Biker Britain is a story about riding in one of the greatest motorcycling countries on Earth — and meeting the people who make it so special.
From wild rides over Hardknott Pass to the legendary Mad Sunday at the Isle of Man TT and the Skerries races in Ireland, this film explores what makes British biking culture truly unique. It’s fast, mad, moving — full of incredible riders, brilliant machines, and those hidden places that only motorcyclists know how to find.
Along the way, I met racers who made me realise what real courage looks like. I saw beauty in the roads and grit in the people. This was my first real attempt to discover “Biker Britain” — a place full of soul, character, and stories worth telling.
If you ride in the UK, or dream about it, this film is for you.
– Nick
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[Music] Juniper again. Has there been a change? Oh, there’s been a change again. And as back to third as they come from the northwest 200 in Northern Ireland to a ride up Hard Knock Pass in the Lake District. I had started Biker Britain, a passionate journey of discovery to see what makes Britain’s bikers tick, what they tune into and what turns them on. I was off to that mad day of all mad days, Mad Sunday. Yeah, I’ll be going crazy, man. I will be going steady. I’ll be going absolutely crazy. As fast as that, that bike will go, I’ll be going. And it was only a matter of time before the madness began. Well, I was obviously told there was no speed limits coming over the mountain. You see a policeman basically you’re able to obviously stuff and basically try to turn around say I’m driving like a lunatic and uh slow down. Biker Britain is about a sport and a hobby that goes beyond the ordinary and celebrates the most amazing heroes as well as devoted day-to-day bikers alike. Suddenly, motorcycle world travel is popular, increasingly part of the biker lifestyle, and not just part of the biker mythology. Because in principle, everybody can do it. [Music] World Championship characters such as Valentino Rossy, Cameron Donald, Michael Rutter, and Neil McKenzie tell their stories. Great showmen who stand on the shoulders of gods and mixed in this eclectic soup, heroes that we will never forget. Liam, I don’t race for Robert in love. I race for the in love name. You know, the legacy that Joe has left behind. I’m sad to report that I stood at that bit of ground out in Talon the day before my son was married was very important. If I was going to Talon, I was going to pay my respects to the great man himself. I think we all appreciate what he did in the world. At the scaries north of Dublin, Australian Cameron Donald was being hailed as a Valentino Rossy of the real road racing world. A lot of people in the in the crowd would probably say you’d have to be nuts or or mad to ride a circuit like the street circuits because of the danger involved and the risks and whatnot. Riding on these great roads, it was impossible not to be in love with motorcycleycling. I loved the rebelliousness of it all and that everyone could be their own person doing what they were best at. like urban street fighters personifying the motorcyclist as anarchist. [Music] Biker Britain is not encyclopedic and makes no defining statement, but the subject matter is broad- ranging and touches on contemporary to classic. Owning a motorbike is like owning a dog. Everyone has a different favorite and eventually you start to look like it. Biker Britain explores in detail some of the great showmanship of British motorcycleycling, such as the wall of death. [Music] You okay? Fantastic. [Laughter] Riding along small country roads, I was excited about meeting some of the most talented sportsman alive, such as Eric Tabul on his rocket bike. 5 4 3 2 1 go. [Applause] [Music] There were other wonders to unearth including John Winthrop’s eponomous crossbow calendar with its images of beauty and the beast. Oh yeah. And there was also Louise Lim’s more earthy approach to the juxtiposition of glamour and the motorcycle. And ordinary riders and professionals alike tell me what they think of Biker Britain. I like the freedom of being able to get on a bike, go where I want, whenever I want. Look how riders nod and wave to each other and that community we’ve got where you can show up to a pub mate on a Wednesday night, not knowing anyone, and by the time you leave, you’ve got 10 friends. And I think that’s massively important part of British biking culture. On the top of Rhino’s Pass, I got out of my tent in search of that first adventure. I was off to Port Rush, Northern Ireland to see the Northwest 200 for the very first [Music] time. There were bikers everywhere and at Giants Causeway, they were combining their love of watching racing with their love of riding their bikes. Can anything be more enjoyable than sitting beside your bike in the sunshine enjoying a pint, watching other bikers riding by? Motorcycling is addictive. It’s a natural high and after a lifetime on the road, you’re not happy unless you’re near your bike or you can see one. It sure is a weird kind of fetish. And for us bikers, the leather, the metal, the speed, and most of all, the camaraderie. It kind of flags up all the things that really matter. I love it. Absolutely love it. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I think it’s one of the best kept secrets around. fantastic place, nice people and uh some fantastic scenery. It’s different with road being road racing instead of track racing. Track racing they just go round and round and it’s just for speed whereas for the road racing they have to be well thinking on the feet well thinking on the bike all the time. Um it makes them more exciting. I’ve always been into bikes and I think with engines and that because they’re fast and you feel free, you know, free on them. just uh feel as though you’re the king of the road. [Music] The great thing about going to a race meet is that it forces you to get out and about. The radius of your life actually expands exponentially. Went to the rope bridge earlier this morning and been to one other one or two other places round about. People are really friendly and the racing is fantastic. We keep coming back and having a good time each year. As a biker, you actually get to places. The coastal scenery at the causeway is astonishingly beautiful. The majestic cliffs and inaccessible bays combined with myth and legend do inspire you. But if you peer deeply into this breathtaking landscape, you will find echoes of another reality. [Music] In the paddock of the northwest, we lesser mortals were allowed to