Category: Events and Shows

1. CROWDS FLOCK TO STAFFORD SHOW AS BROUGH SUPERIOR SMASHES AUCTION BEST

   Posted on 9:46am Friday 2nd May 2014

   SHOWGOERS were abuzz with news of a record breaking sale in the Bonhams auction as another bumper crowd went home happy following the now traditional spring motorcycle event at Staffordshire County Showground this past weekend.

   The 34th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show hosted the annual Bonhams sale of vintage and collectors’ motorcycles in which a Brough Superior SS100 – once owned by George Brough himself – sold for a staggering £253,500.

   Nick Mowbray, exhibition manager for the event, said: “We were delighted to see many above-estimate sales in the auction to round off a fantastic weekend of classic motorcycling. The sale of the star lot was supported by many other notable results and combined with the enthusiastic crowd that came through our gates, we are encouraged that the classic motorcycle market is alive and well.”

   Along with the strong showing in the auction, one of the world’s largest gatherings of classic display machines didn’t disappoint with a stunning 1969 Indian Velocette claiming the much-coveted Best in Show award ahead of whole host of top-quality contenders.

   James Robinson, editor of The Classic MotorCycle magazine, said: “The standards are always high at Stafford, but there were several entries that ensured 2014 lived up to expectations. Neil Radley’s Best in Show winner was a worthy one, and there were many other expert restorations and unusual finds that meant picking award winners was an unenviable task. There were many bikes that didn’t get recognition when they easily could have, and it speaks volumes for the current strength of the classic scene.”

   One of the unusual machines referred to was a 1949 Moto Major, an Italian-made motorcycle entered by Alessandro Altinier, which is the only one of its kind and has never before been seen in the UK.

   On a weekend which celebrated numerous ‘golden’ anniversaries, guest of honour John Surtees proved popular five decades on from his F1 world title win, with the thousands in attendance filling every available vantage point around the main stage to listen to his fascinating interviews with TT winner and TV commentator Steve Plater.

   Surtees, now aged 80 and still the only man to have captured both motorcycle world championships and the F1 world crown, spoke about his fascinating career working for some of the most iconic names in motorsport history, as well as the work currently being undertaken by his charity, the Henry Surtees Foundation. His appearance at Stafford kick-starts a year of events aimed at raising funds for the foundation, with the man himself explaining how the Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show was a fitting place to start: “Seeing so many familiar faces here at Stafford and catching up with old friends, it feels like a homecoming of sorts. Surtees’ relationship with event organiser Classic Bike Shows is a well-established one, having now been guest of honour at Stafford three times – another record he holds – as well as opening the company’s media centre in Lincolnshire just over a decade ago.

   Across the showground, the newly-sponsored Putoline Classic Dirt Bike Experience was once again a hub of action, with off-road demos taking place regularly throughout the two days.

   Classic Dirt Bike magazine editor, Tim Britton, said: “Our thanks to Putoline for sponsoring the Owd Codgers trails demos this year; they were as entertaining as ever. We had plenty of shiny exhibits inside the hall too, with a focus on the fact it’s now 50 years since Sammy Miller signed for Bultaco in a move that changed off-road sport for ever.”

   Alongside the Bultaco celebrations, 2014 also sees the 50th anniversary of Jeff Smith’s first world championship win and several events throughout the year will mark the occasion, including the massive International Dirt Bike Show at Stoneleigh Park in October.

   Traders and vendors enjoyed a successful weekend at Stafford too, as visitors came from far and wide to find the perfect part, piece or tool for their restoration or maintenance project.

   “The international tagline in our show’s name is certainly warranted,” added exhibition manager Nick Mowbray. “We welcome classic motorcycle enthusiasts, not just from all four corners of the UK, but also from Ireland, across mainland Europe and even further afield.”

   Attention now turns to the remainder of the classic calendar, with Classic Bike Shows’ next stop at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh for the Carole Nash Great Scottish Bike Show in August, followed by events in Netley Marsh in September and Stafford again in October.

   For all the up-to-date news, visit www.classicbikeshows.com

2. If you’ve ever wanted to try off-road riding for the first time – now is your chance

   Posted on 2:56pm Wednesday 30th Apr 2014

   The Motorcycle Off-Road Experience (MORE) is holding another 4 day mini off-road ‘try out’ festival, which will be held 20th to 23rd of June at the AMCA track at Bevercotes in Nottinghamshire.

