If the Garagistas did not exist it would be necessary to invent them.
I don’t vote for marginalisation in the scooter scene, I prefer unity, however I also fully understand the way like-minded individuals tend to gather together, just as the Garagistas did recently in Reading.
Garagistas started life as Sean Robinson’s facebook page for angle-grinder wielding creatives from the scooter scene. Primarily from the scooter scene, but not exclusively. Modified cars and motorcycles are also openly accepted, perhaps more so than anything standard or adorned with more mirrors than it left the factory with.
On the page they track the progress of interesting cut-and-weld projects worldwide, the more radical the better; particularly if cheesy Wotsits are involved.
This year marked the first Garagistas Gathering at a mostly secret location on a farm south of Reading inhabited by Sarah and her fella Rick, who is a member of the Reading Offbeats. The idea of the Gathering was to encourage quality over quantity; people with the correct misguided mindset.
The mindset was to make the event like they make their machines. By hook, crook and donation for a worthwhile cause. A JustGiving page funded the marquees. The decent portaloos were donated by Ricki Davis of RPM scooters. The DJ equipment and spinning tunes skills were also free, with a couple of other Garagistas stepping up to the decks for a stint.
Not only did it succeed, it did so one of the most scorchingly hot weekends of the year so far. A weekend which may actually be the only summer we get in Britain. The sort of weekend where you need an impromptu “Redneck swimming pool” built from straw bales and tarpaulin, so naturally one got constructed on Friday resulting in more than red necks on Saturday.
The recipe for the gathering was simple: a modest campfire on Friday, a custom show on Saturday and some music and silly games for entertainment. Entry fee was optional and all profit given to charities. This was indeed a campsite of cool karma. And some tasty scooters…
My favourite newie was Aubrey’s smallframe converted to accept a Suzuki RG250 Gamma twin cylinder motor. Lots of cool features and trick details and worthy of a feature but Simon slipped-off home before I managed to shoot it.
Sean explains:
“We decided that we could use the event to celebrate the Garagistas and raise a bit for charity, the two charities were Bloodbikes and German Shepherd rescue Uk in memory of Eric Faulkner and Andy Chewy Rawlins both Garagistas but now both gone to start a branch upstairs we raised a healthy £630 to be split between the two charities.”
“The KUSTOMISED show was a crazy display of metal with some of the coolest rides around on show..
All the trophies were made by the Garagistas and donated special thanks to Andy Lines of Slick Scooter Services, the Dorset Lowriders SC, Nic Sims Kris Green,Bob Hacking and David Gotch for taking the time to make and provide them..”
Have you discovered SLUK’s revolutionary SLUK Clip Lambretta bridge-piece fitting kit yet?
KUSTOMISED show results:
Best Mod scooter: NICK JOLLY GTs (the only Gts there)
Best Motorcycle: STEVEN CHIVERS Harley-powered Bobber
Best bike engined scooter: SIMON ALDRED RG250-powered smallframe
Best auto engined: CHRIS WALTON X9 powered ‘Crawling’
Best car: JAKE ROBERTS 1969 VW Beetle
Best Rat: REGGY REG Lambretta chop
Punters Choice: SIMON ALDRED RG250
Ladies Choice: STEVE CHIVERS Harley bobber
Furthest travelled: JAKE ROBERTS Doncaster 220 miles
Best Overall: TAMMIE VINCENT ‘Why be normal’ auto chop
Thank you all those who made the effort to come and join us for the weekend at our first Garagistas gathering .. one lad rode down 210 miles for it Ben of the Young Guns sc (was pipped a mere 10 miles by his mate Jake in the Beetle) others trekked down from Manchester, up from Carmarthenshire and across from the Midlands.. all in all about a 100 people but it was 100 quality people..the KUSTOMISED show was a collection of crazy arsed metal and any one of the contenders would normally stand out in a crowd..but in a crowd of Garagistas they had the stiffest of competition..Garagistas is an eclectic bunch of Shed fiddlers Garage moles and Workshop wombles with honest oil under their fingernails and dubious stains on their knees.. if you think you are one of these look us up.. Scooters Motorcycles and Cars all good in the hood for us..