wander around in the domain of the gods. On practice day, there was a general air of people being relaxed. But when the warriors wound up to 200 mph, they would be anything but. The HM Plant Fireblade ridden by 11 times winner Michael Rutter was wheeled out of the team compound. Riders of all nationalities signed autographs. Whilst hidden away, amateur enthusiasts got ready to ride against the [Music] pros. The great thing about motorcycleycling is that it’s so equalizing. Riders of all abilities, age, and financial backgrounds can compete in their class. And if it doesn’t make sense why someone would devote their life to competing but not winning, well, who cares? This is Wallace Seight team here from Bal and Sfield. Stanfield rightfield. Have they got a chance of winning? Oh why the in the old boys class. If you rewind the video I’ll come first. Attention paddock. Attention paddock. This is the call for the 125 250 and 400 to the world area please. The 125. Thumbs up. Northwest 200. Best place in the world. The magic of the Northwest is the whole lot. Blue skies this week especially. Uh lots of beautiful girls walking around and bikes. What more does anyone want? I come here every year. I’m here for maybe seven to nine days every year. Why? Just motorbikes, the buzz. Well, just the atmosphere. Never miss it. Circuit’s not particularly hard as in learning wise. It’s like the big triangle as they call it. You know, there’s three big straights. If your bike’s fast, pretty much you got half the battle cracked. Like, well, I follow up all the road racing, but this gives you the full you get the full week out of this instead of just two or three days. The reputation is really good. And every year it just seems to get bigger and better. And as you can see if you walk around the paddock like you know the size of the trucks the big teams you know uh you know you’re getting some really big names here like super bike lads and they are like the cream the cream of the crop you know you got Rutter McInness Ian Locker uh Plers here if you go up to the bigger trucks like the their layout is out of this world you know it’s next to nothing but this is the other 90% of the pattern Michael Rutter Nicknamed the blade, 11 times winner of the Northwest 200, has achieved 201 miles per hour along University Straight and with six victories shares the record with Ron Hasslam for winning the most Macau Grand Prix ever. I asked people in the know what they thought about the racing. Coming to Ireland, you know, they just make you so welcome. It’s just a great place to be and fantastic event. I like the people and like the area just and the challenge of the race. It’s an endurance race as far as we’re concerned. We use this here for setting the bikes up for the TT which follows in a couple of weeks. And uh just like the pace, the whole atmosphere and uh fast straights and being on a road circuit bit of a change to riding British championship. Northwest 200, you know, is probably the the highest speeds you’re ever going to get to in any motorcycle anywhere in the world. Ride a motorbike around the Northwest 200 or the aisle of man, you know, it’s a hell of an experience. Gives you a bit of a buzz definitely. Um especially like when you get up to 201 mph what we done a few years ago. It’s uh it’s a good uh something completely different. I think it’s a challenge like why did men join the Air Force in the last word to fly Spitfires and stuff. They have to do it. Simple as that. I think racing is the same. It’s in your blood. You just have to be a man and a million to ride this kind of stuff for to come from here and go to the TT. They’re circuit riders, you know, but road racer is just something different. It’s uh I I couldn’t actually explain what you need, but you need to definitely have nerves of steel for the ride like this place. You’re just different men. Determination is definitely a big part. Now, you do get the, you know, the odd gifted rider like it’s just comes natural to him. Um but if you get both uh the gift and the determination, you’re on a winner. Like for sure. Wizard of Oz Cameron Donald is surely one of the greatest newcomers on the Royal Road racing stage. accidented but still ready to ride. The other riders were getting ready to get to the start line and favorite Michael Rutter was expected to win once again and looked easygoing and relaxed. What is it about racing that makes it all so special? team owner Paul Bird been involved with motorbikes since I was three or four years old and I used to race myself and decided my days were over and thought we could give somebody else a bit of the fun. So um met a lot on the ice new guys and just massive adrenaline rush. I started racing in 96 and whenever I had an accident myself like and it just made me stronger and I knew to cope with the accident I wanted to be around all my friends and that’s this is where it is. You know, I’d like to do something to do with racing if when I stop racing cuz I’ve always done it since I’ve been born really with my dad and whatever. So, yeah, I just uh I’d always like to continue doing something in the sport. People don’t realize it, but it’s like a it’s like a family thing, you know, everybody gets on uh other teams, you know, you you could just go out onto their awning. I suppose if it wasn’t for guys like me, you know, um it would be difficult for for British Superbikes and all the big races to have to have big teams there. you a real enthusiast at heart and it’s not just me, it’s my my mom, dad, my even my kids. We all love the we all love the motorcycle scene. No, I just get a buzz out of seeing the rider coming in uh explaining if there’s any problems with the bike and seeing the mechanic do the business and and uh sort it out for him, which we’re very very lucky. We have a very good mechanic on board here. So, but uh to see that work uh and then put it together on the track, it’s that’s what it’s all about. You can’t beat winning anything, whatever you do. There’s nothing like winning whether it’s a a motorcycle race or whe it’s a game of tennis or football. You know, be coming first to something just is, you know, a great feeling. You can see the bikes you buy on the road, you know, racing around the track and uh yeah, it’s um I think it brings a lot of fans and people together. [Music] Motorbiking is the biggest event in Northern Ireland outside the Austria Grand Prix. Uh a major tourist attraction. Um brings massive number of people to the area. It’s a phenomenal event. Everybody comes year on year and they love it and they just keep coming back for more. It’s one of the few occasions where you can actually get very close to the riders, see them on the open roads where normally you’re driving your car or your motorbike, and see what these guys can really do. It’s It’s awesome. [Music] It’s just the magic, the whole atmosphere. It’s a weekl long event, the ambiencece, the people. We’re really friendly people over here and it’s great. The uniqueness is the people, the closeness of the people, the fact that everybody seems to care about everybody else. No matter where you go in the world, motorcycles seem to seem to be a a family of its own. Michael, that battle you had last year with Steve Plato, you have another one again this year? Um, yeah, it probably will be in a few of [Music] those up there, please. Right [Music] back. