In this issue
TT EXPERIENCE
BAM WELSH WEEKEND
RIDE OUT REPORTS
THE LAST EVER VIEW FROM THE SIDE
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 2
S U M M E R I S S U E 4 8 A U G – O C T 2 0 1 5 R E G U L A R S R I D E R E P O R T S 5 Kipper’s Komments 14 Last of the Autumn Sun 2014 7 Chairman’s Chatter 16 First Ride, First Report With Chips 8 Super Sundays 22 You Take The High Road 10 The News At BAM 43 Associates Group Ride Taster 18 CONGRATULATIONS – TEST PASSES 45 Jurassic & Chips 19 Useful Contacts 51 The Long Way Round 30 BAM Events Calendar F E A T U R E S 31 2015 Super Bike Race Calendar 21 DWDAM – Ladies Day 44 Puzzle Time 24 View From The Side – The Last Time! 54 Kessi’s Kapers 33 Tales of an Isle of Man TT 58 Retail Therapy 46 Rhayader There & Back On A Bike
Articles may also be published on the group’s website and in other IAM group newsletters. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily form the views of the editor, BAM or the IAM
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B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 4
Phew it’s been warm out there and the roads have been much busier with motorcyclists taking full advantage of the conditions, which includes me getting out onto the group rides and the Wales weekend in Rhayader.
We have seen a lot of new faces joining the BAM group to do their Skill for Life so hope you are enjoying finding out what you and your bike can do.
You have all been busy riding and as a result there are some great stories in this edition of our various trips and visits to other group events, plus some sad farewells to a few of our BAM buddies.
Thanks everyone for continuing to support what we do as a charity and the commitment put in by the Green Team and others to help run Super Sunday and Coalpit Heath.
Let's keep up the good work and continue to expand through the rest of the year.
Enjoy the newsletter and we welcome feedback for future editions of the Chain Link Mag.
The deadline for the next edition is Friday 16th October so please send all items to [email protected]
Enjoy the season ahead!
Martyn S.M.A.K I’ll be back for breakfast.
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B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 6
Sadly, over the last few months we have lost, through illness, two of our BAM colleagues plus a close friend of many BAM members. Billy Our Observer Gregory Haddock passed away as did Green Team Burns stalwart Phil Boobyer. Many of you would have known Gregory, especially his former associates. Phil would have made many of you your tea & coffee. They were both characters adding to that essential mix and commitment that makes up BAM which contributed to the success it now enjoys. They will both be sadly missed. Our hearts go out to their widows, family and loved ones. A special thank you to Liz Haddock and the family for the kind donation to BAM collected at Gregory’s funeral.
Paul Minton, who ran JtheBs biking weekends at his B&B in Normandy, sadly lost his battle with illness. Simon Jarvis will share more with you, as will others, as we pay tribute to these guys.
The IMI qualification process continues to dominate our lives. Could I take this opportunity to make matters clearer? The National Observer “NO” qualification is simply that. The role within BAM is “Senior Observer” which is much more than a qualification. Eventually ALL our “Senior Observers” will be “NO” qualified and new “Senior Observer” will be required to hold “NO” qualification before we, BAM, appoint them as “Senior Observer”. BAM decides who they wish to put forward for NO training and IMI assessment, with successful candidates being appointed as “Senior Observer”. SO’s are an essential part of our training programs for both BAM Associates & BAM Observers, ALL training is delivered “in house”.
Last month stacks of us had a great weekend away in Rhayader in Wales hosted by Adrian & Mandy Pearce. Cracking Countryside, cracking roads, cracking rides, cracking food, cracking drink, cracking company. All together cracking. Thank you Adrian & Mandy & Mel, an interesting time in many ways?
Summer seems to have arrived, enjoy your biking and get your bike mates to get their finger out and come to see us at Super Sunday
Best wishes
Billy
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 7 The first Sunday of every month, except January, a wide variety of bikes and bikers meet up in Kingswood, all with the same intent – to get the most from their biking.
There are the first timers who come along to go out on an assessed ride. This is free and carried out by a team of trained volunteer observers. This is a great way to find out if you could get more from your riding by signing up to complete the Skill for Life course. This course will improve your biking skills and the safety of you and other road users.
Once you have enrolled, you are known as an Associate and you will need to turn up for Super Sundays right through your training. Associates are allocated an Observer to take them through their training, but at Super Sundays all Associates will get the chance to meet the Examiner, attend a class room session on bike techniques or ride with a different Observer for a cross check of your progress. The last Super Sunday you need to attend is when you get presented with your IAM Certificate!
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But this is just the beginning. Bristol Advanced Motorcyclist is a club with an active calendar of social events, talks, ride outs and trips away. It is also the route for further training if you’d like to learn how to pass on your newly acquired skills to others.
Who? Whether you want an assessed ride, a refresher ride for current members, or just to meet up with friends, then;-
• Arrive between 9-9.15am and register your name first, ready for a 9.30am start • Grab a bacon butty and/or a cup of tea • Get allocated an Observer for your assessed ride and off you go • Enrolled Associates to attend the “Meet the Examiner” or the theory session before you set off on your observed ride.
Where? King’s Oak Academy. Brook Road, (off Tennis Court Road), Warmley, Bristol BS15 4JT
When? Every 1st Sunday of the month (except January)
Wonga? It’s FREE on your first visit to a Super Sunday event. The Skill for Life course costs £149. There are offers available for individuals under 30 - sponsored by South Gloucestershire Road Safety
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A ROUND UP OF THE NEWS AFFECTING OUR REGION
Farewell to BAM Budddies
Over the past few months we have said goodbye to three colleagues who have passed away through ill health.
Greg Haddock who led several BAM ride outs and also gave a talk to the club in 2013 on ‘Releasing the riches of your why’ Greg had a fleet of bikes which were all lovingly looked after, so you may be the proud owner of one of these is you have recently purchased a second hand bike from Fowlers. Greg was passionate about his biking and a member of several clubs with his final wishes being that a donation was made to those clubs. BAM has received £405 and this will be put to good use in Greg's honour.
Philip Boobyer was a regular member of the Green Team turning up at every Super Sunday to welcome newcomers with a warm smile and a cup of tea and always had a good story to tell from his life experiences, this included a BAM trip to Normandy with JtheB's biking weekends. He was also a regular on ride outs on his Ducati and certainly put the bike through its paces resulting in a big grin. Several BAM members were able to attend his funeral which had a memory table proudly displaying his motorcycling history including his IAM certificate plus IAM and BAM membership cards. A final tribute was a ride past Phil's house on Al Budden's trip on 12th July.
Paul Minton of JtheBs biking weekends lost his battle with cancer last month. Known to many of BAM from trips to his B&B in Normandy and from attending the Bristol Bike show. Simon Jarvis has written the following tribute;-
Paul sadly lost his battle with cancer on 27th June. I considered Paul a friend and he was well known to many BAM members as the owner of JtheBs Biking Weekends in Normandy. I was fortunate to first meet Paul at the Bristol Bike Show in 2009, a meeting which, thanks to his friendliness, enthusiasm and great sales pitch led directly to me organising the first BAM trip to JtheBs in September 2010. Paul had moved to France with his family in 2003 and started JtheBs in 2008.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 10 The name JtheBs emanated from Paul's nickname 'John the Bass' which had stuck when he was the bass player in a band. We had a fantastic time on that first trip, thanks to Paul's huge enthusiasm for life, his leadership skills and local knowledge. He took us to some lovely places and kept us entertained on the brilliant roads in the area. One of the images of that trip that sticks in my mind is riding along a twisty, hilly road and watching Paul tearing off in to the distance on his beloved CB500, with only one rider able to keep up with him (no not me, Tony Hurdon on his ZZR1400). We enjoyed that trip so much we made a second trip to JtheBs in 2012, with an increased BAM contingent of 18 members. This time Paul kindly offered me a ride on his newly customised CB (in which I'd been taking a strong interest) an opportunity I seized and enjoyed. Therein I learned a motorcycling lesson for which I have Paul to thank, namely smaller capacity bikes are huge fun.
'Huge fun' summed up Paul. He was a biker through and through, owning a collection of bikes for all practicalities (the CB for fun, an ST1100, a VStrom and one or two classics) thereby avoiding the car almost completely! His enormous enthusiasm for life and for riding was infectious. He was also thoughtful and generous. Paul's following on Facebook was huge and its clear from the number of kind messages left by his friends (both during his illness & after he passed away) how fondly he was regarded. Through JtheBs Paul met groups of bikers from all over the country and so he'll be missed by a great many people. I know I'm not the only one who wishes I could ride behind him once again. Paul leaves behind his wife Sandra (who also played her part in making those trips great) and two children, Sam and Bethany. My thoughts are with them.
