Rally of discovery

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The Rally of Discovery was started in the Republic of Ireland in 1994, by the Southern Motorcycle Adventure Club.

The Purpose of the Rally of Discovery is to keep in contact with the riders who take part, or have an interest in these international motorcycle adventure and navigation rallies i.e. to use motorcycles, normally trail motorcycles to explore your local area.

The first Rally started in Cork outside Isaacs Hostel, where most of the entrants stayed the night before. In the following years the event has started in different locations and latterly it has moved overseas from Ireland to keep the adventure fresh.

[edit] Locations

  • 1994 - Cork City Ireland
  • 1995 - Ireland
  • 1996 - Ireland
  • 1997 - Ireland
  • 1998 - Ireland
  • 1999 - Ireland
  • 2000 - Ireland
  • 2001 - Crete - Rally of Discovery - Island of Crete
  • 2002 - Ireland
  • 2003 - Trip to Tipp - Rally of Discovery - Clonmel Ireland
  • 2004 - Welsh Rally of Discovery - Wales UK
  • 2004 - Andalucia Adventure - Rally of Discovery - South of Spain
  • 2005 - Wales - Rally of Discovery - Wales UK
  • 2006 - Cyprus - Rally of Discovery Cyprus paphos
  • 2006 - Cornwall - Rally of Discovery Cornwall UK
  • 2007 - Yorkshire - Forest Moor & Coast, Yorkshire Rally of Discovery
  • 2007 - Isle of Man - Manx Rally of Discovery
  • 2008 - Surrey Hills - Rally of Discovery UK 3/5 May 2008
  • 2008 - Ireland - Lisdoonvarna Rally of Discovery 05 - 08 Sept 2008


Rally of Discovery 2008 5th to 8th September 2008

Hi! My name is Philip Gunn of the Southern Motorcycle Adventure Club. Together with Seamus Sorohan I have been involved with the Rally of Discovery since 1994; doesn’t time fly??? We organise this event, The Rally of Discovery, (from here on known as ROD), for the sole purpose of having fun on our chosen form of motorised transport. In the last few years it has included Honda Gold Wings, Royal Enfield’s, CanAm Quads and BMW’s, and they all have fun. This year, we task you to find clues at scenic points in the Counties of Clare and west Galway. The Primary aim of the ROD is to bring out the spirit of Adventure and camaraderie that lurks in us all. Over the years, the rally has thrived and we have had numerous reviews in various publications. In boldest terms what we are offering is a luxury treasure hunt. The clues are for you to find, and they are located in some of the most scenic landscapes in Western Europe. The luxury is that we are organising everything for you down to the last detail, and when your day’s adventuring is done, you can be assured that a clean warm bed and nice food and company await you.

Some of the key points that you need to know: q The duration of the rally is from early evening on Friday September 5th and Monday September 8th at 1200 hrs is the end of your stay in the Hotel. Most entrants depart after Breakfast. q Location of the event is the Hotel King Thomond, Lisdoonvarna, and County Clare, Ireland. q The famous matchmaking fair is running at the same time as the ROD. q You are best served with a motorcycle that has a token off road capability but a road machine can enter and concentrate on the road based clues of which there will be many. q As this is a fun event anyone being too competitive runs the risk of being penalised …. Remember fun, fun, and fun!!! q Scoring system will be weighted towards the least competitive machines and age groups. q All machines must be road registered and have in place a quiet exhaust. q All riders must have a motor cycle licence for the class of machine they will ride. q Entry fee is €395.00 Euro. We expect a non-refundable deposit of €100 to secure your entry with the full entry fee to be paid before 01 August 2008. Entries are to be made on the official entry form and all sections to be filled in. q Entry is based on a shared room basis, normally in a twin or double bed room. q If a single room is required an extra fee of €60.00 will be required – limited qty. q In case of cancellation of your entry, the 1st 100 € is not refundable Cancellation has to be done by Letter or Email and the postmark on the envelope will decide time of cancellation. In August, 50% will be refunded, for cancellation in July 75% will be refunded. There can be NO refund for cancellation in September.

Categories of Entry / Groups / Classes:

Machines: 1. Single Cylinder + 0% 2. Multi Cylinders + 2% 3. Sidecar / Quad + 2% 4. Solo + 0% 5. Pillion + 2% 6. 0-300 cc machine + 1% 7. 301 – 565 cc + 0% 8. 565cc – 799 cc + 1% 9. 800cc – 1300cc + 2%

Groups – Teams: A group or team award will be offered for a team of 3 riders or 1 solo + 1 Quad / Sidecar Or 1 Solo plus a rider and pillion passenger (max 3 persons per team). Teams may be nominated at briefing on Friday night 5th September.

