The second trip for the 3Rs team took a group of 30 TVAM members to the Yorkshire Dales over the weekend of 19-21st October. Smaller in scale than 7W’s but no less ambitious for fun, 3Rs is TVAM’s bi-annual trip taking Associates Full Members, Trainee Observers and Observers to the wilder, twister bits of the UK. The wonderful combination of breathtaking scenery and technical twisty tarmac was a great opportunity to refine those cornering and other advanced riding skills.
I’m writing this having just returned from a weekend riding in Wales on the 7Ws trip.
There’s something very different about riding in Wales; there’s no single thing, but the combination of (generally) good road surfaces, lower levels of traffic, great scenery and roads that bend and twist, as well as vary in elevation, produces a great riding experience that ‘advanced’ riding allows you to take full advantage of. Looking well ahead and maximising the Information part of the System enable the ride to really flow without significant interruption and the Position phase keeps me safe whilst using the view to maximum benefit.
Riding home on Sunday required the usual adjustments to riding, with more focus on the higher levels of traffic, busier roads and worsening road surface.
The 7Ws weekend is one of the key training riding events in the club calendar and with approximately 70 bikes attending, it’s also one of the largest. Getting this organised twice a year is no mean feat and the 7Ws team does a great job of making this weekend accessible and enjoyable for all, and particularly appropriate for Associates.
It was good to see the ‘I AM SAFE’ philosophy, as discussed by Andy Slater in last month’s Slipstream, being actively discussed and implemented by everyone on the trip. It was clear that anyone that didn’t feel up to riding could decide not to take part in a ride and there was even a high degree of forward planning for this in the bar the evenings before the rides!
Sean Westlake, who is now an instructor with Rapid Training, entertained everyone with his views, and tips, on ‘Riding in Wales’ and Sean is now offering three and four day tours, with coaching, for anyone that wants to explore some of the lesser-known routes with a smaller group. You can contact Sean at sean.westlake@me.com for further information.
The focus on the 7Ws weekend is, of course, training, and it was great to see everyone discussing their experiences and building confidence on the roads. Time in the saddle on good routes is a great way to build experience and riding skills. Adding in informal observation for Associates and Full Members means that there’s a bit of extra input too to get maximum benefit from time on these roads.
This philosophy is extended to our other club training weekends, such as 3Rs and Rutland Rally and I’d encourage everyone to try and get away on at least one or two training weekends with the club. They’re great fun, help you build your social network in the club and really develop your riding skills in an encouraging environment.
Talking of riding skills, after some delay, we’re finally re-launching the Enhanced Advanced Ride (EAR) process. I’d like to thank Sarah Chandler and the Green Team for helping to redefine the process. The EAR is a half or full-day ride with an Observer and is normally for two Full Members. Designed to be an evaluation and coaching session, the aim is to help keep your riding skills up to scratch. And it’s great fun, and free (well, you’ll buy the tea as is usual on an Observed ride). If you’d like to take advantage of an EAR then send an email to enhancedadvanced@tvam.org
Although the nights are starting to draw in, and the weather is starting to get a little cooler, there are always some great riding days to be had in the Autumn, so do take the opportunity to join social rides, and trips, and keep those riding skills up.
Three wheels has always been an acquired taste, but I have never come across such a biased audience as when I said I had ridden the new Yamaha Niken, pronounced Nike-N. ‘What a load of rubbish’ – ‘who wants a trike’ – ‘it’s just like that scooter thingy’ – ‘I’d never ride such a pile of s**t’- ‘they must want their heads tested’.
Closed minds and closed attitudes. No wonder Yamaha decided to break into the market gently with advertisements in MCN for a pre-launch trial ride at 3 locations in the UK and many others abroad, aimed at the normal rider. Yes, the opportunity was there to try something different – a different experience completely!
Luckily one of the locations was at Box Hill, and is not far from me, so I applied, and was accepted. On 4th August I found myself at an inaugural event with 19 others in an hourly timeslot to see and ride the new ground-breaking machine. It looks different, it is different and thank goodness Yamaha are brave enough to bring it to market!
Firstly we had a presentation, where we learned that this concept has been decades in the making. We were shown the superb engineering under the bikini fairing which is just stunning, and told what to expect when riding. It’s like carving through a curve when skiing we were told. These 20 bikes in front of us were the only 20 production bikes in existence at the time, prior to the launch in September.