Our thoughts are with family and friends of Greg, Philip and Paul
St. Michael’s Church Charity Ride – Organized by Chris & Jenny Brooker
Chris and Jenny are organizing a whole day motorbike ride in aid of the above. The church has built a new church centre, which is a facility that is available to everyone in Stoke Gifford and the wider community. Money is needed to complete the project. You can find out more about the project on the church web site at www.stmichaelsbristol.org The date for the ride is Sunday 27th September meeting at the church coffee shop in North Road Stoke Gifford near the village Green at 9am. There is limited parking around the coffee shop but you could park in the Beaufort pub opposite the green.
We will be riding approximately 160 miles in total over to Wales and back. There will be plenty of comfort stops along the way, stopping first at the Steel Horse Cafe in Abergaveny. This is a biker friendly cafe. We will then travel to Bluith Wells then to Bronllys in Brecon for lunch at the Honey Cafe. After lunch we will make our way home via Tintern stopping at the Old Station tearooms for refreshments. We are going to restrict the ride to about 30 people including pillion's for safety reasons and so that the Honey Cafe can accommodate us for lunch. So that we can control the numbers we are asking people to register their interest by giving us their contact details, including their emergency contact details prior to the event. Then turning up on the day with a donation of £10 from each person taking part (including pillion's). Tea, coffee and cake will be available for a small donation at the coffee shop prior to the ride. Contact using [email protected] or 07906 723655 to reserve your space.
This ride route is the same as the BAM ride Chris will be leading on 19/07.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 11 Bristol Bike Show – Saturday 15th August 2015
The annual bike show takes place in Corn Street, Bristol and BAM will be having a stand there to encourage all bikers to try The Skills For Life course. Volunteers are need to assist on the stand for a couple of hours at a time. Volunteers please to Melanie Rowbottom.
IAM Inter – Group Quiz – Tuesday 25th August 2015
Get yourself a team of three together and answer questions on the highway code, road craft and general knowledge. To be held at the BAWA Club, Southmeand Bristol. Team entries to be made to Martin Evans on 0117 979 8061
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Group Ride Report 19 October 2014 by Simon Jarvis
(This ride took place on 19th October 2014 but due to sheer incompetence by the editing team it wasn’t included in the correct issue of Chainlink, so apologies from all of us and here it is now for you to enjoy!)
This ride was the one originally scheduled for 10th August. You may remember that weekend - there was a monsoon going on and I can well understand why the participants on that occasion called it a day before the ride even started. August was a bit rubbish for weather this year but thankfully September and October were much better, hence the forecast for this postponed ride, to be led by Mike Trembeth, was for great riding weather, being dry, warmish for October and with some sunshine.
Looking around at the 12 bikes attending and not for the first time on a group ride, it was the BMW GS that prevailed with 3 or 4 of them ready to go. My Honda NC750 attracted some attention though, mostly positive except for "a bit steady for you, isn't it Simon!".
Mike delivered the pre-ride briefing and explained the route which was to be a kind of ramble east in to Wiltshire, north in to Gloucestershire and then back west to finish up at the Black Shed Cafe at Slimbridge. I like indirect routes with the journey being as important as the destination so this suited me down to the ground. As is the custom, the briefing ended with a request for a volunteer for the Chain Link write up. As is also the custom, a silent pause B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 14 immediately followed so I stepped in. Have a go all you Group Ride folks who aren't in a writing habit, it ain't that bad!
The route took us eastwards initially, close to Chipping Sodbury and Yatton Keynell, before diverting northwards to Malmesbury and then some distance north-east to the break stop at Fairford.
I have a terrible caffeine addiction which seems to be even worse after anything over 5 minutes on 2 wheels. This is normally fine on a Group Ride as I can inject at the break stop. However on this occasion, not only did Mike's stop in Fairford town centre have no cafes with caffeine needles available, it didn't even have free toilets! This is where Mike's superior planning skills came to the fore however as he produced a bag of 20ps so we could all make best use of the facilities. Fairford is a pleasant town, the weather was still fine, the toilets were good value for money but the coffee was rubbish.
After a short break we set off again, this time back westwards, then north towards Gloucester, then south-westwards to Stroud and our ultimate Slimbridge destination.
We duly all arrived safely at the Black Shed around 1pm, caffeine available this time! Given more time we could easily have extended ourselves by riding the relatively modest distance south back to our start point to make a circular route.
This ride was a great opportunity for viewing beautiful autumn colours in the trees as it turned out a handy proportion of the route was tree-lined. The combination of a motorcycle, a sunny autumn day and very colourful tree-lined roads is a great one.
What wasn't so great was the prevalence of 40 and 50 limits that have increasingly blighted so many of our local roads. This isn't the right place to digress to a rant, suffice it to say that with 50 limits in particular I'm becoming more frustrated as time passes. South Wales seems to be less blighted so far for some reason.
The tail ender's pink hi-viz is becoming a welcome fixture on BAM rides, Phil Baber volunteering to wear it on this occasion. When you're marking a junction and looking out for the tail ender to arrive, the pink really stands out from a distance helping you to plan your departure. Long may the donning of this slightly unfortunate garment remain!
Thank you very much to Mike for a very well planned, very enjoyable ride and thanks to Phil for tail ending.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 15 Colin Stone reports on the ride that took place on the 17th May 2015
For me, this was my first BAM whole day ride, having really enjoyed quite a few half day rides with BAM buddies; so arrived ready to go for the ride, not expecting to be ‘volunteered’ to do the ride report, so another first for the day!
The BAM full-day ride on 17th May started out from one of our usual meeting points at McDonalds, Brislington and was let by Jim Caola. Riders flowed into MacDonalds and great to see that there was a good turn-out; the usual good humour and lively chat; and to top all this the weather looked promising for the day, despite it being a little cold at the start. It was interesting to see the proliferation of BMW's and particularly 'GS' models – “would our route put these and others to the test ”, commented our Ride Leader for this ride – he was sure it would! Jim, talked us through the route, said it would be a varied one that would be heading to Lynmouth for lunch break. Once the briefings were done we were promptly heading out to Chew Magna, then up over onto Mendips for a blast over to Wells via Milton.
(I think we thank the Romans for their road building foresight and the kind of benefits and opportunities their road design would offer bikers of the future. Coincidentally, the great Roman Spartacus was known to follow his beliefs ahead of setting off to Battle in ‘The Great Rider’- though at that time the mount he was likely to be thinking of was the four legged variety, that we slow down for when passing!)
On with our great ride, we slipped through Wells to Glastonbury then across country on the A361 to Taunton – more long Roman road opportunities! Then onto Taunton picking up the excellent B3227 to Bampton where we stopped for a comfort break. Jim, updated us all and said, “that this was as far as he had done a recce the previous day, so after that, what could go wrong?”
So, following a quick leg stretch, we’re off again, climbing higher as we head towards South Molten, giving us some superb views that that were just getting better all the time. The next stretch was a good mix of some fairly pacey stretches (thanks again to those Romans) followed by some challenging winding downhill’s, arriving at the coastal town of Lynmouth. Hunger took our next priority and we were looking forward to a fish & chip lunch break at the infamous ‘Fish on the Harbour’ – well if a queue is an indication of how good the food is, then we were
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 16 on a winner and can say that we were not disappointed with comments said like, “I can honestly say this was one of the best fish and chip meals I have ever had”.
After an excellent lunch of fish and chips, we set off up the A39 to Minehead, via Porlock Hill, which was another first for me, then homeward bound via Bridgewater to Edithmead, Junction 22 (M5) where five riders picked up the M5 for home. Others continued on to Mark, then on to Wedmore and then stopped at the biker friendly cafe at the foot of the Cheddar Gorge for the official end of the ride, with a few intending to ride up once we were refreshed. However, whilst there, a police car and ambulance went up all guns blazing and the gorge was shut shortly after due to an 'incident' resulting in us all having to take different routes home.
One of Jims final thoughts of the ride was that, “I think I got away with it as there were road types to suit all persuasions and I bet all you GS riders felt like Ewan McGregor going over those tiny roads on Exmoor!”
That said, in my view it was a superb route that offered lots of riding challenges and some spectacular views – others have said:-
• “I thought the ride route was perfect, especially the ride over Exmoor and down to Lynmouth (a great destination). Overall a good day out with good company” • “The route was great with varied road types and a good final destination (nice fish and chips). Only problem of the day " it got a bit cold, should have left my thermal liner in the top box).” • “I think I was the only one on a sports bike - 200+ miles was ok for me! Great fish and chips and good to meet a few other Bammers - this was only my 2nd BAM ride out.
