Dave Dowling, Entrant, Welshpool

My first bike which I bought for £8 back in 1965 was a 1954 BSA C11G. There followed numerous other British bikes over the next few years the best of which I still remember as being my 1957 Norton 99. Gradually I began to realise that foreign bikes offered more reliability which in turn meant that I could risk travelling further afield without the fear of something breaking. I had various Jap bikes before purchasing my first BMW a 1976 600cc R60/7 and that was a revelation .. so smooth and so very reliable. That was followed by three more BMWs the latest being an R100RS - a bike which I considered to be the ultimate

touring machine. However time marches on and I now have a Honda Pan European and I have to say that it is almost as good as the BMW! If only Honda had perfected the seating position and the fairing it would have been the best because the rest of the package ( in particular the engine ) is superb.
My first motorcycle rally was the Dragon Rally back in 1968 on the Norton and although I got soaked to the skin and frozen to the marrow it made a lasting impression on me and despite the other distractions which life brought along to divert me from my first love I finally got around to doing my second Dragon in 1989 and I have not missed one since. In fact I became more adventurous and did my first `National` Rally in 1990 and found that I loved having to ride further and to do more navigation. In fact I was so enthusiastic that I persuaded members of my club ( Clive Motorcycle Club ) to support me in running a Rally in Wales similar to the `National`. They agreed in principle provided that I sorted it all out and got some entries.

I was so fired up that they began to realise how serious I was and they were soon all on my side. The first Rally was held in 1994 with 46 entries and by 1999 the number had grown to 750 entries and the event now known as the `Welsh National Rally` had become a regular in the Rally calendar.