Then we were off. The route around Box Hill being varied and quite tight and twisty, it was easy to find out what the Niken was capable of. Well, it was easy to change direction – despite 2 front wheels, 4 shock absorbers and all the extra crossbars holding them together it was totally effortless. This is wrong according to my physics, because the extra mass should make it more difficult to turn but that was not the case.
Puzzled, I continued and found that in tight corners it was amazing. Slowly you start to realise and understand that the cornering ability far outstrips anything you have been used to in the normal biking world.
Two front tyres, two rubber contact patches with the road and amazing stability means you can take liberties in the corners. If you brake quite hard mid-corner, the front doesn’t try to stand up, it just carves through the bend. Neither is there any serious fork dive when braking hard – and when I came across a patch of gravel mid corner, the Niken just rode through it like it wasn’t even there. It’s all just taken care of without any cheek-clenching moments that you would normally expect in those circumstances.
Will the front ever be totally overwhelmed? I am sure it can be, but it’s moved the goal post by at least 50% of the norm, and there are going to be many R1 and Fireblade riders who are totally embarrassed when a Niken spectacularly outrides them on a bend at a trackday.
After just 20 minutes riding the Niken I was totally relaxed and knew that the front end was not going to slide, let me down or cause any reason for raised blood pressure in any circumstances. The riding position was fairly upright and the seat moved slightly rearwards to balance the 50-50 weight ratio with the increased front end weight.
With the front end being so stable, the attention goes to the rear wheel and how soon and how much throttle you can apply when exiting a bend. Possibly not exciting in an R1/Fireblade way, but this is not a sportsbike – it just behaves similarly and is probably in the sports/tourer section with an easy riding position that evokes stability and massive confidence.
The rear of the bike is borrowed from the MT09, as is the 847cc 3 cylinder motor, which has been tuned to give plenty of low down grunt and a very sporty feel with instant pick up, which is surprising considering its moderate 113bhp and the bike’s 260kg weight!
The Niken is the next evolution in motorcycling, and soon the rest of the manufacturers will have to take notice because it takes the average rider and turns then into a road riding god, taking bends in poor weather conditions like you were enjoying them on a sunny day.
So where does the Niken fit into the market? Despite other perceptions it is NOT a trike, nor a scooter. It’s a fully grown motorcycle with 3 wheels. It’s not a commuter bike either, as it’s too wide, and it’s not a sportsbike, as it will never lean to a 60 degree angle like a MotoGP bike, but it is a comfortable long distance sports tourer with a sporty flair, great fun and would give masses of confidence in those hairy Alpine bends.
So would I buy one? I got off the bike grinning ear to ear, so yes I would. £13,500, is not cheap, but for the next biking evolution, fantastic value! I look forward to seeing them in the dealers, and possibly trying one for a couple of hours to really find out what it will do!
Phil Donovan
First published in Slipstream October 2018
Continuing our Rider’s Rides! Each month we feature a TVAM member and their bike, talk about why they chose that model, what they use it for, as well as what they like and dislike about it. Want to see your bike featured? Get in touch at pressofficer@slipstream.org
This month we have John Rodda and his mighty BMW Tourer.
And which flavour of Bavarian boxer do we have here then?
This is my BMW R1200RTLE.
Did it replace an existing bike, or is this an addition to your garage?
The RT replaces my previous bike, a BMW R1200GS Adventure Triple Black. I prefer the weather protection, ride comfort and seating position of the RT. I’ve had a fair number of these models in the past, so I knew what to expect.
My Uncle has a similar love affair with the boxer. Did you consider anything else, say a K1600?
I looked at BMW’s S1000XR – but only briefly. I’ve owned a K1600 and an R1200GS in the past. Both are excellent machines, but the RT seems to suit my purposes particularly well.
How so?
Great comfort, load capacity, fuel range and amazing handling for a machine of this size and weight. The RT also has great presence on the road, and therefore is a little more likely to be seen than smaller sports bikes.
Which dealer delivered this one to you?
BMW Bahnstormer in Maidenhead.
And would you recommend them to other TVAM members?
Yes, plenty of TVAM customers use Bahnstormer already, and are offered a discount on clothing and accessories.
Good to know! The bike looks stock, but have you got any modifications I missed?
I’ve installed a Roadhawk bullet camera tucked almost out of sight on the front fairing, which records witness footage on a continuous loop whenever the bike ignition is turned on.
Sneaky! What sort of riding do you do/plan on doing with this bike?
Anything and everything, from observed rides with my associate to an upcoming tour of France and adjacent countries, as well as motorcycle marshalling on cycle races and other events with the National Escort Group.
