Past Events
So imma try and do a bit of a writeup after each event I go to for 2024 - like a blog, almost. You can find these posts below.
Brookthorpe | Severn Valley MX | 3rd Feb 2024
So I'm writing this a few weeks after the event itself as I'm slow building a website.
The first event of 2024 was thoroughly enjoyable. After taking two buses and walking through Gloucester services to get to the track, I got there and kinda stood at the side of the track for half an hour just watching. I had properly missed the atmosphere so it was nice to be back.
So my aim for this outing was literally get used to taking photos again. I was going between all different camera modes, white balance settings, shutter speeds, brightnesses and the like to get a bit of better understanding.
So one thing I'd take away is to plan where I'm going to take the photos and what settings are needed for each spot. I unfortunately didn't get many photos from the 'Paddock'. Also, when it came to sorting the photos on the PC I had no clue which class was which. I might have times where shutter speed is higher, quite a lot of photos were kinda blurry.
So the best part of the meet was the fact I met the Clerk of the Course and the official timekeeper, Vic. He was a lovely gentleman who had been in the sport for over 35 years, first riding, and then in the official side. We got to know each other, and then rather out of the blue he gave me a hi-vis for me to be at the side of the track. This was actually the first time I had been 'trackside' at any event and I am incredibly thankful to him for allowing this. Long story short, I had a good time getting even closer to the jumps and trackside, getting all new angles and the like. Slightly hairy moment when Vic's land rover drove away from the finish line with my bags in the back of it!
So overall, a great time at Brookthorpe and I can't wait for the next Severn Valley event.
English Bicknor | Severn Valley MX | 23rd & 24th March 2024
Event number 2 for 2024, and we were back with the Severn Valley Motocross club. I managed to attend for both the Saturday and the Sunday.
For the Saturday, I got there by bus followed by a nice 45 minute walk through country lanes. Getting to the track I cracked straight on with getting photos for all the classes; as per Brookthorpe, the organisers allowed me to don a hi-vis and head out on the side of the track which was a great experience - thanks to them! After photographing one block I had a wander around the paddock where I bumped in to Jamie(?) and Fraser Rogers. Great chat with these two about their experiences in MX and BSB, where Fraser rides for TAG Honda! Jamie told me about his worldwide travels as part of the Ultimate Wheels MX team. That team has recently been dissolved as Jamie felt it was the right time to - it was about time he got back on a bike after having not been on one for over 10 years.
The track was interesting according to the riders - not a typical flowing one like Brookthorpe with lots of hairpins,; those hairpins harbouring ruts so big someone could lay in them!
The Sunday, I went with a friend, Dan, who had not been to an MX event before and he enjoyed thoroughly! The Autos were an interesting watch; perhaps due to the ruts, they cur across the top of the circuit giving it full gat as they sped across the grass between hairpins. Another paddock walk and I met fantastic teams, and plenty of really friendly dogs! Another Jamie certainly got his worth getting me to take photos of 50 different things and people. Overall this was a great weekend and can't wait for another Severn Valley experience!
Grimley Raceway Banger Racing | 31st March 2024
After scrutineering was the main event - from 1pm til a hard stop at 6 was three blocks of 5 or 6 classes. My job here was on the Pit Gate, controlling cars coming on and off the circuit plus being an additional flag marshall. Unfortunately we stared 30 minutes late due to new drivers needing a competency test, and a rollover during the first block of races added another 15 minutes slip to the schedule. However the whole team worked together fantastically to bring that time back and finish before the hard stop.
There was a demolition derby at the end of the day, but I had to call a red flag soon after it started; two cars collided head on with some speed causing a fire.
After a discrepancy in the pits and rescuing people from the mud it was certainly an enjoyable day, and something I will return to, to get fully trained as a marshall.
Thanks to Paul, Andy, Colin and all the team!
Donington Park | BSB Test | 6th April 2024
The season is almost upon us! I popped up to Donington to get a first glimpse of some of the bikes and riders getting prepared for the BSB season, on an incredibly windy day. Luckily the trains were running as half of them were on a strike!
Immediately after walking in to the circuit I bumped in to Craig 'Bubba' Sprigg and it was great to hear his suspension company is going well; Recently he has been processing orders for the re-chroming of a shipment of 40 forks a week for various bikes so definitely keeping busy!
I had a bit of a cycle to go to various spots around the circuit, starting with the Pit straight grandstand, followed by the Esses, then Hollywood Grandstand, Redgate and Coppice. Redgate was a pain in the ass because the wind was so gusty; it was incredibly difficult to keep the camera steady and get some decent shots.