Age Classification, (in the event of a dispute “unlikely proof might have to be furnished”)

18 – 39 years + 0% 40 – 49 years + 1% 50 – 59 years + 2% 60 > + 4%

For example: a 60 year old in a 1000cc multi cylinder sidecar with pillion will have a factor of 12% added to their daily score.

Scoring The only basis of scoring will be the organisers’ records. Only check sheets completed and handed in within 15 minutes of the daily finish time will be considered.

We will take the answer you have entered on the sheet to be final and will not allow changes after it is handed in. If cheating is confirmed you will lose all or part of your daily score at the discretion of the organisers. Within a range of 20 metres of the clue location (according to GPS), you will be scored as having arrived at the location. Accuracy of your written answer deductions will be scored in the answer category & we will only score checks with written answers.

Tie Breaker We will probably employ a tiebreaker. This will offer only a nominal score but only by participating in the tiebreaker will you be eligible for the additional score. There will be no penalty for non-participation in the tie breaker.

Time keeping We allocate a start and finish time to help with the smooth running of the event. This stops big groups of machines going around together. We request you not to travel in groups of more than 3 machines. q Late at start in morning: 1 point deducted per minute late q Late at finish: 1 point deducted per minute of lateness q Timing on the event will be GPS time q Lunch stop ~ you are required to stop riding for one hour starting between the hours of 1200 and 1300 hrs, handing in your GPS to the organisers at the lunch stop.

Riding time per day is a maximum of 7 hours. From the time you depart in the morning you are allowed 8 hours to get back in the evening.

Reversed starting order On the 2nd day of riding (Sunday 7th) the last rider to start on the Saturday will start 1st on Sunday and so on.

Remote starting locations It is likely that the start on both days will not be at the hotel, so plan and add in additional journey time to the start locations.

Sign on / the arrival day When you check in, will give you your maps – shirt – stickers – meal times & allocate your room. We will fill in any missing details, look to see your driving licence and insurance and get you to sign a form that your machine is road worthy

Timetable (subject to change) Friday 05 September 1500 2000 Hrs Administration 2000 Evening meal 2100 Briefing on 1st day’s route

Saturday 06 September 0800 Breakfast 0900 1st rider away 1200 Lunch stop check IN opens 1300 Lunch stop check IN closes 1700 Evening check open 1800 Evening check closed 2000 Evening meal 2100 Briefing for 2nd day’s route

Sunday 07 September 0800 Breakfast 0900 1st rider away (reverse start order) 1200 Lunch stop check IN opens 1300 Lunch stop check IN closes 1700 Evening check open 1800 Evening check Closed 2030 Hrs evening meal and presentation of awards

Monday 08 September 0800 Breakfast 1200 Vacate your rooms

Special considerations: q Medical Cover - we suggest that you have holiday travel insurance and the EEC form E111. q Machine Breakdown - we will recover your machine back to the hotel and may be able to assist in getting your machine fixed and repatriated. q Environment please do not soil the countryside as you pass through and dispose of any consumables and oil in a proper fashion. There must be no littering in the parking place of machines. q It is worthwhile having a lock for your machine in the car park. Neither we the organisers nor the hotel will be held responsible for loss or theft of your property. q Catering: All your evening meals and breakfasts will be supplied for the duration of the event. q Prize Giving will be after the evening meal on Sunday evening. q Responsibility and Safety: It is a condition of you being accepted to enter the ROD that by signing the entry form you agree not to hold responsible any of he following for any damage or accident which may occur during the event:

    * The organisers their representatives and helpers 
    * Other entrants and their assistants or guests 
    * The authorities, event services and other organisations and persons connected  
       With the event. This agreement becomes valid with respect to all parties 
       Concerned as soon as the entry form is submitted to the organisers.


And just in case: The organisers may refuse entries, can shorten or extend the route of the event at any time, can change the tasks, may cancel or add parts of the programme, and can change classifications / class / scoring or delay or cancel the event contrary to the AM rules at any stage. You can always submit a protest on the back of a 19-euro note…………

Some frequently asked Questions What is the Rally of discovery? The ROD is a road/trail bike treasure hunt/scatter rally designed to bring entrants to some of the most scenic areas in Ireland.