Is this different from the sort of riding/trips you used your previous bikes for?
Not really. My motorcycles are part of daily life – not just as transport, but for coaching, tour leading and leisure too.
Anything amiss with your new bike so far?
Nothing much. My previous RT suffered with condensation in the instrument panel, but my current machine is fine so far. Previous experiences with the dealer have always been positive whenever I’ve had a problem, so if anything crops up I know I’ll be looked after.
Overall then, no regrets?
I’m absolutely delighted to be back on an RT. It seems to be the bike that suits me best out of all I’ve ridden, and as an added bonus this version is so far returning more than 60mpg!
Nick Tasker was talking to John Rodda earlier this summer.
First published in Slipstream October 2018
The theme this year was “A Time to Remember”, in honour of those who lost their lives in the Great War of 1914-1918.
During the very first NEC motorcycle show I attended after bringing home my shiny new Triumph Street Triple R, my brother and I bought our very first sets of leathers. That may seem bizarre to those of you for whom that has always been your standard biking attire, but for many of us whose biking role models were Ewan McGregor rather than Kevin Schwanz, textiles are the default. The plan was to do our first trackday that following summer, but it’s amazing how easily something like that is put off, again and again.
Fast-forward to 2018 and Pat Coneley persuaded me to give his Road Skills Day at Thruxton a go, which aside from a single session at Brand’s Hatch and a terrifying lap of the Nürburgring, was my first real on-track experience. But as you’ll know if you’ve attended one of these yourselves, that was not a trackday. Riding a V-Strom and wearing textiles, we were limited to 100mph with artificial chicanes and had braking and turn-in markers laid out for us to aim for. Remember: Road Skills Day!
I learnt a lot from my instructor, and the experience as a whole, not least of which that it is possible to ride around a racetrack all day without crashing. What’s more, if I could do it on Michelin Pilot Road 5’s on skinny adventure-bike wheels, then it should be even easier on my Triumph. With my girlfriend itching to drag me along to a ‘proper’ trackday, I had run out of excuses, and so signed up for the No Limits Novice group, and prepared to depart for Mallory Park.
I packed a water bottle, tyre pressure gauge and compressor, along with a handful of cereal bars and sandwiches before setting the alarm for 5am. With sign-on at 7:30 and a planned petrol stop just before reaching the track I needed to leave plenty of time to arrive fueled-up and ready for the safety briefing.
As it happened, I needn’t have worried – traffic is understandably light that early in the morning, and unlike almost everyone else who had arrived in the paddock, I had no van to unload, no tyre-warmers to attach and no maintenance to perform. I had even printed and filled out the requested paperwork in advance, something I soon discovered made me practically unique amongst my fellow riders!
After dropping off the forms and collecting the appropriately coloured wristband, I had some time to kill, and began chatting to the other riders I was sharing the garage with. All were trackday veterans, despite several having placed themselves in the same Novice Group as I. Given that I was expecting to be sharing my sessions with nervous riders wobbling around on a variety of inappropriate machinery, this was certainly something of a surprise.
Looking around the crowd at the safety briefing was also enlightening – the vast majority of riders were men in their 40’s, with a few younger riders and two women. Despite this depressing gender imbalance, the sexist banter I was expecting failed to materialise, with my girlfriend experiencing nothing but friendly helpfulness all day. Aside from a few people mistakenly assuming that it was I, not her, riding the tricked-out Fireblade, there was no trace of the prejudice or stereotyping that often follows female riders wherever they go.
Noise testing (another item I had concerns about) proved another non-issue. My Street Triple on it’s after-market Scorpion exhaust had been measured at 105db by the over-zealous tester at Brand’s Hatch, leading me to suspect I’d never pass the 103db maximum allowed at Mallory Park. Assurances from my mechanic proved true however, with the baffled exhaust measuring just 97db when tested according to ACU regulations. If you’ve got a trackday of your own planned, I recommend getting your bike tested ahead of time, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear some fairly noisy bikes fly through under the limit.
When the tannoy called out for Novice riders to come to the pits, I was certainly nervous. How would I know when to brake and when to turn in? Without the usual roadside furniture of trees and streetlights, and the ever-present road-markings, how would I know how fast I was going? My major recollection from the single session at Brand’s Hatch was that the tarmac seemed to go on forever in every direction and that corners came at you out of nowhere. I was worried that I would low-side in the very first bend. I needn’t have worried.