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Whilst the racers got on with their practice session, the rest of us made our way to Joey’s bar. Small in stature but a giant among the road racing fraternity. His achievement of 26 TT wins and five Formula 1 championships may never be equal. His career spanned three decades and as XTT racer array Knight said of Joey, to describe the man as a hero would embarrass him. He simply would not relate to the concept. in one TT paddock and after signing yet another autograph, Joey once said that he didn’t understand why they all wanted his signature. I just ride my motorbike a bit quick, he said. [Applause] [Music] Crowds gathered for the start of the big race. It’s hard to explain the hold bike racing has over the people here, but on the 7th of July 2000, 40,000 people followed Dunlop’s Cortage. And that gives you an idea of the magic of the man and the love they have for this beautiful sport. Clark of the course Mvin White people come. We have tried to build it into a full week of activities for all the family and you know it’s been I suppose built up and built up over the years. We have corporate hospitality. We have you know better facilities for our competitors and it’s just the whole atmosphere on the north coast of Northern Ireland which brings people to this area. The competitors themselves we’ve built up an excellent relationship with them over the years. Uh and I mean I would make three four visits to the mainland every year you know to the BSB meetings and we bring them across on a regular basis to look at the course and it’s it’s working closely with them and jelling with them. It’s looking at new ideas and new thoughts around the whole event itself. Moments before the start of the main event guards the start line with natural apprehension. Racing at this level is entertainment of the highest caliber. The line is still full of riders, mechanics, pit boys, media crews, attendants, officials, and pit lane girls. It looks chaotic, but it isn’t. Everyone has a job to do, and everyone knows exactly when and where to be when the whistle blows. What must be going through the rider’s mind? One can only guess. The Northwest is the world’s fastest circuit. Triangular in shape, 8.9 mi in length along three fast straights that allow for awesome speeds. [Music] The eyes say everything. It’s a tense moment. Last minute checks are made until the final second. Tie warmers off. Everything given the once over before the horn sounds, telling everyone it’s now time to let the riders climb on their bikes. [Music] Great. Back off. [Music] Universe again. Has there been a change? Oh, there’s been a change again. Hutcherson. Ashley back to third as they come up Juniper Hill. Ian Hutcherson and who leads and Rob Cross into second in third place. What a race this is. So, Sely in fourth place, Frost in third, Hutcherson in second, and he’s going to have to try and catch the man of the meeting so far, who’s Bruce Anste and Peter V for that honor of man of the meeting, according to two wins each. Can a make a hat-tick? [Music] Ian Hutchinson is in the winner’s enclosure. Elsewhere, Steve Plater fought off Michael Rutter to secure two superbike wins, setting a new outright lap record of 124.1 mph. [Music] Needed to do that really after the first 600 race, but they are just such a fantastic team to ride for. And the Kawazakis, you know, they’re not getting the due that they should be. They’re a good bike and that is so fast at 600. So I’m just glad that I have got the win for them. The British ram I thought you were actually going to get get a victory there, but you’ve still come up with your best result at the Northwest. Yeah. Yeah. Um I did for a little while too, but uh you know these things happen. Got right behind him on coming up to the last corner and just tried to do everything in one corner, you know. Just just totally stupid. I just don’t know what happened. just just saw too much red missed and you know that just that ruined the day to be honest. Um, it’s hard work, especially these little races on the 600s. A lot of strips slip stream swimming going on. It’s quite hard break and it’s like it’s quite hard work. I just enjoy it really. That’s what I do. Really, really enjoy doing it. [Applause] Well, I think today has been one of the most wonderful Northwest 200s we’ve had in many a year. We’ve seen uh Steve Plater break his duck and Steve Plater who was really so unlucky last year that he just got pipped on the post by Michael Rutter. He has dreamt about coming back here and getting a win. He’s not done it once. He’s done it twice. And without exception, every race has got a wonderful story to tell. [Music] Yeah, I’ll be going crazy. I know what we’re going to do. [Music] Well, I was obviously told there was no speed limits coming over the mountain. You know, you must have been off camera without Mad Sunday, the one day in the ordinary riders calendar when we can legally ride on the open road as fast as we like. More importantly, this remarkable occasion is celebrated in the middle of TT week on no less venue than the venerable mountain section in the aisle of man. Oh, me. Hello, Mom. How you doing? Former TT winner here. That’s it. Yeah, I’m a Honda. Get your knee on. Get Get your knee on. Get on. Show me. Knee sliders. Think I’ll be all right. I’ll come all in one piece. Yeah, I’ll be going crazy. I know what will be going today. I’ll be going absolutely crazy. As fast as that bike will go, I’ll be going. So, what sort of bike have you got then, Robert? I’ve got a ZX ZX7 just over just over here. Maxing Leathers. I never Yeah, Maxing Leathers and it’s um it’s one of the fastest ones in country actually, which is highly tuned. I’ve got to be careful I don’t blow it up really, but I’ll um I’ll be making sure I can reach top