The Ellen Pfeiffer award was discussed at several international presidents’ meetings. At the 2003 international rally in Dorset, Great Britain, it was voted to give the award for the first time in 2004. The award was established to honour WIMA members for their outstanding contributions to WIMA, women and motorcycling.
Members of a WIMA division may nominate an individual or a group for the award. The national president sends this with a short proposal letter (who it is and why an individual or group deserves the award), to all national presidents six weeks before the Rally at the latest, so that they can become a candidate for the award of the year. The recipients of the award are elected by voting at the presidents’ meeting during the international rally.
The award consists of a certificate signed by the international president of WIMA and, originally, a medal. In 2020, the medal was replaced by a crystal trophy.
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1978 Wales, Bwlch 24-29 July
The Continental Rally was held at Llanfelte Farm in Wales at the instigation of the Germans and organised by Mary and Tim Stevens. Regula Rüttimann, from Switzerland, wrote: After about 1200 km we reach Bwlch in Wales. Saturday in France: the weather is shining! Sunday in England: pouring rain, but Mary Stevens welcomes us with coffee! In the evening the sun shines and we set up our fabric houses.
WIMA GB member Bea Hawkins remembered: The campsite was a farmer’s field just off the A40 at Bwlch. One combined shower/toilet for everyone. Rather different to what we expect these days … We incorporated the Rally into our family holiday. Helen and Phillip were 10 and 8 respectively. However, we had two bikes there, my Ariel VH 500 and Ralph’s BSA B33 500. The children were into riding pillion, so although I think we took the car and trailed one bike, we could join in with some of it on the bikes. We rented a cottage a few miles away.
GB member Sheila Whittingham related: The English WIMA women were not allowed to compete in the Trials. It was said by some because there wouldn’t be enough prizes to go round. Despite this, GB member Jean Cox came 10th overall, taking part in every competition!
Mary Stevens reported on the rally activities for WIMA News.
Monday sees the start of the competitions with the Gymkhana held in the afternoon. The course must be laid out to provide a challenge for those on small machines as well as the big BMWs.
Afterwards we have a Welsh tea. We have devised a card game to encourage everyone to communicate with each other and get to know one another. It seems to work and soon all the girls are chatting away merrily.
Tuesday, and with the sun shining we go into the forest for the hill climb. There are 30 participants, and they all enjoy blasting up the hill which consists of two hairpin bends joined together by a decent straight in which to wind the power on. In the evening after everyone had eaten, we go into the barn for the mystery bags competition.
Wednesday is a free day with no competitions, and those who wish, go off to explore this strange country called Wales. Again, the weather has been kind to those going for a ride, but there was some rain in the afternoon – that’s Wales!
Thursday we are up early as it is the road trial today and everyone must start leaving at 10 o’clock sharp. I go straight to the Sutton’s house with the van full of pasties and rolls for the picnic lunch at the end of the Trial. Everyone finds their way to the end of the road trial, even if some didn’t arrive for lunch.
Friday dawned sunny and bright; the men went off to set up the trials course. The trial started later than we wanted and was only just over in time to have a quick wash and down to the Restaurant for dinner and the prize giving. The results list went to 55 places, and thanks to the generosity of motorcycle accessory firms and people like Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Champion, Duckhams etc., we found a prize of sorts for everyone on the list. The overall winner and girl who gains the title ‘Madam WIMA 1978’ is Iris Bach of Germany.
Iris Bach in Yellow and Black leathers.Winner of hill climb and overall winner Mary Stevens concluded her report: I was very pleasantly surprised at the turnout for this year’s Rally. In previous years the number of girls attending a Continental Rally is something like 30. This year we had 77 girls attend and 55 entered at least one event. The countries represented were Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Great Britain.
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1994 Wales, Usk, 24-30 July
The venue for the 1994 rally was the Usk Agricultural College, which provided camping grounds, dormitory rooms and a bar. Doris Porter wrote an article for WIMA News.
260 WIMAs have fun in Gwent
Members booked in from countries all over the world including Australia, Japan, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany and, of course, all corners of Britain. The Swedish contingent’s arrival become doubtful at the last minute as the ferry they were due to catch had crashed in the harbour and their sailing was cancelled. Undeterred, Annette Ogren and Eva Lundquist made it to Usk after a four-day ride through five countries and arrived in style; local policemen had spotted them in town at 11:30 p.m. looking slightly lost and gave them an escort to the site!Various planned and impromptu events during the week included competitions to find the top member or “Madame WIMA” for the coming year, visits by the Pontnewydd Male Choir, a local blues and soul band, Rita (Sweden) who taught some belly dancing and impromptu circle dancing, and general campsite music and revelry.
On Monday, the first full day of the rally, around 190 people took part in a “Sports Day” competition, riding a bicycle through an obstacle course.
Tuesday’s Treasure Hunt took rallyists through (at least!) 90 miles of the beautiful Gwent countryside between the castles of Raglan, Skenfrith, Chepstow, Caldicot and Penhow. Unlike the rest of the week, the weather conditions were appalling but more than 80 stalwart riders ignored the temptations of the cafes and pubs along the way to make it to the finish. Points were earned at the venues for leek launching (a leaky kettle replaced real vegetables), blind beanbag target throwing and a walking quiz. For the evening there was an indoor barbeque.
On Wednesday the morning Skills Test involved participants riding their own motorcycle, over, under and through a tricky series of obstacles. Machines involved ranged from a Honda 125 trailie to a fully dressed Goldwing and several outfits. Many of the continental bikes were of the Transalp type and were skilfully ridden to success.
There was an afternoon run to the Big Pit Mining Museum where, having toured the underground workings, the visitors had a ‘Miners Snap’ (traditional miner’s tea) complete with cheese, gibbons (spring onions) and Welsh Cakes (small, round, flat, biscuit-like cookies, cooked on a flat griddle with currants, doused with caster sugar). Back on site in the evening there was a disco.
St Fagans, the Welsh National Folk Museum in Cardiff, took a whole day on Thursday to see. Riders’ biggest problem here was where and how to stash the still soft clay pots they had thrown on the potter’s wheel, but most pots and riders made it back to the site intact. Awards were given out at the Farewell Supper in a nearby hotel. Andrea Beuchlen won WIMA Woman of the Year. A special ‘Trials and Tribulations Award was given to Jutta Dittern, who had had to dash home to Berlin because of a crisis, only to find that it had passed and promptly set off again, returning exhausted on Tuesday morning. That’s dedication! Thanks to the success of the organising committee to persuade manufacturers and other companies to give generously, there were enough prizes for everyone down to 70th place.
Ellen Pfeiffer Award recipients
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1970 USA, New York, 11 July-12 September
New York blazed with WIMA cheer: twenty flags, 650-mile rides, 3,000-mile journeys, tiered cake, toasts, and 20 years of roaring motorcycles, friendship, and international sisterhood celebrated in style.
