roads 

and great scenery along the way. 

I can recommend Gwerniago 

campsite if you are stopping 

for the night and the half way 

point.” 

Chris M 

“Thanks to Burt and the team for 

putting the Welsh cannonball rally 

together, really enjoyed it and discovered 

some new to me roads! Well 

done, hope they’ll be another one??” 

Paul S 

“I just want to say thank you for this event. I loved it. 

I thought I knew Wales, but this route took me to some places and 

views that I’ve never seen before. It was great. 

MUSIC | bbq | firepit 

2 days roadbooking! 

2 grades of routes! 

It was my first event and I now understand reading a roadbook 

and how to be a bit more competitive next time. 

So my question is, when is the next full tarmac event? And where 

in the UK could you match the success of this first event?” 

- Tim W 

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BECAUSE 

THIS LIFE IS 

FOR LIVING! 

Perhaps we could all learn a 

little something from Phil, a 

character who grabs life by the 

handlebars and doesn’t waste 

one minute of it. 

tions. I’ve done lots of stuff like that 

leading rides, but to have this huge list 

of symbols that you have to go through 

and get everything right is totally absorbing 

and I couldn’t resist. 

The Cannonball Rally Challenge 

One training session I jumped in on the 

Cannonball Rally Challenge. It was two 

and a half hours of misery up a main 

road to the start, but once you start 

your head is like “where am I going 

next? Oh my god, up there, down there 

around there.. yes, oh no not down 

there, up here!” You just get totally absorbed. 

Today has been a baptism literally! When you end up 

underwater in a mountain river then you know you’re 

pretty hooked on this stupid thing. But you get up, you 

have help from the guys who are also doing it, the bike 

goes again and you just roll on. 

I just wish I’d started younger! Sixty six is a bit old to 

start doing this stuff but hey, if you don’t give it a 

go, there’s no point saying I wish I had! 

So here we are, go out and get dirty! 

Phil Harris 

In his opinion, age is no excuse 

for not giving something a go, 

and in this case it was roadbook 

navigation which sparked his 

adventure driven curiosity. We 

caught up with him at the Wales 

Adventure Cannonball Exteme 

(his second time ever using 

a roadbook) to chat about his 

journey. 

What drew you in? 

Always one to jump in the deep end, 

I couldn’t resist the challenge of navigating 

with someone else’s instruc- 

I’d recommend it to anyone who wants 

to try it out. 

The Adventure Cannonball Extreme 

Doing it on the road is comfortable 

but for me it was all about doing it off 

road. Getting really dirty is one of my 

passions, mountain biking, fell racing… 

I just like to get dirty! So when this 

(ACB Extreme) came up last minute I 

thought ok I’ve got to spend some money 

and get the kit so I’m not messing 

around stopping, rolling it on etc, 

so I can re- main engaged in the 

riding 

and the navigating. 

So then it’s me 

that 

has the problems 

navi- 

gating not the kit. 

“Today has been a baptism, 

literally! When you 

end up underwater 

in a mountain river 

then you know you’re 

pretty hooked on this 

stupid thing!”


»Riders’ 

rides« 


Reuben’s 

1984 BMW 

r80 ST 

It’s a 1984 R80 ST. It’s not actually a GS, the guy I 

bought it from converted it. It does the job, I just 

love the old bikes and it’s a nice ride, and it’s good 

for this sort of event. I’ve done quite a lot of touring 

on it and quite a lot of green laning but I’m starting 

to get into the rallying a bit more so just looking 

forward to doing a few more events. 

It’s got an R100 front end, forks, new hagon shock 

in there. I had the tank resprayed, it didn’t have 

any side panels, I fitted the front screen 

which was missing so bits and pieces 

like that. I fitted the panier rails on 

and it’s good to go! 

16 

WANT TO CHAT BIKE? 

Tell us about your ride - robert@rallymoto.co.uk 

17


all the 

GEAR... 

STRONG ARM TACTICS 

By Dave Campbell 

RALLYMOTO MEMBERS 

GO INTERNATIONAL! 

Just a quick shout out to RallyMoto!! 

So many people here at Hellas started Roadbook rally at 

RallyMoto events and we 3 surely wouldn’t have made it 

here without you guys. 

Thanks to everyone that makes the events possible with 

a special mention to Burt, Alex and Gab for giving us 

your time, knowledge and great days on the bikes. 

Catch you soon. 

Pete, Andy & Mikael. 


SHARING THEIR 

SHOUT OUTS 

To teenagers of the late Seventies 

Stiff Little Fingers 

were a brilliant Belfast 

punk band railing against The 

Troubles and social injustice. 

To everyone else, and especially 

CRF1000 and 1100 Africa Twin riders, 

it’s the state of their sinister rigid digits 

after a day of green laning. Millennial 

milquetoasts not raised on the clutch 

action of Laverda Jotas and CR500s 

can’t quite get their heads around the 

grip-strength required for a day’s clutch 

feathering on the trails. But help is at 

hand (sorry)... Installed in mere moments, 

AltRider claim this nifty little 

arm extender reduces clutch pull by 

30%. And it certainly feels like it. Clutch 

modulation is now single-finger simple 

and a day on the trails won’t leave your 

forearms feeling like knotted steel hawser. 

Recommended. 

Try as I might I couldn’t find this little 

gizmo stocked by any UK dealer 

so went direct to AltRider.eu Price is 

€66.61 plus shipping, which is a lot 

cheaper than carpal tunnel surgery, 

plus it leaves you able to actually hold a 

pint after a hard day’s ride! 

I just want to thank you for what you 

are doing for the sport as I don’t know 

if you understand how much of an impact 

you actually have. 

I finally found the thing that makes me 

the happiest in life and it’s rallying so 

thank you Burt for introducing me and 

for all the help and support. 

MIKAEL 

After finishing my first european rally 

in greece a few week ago (olympia 

rally) would like to thank you for the 

training weekends and instruction 

you have given me over the last year, 

it made such a difference to the event 

which went really well. 

Many thanks Stuart 

18 

RIGHT BACK AT YOU GUYS, WE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO ANY OF 

THIS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR MEMBERS, SO THANK YOU! 

YOUR 

19


@rallymotouk 

RallyMoto: Adventure 

Rally & Roadbook 

Challenges 

RallyMoto: Rally & 

Adventure Riding 

by Roadbook Group 

THANK YOU! 

To all RallyMoto members for providing their continued support and for 

taking part in promoting Adventure Rallying in the UK, 

and to our awesome partners and sponsors... 

If you have any rally stories or news you’d 

like to contribute to the magazine please 

email Burt on robert@rallymoto.co.uk 

20

RallyMoto Magazine May / June

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