Many thanks to Jim, for leading us on a fantastic route and thanks also to all of those who came along, making it a great day out:-
Riders – Jim Caola (Ride Leader) Warren Dockery, Bob Williams, Colin Stone, Nick Travis, Egils Praulitis, Alan Crew, John Crawford, Mike Trembeth, Andy Hall, Paul Mcilveney, Paul Triffitt, Ann Travis, Martin Collins
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Billy Burns presents Phil Billy Burns presents Neil Billy Burns presents George Kearley with his IAM Buckley with his IAM Paice with his IAM Certificate Certificate Certificate
Billy Burns presents Adrian Mel Rowbottom presents Billy Burns presents Pete Grieves with his IAM Mike Spray with his IAM Michael with his IAM Certificate Renewal Certificate Certificate Renewal
Billy Burns presents Peter Tim Coulson presents Steve Billy Burns presents Clare
Fell with his IAM Certificate Pailing with his IAM Stevens with her IAM Certificate Certificate
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Billy Burns presents Ian Mike Trembeth presents Street with his IAM Thomas Bennett with his Certificate IAM Certificate
J C CORDELL – BRUCE DICKSON – MARK GOLLOP – JOHN GREGORY CLARE HOLLOWAY – RICHARD HOLLOWAY – ANNA JORDAN ANDREW McGREGOR – CHRIS McNEILL – SHAUN PHILLIMORE – MIKE TEMPLEMAN WESLEY WOTRUBA
Some useful contacts POST AND EMAIL ADDRESS NAME TELEPHONE Chair [email protected] Billy Burns 0117 957 2653 Secretary [email protected] Sue Nolan 0117 952 5170 Treasurer [email protected] Mel Rowbottom 07918 603191 Group Membership [email protected] Alan Davies TBC Chief Observer [email protected] Tim Wrighton 0771 434 5634 Leader Observer Team B [email protected] John Crawford 0117 960 8247 Leader Observer Team C [email protected] Mike Trembeth 07867 672056 Leader Observer Team D [email protected] Tim Coulson 07778 852946 Group Rides Co-ordinator [email protected] Geoff Abraham 07870 702088 Chain Link Editor [email protected] Martyn Rowbottom 07879 612865 Events Co-ordinator [email protected] VOLUNTEER REQD In addition to the above team there are others who assist in the running of BAM. We are totally reliant on volunteers and we are always looking for more!
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B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 20 DWDAM Women’s Skills Day
Melanie Rowbottom Reports
Linda Ashmore – from DWDAM put a call out to fellow IAM groups if any lady observers or members wished to get involved in the first southern women’s skills day following on from an event held in Coventry earlier in the year.
A flurry of yes’ meant we had the capacity and skills to create a full day workshop for people ranging from no riding skills to those who wanted to learn more about their options. So on the morning of Saturday May 10th, Weymouth reverberated to the sound of bikes starting to arrive in all shapes and sizes, being ridden by the 50+ ladies from the surrounding area which was great to see that so many of us out there.
Linda had organised the day into sessions so people could rotate around and hopefully cover off all the topics they wanted to including practical sessions as well as learn more about first aid, travelling and IAM skill for life and what advanced riding can give you. We had observers, National Observers, Trauma consultants, seasoned travellers all helping to lead the various sessions.
Mel & Martyn (the token male on the day J) were there to do the bike manoeuvring and lift a bike sessions which most people had a go at and felt more confident should they ever need to use the technique in the future.
An excellent day out for all those attending with really positive feedback, so we will consider running another one in the future.
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Jenny Brooker tells us of a trip to Scotland in May
We set out on a nice bank holiday Monday having pre booked all of our over night stays. Little did we know then that this day and the day we travelled home was going to be the best weather we were going to get on our journey. Our first destination was to be Aysgarth in North Yorkshire and we decided to split the journey between motorway and A and B roads. From Stoke Gifford we took the M5 and then the M6 to Stafford. At junction 31 we took the A59 exit to Preston then on to Skipton. Following on from this we joined the B6265 into the beautiful scenic Yorkshire Dales to our first over night stop in Aysgarth.
The following day we made our way to Lasswade just outside Edinburgh for a two-night stay. We caught the bus into Edinburgh that evening and the following day in the rain, and it was cold!! The open bus tour of Edinburgh became the indoor bus tour due to the downpour!!
Our next destination was to be Glenco, but before going there we stopped at Bearsdon on the outskirts of Glasgow to meet up with Stuart who we met on Route 66 last September. He rode with us all the way to our over night stay at the Glenco Inn showing us some interesting sights on route including Luss in Loch Lomand where Noel Edmund married his second wife in the parish church and Loch Sloy Hdro-electric Power Station. This power station is the largest of its kind in the UK and provides the Trossachs National Park with a sustainable source of electricity. After seeing us to the Inn for the night Stuart then had a two hour ride home in the rain, which he informed us did not stop all the way home.
The following day we moved on to Letterewe passing through Fort William. We passed by the famous Commando Memorial and the panoramic viewpoint, which is a mile west of the village of Spean Bridge on the A82 road before arriving at our hotel for the evening, situated on the beautiful Loch Maree. The following morning we set off towards Gairloch passing through the village of Poolewe where we stopped to visit the Inverewe garden and estate. The gardens are exceptional both from a botanical point of view and also because of their design and setting right on the rocky sea shore of Loch Ewe. We then continued our journey north to Ullapool for our next overnight stay.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 22 The next day we set out for Inverness where we were to meet up in the evening with a young couple who we also met last September on our Route 66 motorbike tour. We spent a pleasant day in the very nice city of Inverness before arriving at our guesthouse. Our friends travelled from their home in Nairn that evening to pick us up and take us into Inverness for an Italian meal. It was a real treat to get into a nice warm car! Before leaving Inverness the next morning we had to get two new tyres put on the bike. We had experienced some great riding with many twists and turns, but some of the roads had been rough taking their toil on the tyres, especially with the weight on the bike. Once the tyres had been replaced we were on our way back to Edinburgh for the penultimate over night stop. As we made our way towards the Cairngorms following the A9 main artery route we came across Tomatin distillery where we had an interesting tour of the distillery.
As we travelled though the Cairngorms on our way back to Edinbrugh we experienced the worst weather of the trip. The rain was relentless and on top of that we had a cross wind forcing us to reduce our speed at times to 40 miles per hour. Occasionally we had to pull in to allow the build up of traffic to pass us. I looked down from the back of the bike in envy at the people sitting in their warm cars, wishing I was in that position! On reaching our guesthouse in Edinburgh we were cold and feeling quite wet. We were met at the door by a delightful Chinese couple. The lady of the house was totally bemused by seeing a female pillion biker and repeatedly said to me, "You on a bike, you on a bike, you very brave." The following morning she asked to take photographs of us and told us she had told her family in Shanghai that I was riding on a motorbike!! From Edinburgh we made our way down to Penrith for our final night. On route we came across the Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre situated in Eskdalemuir, Langholm, Dumfriesshire. This was an unexpected and interesting find and was open to the public. We had a light lunch there before continuing our journey.
Although it rained every day whilst we were in Scotland there were breaks in the rain when the weather was fairly pleasant. At all times the scenery was changing and always beautifully spectacular in the highlands. In total we covered 1,429 miles.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 23
THE LAST VIEW FROM THE
SIDE Garnish Anne
Dear readers… with a heavy heart I’ve decided to step back from racing for the next year. This decision was made shortly before I fell off my road bike last weekend and fractured my shoulder blade, which could be someone’s way of making sure I kept my word!
Last time I’d left you towards the end of my 2014 season, however I’m going to skim over that to tell you about my 2015 TT and the two rounds of the French Superbike Championship I’ve done. I have to say, as races on which to postpone a racing career, it’s hard to better them!
To finish off the 2014 season Simon and I had our first outing on the Brands GP circuit (lovely circuit, mixed results, flooded paddock as you’d expect in August) and I got to play on Mike Bellaby’s gorgeous front-exit classic outfit at Mallory Park (photo). Simon and I opened our 2015 account with a test day at Mallory, where the head gasket went on lap 2, then a weekend’s shake-down at Brands Hatch with mixed results.
However for me, 2015 has all been about les Francais. François had asked me if I fancied some rounds of the French Championship (which is a support race to the French Superbike Championship) as well as doing the TT with him. “Mais oui!” was the only possible response. Who would turn down the opportunity to race the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans?
So in late March I found myself driving down through France, wondering whether my circuit map and what I’d seen on the TV would bear any resemblance to the actual place. It lived up to and exceeded my expectations: whilst the bureaucracy in France can be legendary, they know how to organise a race meeting. Every circuit has electricity and water points, decent facilities, plenty of paddock hard-standing, and of course lots of lovely food and wine. We had free practice on the Friday which gave me some laps to learn the circuit. It’s very fast and flowing, with only one tricky part: the hard-braking then immediate left at the end of the start-finish straight before the over-the-crest sweep under the Dunlop bridge. Gravity, g-force and physics all work against passengers there.