speed on it across that mountain section. That’s all we’re looking for. Could you tell us uh the last time you went 10 years ago and you smashed your bike to pieces into a an oncoming car? Could we uh have a little bit of a report on that, please? Robert [Laughter] in his face. Let me get the helmet. Police will recognize me. [Music] Every year, an army of riders make their customary pilgrimage to the aisle of man. For them, this is their Mecca, their Jerusalem, if you will. Please leave the green stairwell, that’s the green stairwell, free for all passengers. Please take care and return into your car and avoid any raised obstacles on the vehicle. But truly, there is no other shrine in the world where thoroughbred motorcyclists should genule more. We’re in at last. Helen 206, please. At last, I’m here. Get ready. I’m here now. For it’s on a small bit of rock somewhere in the Irish Sea from which heroes are carved cuz it’s really good for the economy, but also it’s a really really good fun party time. And it’s and it’s everybody really is into bikes and it’s fun. There’s never any hassles, no problems. And the machines that come over are absolutely awesome. Look at this. There’s 100,000 people here with exactly the same things that I want to talk about all night. Everybody’s got the same thing in common. You get this many football fans in one place, you got to fight. You get it over here. You got to fight. Brilliant. Where do you get as many bikers in in one place? You don’t do you. No, it’s brilliant. Brilliant. That’s lovely. So, brought Derek over because somebody was good enough to bring me over in 78 to see Hailwood and I thought, well, I’ll put something back. So, I’m bringing him over. It’s like I’m the ultimate kind of biking crack dealer. I brought him over now. I’ve got him hooked. So, he’s going to be doing it for the rest of his life. You know, that Sunday is really, really important because it’s a case of it allows the bikers the ability to have a go for themselves in a safe environment because they close a section of the mountain road off and control it in a way, but it gives them that freedom. You have the ability to, if you want to, let your bike go a bit, loosen off some cobwebs and actually feel the passion of the whole event. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] You’re brought up with it. You’ve got no choice. You’ve got TTO week, ranks Grand Prix, practice week, etc. And it’s just so so good. You’re just so used to it. Awesome. As I say, when it’s a 16-year-old, I didn’t realize what a big deal was, but now I realized that I would be talking about it when I’m old and gray and here I am old and gray. Steve was the guy from the Chester Hangaric store and had been to the island 22 times. It was a common place to meet people who had spent most of their adult life spending their holidays here. The island does that to bikers and hanging out with the girls and wives dressed for the event. tits out like medals all rubbed and polished. Mad Sunday and TT week was more than a sum total of its parts. Different events happened all over the island and riders split and rejoined. And if it was a habit, then it was a family-led one. And when kids see the motorcycle clown team, the Purple Helmets, it was only a matter of time before they got their first bike. The Purple Helmets is to make people laugh and enjoy their lives. There’s far too much serious stuff in the world. Go through the tire. It’s Mr. Rotivator. Exercise while you ride. Couple of nights. Once a night’s enough with these fellas. The lads were knocking about together for quite a few years with the big coats and things and they went to the the British enduro scene where most of our guys are really good riders. They’ve been past champions at enduros, trials, motocross, etc. Everyone a winner. We have to be good riders. A bit like Les Dawson. Playing the piano badly has to be done properly. [Music] The Honda 90 is the best motorcycle ever made in the world. It takes this horrendous treatment that we give them. We throw them on the ground. We throw them in lries. [Music] [Applause] [Music] This is the quick mount system. Because of a guy called Mike Rapley who said that the island of man boys were lowering the tone of the enduros. One of our boys at home, Robbie Black, he said, “We’ll show them what lowering the tone really is. We’ll all get a big coat and an old Honda and a sheep skull on the front mud guard and we’ll show them what lowering the tone is all about.” It’s Dwayne Mooney as you’ve never seen him before. the roller skate man. What an activist. A show was conceived and it went down really well and from then on we’ve gone year to year with a wonderful show at Donan Stadium at home in the aisle of man and um we really have become world famous. It’s quite laughable really because we were builders world famous because nobody had heard of us in a very tongue and cheek manner. Head down, bells open. He’s losing traction. I think he’s going to lose it. And he’s lost the traction. Rocket man. The rocket has evolved over the years. And through NASA, we have a rocket called Nosha for obvious reasons. The Nosha started off as a simple bike um with a man with a welder’s mask. He fired the bike up with a couple of flares from the local fire station and off he went. A bit later on, the rocket became two tar battles just to make it a bit longer and a traffic cone on the front to make sure it got into space successfully. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] See, most of our our acts, the jousting, the man on the piano, it’s really is two fingers up at the establishment. So, we do pretty well. I think we we we try to entertain people. [Music] We had a bike ride around yesterday and uh we were trying to go over at mountain to have a ride over at mountain like and uh but there were a crash there were a crash on it so they they’ closed it off but uh we know a back road so we got up to back road got up what what corner called? Windy corner. Windy corner. Right. And uh there was nothing on the road at all. Either way, we’re all open. About your police, I suspect. Oh yeah. Got banned. I got banned yesterday for hiding. Well, I didn’t actually. It was like a wind up. Um we shot off over time. I caught him up. They all stopped at at this this particular bend and he had speed gun on me. So he called me over like and he said, “Do you realize how fast you’re going there?” And I says, “Well, it’s open. It’s open mountain. It’s like um national speed limit. It’s open. He says, “No, it’s a 50 mph zone now.” So he says, “You’re doing twice speed limit