The fact is, the track was very easy to read. Coloured rumble strips on the apexes of all the corners made the edges of the track easy to spot, and after a couple of sighting laps I was already winding the engine up to the limiter and leaning more, all while looking for overtaking opportunities past slower riders. Everything I’d learned at Thruxton came back to me, with braking and turn-in points easy to figure out after a few corners. The trick, just as then, was to start slow and build speed gently over time.
At the end of my first twenty-minute session, I was surprised to discover how warm I was, despite the cool morning air and uninsulated leathers. Remembering the advice on the Road Skills Day I’d brought along – and proceeded to drink – plenty of water, and topped up my energy with a cereal bar or two between sessions. With each of the three groups running back-to-back, I only had limited time to cool off and admire the shrinking chicken strips on my rear tyre before the call to the pit lane rang out once more.
After my second trip out I was already lapping some riders in my group, and out-braking most others in some of the tighter turns. The forward planning and smooth riding we learn from our Observers is just as important on track, and there were quite a few riders on track that day who could benefit from some advanced training. The long, fast corners were giving me difficulty, however, so it was time to seek expert advice specific to track riding.
Noise testing (another item I had concerns about) proved another non-issue. My Street Triple on it’s after-market Scorpion exhaust had been measured at 105db by the over-zealous tester at Brand’s Hatch, leading me to suspect I’d never pass the 103db maximum allowed at Mallory Park. Assurances from my mechanic proved true however, with the baffled exhaust measuring just 97db when tested according to ACU regulations. If you’ve got a trackday of your own planned, I recommend getting your bike tested ahead of time, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear some fairly noisy bikes fly through under the limit.
When the tannoy called out for Novice riders to come to the pits, I was certainly nervous. How would I know when to brake and when to turn in? Without the usual roadside furniture of trees and streetlights, and the ever-present road-markings, how would I know how fast I was going? My major recollection from the single session at Brand’s Hatch was that the tarmac seemed to go on forever in every direction and that corners came at you out of nowhere. I was worried that I would low-side in the very first bend. I needn’t have worried.
The fact is, the track was very easy to read. Coloured rumble strips on the apexes of all the corners made the edges of the track easy to spot, and after a couple of sighting laps I was already winding the engine up to the limiter and leaning more, all while looking for overtaking opportunities past slower riders. Everything I’d learned at Thruxton came back to me, with braking and turn-in points easy to figure out after a few corners. The trick, just as then, was to start slow and build speed gently over time.
I tracked down one of the instructors on offer at the end of the second session, and requested some pointers. When I lined up for the third time he told me to follow him for the first three laps, after which he would beckon me to overtake and then follow for the rest of the session. His lines through the corners weren’t drastically different to mine, but there was definitely room for fine-tuning.
I caught up with the instructor afterwards and he advised me that I wasn’t hanging off the bike enough, wasn’t taking the faster corners tight enough, and wasn’t using the whole of the track on corner exit, demonstrating that there was far more speed to be had there. I was also losing time by braking too late at the end of the long straight, and therefore making a mess of the corner entry and putting myself on too-wide a line for Gerard’s. While I was already faster than most of my group through the corners, the vast majority of riders were on faster, more powerful bikes and I had my work cut out trying to overtake on the straights.
My instructor pointed out that overtaking on corners was fine as long as I was giving the bikes in front enough room. With a wide track and no oncoming traffic to worry about, I was able to start picking bikes off in the bends, even passing a couple on the inside who took overly wide lines through the hairpin. It turns out all that Alpine practice had paid off!
While timing equipment was officially banned, I’d sneakily left my smartphone running a data recorder throughout the day, so that I could confirm that I was indeed improving session by session. Sure enough, laptimes were slowly dropping as lean angles increased, and only started to climb again when I began pushing myself to go fast, rather than focusing on riding smoothly in some of the later sessions. Thanks to this telemetry I was able to check myself and return to working on my technique. Go smooth to go fast!
As the final sessions approached, I began to notice worrying behaviour from some of my fellow riders. While I myself wasn’t particularly fatigued, due to many years of conditioning from 400-mile touring days, other riders were exhibiting symptoms of overconfidence or reduced concentration. Twice I had people try to outbrake me into the S-bends and then aim for the escape route instead. After having seen what can happen when two riders collided earlier in the day, I decided to pass on the very last session. Unlike many of these race-fairing equipped hotshots, I needed my bike to get home…
The final question was this. After a day of 100mph+ speeds and 45-degree lean angles, would I find returning to public roads and the constraints of the highway code irritating, or even impossible? Many of those I spoke to at the track no longer rode motorcycles on the roads, and some of the younger ones didn’t even have bike licenses. I’d heard about people finding traffic and other hazards too much to deal with after the relative calm and safety of the racetrack. I’m please to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my ride home, and found the speed limits no more onerous than usual.