It was a surreal experience being at such a high-profile meeting. The klaxon which sounds at the end of pit lane, the corner names we’d heard so many times on the TV coverage of famous races, the massive grandstands, safety cars. On Saturday we had a 30-minute timed qualifying B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 24 and stayed out for the full session, managing a brilliant 5th F2, as Estelle pipped us to 4th on her very last lap. They run mixed fields in the French championship, with F2 and an Open (F1) class called ‘Scratch’, and around 30 teams competing.
The first race was at the end of the afternoon, and we had to be all present and correct in the holding area 20 minutes before our race was called. While qualifying had been damp the race was declared dry: the French have an excellent system whereby if a race is declared wet they automatically reduce the length by 3 laps to ensure the day stays on time. No such easy way out for me, we were faced with the full race distance. A grid formation lap, a warm-up lap, and then the lights went green – not out as they do in the UK. Fanch is an exceptional starter and we made up several places off the line. OhMiGod I was racing at Le Mans!
I was loving every minute, trying to keep track of the laps in my head as I couldn’t see the overhead display on the main straight since I was tucked down. Fanch slowly but surely reeled in the F2 ahead of us, popped through under braking on the last lap, and held a defensive line around Chemin des Boeufs, Garage Bleu and Raccordement – chequered flag! I was so happy – I’d survived a full championship race in France and we’d done well.
To my amazement, we’d done even better than ‘well’: Fanch thought we’d come third – a podium position! Into Parc Fermé and up the stairs to the official office leading out onto the podium overlooking the pit lane and… 2nd! Second step of the podium in my first French race. Looking down at all the faces cheering and clapping was an experience I never anticipated, and a trophy roughly the size of the Eiffel tower to bring home.
Sunday’s race was in mixed conditions with a patchy track dry in places and wet in others, and a rear tyre which was giving up the ghost. However, thanks to Fanch’s race experience we kept it safe, and pulled into Parc Fermé in 3rd place with another trophy to take home. To cap off the weekend, on aggregate scores Francois and I were leading the French championship – I was an honorary française. I’d also achieved all the signatures I needed for my 2015 TT licence.
Simon and I had an outing at Cadwell in mid-April (mixed, engine issues), before I took my long break before the TT. It was a difficult TT for a number of reasons: I was ill for a few weeks beforehand, then picked up a chest infection as soon as I arrived so felt very weak and under- prepared. The Manx weather was appalling so we lost the first three of our six practice sessions, with a French solo rider killed just before our first practice session. Eventually we qualified well with a best lap of 104.4mph, which was faster than 2014, but in race one we hit the kerb on the second left at Quarry Bends on lap one, limping into retirement at Ginger Hall.
Race two went better, but still not as fast and crisp as we’d hoped. We did enjoy a thoroughly fun on-circuit battle with Brian Alflatt / Aaron Galligan, who’d started just ahead of us, but with B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 25 many yellow flags we only managed a 102.7mph average over the 3 laps, finishing 22nd. This was still an improvement on our 23rd from 2014, but we were a long way outside the bronze replica time since the 2007 lap record went three times in that race alone. We both finished the TT feeling relieved, quietly pleased, but also battered mentally. Little moments of humour, like the suicidal seagull at Parliament Square, or the sight of newcomers Lionel and TT passenger Mélanie grinning insanely after their first lap, brightened what was otherwise an overcast experience. Mélanie is Estelle’s short-circuit passenger, but Mélanie’s partner Sébastien is Estelle’s TT passenger. Keeping up?
We had the hopes and dreams of so many people riding with us – I can’t thank enough all those supporters who had their names on our bikes. In the dark times when we wondered if we’d even get to race, you kept us going, so thank you. On another positive note: there were 10 female racers at the TT, of whom 9 were in the sidecars, with two setting new records: Estelle fastest female driver (again) with a lap of over 106mph, and Fiona Baker-Milligan fastest female passenger at over 109mph.
Simon’s TT went no better: his Oulton race in early May with TT passenger Dave came to a premature end when Dave fell out half way through the race (no injuries, thank goodness). The bike then mis-behaved for much of the TT, with engine and ignition issues dogging every lap, so they didn’t manage the minimum qualifying speed in the shortened practice time available. Very disappointing for them both.
Feeling like an utter cad and bounder, I then decided to accept Fanch’s offer to race at Magny Cours at the end of June – thereby cancelling the race I had booked with Simon at Castle Combe. We found him an alternative passenger and they had a good weekend, although I still owe him several pints! Having forked out a vast sum for insurance (the French Superbikes aren’t recognised by the ACU, our race governing body, so I have to get separate mandatory medical and repatriation cover as well as a French licence each time), my husband and I made the long and lovely trek down beyond the source of the Loire valley to one of the meccas of motorcycling.
Of course, we’d timed it so we arrived just as the heat wave started: on the Friday free practice I found myself wilting like a limp English rose in air temperatures of 35deg and track temperatures at midday of 53deg. To be sitting in a full leathers, just behind a radiator churning out heat from the engine was difficult enough, let alone at a technically complex circuit which was completely new to me.
Magny Cours turned out to be far more challenging than Le Mans. There are three tricky chicanes, all requiring perfect timing from right to left, combined with exceptionally heavy braking after some very fast straights. There is very little rest time. We completed two sessions on Friday, gradually improving our lap times but not bettering Fanch’s fastest lap from 2014. This was a point of honour for me – that was my goal. Given the quality of the opposition I was under no illusions we’d get more podiums, but I did want to think we’d improved. Friday evening was the traditional annual party, where each team brings their regional speciality of
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 26 food or drink – a veritable gourmet feast. The theme was “skiing” and despite the scorching evening temperate some mad souls braved the full ski suit look!
Saturday’s qualifying, which was in blessedly slightly cooler weather (a mere 25-27deg) was disappointing: 24th out of 31 entries, 10th F2, but another second per lap faster than Friday. The race was at the end of the afternoon: after another Fanch-epic start, we settled down to chasing when at half-distance I saw a blue flag. Blue? That makes no sense - blue is for when you’re going to be lapped, and that wouldn’t happen until very near the end. The next I knew, the leading F1 screamed past us, having clearly found another gear since qualifying! In the scramble which followed, Lionel popped past us then lost his passenger – his wife Sylvie – at the first chicane. We watched her roll hard and fast, wincing. We weren’t surprised when the race was red flagged shortly after we’d gone past the scene on the next lap, as Sylvie was obviously hurt. We were classified as 6th F2, another 2 seconds off our lap time, but the mood was subdued that night while we waited for news. Fortunately nothing worse than a broken collarbone, it transpired. Estelle upheld the honour of the Leblonds with a 2nd place podium.
On Sunday we had early qualifying – before 9am – then a race at midday. The termpreatures were set to equal and exceed Friday’s and during the course of the day I burned my left hand on my handhold – through my leather glove. It was insane, with even the French complaining it was too hot to race,
We knew our engine was slightly tired after the TT so weren’t expecting anything magical, but to our dismay it wasn’t the engine which let us down. We had a reasonable start, avoiding quite a lot of carnage, before settling down into a three-sidecar battle for 5th place. On the second lap there was an unfamiliar ‘thunk’ coming out of a corner, then two thunks after the next, then more… our chain, which had been new for the TT, had stretched and was starting to slip on the front sprocket. Every time Fanch tried to accelerate, it would jump and slip before it engaged, making us slower and slower. Despite Fanch’s best efforts, it eventually gave up the unequal battle half a lap from the chequered flag. We coasted to the edge of the circuit, tired but happy with how we’d done until that point. Estelle and Mélanie won, which gave the teams something to celebrate.
The remainder of my 2015 season was to be at Thruxton, Anglesey and Pembrey with Simon, and Circuit Carole in France with Fanch for the Superbikes, until last weekend. I’m going to be out of action for weeks, if not months, so unfortunately have had to cancel all my entries until I can move again and regain fitness. I’m not saying never – I might still be able to do a festival at the end of the season, but I’m not counting on it.
Do you realise that if you’re read this far, that’s 19 articles in Chain Link? You’ve followed me through the highs and the lows, although some of the lows have been ‘politically rephrased’ and it’ll take a few pints before you’ll get the real story ;) Fortunately for me, the possibility of pints is more likely as I’m moving back to the Bristol area for the next year for family reasons, although probably without motorbike. As soon as I can drive again I’ll try to get along to some socials.
Meanwhile I think I should have over the racing reins to Joanne Wingate and Pauline Woodhall, who are upholding female honour on our short circuits this season. #TheseGirlsCan!
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A U G U S T 2 WSB Malaysia Sepang International Circuit 9 MotoGP USA Indianapolis Motor Speedway 16 MotoGP Czech Republic Automotodrom Brno 21 BSB UK Cadwell Park 30 MotoGP UK Silverstone S E P T E M B E R 4 BSB UK Oulton Park 13 MotoGP Italy Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 18 BSB Netherlands TT Circuit Assen 20 WSB Spain Circuito de Jerez 27 MotoGP Spain Motorland Aragon
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B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 31
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 32
Tales of an Isle of Man TT First Timer
By Simon Fisher
A TT visit was a trip my late Father wanted to do, but sadly never got around to doing; I decided I was not going to let that happen to me. Until this trip I had never properly travelled on the bike and the most mileage achieved on a bike in a short timeframe was during my previous stint with Freewheelers EVS, where I clocked up 700 miles in a weekend on one of the Charities BMW’s.