and somewhere else.” So he says, “Uh 115 mph.” So he says, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take your license and ban you.” I says, “What here?” He says, “No, on on mainland as well.” So all me dropped out because it’s his first. He says, “How long you’re here for?” I says, “We’ve only just got here.” And I said, “We’ve only just got here and I’m banned. Couldn’t believe it.” and all these lot were laughing behind him and it would have wind up. Riding around the island was a kind of prominard. There was something quaint in the way everyone looked at each other’s bike admiringly. If you had a bike during TT week, you were somebody. And in a drab week of black and white, it was now wrong with a bit of [Music] color. What’s happened here? There’ll be an incident um somewhere on the mountain course where access is difficult to get to. So, they’ll hold us all back until they manage to get an ambulance there. Treat the uh treat the casualty, clear the bike off. If there’s oil or petrol on the road, then that’s got to be cleaned up. We could be here for half an hour to an hour, but the road’s going to be safe before they let us go. It’s the red mist. Mad Sundy has this uh impression on people. They think they’re riding on a racetrack. Well, I was obviously told there was no speed limits coming over the mountain. See a policeman basically. you’re able to obviously stop them basically trying to turn around saying I’m driving like a lunatic and uh slow down. The mountain section of the TT course does not trivialize itself with a small detail of legislating a speed limit. So you take out your brain and you lock it in your top box and you ride as fast as you dare. This year I think it has been mud. Um volume of traffic, volume of bikes, unbelievable. We’ve been here the last 3 years. Um and you could have ridden the circuit as fast as you liked. Um, not this year. Too much traffic. As we wait, some rider is being shoveled up and what remains of his bike is lifted into the ditch until both are collected by the appropriate services. There’s been an accident up the road. We’re just waiting for them to clear. It’s a well rehearsed operation as it’s applied without fail every year. Suddenly, another rider hits the deck. [Music] Quite often, riders don’t actually die, and much of the concern is to do with making sure the road is cleaned of any remaining elite fuel. Riders quickly bunch up to form a line across the road, irritated and relieved in equal measure, secretly acknowledging their own good fortune. At Donington Park, you could also ride your bike as fast as you wanted. I went to check out a track day. Each week, hundreds of riders buy time on a track, mostly coordinated by ex-raers like three times BSB champion Neil McKenzie. So, I paid homage to the man who in his prime was one of the best in the world. Neil, how important are track days to you? Well, they’re important to me because I earn my living. I pay some bills with track days, but I still love doing track days. I love being out there and best of both worlds really. Bit satisfaction instructing people and seeing Is this where kind of vex racers go to track days or is that just one of the opportunities? There’s a few of us are involved in track days. Myself, James Whittam, John Reynolds, I’ve seen even Mick Dune do the track day once at Snetton. So, there’s a few of us out there and yeah, we’re just we’re just enthusiasts and if we can earn a crust with motorbikes and racetracks still without the stress, then why not? Why do you still like it? Difficult question. Why does anyone like motorbikes? It’s it’s if you cut my wrist open, there would be motorbike blood come out. It just doesn’t go away. Yeah. What What is it that makes you good at it? That essential ingredient? because I’ve asked a lot of riders like this like Cameron Donald and Michael Rutter and you know and and Robert Robert Dunlop and you know you’re in that category. What is it that makes you good? I’ve often wondered that I know certainly through my racing career there was a lot of riders out there with more talent than me and but I know that I was working harder at preparation, physical fitness, just being focused. So through my racing career, that helped me. But I think anyone that does reach a good level in bike racing does have that special talent that is indefinable really. And you can’t really you can certainly practice to a certain level, but it’s that last little bit of feel to to feel the tires when the bike’s right in its side on a knife edge and know that you’re not going to fall off when you’re on the limit, you know, right on the edge. Do you have what are your thoughts? very focused attention to what the bike’s doing really, where the tires are, what what feedback I’m getting from the tires, what feedback I’m getting from the suspension, what feedback I’m getting from the throttle and the engine feel, all of that. It’s a combination of all of that. Just just knowing these all have to be working in sync, if you like, and and you and plus you have to be in control. So, it’s really just gathering all these thoughts and processing them and trying to stay on board at the same time. Is there a point where you can’t ride a bike or or can you just keep your skill sets, you know, at a certain level and keep going? Yeah, I’d like to still be getting my knee down when I’m 70, but I I’m 45 now and I know now that my reactions, although I think I’m doing the same thing, but I know that my reactions are not the same as they were when when I was younger. And that’s why I can’t go at the same pace anymore as Ryui Kari or Shane Burn. It just doesn’t happen. And I think there’s a a natural process. You you start to slow down. My last year racing, I was 39 years old. But I had exactly the same equipment as Neil Hodson, but I was always tenth of a second slower than him over a lap. And when I pushed harder, I fell off. And earlier in my career, that wouldn’t have happened. I would have gone as fast as him or faster. But it just wasn’t happen. And I knew then that that the the natural aging process had taken its toll. It was time to give it a rest. It’s amazing cuz a tenth of a second is like that, isn’t it? It is. But it’s the difference between winning and losing a race or the difference between being on the rostroom and being fourth. So, and it’s everything to a racer that’s raced at a high level. Now, you’re kindly going to take me on pillion and just describe very briefly, you know, the circuit and where we’re going to go and the kind of speeds we’re going to reach. Getting back to the track, Donington Park, very smooth, very wide, billyard table surface and very safe. So, if you were going to do it anywhere, Donington Park is the place to do it in the UK. Yeah, that’s all switched on. It’s already out, is it? Yep. That just goes straight onto the helmet. So, just need to power it up. Put that on Nick. That goes on. Yeah, that goes on the back of Nick. Okay. And then we’re gonna have second camera on the back of Neil’s helmet looking backwards so we catch Neil’s Nick’s face. Yeah. So when he’s going into the corners um and then we got the one on the front of the bike. Front facing as well. So that’ll record both of them with the audio going in as well and catching the bike noise at the same time. I wasn’t in the slightest bit nervous sitting on the back of someone as good as Neil. Well, it’d be bad manners to think anything might happen that shouldn’t. Steve and Andy had wired me up for pictures and we were going to career around the circuit at around 3/4 speed. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] At the eighth round of the British Superbike Championships at Alton Park, fans in their thousands gathered once again for a spot of hero worship. In fact, sitting in the sun with 50,000 of your mates was almost as important as the racing. In the paddock, the usual litany of tasks were being repeated and it was there that I met organizer Tony Partis. Well, we have a huge fan base in terms of of bikers obviously very knowledgeable fan base and uh I think this is the pinnacle of of many people’s uh sporting year. This is attended by many many uh bikers who follow the BSB championship around the country. We have around about 80 to 100 guests that visit us over the Saturday and race day on the Sunday. And it’s vital for us for sort of the brand awareness within the Valdi potato. Um obviously serving up um potatoes as part of the part of the meal and also some very other fine foods. Hospitality within Valdi Racing is very important to us obviously to taste the product and to take on board um the the thrills and spills of uh British superbikes. It is a world-class championship um in terms of riders, machines uh but in a in a national championship venues without a doubt that they are some of the best riders who’ve operated both in Moto GP and in world superbikes. The riding and the racing here is is uh probably second to none in terms of national championships. We’re very much a uh you know a friendly sort of team and love you know families with their childrens to come along and and enjoy the day. The circuits we use are are all British circuits uh or British Isles anyway because obviously we go to Mondello in Ireland as well. Um but you know we have a fan base that follows us around so accessibility is important uh for them and us. And in the commentary box, Fred Clark, who is to motorcycleycling what John Matson is to football, and Gary Lker is to crisps. No, only joking, Fred, but you’ve definitely been the sound of this part of Biker Britain. Having a vivid memory, vivid imagination, and hoping that people out there can’t see what you’re seeing because they’d argue against it. I just love it. I I think you got to have a great desire. You got to have a love for what you’re doing. And try personally, I just try and paint a picture of the way that I see it. And hopefully if people aren’t back on the circuit just close their eyes and picture what I’m saying, it just brings it to them. That’s the hope. Whether it works, I don’t know. [Music] [Music] Um, I’ve had a passion for motorbikes since I was 19 years old and I just wanted to be up there with the action, meet the riders. What qualifications do you think you need to be a Grid Lane girl? Um, I think you need to be tall, skinny, quite pretty. All the girls want to be up there with the best riders, best place in the grid, very competitive. What do you think about the relationship between girls and bikes? Girls and bikes. Men love it. They love the girls in the short skirts and the no clothes on sexiness of being girls and bikes [Music] together. Biker Britain is all about the versatility of the motorcycle. It’s a sport. It’s a form of transport. It’s something that makes you look good and feel [Music] good. It’s also a vehicle that, as a travel writer Mo Pasant once wrote, the journey is a door through which one goes out of the known reality and steps into another. And it all kind of resembles a dream, but it is a dream every biker can begin to find. Suddenly, motorcycle world travel is popular, increasingly part of the biker lifestyle, and not just part of the biker mythology, because in principle, everybody can do it. And at Grant and Susan Johnson’s gathering of world travelers, I bumped into bike magazines, Dan Walsh, and Dave Rawlings from Motorcycle News. This is the first time I’ve been um and it’s certainly an impressive gathering of of travelers. and I guess want to be travelers but want to be in a good way as in dreaming about it rather than just pretending to be dreaming about it. It’s for PE experienced travelers and people that want to go traveling and not sure how to take the next step. So I think it’s a really really worthy cause possibly in a broader context. It’s nice to see on a Friday night 500 people who have got higher expectations than watching Big Brother sat at home. Get on your bike. You know, we’ve all got this common interest of, you know, we want to be riding. We want to enjoy it. go as far as you can with it. It’s a club that you can’t buy your way into. The only way to get membership to this club is to actually do it or to or to to genuinely want to do it. You can’t just turn up on a on a on a 12 100 GS adventure with phony stickers. That’s just not going to happen. Your bike’s there for a reason. Get out on it. Go wherever you want. And they this this event gives you the capabilities to do that. The bike you’re riding doesn’t matter. Where you’ve been doesn’t matter. I think it’s just it’s a shared enthusiasm for travel. I think people really want to see the road less traveled thanks to people like Charlie, you and Grant and Susan here who, you know, have arranged all this really brought it to the forefront of people’s attention and they just want to go and try it for themselves now. They realize it’s not impossible and it’s an achievable dream. For years, the Horizon Unlimited gatherings attracted a handful of people, maybe 70 riders who had ridden on a long journey. Now 400 was a regular number. The concept of world travel had seemingly taken off. I talked to Sam Manikcom who had completed his achievable dream. Well, this was once a very