   This is for anyone aged 16 or over, who has not ridden off-road before, and is suitable for road riders, or complete novices.  All bikes, protective clothing and training will be provided for a subsidised fee of just £25, for a whole morning or afternoon session.

   Places are allocated on a first come first served basis, via an online booking system, which goes ‘live’ on Saturday May 10th at 10 am.  Most of the places for a similar event last year went within the first hour of going live.

   A women only session will be held on the morning of Friday 20th June, but women are obviously welcome to attend any session.

   See the website:  www.rideoffroad.co.uk

   And like the facebook page 

3. VMCC BRITISH HISTORIC RACING 2014 ROUND 1, ANGLESEY

   Posted on 1:34pm Wednesday 30th Apr 2014

   A dry but windy Anglesey circuit greeted the BHR brigade for round 1 of the 2014 season.

   The entertainment began with the Ducati singles and Formula Bantams sharing the track, Rich Hawkins taking his first of many wins over the weekend on a 349 Mk 3 Duke. Nick Bramley took the first Bantam race honours with Michael Brown, Ian Scutt and Mike Powell pecking at his heels all the way to the flag. These four had some great dices over the weekend, each grabbing a win.

   
   Some very funky paintjobs were being shown off on the packed scooter grids, Damon Tunnicliffe’s mean looking fully faired Lambretta taking him to the front in most of Saturday’s outings. More beautifully turned out bikes graced the ‘big bike’ startline, the Rob North Rocket 3s of the Woolleys putting in good performances, but the fight for top spot all day was between the Seeley G50 mounted Ian Sheltner and Mike Bevan on a 750 Seeley Norton. Rich Hawkins rode the wheels off his Ducati again to take the 250/350 races and the world’s oldest rider/bike combination of Mervyn Stratford and his bionic Rudge bossed virtually everyone else about.

   
   The pre ’72 unlimited 3 wheelers showed everyone how to have a good time throughout the weekend. The Quirk’s Vincent powered outfit just seemed to have the legs in the early stages, but the Tuer’s very rapid Morgan and Eddy Wright’s 750 Bella BMW soon made sure the spectators were on their toes.

   
   Misfortune dogged many of the BEARS riders on Saturday, not least novice Robin Webster who threw his very nice Laverda 500 away in the first race whilst leading, causing the red flag to come out. With a depleted field on Sunday, Nigel Clark took charge with some strong showings on his 950 V7 Guzzi. Rich Hawkins had it all his own way again in the Ducati class, with Andy Hunt looking the strongest of the 250 competitors over the weekend. The four key Bantam jockeys fought hard again with Mike Powell hopping onto a Seeley G50 between the Bantam races to contest the 351-500 specials championship. Some cracking racing saw Powell and Ian Sheltner share victories, with Dave Matravers, also Seeley G50 mounted, join them up front and grab a win for himself in race 4.

   
   Tony Perkins rode his 500 Rudge with style and class keeping Stratford in his sights, and showed many of the newer and larger capacity BEARS the way home in the mixed BEARS/pre 48 races. Saturday’s sidecar madness continued on Sunday with the Quirks, Tuers and the Wright/Clarke combo knocking lumps out of each other. Sheltner, Bevan and Tim Woolley fought it out in the ‘big bike’ class.

   
   Over the weekend John Woods had it all his own way in the ‘Zip’ scooter class, winning all of his five races. Graham Buller put in some great rides over the weekend on his Norton to show he is one of the key contenders in the pre’63 350 class.

   
   The 750 Crick BSA outfit of Phil Holt/Jeff Gamble swept the pre’72 750 sidecar races, with the 1300 Vincent outfit of Bishop/Howes proving to be the frontrunner in the unlimited to ’58 three wheeler class. Two BMW ‘Flying Brick’ big wheeled outfits joined the sidecar party, and what a curious sight they were. Mr Lorriman’s machine sported the number ‘13’, but the pilots, outfits and passengers stayed in one piece and enjoyed the action.
   The unlimited capacity sidecar races must mean there are some hard fought battles ahead. The Tuer’s Morgan turned into a ride on mower more than once over the weekend in a bid to make up a place, the Quirk’s Vincent pulling off the same trick and demolishing a corner sign.

   
   Ian Sheltner proved to be a hot contender in more than one of the solo classes, but by the final races on Sunday a lot of riders were really finding their feet again after the winter layoff. With some new riders getting up to speed quickly too, we should have a great season ahead. 