In truth, while I learned more about myself and my bike from the TVAM Road Skills Day, riding around Mallory Park was tremendous fun and an education to boot. I’ve still got plenty more to work on (I never did get my knee down!) and I’ve confirmed once and for all that the limit isn’t my bike, it’s very definitely still me.
Would I do it again? You bet I would. I’m already booked in at Donnington Park…
Nick Tasker
First published in Slipstream October 2018
We have had no coffee and food stops for a while – so must be time to consult TVAM’s coffee stop list. I have 4 tearoom recommendations that I hope you will enjoy for their location, quality of food and biker friendly welcome. The first is Annie’s at Canal Yard (anniestearoom.co.uk) at Thrupp, near Kidlington OX5 1JZ, reached after crossing the lifting bridge over the South Oxford canal. Although the café has limited seating inside, there are many picnic tables outside overlooking the canal basin. A reserved area of scraped earth and scalpings provides additional parking.
The second is TT Linnet at 41 High Street, Highworth, SN6 7BG. This is a newish mother/daughter owned and run establishment, with a choice of rooms that overlooks the market place car park.
Finally, Lechlade has two worth a visit, the Lynwood and Co Café, Market Square, GL7 3AD
…and the very traditional Tea Chest, Park End Wharf, GL7 3AQ which has its own riverside hard-tarmac parking.
My dear wife Helen won a raffle prize at a fundraising dinner early this year – a pillion lap with the Be Wiser Ducati racing team! Naturally enough, she thought of me. I didn’t try too hard to persuade her that she, rather than I, should take a ride with an athletic young man in racing leathers.
Each team has two riders, and this year the Be Wiser Ducati line-up was, the reigning champion, Shane “Shaky” Byrne, and Glenn Irwin. Very sadly, Shaky was seriously hurt while testing his bike at Snetterton in May. He sustained multiple spinal fractures and broke a lot of ribs, amongst other injuries. I met him on the Sunday and he was in good spirits, fully mobile, but not able to ride for the time being. He has won the British championship six times, and it will be a great loss to the sport if he cannot return to racing. Glenn’s brother Andrew Irwin has stepped into Shaky’s place for the 2018 championship. It was great to see all four Irwin brothers together at Silverstone for the fixture this weekend. I took the picture opposite of them on the grid before Glenn’s second race, with a podium finish.
So my rider for the pillion lap was Glenn Irwin, currently holding third place in the Championship. It was my first pillion ride since I was 14 years old, which was also on a Ducati, with a friend’s dad, and it turned out that it was Glenn’s first pillion ride as well. Unfortunately for him, my weight is half that of the Panigale v4s road bike that we did the lap on.
I was understandably nervous before the race, but just put it out of my mind, telling myself that these guys do this for a living, week in week out, it’s in their blood. An hour before the lap, I retired to the team trailer to squeeze myself into brand new racing leathers. This felt like an all-over corset. Helen told me it was very flattering! We ventured out into the pits and watched the two race bikes being lovingly prepared while the road bike was wheeled out for the pillion lap.
Amid much excitement, Glenn took off on the Panigale to warm it up for the pillion lap. A few other teams were offering pillion rides as well, so there were half a dozen bikes on the grid. With the eagerness of a man ascending the gallows, I attempted to hop lightly onto the Panigale’s pillion seat, which is the size of a postcard and mounted absurdly high behind the rider. Several mechanics held onto the bars to help Glenn steady the bike while I climbed aboard. Glenn said something incomprehensible, followed by “Enjoy the ride”, then set off on the lap.
Helen wondered why I was bobbing up and down as if I were riding a pogo stick rather than a Panigale. That’s because Glenn wheelied the bike in every gear on the approach to the first bend. I wasn’t conscious of any difficulties up to this point because my mind was still on the grid, waiting for something to happen. Things changed rapidly as we pulled onto the first straight, when one of the BMWs shot past on the outside – obviously a slimmer pillion. This was a red rag to a bull, and Glenn hit the power band with immense gusto. I don’t know what I was shouting, and Glenn certainly couldn’t hear at 150 mph, but I was simply unable to maintain my grip around the rider’s waist. He sensed that he was losing me and eased off the throttle before we came to the second bend. I was very conscious that I had nearly tumbled down the Silverstone tarmac and now managed to interlock my fingers around Glenn’s sternum, in a high speed version of the Heimlich manoeuvre.