Deciding to go to the TT was the easy bit; the thrill of watching bikes racing inches away from you on what appear to be gentile country roads looks great on the TV, but I thought it would be better to be there. I was right, but even I underestimated just how good it was, but I admit this TT race week was blessed with superb weather. I only experienced rain for about 30 mins one day when I decided to ride the road circuit before most people would be awake.
Like with anything in life, undertaking a trip by motorbike gets easier with experience. There are things I would do differently on my next visit to the Isle of Man (IoM), which I have booked already!
I initially booked up the Ferry in November 2014, which as I discovered is quite late in comparison to most TT visitors, who book a year before the next years racing, as soon as the crossing dates and times are released. If you are taking your bike or car then the Steam Packet Ferry is the way to go, but there are options to fly to the island and the public transport system seems good or car hire is available. The ferry booking is made subject to a non-refundable deposit of £50 plus any extras booked at the time, such as lounge seats.
In terms of where to stay, there are limited numbers of Hotel / B&B bed spaces on the island and certainly not enough to cope with the 40,000 TT race visitors that descend on the island over practice and race weeks. Camping seems to be popular given there are plenty of spaces and it’s cheaper than other options; that said, you can go Glamping with pre-erected tents including sleeping bags. It is wise to book ahead, but I met people on the ferry home who had arrived with a tent and a positive attitude, and they found campsites willing to take them without a booking. There are a number of “pop up” campsites around, where football & rugby clubs give over their fields to become campsites.
I originally booked a campsite near Ballaugh Bridge but decided to wimp out and opt for a solid roof over my head for this first trip to the TT. This is where Home-Stay Accommodation comes into play. A large number of residents either rent out their whole house (and the owners then escape the island for their two weeks holiday) or rent out rooms; double rooms with breakfast seemed to be £60 per night (for two people). I eventually stayed at two different properties who had small gaps in their bookings that fitted what I needed. My very own twin centre holiday! Single rooms are available around the island, but more often it is doubles / twins. In both places, I booked double rooms for single occupation, so I had to pay more but both property owners were happy to negotiate on terms, so I met them in the middle on costs.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 33 As I was new to the TT racing experience, I booked up Fanzone tickets for Creg Ny Baa pub grandstand on the Wednesday of race week, plus a seat at Nobles Park for the Friday, being the Senior, and final, TT Race.
So nearing the time of the trip, it was a case of getting the bike serviced, tyres changed, planning routes and deciding what I wanted to do on the island. The cautious element in me checked with the insurance company to ensure no other requirements ahead of my travel; in my case I was fully covered whilst on the island and my Bank Account includes vehicle breakdown cover on the IoM (including Bikes).
Sunday 7th June– Bike packed up. A Mix of top- box, soft-panniers and a tank bag covered what I needed. I seemed to have many flappy straps at the back of the bike, so I used far too much duct tape to keep everything tight and also used the same tape to protect the paintwork where straps would rub. Off I set around 6pm with basically a boring ride up the M5 then M6, which given where I live, meant that in total, by the time I reached the Ferry Port in Heysham, I had done about 10 miles of road and 215 miles of motorway, with a couple of stops for fuel to ensure I got on the ferry with a near full tank.
Uneventful ride up the motorway albeit for a Sunday evening, the traffic around Birmingham seemed incredibly busy. I’d built in plenty of time for the trip up, so rather than push on, at times it was easier to go with the flow of the traffic until it thinned out. There were a few areas where temporary speed limits dropped to 50 or even 40 mph.
Whilst I was not the first bike to arrive at the port, I was certainly in the first twenty, so had a wait until the check-in opened. A dry night but it cooled off, so I was glad I packed a micro- fleece top in the tank bag. Swiftly it was time to check-in and move the bikes to another holding area ready to board later. Given my perhaps over-zealous use of duct tape to secure various straps, I decided I needed a cutting implement so as I left the house I picked up my late Fathers Swiss army knife and threw it in the tank bag. I was pulled over with about half a dozen other bikes for a random security check where the only interest was the tank bag; no checks made on my person, soft panniers or top-box. I was asked to declare any sharp items, which I dutifully did. On examination of the penknife it was discovered the main blade was lockable, so classed as an offensive weapon and summarily confiscated to be destroyed by the Police and I had to sign-my life away ahead of being allowed on the ferry. Mad at myself for making a school-boy error and losing my late fathers penknife, I dumped the bike in the holding area and wandered off for a coffee and a rest (& a sulk if being honest . . . not the best of starts). I don’t think being tired helped my mood at this point. Some may read this and think “Idiot, should have known about the penknife issue” but it was just a case of naivety on my part and not thinking the same way as if I was travelling abroad, when you are perhaps more conscious about what you can and can’t take with you.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 34 This is the point in time I also noted I had a seized link on my chain; the first chain had died after 4,000 miles from new and this chain had only done 3,000 at this point, plus the bike had been serviced recently and the chain checked by the dealer free of charge the week before the trip. Not much I could do about it now, so decided to work on it when I arrived at my first accommodation.
Somehow I ended up being the first bike on board the Ferry, so watched the deckhands tie down the bike (which is placed in first gear) to make sure I was happy nothing would be broken. Off for a hot drink and a snooze in the lounge.
Monday 8th June - Little sleep on the boat but excited to get on the island, so when the announcement was made to get to your vehicles, I quickly joined the scrum that was heading for the stairs. The bike was safe and secure on what was a mill- pond crossing to the Island. The bikes are packed in, so it took a bit to manoeuvre the bike but within minutes I was rolling carefully down the wet ramp and back on to tarmac, but on the Isle of Man. Straight out of Douglas and on to the A5 heading west to pay my respects at Fairy Bridge. I’m not usually superstitious but apparently if you don’t visit the bridge, you may regret it for the rest of your trip. So at 6:30am I was on the Bridge!
After this, a quick trip around part of what will be the race circuit later today, up to Kirk Michael and my first residence. Owners awake and saw me arrive, so bike and gear quickly stowed, plus a swift coffee. A couple of chaps also staying at the same house (Father & Son) who had flown into the IoM suggested I spend the day with them as they had found a good vantage point up the road, 10 mins walk away. Road closures need to be accounted for when planning your visit to the island, even if walking to a favourite viewing point, so we headed off before 9am. We found the low but long embankment on the outskirts of Kirk Michael and set ourselves up for the day. The pavement was a no-go zone but I ended up being feet from passing bikes as soon as the racing commenced. If you have been to circuit racing, you will know you are usually many metres away and sat behind a protective fence of sorts; not here! Exhilarating!
The roads briefly opened around 5pm, so I wandered back to freshen up and grab a bite to eat; I knew there was a further evening race booked owing to weather issues over the weekend B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 35 causing delays. The racing would go through the centre of Kirk Michael right by the end of the cul-de-sac where I was staying, so I decided to stay put. I had a great chat with one of the local residents, who also had a radio so we could listen to the action around the circuit as well as watching the racing go by inches from us.
As first days go, this was a long one but a fantastic start to my week on the Island. Needless to say, but the bed that night was very welcoming!
Tuesday 9th June – An early start to avoid the road closures. Headed to Ramsey which is only about 15 mins away; first thing I noticed was the traffic as I was travelling in one of the “Golden Hours” before or after road closures. This was mainly other bikes and a swift scan showed vehicle registration plates from far and wide; the riding standards have to be said were also wide spread and even with good observational skills as an advanced rider, be prepared to be cut-up by a fellow bikers who just read the roads or situation badly. I met a rider on the return ferry who had done nothing wrong it seemed but was hit head on by a fellow Brit Biker who came around a sweeping bend on the wrong side of the road and too fast; result was the gent I spoke to having a limp and a broken arm, and his bike was no more!
Ramsey was holding the Sprint Racing on the sea front; people can turn up on any road worthy bike and sign-up to race down the Promenade with timing lights. Some bikes have been set-up for just this event with longer swing-arms and enhanced engine modifications, but still had registration plates, lights, indicators etc. Some interesting vehicles being raced as depicted here, plus a tweaked BMW RG1200GS with full metal panniers, who couldn’t keep his front wheel down for the first three gears.
This was followed by watching another delayed race whilst in Ramsey. I headed for Parliament Square but by the time I wandered over, it was 10 deep and the view was just not there. I used my smart phone to find other side streets that would be closed off and found one just around the corner.