I did have a wander around the paddock, unfortunately there was not too much as most of the riders used the pit garages, which were typically inaccessable.
One of the riders I did get to speak to was Harley Prebble, in the BMW class. It was interesting to hear how the bike was to ride generally, and then in combination with the wind; how it affects the bike dependant on if it was a headwind, tailwind or crosswind. He said sometimes it feels like you have the breaks on if you have a headwind down the straight, and picking a breaking point was particularly difficult considering it was so gusty. Indeed I did see a couple riders caught out by the wind, even a couple of superbikes going wide at Redgate or Coppice.
It was nice to see some of the big names on track; Tommy Bridewell now at Honda, Charlie Nesbitt and Lee Jackson on the MasterMac machines with flashes of highlighter yellow and orange, Finn Smart-Wheedon circulating on the Aprilia, and Fraser Rodgers on the TAG Honda who I saw only a few weeks ago at English Bicknor.
The antics continued on the way home, as I arrived into Birmingham on the train there was a full scale evacuation in progress, with alarms and red lights everywhere. No harm done, and I arrived home late after an enjoyable yet blustery day. Roll on the new season!
Circuit de Navarra| British Superbikes | April 2024
Please see my Facebook page for the full post! Much too long to post here so I'll need to compact it a bit.
The Weekend was better in terms of photos as I had planned where to go and when; the internet is useful if you want to know where the sun is pointing! This lead to some great shots on the top of the roof, from the Grandstand, and at the end of the car park - one of which FibreTec put straight on their Facebook, which had Ollie at Turn 12 with the Codés Mountain Range in the background. The plan somewhat fell over halfway through the day, but still managed to get photos of all the support classes, as well as individual photos for everyone at FibreTec. Speaking of FibreTec, Ryan did exceedingly well to bring home some silverware for the team with an outstanding 3rd place in his first race. I also had great conversation with Ryans dad, Larry from everything from the weather to other championships in Spain. Perhaps planning for the future....? Who knows.
I also popped over to the Wilson Racing tent, where I caught up with Harrison, Samuel Munson Racing #72 "The Munson Burner" and Ben; Sam then decided he wanted to be a photographer for ten minutes as he tried out my camera around his area, pretty much doing my job for me!
It was also a nice surprise to bump in to the Smart Racing team! Lewis, Gav and co had made the trip specially to see the new track and first round, and I don't blame them for wanting to get out of the UK and its constant rain. Thanks for the Smart32 neck sock too! Looking forward to seeing Lewis in action at Donington.
The Saturday evening was entertaining, firstly spending time with Charlie Huntingford and team, before Jamie and I retired to the bar and had excellent conversation with Billy from Scott McPhee's Team, sharing stories over many cheap pints.
The Sunday was enjoyable also, with two races and more photos. Unfortunately Carter Brown, who I was kinda rooting for in the Supersport class, had his weekend ended before it had begun after he broke his arm, but I managed to get some other riders such as TJ Toms both on track and in the garage. Two more races for the BTC class ensued which was successful considering the very strong winds; it was mildly amusing when, for race 2, Dan and Josh B were sent towards the circuit without realising the preceding BSB qualifying had not yet finished due to a red flag! During this brief stoppage I headed over to see Charlie, and also Aeziah Divine #90 Racing who had come all the way from Bermuda. I made sure to also go around the BMW tents and say hi to riders such as Mason Foster and Harley Prebble.
Unfortunately I didn't see much of the superbikes this weekend because their schedule and mine simply not aligning, especially considering the half-hour walks needed to go to the outfield and back. They were still running at the time where I was mildly tired and called it a day, and headed back to Los Arcos to catch the bus and restart my adventure back to the UK. The winding mountain roads drew to a close an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable first round of BSB.
Brookthorpe | Ringwood MX | 12th May 2024
I have been to Brookthorpe several times now, but this was all for Severn Valley motocross club. This time, the Ringwoord Motocross club had taken a trip up to this fantastic Gloucestershire track. As this was a new club I did not expect too much, but I was completely wrong!
After getting the usual bus and walking through the fancy Gloucester motorway services, I was once again greeted by the fantastic sighs and sound of the bikes, which had already started by the time I had got there.
I prepared my camera and started taking photos from the track, when one of the friendly club organizers asked what I was doing and who I was taking for. After a short conversation, it transpired they had not got a photographer, so very gratiously they signed me in and gave me a hi-vis to go and take photos (safely) at the side of the track! Something I did not expect and was very grateful for.