4. Bikers raise £30k for local charities

   Posted on 1:22pm Tuesday 29th Apr 2014

   Bikers from across the country turned out in their thousands at the weekend to show their incredible support for two Midlands charities, as they took part in one of the largest biking events in the country – the Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival, 27th April 2014. 

   Helping to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and Royal Air Force Museum, in excess of 3,000 motorcyclists participated in the 23 mile ride along the M54 from Meole Brace, Shrewsbury to the RAF Museum Cosford, double the number of bikers who took part in the 2013 Ride Out.  They filled the motorway as far as the eye could see, as they travelled en masse by police escort to the Museum with hundreds of members of the public lining every bridge along the route, waving as they passed. TV’s Emergency Bikers Mark Hayes and Steve Forrest were two of the bikers leading the Ride Out before spending the day at the Festival meeting and greeting.

   The event raised in excess of £30,000 thanks to the impressive turnout and support shown by the biking community, smashing last year’s total.  The day was a huge success, with more bikers taking part in this year’s ride out than ever before, with many bikers travelling some distance to be part of the day.  In addition to the 3,000 bikers on the Ride Out, over 2,000 additional bikers headed straight to the Festival along with thousands of interested members of the public with almost 8,000 visitors on site throughout the day. 

   Nina Mitchell, Events Executive for the RAF Museum Cosford said, “We knew the event this year was going to be big, judging by the level of interest we received in the buildup, but nothing could prepare us for the overwhelming support from the bikers who turned out on the day.  We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and donated to the two event charities, we hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as we did.  We have received some fantastic feedback on our Facebook and Twitter pages and we hope to see everyone again next year.”

   Upon arrival at the Museum, bikers were treated to an afternoon packed with entertainment which included a spectacular flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and live music supplied by five rock bands on the Planet Rock stage. Arena displays entertained the crowds throughout the day and even encouraged participation from some members of the public, with some fantastic biker related prizes up for grabs.  Plus, some of the biggest names in the biking world were exhibiting with road safety and advance riding organisations on hand to talk biker safety.

   The Cosford-based Midlands Air Ambulance helicopter was situated at the event and was called out several times during the day, demonstrating the great need to continue to raise funds for the lifesaving service. 

   Jason Levy, Fundraising and Marketing Director for Midlands Air Ambulance charity said, “We were overwhelmed by the level of people who attended both the Ride Out and the Festival.  Bikers make up about a fifth of the air ambulance missions we attend, so their support is hugely appreciated by everyone at the charity.  We trebled our fundraising total from last year and we’re already planning next year’s event, so watch this space.” 

   Bike4Life is also in collaboration with Safer Roads Partnership and West Mercia Police who work tirelessly to promote road safety and to help reduce the number of road traffic collisions across West Mercia.  The event took months of planning and wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Central Motorway Police Group, the Highways Agency and West Mercia Police who ensured the safety of all of the bikers on the Ride Out.

   Vicki Bristow from the Safer Roads Partnership, Road Safety unit for Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police says, “Improving safety for motorbike riders is a big part of what we work on throughout the year so to be part of this event and to talk to bikers, not just in our region but from neighbouring counties was great.  We are really pleased that we were able to support the event and two wonderful local charities and we'd like to thank everyone who turned up to the event, without the support it wouldn't have been possible.  We hope to see everyone again next year!"

    

   Photos from the event will be posted on the Bike4Life website www.bike4lifefest.co.uk and on the official Facebook and Twitter pages over the coming days.

    

   Find out more information about the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by visiting www.midlandsairambulance.com or for more information on the RAF Museum Cosford visit www.rafmuseum.org. Further details about the Safer Roads Partnership can be found at www.srpwestmercia.org.uk

5. Don Powell – BMF May Show

   Posted on 10:57am Tuesday 29th Apr 2014

   70’s superstar drummer Don Powell founder member of SLADE will be with us at the BMF May Show!

   Having raised funds for the National Autistic Society at last year’s Kelso Bikefest (and because he had such a great time) Don has agreed to join us at the BIG ONE – May’s BMF Show 16-18 Peterborough Arena.

   Don will be on site all through the weekend and will once again be asking people to support the good work of the NAS and later into the evening he’ll be picking up those famous drum sticks and putting in some ‘guest’ appearances with the bands on the main stage on Friday and Saturday evening.

   For more information about any of the BMF shows visit www.thebmfshow.co.uk. Or talk to the show organisers, The Mulberry Group, on 01869 277077.