Pleasantly surprised to find just a couple of marshals and spectators there, so I managed to get front row view of bikes tearing through Ramsey at close quarters. They go by so fast you get neck ache when you try to swivel your head to keep up.
With road closures in place, I worked my way back around the north of the island on some quiet roads; I got the sense that riders followed the pack or their own Sat Navs; as a result they miss some of the best and challenging roads to enjoy. As the roads opened again, the volume of B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 36 traffic increased so I headed south to Peel, which is just 15 mins from Kirk Michael. Great bit of road with a hairpin in its midst known as Devils Elbow; the previous week had seen a rider not getting it right and going over the edge! Peel has a lovely harbour, a castle and a beach, plus at this time of year, a load of bikers all trying to find a space to park.
The evening saw myself heading into Douglas, which is the busiest place on the island being its capital, plus the home of the start/finish of the TT Races. My venue, The Gaiety Theatre, to see Charley Boorman undertake his touring show. Good evening’s entertainment followed by a dark ride back to Kirk Michael around part of the TT Circuit.
Wednesday 10th June – Ahead of travelling to the IoM I had reserved Fanzone tickets for Creg Ny Baa Grandstand, next to the famous pub. I was looking forward to the day, the weather was good, so a swift coffee in the morning and gear-on to hop on the bike. I travelled clock-wise around the circuit roads ahead of closure but again met by a road closed sign at Ramsey just below the hairpin. Another incident on the Mountain course ahead of formal road closures island wide. In the absence of a Sat Nav I had looked at alternative routes already and also the Smart Phone came into its own in with Google Maps! So I took the coastal road through to Laxey, which was no hardship on this fine day and eventually found my desired route that took me to the Creg Ny Baa via a rear access road; very tight lanes in place, with right angle bends demanding concentration, which was made difficult owning to the views!
The Fanzone seating should be a good place to view the racing from; however a tree blocks this to an extent and if you are on the lower seats, you are lucky to get a view of a high speed helmet zipping by. There is another grandstand near the pub where you pay on the day and this has better views. However next time I would opt to pay a couple of quid to park my bike behind the pub and then wander down the fields below the Creg Ny Baa and lie out on the embankment like many did. Much closer to the action and on a sunny day, I think this is the better option.
After a busy day of sitting in the sun watching racing, it was time to head back to the accommodation, drop off the bike and grab some food at the local public house; then time to pack up my gear ready for the move to my next home-stay accommodation tomorrow.
Thursday 11th June – Up and out early, with Thanks and Goodbyes said. Bike loaded slightly more swiftly than my previous attempt as getting used to the process of which straps and bungees go where. Lucky with the weather again and instructions in hand on how to take a more direct route over the Mountain. Off I went, found the right turning and headed up over the hills but no one mentioned a Y-Junction, so I split off following the sign for Douglas. I found out later this was not the intended route but it proved to be very scenic, with the roads being
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 37 exceptionally quiet and challenging at the same time (steep descents, sharp bends, gravel across the roads = fun!).
My second Home-Stay was located at Onchan, being merged with the edge of Douglas. As such, part of my route to the new house was on the circuit just after Signpost Corner. I had used Google Street View to assist me in finding the house, which turned out not to be an issue. The owner was in and awaiting my arrival. My room was not ready or free yet, as a couple leaving that day, but I was offered breakfast and allowed to store my gear in the home office. One thing I noticed in both properties is the people are super friendly and nothing seemed too much trouble.
Quick coffee and out the door again, this time heading off to Laxey Old Town, based right down by the beach and harbour. Today was the Laxey Bike Show, where you can turn up and display your own bike if you wish. My thought was a bog standard Kawasaki ER6F was not going to cut-it in the show, so stowed my bike in the marshalled car-park. There were some fantastic machines of all ages, appealing to all ages. However one of the best machines in my opinion was the large trail bike – a Honda – that belonged to Ian Coates, who spent 14 years travelling around the world (a few times it seems), clocking up an impressive 250,000 miles or so. The bike is covered with stickers of his voyages and even signed in a few places by people from all over the globe.
Having taken in the sights of Laxey seafront I decided it was time again to try to out the Mountain section of the TT Circuit, so aimed for Ramsey to pick up the circuit road. Again, no joy owing to closures so opted to head anti- clockwise around the island and drop south to find Port Erin. Some great roads and once I was away from the TT Circuit roads, the traffic eased considerably allowing me to explore the Islands version of the National Speed Limit. Port Erin has a massive beach which filled up later in the day, but I did notice that it was families minus Dads, who seemed to be walking around the bikes or handing around outside the few bars available!
The evening saw me drop off the bike back at my latest accommodation and walk into Douglas; this also provided me with my first proper view of the TT Grandstand; seems odd, but only then did I really pinch myself realising I was actually here at the Isle of Man TT. A quick wander around the TT Village including the Paddock area, then around Douglas and back to the accommodation.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 38 Friday 12th June – Bike was left on the driveway today, under cover and disc locked, albeit the house owner thought this was funny as actual thefts of vehicles on the island is virtually unheard off even during TT weeks. Today I had a Fanzone ticket for a seat at Nobles Park at the end of the Start Finish straight of the circuit, just before Bray Hill. Fantastic location as get to see the bikes race by at incredible speeds and the stand was situated on the paddock return, so all the bikes had to filter by as they came off the circuit with the occasional burn-out thrown in for good measure. Today was the Super Twins and the Senior TT, with the latter sadly Red Flagged on the second lap owning to a rider having a crash near Mile 11. There was a delay before the re-start allowing me a chance to wander around the TT Village, grab some gifts and grub, before retaking my seat. Amazing race, with a fantastic win for John McGuiness who proved his doubters well and truly wrong!
Whilst wandering around the TT Village post-races, I turned around to find ITV4 film crew setting up, so I stayed too watch the filming of a segment that was due to be aired the same night, If you stand around long enough, someone is bound to make you work, so I ended up holding a sound boom for an engineer whilst they were finalising set-up. Then over wander Gethin Jones, James Witham, Steve Plater and Steve Parrish to do their thing.
I stayed around for the Race Presentations, of which there were many, as each rider gets a medal or trophy for competing and completing a race. However the main trophy went to John McGuiness for the Senior TT win, who was super proud to have won, supportive of the team and thankful to his family, despite embarrassing his wife with the revelation his daughter was conceived in a camper van at a previous TT race meeting!
Saturday 13th June 2015 - Well the main TT Racing has finished and the roads seemed quieter as the mass exodus from the island had commenced, so for the first time I managed to ride the entire Circuit, albeit part of it was in the rain where the roads were greasy after being dry for so long. Thick fog blanketed the Mountain section of the circuit, to the extent I opted to follow a local’s car (they have their own number plates for the IoM) at a safe distance and at a slow pace. However I was rewarded by managing to snap a picture of my bike near the Start Finish Grandstand, accepting this was the only chance my bike would ever get in its life to be part of the TT legend! I’m not sure there is a “Bike with Top Box” session. B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 39 After that it was off to the south of the island again but this time to watch Southern 100 Racing, with practice and race sessions due to run from around lunch time. The Southern 100 goes through a few villages and skirts along the edge of Castletown, which funnily enough is a Town with a Castle in it. I found a good vantage point where I could park the bike close, but opted to try out the 4.25 mile road circuit ahead of closures. More akin to a short circuit with some fast straights followed by tight bends, but with the added fun of dry stone walls and hedgerows. A sense of irony as you ride along within IoM National Speed Limit and are faced with a sharp right hander (which of course you pick up early with your keen sense of observation and adjusting your riding plan in line with IPSGA), that if you were to fail to navigate correctly would see you catapult yourself straight into a grave yard!
Watching the racing is again exhilarating, where the only safety barrier between myself and bikes hurtling down the road was a couple of bits of blue rope! In fact one of the bikes broke down near me, so the obvious place for the marshals to drop the bike off was the tree against which I was sitting; so I got a very close view of the backend of a two stroke 250. A great days racing.
Sunday 14th – Monday 15th June 2015 – My last day on the island. Time to pack my kit but the house owner said to leave everything until later in the day; she was in no rush to get rid of me and I was happy to accept her hospitality as I was not due to the Ferry Port until about 9pm for a late crossing. So off to ride the whole TT Circuit again, where this time the fog was still around but limited to a few places only on the Mountain, meaning I could make more use of the one-way system over the Mountain section. Speedier bikes still shot past me like I was going backwards even though I was exceeding (legally) what would be motorway national speed limit on the mainland UK! Bike & Rider limits were considered fully before applying IPSGA! If you don’t know the circuit like the back of your hand, then caution is warranted, especially as some sections have double apexes that can catch out the unprepared.
