Classic Dirt Bike

staying safe

“So, you're in the workshop and looking at all those little jobs you've meant to do but never had the time ...” Usually the subject of this column is specific to a certain section of the world's population, the section which enjoys riding older off-road motorcycles in the variety of events which have arisen since clever people devised propulsion units to fit into cycle frames. Occasionally the subject drifts into areas where people are trained or learn to do manual tasks with a view to earning a living. Rarely do my words reflect the wider world as a whole - it is only when such things as the coronavirus pandemic currently sweeping the world impact on everyone, regardless of their circumstances or interests, that we find our scene aligning with all others. Governments…

coronavirus and our world

As this is being written, we are still in lockdown here in the UK, as the authorities attempt to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are talks and news reports of restrictions being eased as they have elsewhere in the world where the virus hit earlier than in the UK, but at the moment these are just talks and no official Government decisions will be made until after our deadline day, which makes it too late for us to include. What form such easing of restrictions will take is unknown, there is a need to return to some form of normality but the difficult bit is judging the effect on the health of the nation. As events and gatherings are postponed or cancelled there are some major casualties and further on…

highland classic trial

Also falling victim to the effects of the coronavirus is the Inverness DMCC's Highland Classic Thro Day Trial. Given the advice from both the Government and the SACU, the club have postponed the event until June 12/13, 2021. The club feel that protecting the NHS and the actual health of the population is the prime consideration and while disappointing to all concerned staying safe is more important. For those already entered, the following information outlines the nitty gritty of holding the event over: 'The preservation of the rider's entry fee for the rescheduled event with competitors holding their position on the official entry list or reserves list. 'The proviso that any entrant who wished his or her entry fee returned, upon application, would be attended to within seven days.' Full co-operation was received from…

pre-65 scottish trial 2020

Many ofus in the feet-up world would have been in Scotland in the early part of May, for the Pre-65 and the SSDT, both of which are casualties of the pandemic. As far as the Pre-65 is concerned, we received the following communication from Anne Gordon at the end of March: "As you will no doubt have already heard, unfortunately, following developments and directives from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Auto Cycle Union has cancelled all motorcycle events until at least May 31, 2020. This regrettably means that the decision to cancel the Pre-65 Scottish Trial has been taken out of our hands." As a result of this, at a committee meeting which took place on March 19, 2020, the following was agreed and emails have been sent out to all riders,…

prize time

Before all of the sport and associated meetings were cancelled due to the pandemic, Northallerton DMC managed to hold their Turinshock Club Championship Prize Presentation at the Black Horse Inn, Swainby. As always with club events there was a good tum out on the night and amid the celebrations Geoff Simpson was on hand to award the trophies. Over the season, six events were pencilled in but only five ran, one cancelled due to bad weather. Rillington's Martin Pierson retained the trophy with a remarkably consistent season on his SWM - only one win from five - but finished well clear on points from Fantic rider Mark Hardy and Bultaco-mounted Tim Bell. Over the five rounds more than 40 riders took part in all events. The event also included a presentation from the…

vets mxdn

There is a lot of uncertainty in the sporting world and until the pandemic is under control or its effects reduce then organisers of events are unable to commit to definite answers as to when their event is on. Obviously the later the event the more chance there is of the pandemic being less problematic and the Vets MXdN at Farleigh Castle, being in September, may well happen. Organiser Dave King tells us any decisions as to what will happen are to be made in June when the Government guidelines on lifting lockdown will be known. Meanwhile check www.vetsmxdn. co.uk for info.…