I should be extremely miffed, but I’m not. Having travelled over one thousand miles, endured two lumpy sea crossings, used up vast quantities of unleaded and been rained on for hours on end on a borrowed Varadero, I’m still smiling! My trip to the Northwest 200 was eventful, not least for the lack of actual racing – in fact I didn’t get to see any racing at all... When measured in terms of was the trip a success the answer is no, we didn’t see what we had gone all that way for. It wasn’t the fault of the NW200; Irish weather and my navigational inabilities are entirely to blame. But was it fun? Absolutely! The journey was its own reward and the company of my fellow riders made it all worthwhile, especially as they forgave me for leading them 100 miles in the wrong direction... Even the unplanned detours and being totally lost in the middle of northern Ireland paid off with some awesome rides that otherwise would have been missed.
We took the opportunity to ride the Larne to Portrush coast road. It’s sixty miles of perfect biking pleasure, and very hard to get lost with sea on one side and great lumps of scenery on the other! The old saying that one should travel hopefully was never more appropriate and made the experience all the more memorable because it didn’t go as planned.
On page 14 we feature Bemsee’s 100th birthday celebrations in April at Brands Hatch. There were plenty of interesting bikes, some great racing and even greater companionship. I’ve been involved in motor sport of all kinds, two wheeled and four, and without exception these club races represent the true spirit of racing. At most meetings you will find some very competitive racing with no quarter given on the track. Yet these riders, often racing at great personal cost, will set aside rivalries to help fellow riders struggling to make the starting grid. Without the pressures of world titles, big money sponsorship or back stabbing ambition, this is racing in its pure form – ordinary people like us doing extraordinary things in their spare time. Here’s to another 100 years!
The Southeast Bikerfest, to be held at Brighton Racecourse on 12th and 13th September is gathering pace and they’ve booked James Toseland and Crash to headline on stage on Saturday night. A brand new Triumph Street Triple is also being given away to one lucky winner who buys their ticket online. Full details of the show, prize draw and online booking on
www.southeastbikerfest.co.ukPeter Karmios
I want to go faster, I want to go faster..