Following the initial bike chain concerns and some work on the bike on arrival, I thought the problems were behind me and daily checks confirmed as such. However the final ride around the circuit seemed to be the final straw and a few more kinks emerged on the chain. It was so tight I was worried the bumpy roads back to the accommodation would kill it off completely, so time for a quick roadside chain adjustment on Douglas Promenade, with a few curses thrown in for good measure. This allowed me to get the bike back to the accommodation where I spent two hours with oil and pliers working the chain B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 40 to free up the seized links. Having completed this work, shedding skin from my hands and replacing with oil, I decided not to risk further travels on the bike until needed later in the day. Quick wash up and opted to wind down with a long walk to the far end of Douglas and back. So a 6 mile walk and a few hours killed, time to head back and collect my gear, load the bike, say my goodbyes and head for the port.
The Ferry was the fast service and seemed to be entirely loaded with bikes on this route back to Liverpool. Orderly queues were the order of the day, although some riders were getting a bit irate as their groups were split into different lines. However I was swiftly loaded up and found my seat. Gear stowed, off for a wander to get a hot drink and a final view of Douglas before trying to get some sleep, of which I managed just one hour! The departure from the Ferry in Liverpool turned into a free for all as soon as the doors opened, so I was glad my bike was parked facing the right way and only one bike in front of me. Down the ramp and back on to mainland tarmac virtually in the centre of Liverpool, a place I have never visited before but didn’t really see much as it was 2.45am. Followed the signs to head out of town, and amongst a rather large group of motorcyclists heading in what I knew to be sort of the right direction. Fuelled up the bike just ahead of joining the M6, by which time the sky was getting lighter, albeit it was to be a couple of hours before I would see the sun rise. Heading south, I realised just how cold it was getting and glad I had put on the extra fleece and used my thicker gloves. Lots of bikes, loads of lorry traffic and plenty of road works, but overall the roads were quiet as you would expect. Another fuel stop on the M5 just to ensure I had no need for a panic stop on vapour later, but also to stretch my frozen knee-caps! Noticed chain not looking too good, but decided to proceed at a more sedate pace and get off the M5 at Gloucester and pick up the A38 to further decrease my rate of progress and limp the bike back carefully.
Arrived home at 6:30am, unpacked everything and stowed gear away by 8am; waved family off to work and school then grabbed an hour’s sleep before taking the bike to the dealers. Not a warranty item, so a £192 bill at the end of a week in the IoM was not welcome.
Final Thoughts – Fantastic. Despite a few technical issues and upsetting the Port Authorities at Heysham, which I will just say added to the whole experience, for me this was an amazing trip.
My first foray into holidaying by bike, so a few lessons for me along the way about how much to pack, what spares to take (I packed a clutch cable but it was the chain that failed; guarantee if I pack a chain kit, it will be the clutch cable that breaks!), where to watch the racing around the island and personally, not to worry so much about a trip like this.
I was asked by the people I stayed with whether I would go back to the IoM again; the answer was yes but not for a few years yet. I had crammed a lot into my week on the island, but plenty more to see another day. When I got home, by the end of the first day back I had booked ferry tickets for next year but this time it is for part of practice week and to see the first races before heading home
For now, I have some great pictures, some fantastic memories and overall it was a superb experience; if you haven’t been, don’t leave it too long and make sure you put it on your “Bucket List”!
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Phil Lowney comments on the “introductory ride” organised by Geoff Abraham
The first BAM Associates Group Ride took place on Saturday 20 June 2015. The ride, open to all associates, was designed to give an introduction to Group riding with BAM, in particular the use of the marker system used on all BAM group rides.
The Ride Leader was Geoff Abrahams, the Tail End was Heidi Limbert, and the Floating Observer Nick Calvert. Associates present were Tim Hare, Rob Nash and myself Phil Lowney. We assembled at the McDonalds car park at Yate Shopping Centre at 9am for a group briefing and an introduction to the marker system of group riding. The route took in a variety of very enjoyable roads through the Gloucestershire countryside, via Stroud, the outskirts of Cheltenham, ending up at picturesque Bourton on the Water, where we stopped for coffee and cakes. This was an opportunity for us as associates to chat with the senior BAM members, gain feedback and pick up some valuable advice with regards to our riding.
The return leg was more of the same - travelling via Cirencester & Tetbury this time, finally pulling up at a layby before jct 18 of the M4 to have a final chat and go our separate ways.
The Associates group ride was a very enjoyable and worthwhile opportunity to practice motorcycling in a group using the marker system. It certainly proved how well the system works - at one point due to the traffic conditions around Cheltenham the group was stretched out over a good mile and a half. But there was no need to panic, we didn't lose anyone as Heidi looked after us from the back of the group. We the Associates, all expressed our gratitude to Geoff, Heidi and Nick for giving up their time to take us on this ride. If another Associates ride is planned at some point, all associates should make a seriously effort to take part - if you go along, you'll be glad you did!
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 43 P U Z Z L E T I M E Five members of the infamous South Hams Advanced Motorcycling club (SHAM) were talking about the holidays they had arranged for this year and the difficulty in getting cheap travel insurance for what they had planned to do. Use the clues below to work out the names of the riders, the type of bike they ride, the country they would like to visit, and what they would like to do there.
Names: Dave, Harry, Ken, Steve, and Tom. Bikes: Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Triumph. Countries: Djibouti, Hungary, Kenya, Switzerland, and Thailand. Activities: Dinghy sailing, Hang gliding, Kayaking, Skiing, and Trekking.
1. Ken is going to Switzerland; he does not ride a Kawasaki or Triumph.
2. The guy who is going skiing is not called Dave.
3. The guy who went to Djibouti enjoys hang gliding.
4. The Ducati rider, who is not Tom, is going to Hungary.
5. The Kawasaki rider loves trekking.
6. The Suzuki rider, Steve, had to choose between Djibouti and Kenya for his holiday, as did Harry, who loves sailing.
gliding
Ducati Honda Kawasaki Suzuki Triumph Djibouti Hungary Kenya Switzerland Thailand sailing Dinghy Hang Kayaking Skiing Trekking
Dave Harry Ken Steve Tom Dinghy sailing Hang gliding Kayaking Skiing Trekking Djibouti Record in this grid all the information obtained from Hungary the clues, by using a cross to indicate a definite ‘no’ Kenya and a tick to show a definite ‘yes’. Transfer these to Switzerland all sections of the grid thus eliminating all but one possibility, which must be the correct one. Thailand
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 44 Nick Perry, comments very briefly on the day ride to West Bay – 28th June
The ride started in heavy rain despite a reasonable forecast. This continued until Yeovilton where Peter dried out courtesy of an obliging Waitress.
After Yeovilton the rain eased but a further hazard manifested itself in the form of a long & wide diesel slick on the A35 This went on for some miles and we half expected to come across a vehicle with an empty tank - but NOTHING!!
At the top of the hill leading into Bridport, as predicted by the road signs, we rode into sea fog.
It was finally dry and sunny on the sea-front where we stopped for lunch. Fish and chips from the "beach hut" were excellent-always watching for man-eating gulls.
Nick Perry's modern 650Bandit was so "quick" that he missed the fuel stop. Despite having a pillion, Nick Calvert's even faster machine caught him, and returned him to the fold.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 45 RHAYADER THERE AND BACK ON A BIKE
MEL & MARTYN ROWBOTTOM “LEAK” THE EVENTS OF THE 26TH-28TH JUNE
Have just returned from a fab weekend away with 26 of our BAM colleagues, with several being first timers on our weekend trips. For the past couple of years we have been to Dorset and Devon so decided to head North to Rhayader and make the most of having a BAM member Adrian Pearce & his wife Mandy who run the Brynteg B&B in Rhayader act as our tour guide and hosts.
We all congregated at Aust services for a 10am departure after an intro session and the ride briefing, then set off behind Simon Jarvis in his fetching pink Leader hi Viz with our destination being the Steel Horse for a tea stop then up to Llandovery for lunch before ending up in Rhayader. Of course it wasn’t that direct and we spent a fair bit of time testing out all those nice twisty roads in Wales going in a big loop after the Steel Horse.
I wonder how much trade the Abergavenny café is losing to the Steel Horse as it seems busy every time we go by and deservedly so the food is scrummy and service swift with one very happy customer J
Llandovery West End Café saw the heavens open whilst we ate, so we all clambered ever so daintily (not) into wet weather coveralls to stop the rain getting in too much as we went up over the top of the firing ranges for the view that wasn’t quite as visible as we’d hoped and tested cornering skills for those who hadn’t come across the Welsh hairpins before. All arriving safe and sound of course. Down the other side of the mountain range, avoiding errant sheep darting across the road and grateful the rain was easing off, we duly arrived at the Rhayader about 4:30pm and headed off to our three B&Bs to settle in…….or so we thought.
