Classic Bike December 2021

THE NEWS OF Dave Nourish’s passing, followed by Paul Smart’s tragic death only a few days later, has made it a sad month and hit us on a personal level. CB Art Editor Austin Smith’s dad raced sidecars in the 1960s and ’70s, and with his family and Dave’s both living in the Rutland area, became good friends over time through attending the same race meetings. Austin’s dad even passengered for Dave in a one-off occasion. And when Austin was a teenager, he spent time on the Island with Dave. “I’d planned to go to the TT, but I had crashed my 250 and broken my collarbone just days before,” says Austin. “Being a typical teenager and a hardcore TT fan, I refused to miss that year. So, with my arm in…

Welcome GOODBYE, OLD FRIENDS... THE NEWS OF Dave Nourish’s passing, followed by Paul Smart’s tragic death only a few days later, has made it a sad month and hit us on a personal level. CB Art Editor Austin Smith’s dad raced sidecars in the 1960s and ’70s, and with his family and Dave’s both living in the Rutland area, became good friends over time through attending the same race meetings. Austin’s dad even passengered for Dave in a one-off occasion. And when Austin was a teenager, he spent time on the Island with Dave. “I’d planned to go to the TT, but I had crashed my 250 and broken my collarbone just days before,” says Austin. “Being a typical teenager and a hardcore TT fan, I refused to miss that…

VMCC “The VMCC has to change” New Vintage Motorcycle Club chairman Mario Costa-Sa aims to rebuild membership of the ailing institution. Here, he explains to CB exactly how he’ll do it WORDS: JOHN WESTLAKE PHOTOGRAPHY: VMCC & BAUER RCHIVE CRICH BIKE DAY WAY WE WERE EVENTS YOUR CLASSICS LETTERS The Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC) is the world’s biggest classic motorcycle club, with more than 13,000 members across the UK. It’s hard to overstate its importance – the VMCC has the world’s foremost library of information on British motorcycles, campaigns on behalf of classic owners and has 84 regional sections that organise hundreds of runs a year. But despite all this, storm clouds have been gathering over the club. In 2019, the average age of members was close to 70, membership…

The Vintage Motor Cycle club was started in 1946, for owners of bikes made before December 1930 – a date intended to ensure members rode bikes of the previous era. Since then it’s accumulated the original British motorcycle factory records for Triumph, BSA, Norton, Ariel, Scott, Levis and Royal Enfield (the largest collection of motorcycle-related paperwork in the world), held thousands of runs, built up a huge network of sections, and organised numerous massive events. It’s now for owners of bikes over 25 years old and annual membership costs £40 a year. More details at vmcc.net…

HISTORY OF THE VMCC The Vintage Motor Cycle club was started in 1946, for owners of bikes made before December 1930 – a date intended to ensure members rode bikes of the previous era. Since then it’s accumulated the original British motorcycle factory records for Triumph, BSA, Norton, Ariel, Scott, Levis and Royal Enfield (the largest collection of motorcycle-related paperwork in the world), held thousands of runs, built up a huge network of sections, and organised numerous massive events. It’s now for owners of bikes over 25 years old and annual membership costs £40 a year. More details at vmcc.net…

CRICH BIKE DAY WAY WE WERE EVENTS YOUR CLASSICS LETTERS The Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC) is the world’s biggest classic motorcycle club, with more than 13,000 members across the UK. It’s hard to overstate its importance – the VMCC has the world’s foremost library of information on British motorcycles, campaigns on behalf of classic owners and has 84 regional sections that organise hundreds of runs a year. But despite all this, storm clouds have been gathering over the club. In 2019, the average age of members was close to 70, membership numbers were declining, finances were all over the place and the VMCC’s long-term survival was in doubt. Against this backdrop, the VMCC brought in Mario Costa-Sa, a 56-year-old businessman who had turned around the fortunes of the Trail Riders Fellowship. But…