Before heading out on track however, I made sure to head in to the paddock and take some pictures around there. Everyone was really friendly and polite; even some people who preferred not to have photos were courtious and of course I respected that. Shoutout to Jordan Jones who were with Travis 'Cookie' Cook, and also to ex-BSB rider Brad Jones who I bumped in to in the paddock.
After that, it was back out on track in the heat (after the obligatory burger!) to take photos for the classes. It also was recommended to me to get shots of the start, where a bunch of people waved over as they came on and off the track.
Topping it off with a biscoff ice cream sundae, it was a very pleasant day with Ringwood MX at Brookthorpe and I hope to see them again soon!
The Bike Fest | Prescott Hillclimb | 23rd June 2024
The third time I had been here, and it was a fantastic lazy Sunday to watch the bikes and take some snaps in this amazing hillside hillclimb not too far from me. Added bonus was my dad coming all the way up from the south coast, so I focussed on his enjoyment for this weekend over taking the photographs. Doesn't mean to say I took none though - you can see a couple here.
As usual we were greeted by a fantastic sight and sound of bikes through the eras, old and new and in between. We started off at the display area, where we saw a custom built, belt-driven Harley, and another custom build, the Tandy Four by the Tandy brothers in 1968. We then wondered off into the working paddock to take in the sights and have a bit of breakfast! Dad took some videos of the usual queue to get on the hill and I squeezed a few snaps in of a replica of Paul Smart's 1972 Imola 200 race winning Ducati, and a couple of well turned out super motos. I bumped in to the inspiring Dan the Biker, who I met previously at Oily Rag in Gloucester. Since then he's made great achievements, becoming a member of the Mental Health Motorbikes and helping in the new "Make Your MARK" (Motorbike Random Acts of Kindness) initiative.
Was also hoping to see Lissy Whitmore at the show, but - understandably albeit sadly - she was absent most likely due to a combination of illness the weekend before and the focus being on the Womens World Superbikes championship - which I wish her all the luck for!
On to lunchtime, and entertainment was provided by a motorbike stunt show. It was fascinating to see two blokes terrifying the living daylights out of the announcer while hop, skip and jumping over blocks, pyramids and 'dragons teeth' with impressive ease.
The afternoon called for a wander to the top paddock, where we came across some lovely chaps with a prototype Mac machine. The Mac aims to be a new British manufacturer trying to partner the versatility and beauty of an Italian single with the modern era - and they have done really well so far! Currently in the middle of testing, their plans are to get further on-road and on-track running plus certification with their two prototypes, Rex and Ruby; Rex being present at the hillclimb.
Finally it was time to take a wander up the hill, firstly to Pardon hairpin, a tricky corner where several riders before lunch got caught out with the gearing, having to change mid corner, perhaps being a touch too slow on entry, or simply having to fight with a complaining, slipping clutch on the exit!
Not many photos taken in the afternoon, just Dad and myself watching the world go by - in this case the world consisted of the sidecars having multiple runs, and what seemed to be a never ending run of Triumphs!
The final run up the hill of the Blood Bikes, sirens blazing, called an end to an enjoyable day.
Oily Rag | Summer Evening Hangout | 28th June 2024
Really late notice - my lazy Instagram eyes only saw the advert for this the day before, but given my previous (and first) evening meet at this fantastic coffee shop and brand store last year was really fun, I thought I'd head back!
I managed to drive there after totally not getting lost in a housing estate (!) but when I arrived there were already a really nice bunch of bikes and people there, so I got snapping straight away. I met Scott who brought along his lovely looking Suzuki Bandit, and also Claire Sharp and her husband I think, with their Indian and Ducati duo.
Then introduce the one and only Biker Dan, turning up and ringing me like where are you?? Top bloke to chat with and he has convinced me to perhaps buy myself a Bax Photo t-shirt and stickers - watch this space!
Brief interlude for teatime with excellent sausage, chunky chips and curry sauce (only 6 quid!) and a good chinwag with some top blokes about riding styles, different bikes and being thoroughly confused over what appeared to be a Hybrid Kawasaki.
Couple more shots in the evening were in order, including a beautiful Suzuki GSXR in Rizla livery hiding around the corner, and a Kawasaki Z1000 in the dying evening sunshine.
Overall another lovely evening at Oily Rag - 2 hours goes so quick! Hopefully will attend for another evening this summer if the calendar allows!