A few of the weekend riders had made their own way up to Rhayader earlier in the day due to work commitments and good job too as Ann the lady who runs the Liverpool House B&B had fallen over and knocked herself out requiring a hospital visit by ambulance, so 14 people arrived with no B&B host eeeek. Fortunately Mandy & Adrian with the help of Sue & Andy who had arrived earlier helped organise the keys and rooms and everyone was able to
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 46 bed down for the night, not sure what would have happened if we weren’t able to get into the B&B. It also meant alternative breakfast arrangements were required via the local café as Ann was in no fit state to run the B&B that weekend. Everyone was very good about it and able to sort themselves out.
Once everyone settled, and the rest of the group had arrived, we headed for The Bear to have a pre meal drink or two or three before trying to get through the huge meals provided in the Lamb & Flag – the starters were as big as the main meals, so no-one managed a pudding that night.
Saturday morning – up bright and early (the birds were tweeting since 4am it seems) Jerry was keen to get his bike on the road so was out first thing doing his powder checks.
The weather looked fantastic so once everyone had been fed and watered (except poor Geoff) we all assembled for Adrian’s tour of Wales heading off to Pennau for coffee, then Penmaenpool for lunch, Bala lake for ice cream then back to Rhayader after a quick picture stop of Glywedog lake.
Being a local boy, Adrian had sought out some cracking roads that just swooped and twisted around the Welsh B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 47 countryside occasionally popping out at a junction with a main road.
Everyone had a grin at the first stop at Pennau for tea and snack break and a bit of souvenir shopping, we even managed to fill the car park with all our bikes.
From Pennau – the lunch stop was a fantastic location The George Hotel at Penmaenpool, we sat watching the vehicles negotiate the narrow toll bridge whilst we basked in the sun and Suze managed to nick Pete’s lunch (again). Poor Pete is feeling picked on L
After lunch, another cracking run to Bala Lake where we met a scooter club in the car park – mmm the lovely smell of two stroke cough cough.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 48 After the nice twisty roads and a stop at the coast at Abderdovey, it was soooo hot we were forced to raid the local ice cream van and test out the local dairy produce
The final stretch took us along more brilliant roads before the last leg stretch at Glywedog lake where Kelly achieved her goal of the day and had made it to the front of the pack to mark the turning. Well done Kelly J
Saturday evening was at the Elan Hotel, after a pre dinner drinks at The Bear again to clean them out of the lovely fruity cider with the name no-one can remember. The food was once again scrummy and Martyn got himself a second job as a loud mouthed waiter to help the poor girl trying to serve us all. It worked and we were all well fed by the end of the evening, what with the fresh air and the mileage covered today a few were ready for bed not long after.
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 49 Sunday – what a difference a day makes – it absolutely hammered it down overnight so everything was grey and wet and the hills were hidden in the misty clouds. Nevertheless, hardy bikers that we are we said our farewells to those who were making their own way back whilst the majority of us followed Adrian (who still couldn’t be persuaded to wear the pink hi viz) for a 75 mile loop via the Elan valley reservoirs and Devil’s bridge for a cake & coffee stop.
The final stretch took us to Crossgates for lunch which is just 10 miles from where we set off this morning. It did mean we got to run the A483 road which is one of Mr Jarvis’ favourites. At this point Adrian & Mandy said farewell to head back to the B&B and clear up our mess, Al & Carolyn headed off to Gloucester as the M48 was advertised as being closed until 6pm today. The rest of us then followed Mel who adorned a pink hi viz saying Tail End even though in the lead….good job Martyn was wearing an orange tail end otherwise we may have been going round in circles. J
Off we set for Llandrinddod Wells and followed the A483 for a bit more before jumping into the A470 at Builth Wells then through to Crickhowell after which we took a short cut to Gilwern avoiding the need to go through Abergavenny, however it backfired as one bike had a bit of a slip, fortunately all ok and no major damage but it proved the marker system worked as everyone stayed in situ until a new tail end took over and communicated what had happened whilst Martyn in his official tail end role stayed to help sort out the bike and riders and assess damage before continuing on their way to join us at the Steel Horse.
Our weekends are always eventful and this has been no exception, but great company, food and people’s riding skills improving from watching others has made it all worthwhile
The only problem is so many people want to join in we are running out of B&B capacity so may need to start looking at two weekend trips away in the future.
The BAM buddies were: Mel & Martyn Rowbottom, Jerry & Sheila Cosh, Billy & Maggie Burns, Geoff & Caroline Clarke, Mike & Elaine Collingwood, Ian and Sally Sims, Geoff Abraham, Heidi Limbert, Kelly Thomas, Suze Alder, Pete Michael, Peter Helps, Mike Trembeth, Martin Flook, Al Budden, Carolyn Thraves, Sue Nolan, Andy Taylor, Simon Jarvis, and of course our hosts Adrian and Mandy Pearce.
Until next year !
Mel & Martyn BAM Tour Operators J B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 50 The Long Way Round
Stephen Thomas reports on the half day ride – 12th July 2015
The ride out was organised and led by Al Budden and the meeting place was Chipping Sodbury car park at the usual time of 9.30 am. The day started out overcast and despite a poor weather forecast, I was pleasantly surprised to find that eleven other keen riders had also come along.
Al started with a good introduction to the day and made sure that we all fully understood the ride etiquette. He had advertised the event by saying that, "We won't be going very far, but we'll be taking a long way to get there" He certainly didn't disappoint! I don't think that I have ever ridden, or driven, as many back roads and lanes in my life however, what an experience; loads of national speed limit roads and plenty of fast sweeping bends.
We set of from the car park and from that point on, I think I was mostly lost, only realising where we were when we hit several recognisable towns along the way. The next recognisable point for me was Wotton-under-Edge and then not until Stroud some time later. From there, it was more winding roads until we reached the Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester, where we stopped for a break and coffee, bacon butties and cake.
Unfortunately, the weather then started to take a turn for the worse and for the homeward leg, we were coping with a fair amount of rain. This certainly tested our riding skills on some of the tight bends in the country lanes. It also tested our wet weather gear. Unfortunately, I found out that mine wasn't as waterproof as it should be. Looking on the positive side, at least I now know what I'm getting for my birthday!
The final leg took us via Royal Wotton Basset, Westonbirt, Dursley, Breadstone (going past Phil Boobyer's house - who sadly passed away a few weeks ago) and finally stopping at Newport near Berkeley on the A38; a round trip of approximately 117 miles.
I for one certainly enjoyed the morning and I'm certain that my fellow riders did too. Many thanks to Al for organising a great ride and thanks also to Mel who was Tail End Charlie. The other BAM buddies were, Al Budden; Nick and Anne Travis; Les Davidson; Mel and Martyn Rowbottom; Roy Demery; and Egils Praulitis Mike Watson; Darrin Beresford; Max Beseke.
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B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 53 Kessi’s Kapers
Well I have been a busy muppet these past few months. Had a National Women’s biker day that Riders in Bristol hosted and Mel did her lift a bike session whilst Joanne and Pauline showed off their racing machines and Jane Watson led a ride in from Calne with learner riders upto advanced riders, we even managed to sign up a few people on Skill for Life, so welcome to the club.
A couple of weekends later Mel & Martyn headed to Dorset to help with DWDAM’s first Women’s skills day event arranged by Linda Ashmore. It was a brilliant day with over 50 female riders and their bikes of all abilities and styles and experience poor Martyn got ribbed all day for being the only bloke there, but he was helping Mel with the lift a bike session, which after 10+ times of doing she had the bruises to show ! I was on good behaviour though as Leanne one our A&S police female motorcyclists was also present to offer advice to riders. I just smiled and squeaked at the camera and helped Mel & Martyn eat their well- earned pub meal on Saturday night.
Oh yes forgot I helped out at the Bristol Motor show as well and found some new friends plus some alternative two and four wheeled vehicles to play with. All perfect for little old me J
B R I S T O L A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S 54 The next excursion was to pillion a ride out – John Crawford looking super cool in the pink viz, led us to Stourhead national trust for tea and cake mm!
It was then time for our BAM weekend away in June to Rhayader which was a brilliant if not eventful trip (but they usually are hee hee) – see separate write up for more details on that, in the meantime I have learnt the art of photobombing to prove I was there squeak squeak!!
Then to round off all the excitement I helped on the IAM stand at Castle Combe on 11th July at the National Bike Safe event where I tried out some bikes for size
The event saw 50 police riders from 23 different forces taking out some 320+ riders out on the road during the day for a personal assessment on their riding, (after a few of them had all taken a demo ride on the Ducati bikes first thing that morning J ) Most of those assessed went on to the race track afterwards to see what their bikes could do, however none of them stood a chance against a certain Mr John McGuiness who arrived on his EMC2 bike to show off his talents to the watching crowds.
He even did the best time on the moto gymkhana circuit squeak squeak.
Some people have natural talent although he wasn’t sure what to make of me squeak !!
I need a much earned chill out now before my next big event to help encourage people to make the most of the last couple of months of summer by signing up for SFL at the Bristol Bike show on Aug 15th
See you there!
Kessi
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