IIR 2025 in Denmark and club participation - overview Honzy Peštála ml.

The history of international Indian rallies began at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, when the main driving force was the strongest German Indian club, bringing together over 500 Indian enthusiasts. The idea was to organize an annual traveling rally, with one of the national clubs being entrusted with its organization. And so, over the past 30 years, the rally has circled Europe, visiting most countries and returning to some of them repeatedly. There is great interest in organizing the event, and the schedule is set several years in advance. I am happy to add our club's contribution and boast that the national Indian Motocycle Club CZ organized last year's rally in Most, where 220 historic Indian motorcycles gathered. It was nice to see many foreign participants wearing our last year's rally T-shirts at this year's meeting.

This year's rally took place on the weekend of June 25-27 in northern Denmark, at the Mosten MC motorcycle club. Founded in 1982, it has a base, a campground, and a sprint track where many events for old and new vehicles are held. It is fitting that the founding member of this club and also the long-time president of the Danish Indian Club is Ove Bøf Jensen – the circle is thus symbolically complete, as the international rally was held here for the third time (2003 and 2013).

And now from a purely personal perspective. As a young boy, I visited several of these large "Indian" rallies with my parents, which are truly a hallmark celebration on the old continent and therefore accessible to anyone who is interested. Of course, I continued to do so as an adult whenever possible – thanks to our All Indians Weekend, we have made many good friends abroad, which is why I consider rallies a great opportunity to "get a taste," see old friends, and discover new places and people. So I was a big proponent of the idea that as many of us Czechs as possible should come together. And that's what happened – a great group gathered under the club tent.

We set off for the rally early, so I left Vysočina early on Thursday morning – in a station wagon with a trailer, my trusty Scout 101 hidden under a tarpaulin, lots of parts for friends, and camping equipment. Less than three hours later, I pick up my dad near Děčín, set a reasonable speed of between 120 and 130 km/h for the rig, and we have about 900 km ahead of us. We're driving "without babes," we have plenty to talk about, so the journey passes calmly, without accidents or highway traffic jams. I am a non-stop driver, so we only fall behind schedule slightly, and after about 13 hours of driving and just under 1,200 kilometers, we arrive at our destination. The area is already quite full, as participants have been arriving since Wednesday. We squeeze into the Součeks' designated spot – we make a Tetris puzzle out of tents, cars, and trailers, into which we then squeeze the tent of scout Kukačka, who has returned to the practice of attending rallies without a motorcycle. I sleep in a trailer, with the necessary insect repellent and earplugs – this proved useful last year in Most. We are not here for luxury, but for experiences. So as not to spoil myself, I didn't even bring a sleeping bag; I just sleep under a blanket. However, the weather was merciful throughout, and it didn't rain. Our convoy is closed off by the Slabý family's van, and Honza Waclav is camping across the aisle. We are neighbors with the Pelders family – well-known manufacturers of vintage decals – on one side, and Kai Virta, an incredibly friendly and energetic octogenarian, long-time president of the Finnish Indian Club, on the other.

Friday is our service day. Franta Souček has a flat front tire on his Scout 101, and after dismantling it, he removes an ancient, very vintage, and possibly even original red Firestone inner tube. With the help of the expedition members and a battery compressor from a German participant, we manage to repair it. However, when he tries to start the motorcycle, gasoline pours out of the Schebler carburetor and Franta sinks into sadness. I tell him, "Don't pedal, it's pointless, let's check the needle valve and float." After disassembly, it is clear – apparently, the original cork float has fallen victim to the fuel and no longer floats. I take five steps to the neighboring stand, buy the last cork float for the DLX, and thus it is the fastest repair of this fault in history. The trip is saved, and Franta spends the afternoon taking his happy kids around the neighborhood. My dad had the same problem last year in Most when we were leaving for a ride. I recommend to riders – leave the cork to the winemakers and, for your peace of mind, get a modern nitrophilic "plastic" float for your carburetor.

The rally program follows the usual scenario, but each year adds some local specialties. On Friday, the last participants arrived, and entertaining motorcycle games were held on the concrete area in front of the race track – skill riding between obstacles, collecting objects, slow riding, etc. In the evening, there was live entertainment and beer games (without motorcycles), accompanied by live music. On Saturday before lunch, participants had the opportunity to go on a ride, which was not organized in any detail. The connecting point was a stop for lunch – in the form of good sandwiches – and a visit to a Neolithic site with a cult house and burial ground. The site is over 5,000 years old and is one of the key archaeological sites in Denmark. In the afternoon, 1/8 mile sprints in several categories took place on the track. The participants did not spare their machines, and it was interesting to see 80-90-year-old machines running at full speed. You could hear how well each one was tuned and how well each rider had it under control. There were no defects except for a fallen footrest and another rider who dropped his wallet with keys while riding. The loudest cheers went to a pretty young Danish woman in a tight T-shirt who ran around picking up these items. It's a shame that more didn't fall out. As usual, there was also a market. Surprisingly, this year's rally was very weak in this regard, with only a handful of sellers. Perhaps everyone already has everything they need and doesn't need to buy anything, or maybe there is nothing left to sell. Nevertheless, we managed to pick up a few things.

Saturday evening is always the festive conclusion of the event. The presentation of prizes for the sprint, awards for various exceptional performances, and acknowledgments. I don't have exact statistics, but based on the numbers I remember, I estimate that the Danish rally was about 10% larger than the Czech one - in terms of both the number of participants and motorcycles. Good dinner - the Danes really pulled out all the stops with the catering, which was above average compared to previous rallies. There was live music, but I was already feeling a bit of travel fever from Sunday's departure. So we sat in our Czech nest until about midnight, having a great time, stories from the past and recent times flying through the air, but it was time to go to sleep. At half past one, there was an episode with a tipsy participant of indeterminate nationality who wandered in and knocked over the tent where Kukačka was nesting. However, we escorted the intruder out and went to get some rest. Fortunately, he didn't crush Kukačka. On Sunday morning, we pack up in a very organized manner, have breakfast, say a quick goodbye to everyone who is within reach, and leave. The journey home is long, so we have time to sort through and add to our experiences with my dad and reflect on what was, could have been, and will be in the world of the Indian brand. The next national event is All Indians Weekend in 2026, followed by a large international Indian rally in Switzerland, where the Danes have passed on the imaginary baton and where the event is returning after 30 years. Indianists, don't hesitate to come to one of these events! Follow www.indianclub.cz, our members are looking forward to seeing you!

Shortly after returning

Honza Peštál ml.

červenec 2025