Happy Birthday, VC Hamburg: Scooter Rally by the Dike
For their 75th anniversary celebration, the
Club chose the beautiful grounds of the Moorwerder open-air school, right by the Elbe. With a swimming pool! Participants could either stay overnight in the school building or pitch their tents on the spacious green fields. We had packed our van with our Dropbar GTS and the Vespa Demonstrator, plenty of small and a few bigger giveaways, and of course
THE WALL with our latest technical highlights.
Traffic Jam Interlude
We already had fun on the way there with a Scooter Center fan who, stuck in traffic next to us, showed his excitement about our field trip and chatted with us through the open windows about his enduring scooter passion (“… I still have two fifties at home!”).
SC right up front: first stop for scooter fans
Arrived, set up and unpacked. When chairman Bengt Lange officially opened the event at 4:30 pm in front of a large crowd, we were ready. And already busy; our stand was the very first one visitors encountered on the dealer mile.
Vespas rattled (or thumped) past us non-stop to the parking area, a colorful mix of modern automatics and classic geared treasures. Gradually, a few beautiful (and loud) Lambrettas also sneaked – sorry, roared – into the rows of participants. Scooter lovers from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria came together in Moorwerder to properly celebrate the club’s 75th birthday in Hamburg.
Our SC stand quickly became a popular meeting point. Lots of reunions with old friends, new acquaintances, questions about the latest technology, and some valuable customer feedback to improve our shop service. Our small giveaways were also in high demand and went like hotcakes.
Sundowner, Soul and Hamburg Weather
On the very first evening, even before the main evening program, the Sundowner ride-out was scheduled, while the live band “Rockefellers Coverband” entertained the crowd on the meadow stage with well-known songs. Always included: typical Hamburg weather. Later in the evening, the DJ duo Smart Core Kiel took over in the hall with classic music. (Classic Northern Soul, of course – before anyone complains about the lack of Bach or Beethoven.) There was much less dancing inside than lively conversations and fun outside – especially around the bar (for obvious reasons), but really all over the grounds. The morning started early at 8 with breakfast, as the first
ride-out to the Alte Land was scheduled for 9, with many joining in. A second ride-out followed half an hour later. After a few ignition hiccups, the weather had switched back to full midsummer mode and promised a sunny day.
Vespa Journey into the Past
We took a moment to visit the exhibition by the Vespa Club Hamburg and Hoffmann-Vespa Hamburg. In a small but impressive collection, visitors could see Germany’s oldest Hoffman Vespa. Particularly fascinating was the story of Hendrik “Moinsen” and Christian Z., who in 2007 circumnavigated America with two stock Hoffmann Vespas. Not exactly a speed-focused adventure, but one full of hundreds of unique stories and encounters. More details can be found on their
website.
355 Scooters on Course for More Road Safety
Saturday at noon it was time for the big parade. Under the motto “More Safety for Two-Wheelers in Traffic”,
355 scooters rolled over the dike and went on a peaceful demonstration ride that even included crossing the Köhlbrand Bridge. Even the police escort caught the contagious scooter spirit, filmed videos, and later couldn’t resist
riding a Vespa through the Gymkhana course themselves.
Tech Talk, Poster Hunt and bgm News
Under our pavilion, there were many great conversations all day long, product details discussed, our brand-new bgm clutch covers admired, and questions about the price of our Vespa Demonstrator. (No, it’s still not for sale, friends! ^^). Our giveaways went like hotcakes, we gained new fans, and some surely now have our beautiful Open Day poster hanging in their room or garage. Send us pictures!
Rock’n’Roll by the Dike
Two more live bands accompanied the late afternoon and evening, with
Mike Onetwo truly rocking the place: finest rockabilly sound and an energetic performance that got the seated audience on their feet, then right up to the stage, and finally dancing wildly. After the award ceremony for the custom show and more, soul music took over again.
Goodbye Hamburg!
After Sunday breakfast we said our goodbyes. Quickly decorated the club sticker wall with a small selection of our own, then set off on the roughly five-hour return trip in the SC van. Thank you, VC Hamburg! It was a fantastic anniversary celebration with an endless variety of scooters and riders, great vibes, amazing atmosphere – we had such a good time with you!
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