basic BMW R80 GS. She’s been modified with a 43 L fuel tank, bash plates, um, progressive fork springs, and a WP rear shock. Other than that, there’s very little that was changed originally on her. She’s got the aluminium boxes, but there have been lots of things that have happened to her along the way. Sam had sold his house to fund his travels, but equally surprising were the sheer numbers of bikers out there doing the same thing. Late one evening, I found Grant Johnson by the fire. There’s a lot more people on the road than people realize. You know, I used to think that there was maybe a hundred people on a around the world trip. There’s thousands at any one time. Right now, there’s thousands on the road right now. I actually set off for a year to ride the length of Africa just as a whim and got a bit carried away. I had such a good time I thought why stop and so I kept on going for another seven years and went round the world in 8 years 200,000 miles. The idea of Horizons Unlimited is to get people out on the road. So we convince them and tell them and educate them so that they can go a lot farther, go to the next country, the next around the world, the next continent, whatever. It doesn’t matter. They can do it. First continent was Africa, of course. Then across to Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe. They’re not trying for fame and glory. They’re out there trying to have a good time, learn about the world, see people, meet people. It’s all about the people they meet. I met a girl on the way, and she said, “Yeah, I’ll come traveling with you, but only if we can go to Africa first.” And I thought, “Yeah, okay, why not? That sounds like a good idea.” Some people do it a little bit at a time. Some people work on their way. Some people sell the house and say, “I don’t need that. I can go and just have a good time, do my trip, and when I come back, there’s always another job available. It’s always possible. So, I learned to ride a motorcycle. Um, within two months, and three months later, I’m sitting at the edge of the Sahara Desert thinking, “You pratt, you don’t know what you’re doing.” But I kept on going, and I had a fantastic time. They’ve learned that the world is not the dangerous scary place that they thought it was. That’s the big one. Um, they’ve learned that other people are just like their neighbor down the road. It’s the freedom. It’s being on two wheels, an engine, being able to make decisions, and every day being an adventure. Waking up in the morning and having no idea what’s going to happen to you that day. And it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have fun. Some people think you have to go a long ways away. You have to go to another continent or halfway around the world to have an adventure. You don’t. If you go out from your own city and do nothing but turn left or turn nothing but turn right or always go straight whenever you have three options, you’d be amazed at the places you find. Don’t take a map. Don’t take a GPS. Just go make turns at random and you’d be amazed at what you [Music] find. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] I had of course also been traveling for a long time, so knew what motivated people like Sam and Grant and the many others for whom being on the road was more than just a dream, but a need. British bikers were known to be great motorcycle travelers. And down the road from where I lived in Mid Wales, I rode over to Eric Jones’s calf near Port Maddock. Eric is a biker and having ballooned over Everest and soloed the north face of the Aigger in winter. He was justifiably one of the great adventurers of the world. I came here in 1979. I was a climber and I’d been coming here climbing since about the early 60s and I happened to have come down on a visit. I hadn’t been here for 12 months and it was up for sale and I was at that time I was living with an American lady and we decided this was the place for us. We had thought of taking uh groups up mountains all over the world like trekking groups. I took a group of uh Americans up Kilangjaro uh didn’t like it at all and decided I wouldn’t do that and it was just really coincidence that the cafe came up for sale about the same time and I’ve been here ever since. Even if Eric hadn’t biked around the world, like all great adventurers, he had a biker’s way of thinking. I mean, I I’ve always been a biker. Biking was my first love before I started climbing. And although this is a mainly a climbers cafe, being at the bottom of the cliffs, you know, we do get a lot of bikers here. And over the years, you know, knowing that I’m a biker is be has become more popular. I I like working here. I mean, you’re never going to make a lot of money in a cafe like this, but um I it’s a really enjoyable uh business to have. You know, I meet all kinds of bikers, uh all kinds of bikes, and the odd one will say, “Well, you know, do you want to have a spin on my bike?” And, you know, I’ve got the my helmet out in about 10 seconds. [Music] I’d been a professional adventurer for 26 years and for me it was a way of earning a living. It was a way of life. And yet whilst biking had given me some of my greatest moments, unlike bike racers who are away just for days, I was away for months. And the time away from my children was hard. you know, you’ve got to be really really physically fit, I think. And obviously, you need to be mentally fit as well because actually more than anything else, you need you you need to be able to stay focused and determined. And well, you might a bit questionable whether Nick’s mentally fit, but the one thing he does have is there’s no question he has got an iron will, a determination like, you know, it’s world champion class. his determination and will no matter what to overcome and that’s that’s what you need and that’s what he’s got. What’s the temperature today? Now it’s maybe around 43. No, no, not 43. Around 40 42 41 41 and why in my view British bikers take on the hardest of journeys and I like a few of my contemporaries where we enjoy the pleasure but also get the pain of being on the road. If ever there was a comparison with riding 10 10 on the edge, this was it. Sometimes the pain of being alone and distressed could only really be understood by those who’ve been there. You know, the flatter the desert, the more you held a ransom by the horizon. You can’t see any further, and so you can’t know where you’re going. So for bikers like us, it’s only by riding towards it can you set yourself free. My next port of call was a meeting with a man who has been credited with starting the contemporary