I cannot navigate or map read how would I manage? No problem - we will supply some instruction on reading the supplied maps, a GPS is a good help and all you have to do is ask. We are willing to help as will your fellow entrants, and maybe you could consider “hooking up” with other people in a team. Based on previous ROD’s you will pick up the knack after only one day and we are here to help not to hinder.

Do I need to bring maps? NO - we supply maps for your routes but a general map of Ireland might be helpful for route planning such as a [[Michelin 405].

Is it very difficult or competitive? No - it is what you want it to be. There will be quite a few checks / waypoints on each day. Some will be on roads, tracks, beaches, and towns, up hills and in harbours. You decide which checks you wish to attend. At the nightly briefing, we will give details of the checks and whether suitable for road bikes etc. If you have a question please ask it. Remember the only silly question is the one not asked!

What do you need to bring? Yourself, your machine, waterproof riding gear (it sometimes rains!) a sense of humour, waterproof map holder, maybe your camera, (we will give an award for the best photo in digital format) possibly some bike tools and money to buy the odd Guinness.

Is it expensive? We think we offer very good value. For not much more than the price of the hotel, you will get all the benefits of a professionally organised rally. After your rally entry fee, your major expense is getting here, your fuel costs (a bit cheaper that the UK) and buying your lunch daily …… also included in the entry is entrance to the main matchmaker dance in the hotel Hydro, ask at hotel reception.

Can ladies enter? We would like to ban them because they have been very successful at the ROD!!! .. But YES, ladies are very welcome as riders, pillions or guests.

What if I break down? We have a recovery vehicle on standby although we do not recover trivial items. We will need your location, and will give assistance in getting to the UK ferries if possible. It is good to have breakdown cover for this touring event.

May I use GPS? Yes – Garmin GPS are the most favoured, but if yours is unusual you may need to bring a download cable. Some GPS units are available for rent. It is helpful to have a GPS mount and power cord. We hope to have downloads to GPS available, but it helps to be able to load manually.

I hope I have not bored you with the technical features of the event which is quite simple when you get going! I hope you can come, and if you do, I can promise you a “Cead Mile Failte” ~ a hundred thousand welcomes. The numbers are limited to 60 and as I sit here tonight, typing this (08/05/08) we have indications that 40 places are gone. That leaves 20 to fill. Treat yourself! You will not regret it. Do not hesitate to contact me in the evening on 00 35 3 21 4889462 or email philgunn@iol.ie

Yours sincerely Phil Gunn


Check out the web site for updates at www.discoveryrally.com

Payment details: Account details for Bank Transfer Account: Southern Motorcycle Adventure Club IBAN No IE43 AIBK 9341 7898 8360 71 BIC AIBKIE2D Bank AIB Glanmire Co Cork

If you wish to send by paypal add 4% to cover costs this end To philgunn@iol.ie paypal is at www.paypal.com

Travel advice: For ferry crossing to Ireland we have 4 options:

Liverpool to Dublin Norfolk line (good for vans but not for bikes - we can get a deal!)

Holyhead to Dunlaoire Stena Line (Deal in MCN) Holyhead to Dublin port Irish ferries and Stena Line

Pembroke Dock to Rosslare in Co Wexford Ireland - Irish ferries Fishguard to Rosslare - Stena

Stranraer to Belfast - Stena

If you wish to fly, the nearest airport to Lisdoonvarna is Shannon www.shannonairport.com/

Flying to Shannon are Ryanair www.ryanair.com and Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com

Then Galway: www.galwayairport.com Flights from Luton, Manchester & Newcastle via www.flybe.com & www.aerarran.com

The next nearest Airport is Cork Www.corkairport.com

Bus connection from Ennis to Lisdoonvarna: http://194.106.151.94/jplan/bin/query.exe/en?seqnr=1&ident=hb.04200187.1210326094&OK#focus

There is a bus every 45 minutes to Ennis from Shannon Bus company here www.buseireann.ie/

If you wish to fly to Dublin and rent machines try here http://www.motorental.ie/index.html I think they might even collect you at the airport.

There are quite a few people bringing over vans and give them an email to see if they have space and price for your machine.

Reg Moule rpm223@talktalk.net Pat Keenan pat.keenan@btinternet.com Andrew Manahan amanahan@lolacomposites.com



Google maps link have a look here http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112110960984200262475.00044c01c2eebb0c84517&ll=52.825252,-6.320797&spn=4.395719,8.481445&z=7

[edit] External links

Rally of Discovery official website www.ryanair.com Ryanair cheap flights