The second bend was smooth and seamless, a testament to the peerless racing ability of these Superbike champions, but the longest straight was brutal as we pursued the BMW into the left and right Brooklands hairpins. The transition from full acceleration to maximum braking was instantaneous, with my knuckles pressed against the tank so hard that they were bruised the following day. Again, Glenn’s progress through these bends was incredibly smooth, with the black and white trackside strobing past my helmet. As we came out of the right-hander, Glenn laid the power on for a final blast before braking into the grid. I managed to step off and shake his hand, thanking him for the most amazing experience and explaining what happened on the first straight. He said he knew I was in trouble so he eased off to help me. I could not be more grateful for that kindness!
The team had warned me that the G-forces during cornering would strain my neck, but that was not the case. The only strain I suffered was to my right arm, clinging on for dear life, inflaming the muscles and requiring Ibuprofen for the ride home on Sunday evening. The v4s Panigale has 214bhp, and Glenn had unleashed them all at once – what else is a champion rider to do? We completed our pillion lap in 90 seconds and the fastest championship laps were 54 seconds, proving the impact of power-to-weight ratio in racing.
The more decisive factor in the Superbike championship is raw courage. These riders commit their all to every lap, riding hundreds of laps during each fixture and ninety of those during actual racing. Things happen so quickly out there, they can be off in a split second. Mostly they get up and walk away but, occasionally, a rider suffers injuries like Shane did, or worse.
After the pillion lap, Glenn was free to relax and compose himself before the race. The atmosphere in the team garage was monastic, as the mechanics conducted final checks on the bikes. A quarter of an hour before the warm-up laps, the engines were fired up and kept running on tickover. The wheels were brought out, in their heating jackets, and plugged into generators to keep warm. Glenn and Andrew sat in silence, contemplative, putting their minds in the right frame for racing.
Suddenly it was time to race. Wheels were fitted, jackets removed from heated tyres and the championship bikes rolled into the pit lane. Glenn and Andrew jumped aboard and with little fuss, rode out onto the warmup lap. After this, the wheels were changed on the grid to give maximum rubber for two more practice laps and thirty race laps. There was a mandatory dalliance with press and VIP visitors, including yours truly, before the grid was cleared and the race began.
We watched all thirty laps with the Be Wiser team on a screen in their garage. The atmosphere was electric, the pits silent until the riders roared by. There were moments of high anxiety, as bikes came too close together in the bends, and pure exhilaration as Glenn climbed the ranks from ninth to fifth position. Unbelievably, a blown BMW engine took out one of the riders and the resulting oil spill deposited two of the race leaders beside the track. Glenn took a different line, avoiding the oil spill, and claimed third position. After some deliberation amongst the judges, the result was upheld, and Glenn joined the winners on the podium for the obligatory champagne fight. It was interesting to see them chink their magnums together in a winners’ toast but not a drop passed their lips, as the final race awaited them later in the afternoon.
While the riders engaged in gladiatorial combat to hold their place in the race and climb the rankings between races, my abiding memory of the day was of lovely people pursuing a hobby where everything has to come together with surgical precision for each performance. The winning riders take the prizes, but each member of the team takes pride in, and gains purpose from, their part in the race preparations. When that part is done, they stand and watch on screens in silent admiration, waiting and hoping for the result they crave.
Sadly it wasn’t to be Andrew’s day, as he slid off on the left-hand hairpin early in the day’s final race, and had everyone’s sympathy as he walked back to the pits. This weekend’s racing was a success for Glenn, however, as he held his place in the last race and retained third position in the Championship going into the Oulton Park fixture next weekend. I shall be following his career with newfound interest, and my pillion lap with this champion rider has given me a new sporting interest!
Peter Archibald
First published in Slipstream October 2018
It really was a glorious 7Ws #37 over the weekend 28th – 30th September in sunny Wales. Much was learnt and digested by the 60+ riders who attended. We had the pleasure of the company of Sean Westlake, an ex police motorcyclist who has supported our Observers at their weekend in Wales for many years and lately has joined the ranks of Rapid Training to pass on his knowledge to riders on their excellent courses. As usual there will be two 2019 7W’s trips which are a perfect opportunity to improve or revisit your riding skills in an informal and social atmosphere. Many thanks to all those who organised the weekend, led runs and back-marked.