craze for world travel. With the title of his first book, the bestseller and seminal read Jupiter’s travels. Ted Simon was one of the first commercial travelers in as much he actually made money from his journeys when before him no one really knew how. You’ve been an icon in in World Motorcycle Adventure. You really have for 25 to 30 years. Your name’s synonymous with what a number of us do. How does that sit on your shoulders? Do you like that iconic feeling? I really like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. And so, it’s nice coming to places like this where we are today. And to know that that people are going to be nice to me and say nice things to me. I like that part of it, but I really can’t I really can’t think about it in a serious way at all. I just dip in. I you know, I get my kicks, they buy my books, uh we have nice conversations, and also they’re all very nice people, but I don’t um have any sort of general sense of uh pleasing the congregation or or you know, no. I met Ted uh many years after I came back from my round the world trip. Um and I I instantly really liked him. I found him a very um sort of quietly spoken, very very gentle man, which is what I liked about him. Did you ever think that that one book, that one major act in your life would would resonate for such a long time? Absolutely astonished. To quarter a million copies, more has been sold, maybe more. It was a bestselling maybe half a million. It was a best-selling book nevertheless in in in in many countries and and when when whenever anybody thinks about motorcycleycling, Jupiter’s travels comes up in conversation. Well, u it’s an astonishing privilege to to have had that to had that happen to me. I never intended it and and it’s changed a lot of lives. I have a lot of letters. I have a lot of emails from people who say they read the book. I think he was very lucky to um to be there at the right time really. I mean he you know he wrote uh a book at the right time before anybody else had. I did feel a responsibility to make this second journey and write about it because I thought it was an extraordinary privilege to be actually in a position to go over the same ground 30 years after the first time. I mean, that’s not many people could do that. And and because I’d written a book that so many people have read, I thought, well, here’s a really good chance to give them an experience that they couldn’t otherwise have. 25 years ago, it was very difficult to find out anything about where you were going. In some ways, that was quite nice because you really felt as if you were sort of breaking ground and it was a kind of, you know, real adventure. Um, but in other ways it was quite scary because you had no idea what it is you were going into because you had nobody to talk to, no books to read about it. Certain countries you had no maps. Um, so it was just very very different then. There was so much to write about that that I started to concentrate on those things that had the most density and the most depth and they on the whole they’re not very cheerful things. you know there those there’s those those are things to do with destiny and faith and and belief and uh and and disappointment and frustration. I think it’s easier now in terms of uh communications, mobile phones, emails, maps, a lot more people have done the trips. You can you can find out a lot more um about what places are like, what countries are like, borders because other people have done it. Why do you think it the British travel? Why the British mostly? Well, for the same reason that I left England after the war almost immediately. I mean, it’s just it’s an island and um anybody who’s got any sense of adventure at all would want to leave England. I think the British people do have a spirit of of adventure and uh a lot of uh British people do uh go off on long uh trips. Can adventure be overrated? Well, it can be overrated by people talking about it. Yes. But not not when you’re doing it. You know, when you look on a map and you want to get to that particular place and then when you eventually get there, you’re slightly disappointed. Yeah. No, I don’t think that’s it’s it I think that’s actually probably not the right way to do it. Anyway, any woman that travels on her own, I you know, I I really admire her because it’s not something that’s that’s always easy to do. I always try never to have expectations. I mean, I have hopes. Um, I’ve always had this motto that the interruptions of the journey. The best things that happen are the things that happen as a result of something going wrong. Accidents, um, breakdowns, things, you know, thing things that put you in a completely unanticipated situation where you be where you’re forced you’re forced into uh into relationships that you would never never otherwise have. And you have to understand what’s you know you’re forced to find out what’s going on and and and it’s the response of the world to you in those circumstances that’s that’s what creates adventure I think not getting from here to there you know that’s A to B is not adventure. The next day I left early and rode over to Donington Park. The charity Riders for Health were organizing a day of champions raising money for medics in Africa. With motorcycleycling, it seems everyone has a story. And I met up with one of the finest riders of his generation, James Toland. I went from playing the piano to to uh to going into motorcycleycling. And um you know, I’m I’m amazed even today just how successful my career’s been. And and it’s just been down to dedication and practice. And there’s no substitute really for uh just riding the bike around the track and uh and and doing all the different things, sliding the brake and the acceleration and um there’s no substitute just for being out on the track and and keep practicing. Pole position last weekend in Holland now John. Good to see you. Good to see you. Uh we’re not at home in California. What’s going on? No, I’m home in uh Domin actually. At this track, the Bridgestone tires work uh pretty good. So, it was a it was a little bit of a bad tire choice at Asen. So, I mean, we got we got good things in the bag. I think I think we could chase that podium here with three 300. Get a bit of three. Look it up. 300 50 bit 350 350 bid. Let’s go. 444. Two biders going. 450 450 450 450 bit 5. I’ve got 700 here. Look at Is that not a bid? 700. He’s just scratching his head. He is. But there’s only one helmet that ever goes away and it’s here at day champions. £500 is bid. 500 600 600. Come on, bit down this time away. It’s down. It’s gone. It is sold. