Ireland Rally

Hello All

The details for the May Rally 2009 are as follows,  if you can please pass on the details to your members at your next Centre meeting or via email. 

Nick, Can you please put this on the national website and Ade, can you please put it on the Centre 2 website?

Location:  Raceview Road , Ballymena, BT43 7, United Kingdom

Dates Available:  The rally is from the 1st of May 2009 until the 3rd of May 2009.  The rally team will be on site from Thursday the 30th of April until Tuesday the 5th, so all are welcome to arrive early or Stay late as they want.

Tickets:  Please make all sterling cheques payable to Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp.  Please send a SAE with you payment to Brian at 6 Hyde Square , Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Ireland .  The SAE's will be posted in Northern Ireland in batches, so please don't worry if there is a delay in recieving your tickets.

Ferries:  The most direct route is to sail Stranraer to Belfast and head up the road 30 minutes to Ballymena. There are obviously other routes such as Fishguard/Pembroke to Rosslare, Holyhead to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire & Liverpool to Belfast . All route bookings on the ferries will be handled by Nutt Travel.  They can be contacted at Nutt Travel & Promotions, 14A Artillery Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, N. Ireland,BT52 1Q. Tel: 028 7035 1199 Fax: 028 7035 8974. Email: info@nutttravel.com The reference when booking is "VSOC Ireland Rally 2009". It will cost you 79 return for a bike & rider and 89 return for a bike & 2 travelling from either of the requested ports.

Food on Site:  All of the catering will be handled by Ballymena Rugby Club.  They will be putting on Full Breakfast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The lunch times will have rolls and a limited menu.  The evening meals have yet to be confirmed, but we have requested that they provide basically pub grub if they can.  Vegetarians will also be  catered for at all meal times.

Bar Times:  On the Thursday the bar will close at 11:30.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there will be bar extensions to 1 a.m.  The Rugby Club President has asked that the VSOC ask the members not to bring in their own drink.  They will provide cans for "carry out".

Entertainment:  There will be bands and DJ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tea & Coffee:  There will be 24 hour tea and coffee facilities as normal.

Showers:  There will be access to the showers for 18 hours each day and seperate showers for men and women.

Parking:  Hardstanding is provided for parking all 'bikes.

Security:  We will have regular security patrols throughout the rally.

Rideouts: Because of the size of the club rideouts and the history in the 6 counties, we are offically required to register with the Parades Commission and notify them of our intent.  It may be, at this stage, that we will issue route cards to Rally Attendees that show the different routes and places of interest that we are looking at for possible rideouts.

Currancy:  You are still in the UK , so sterling applies at the Rugby Club and in the 6 counties.

Staying Longer?:  If Rally Attendees plan on staying longer or are coming earlier, please feel free to drop Brian a line and we can assist with information on their stay.

Ride safe

Brian, Adrian, Steve & Tommy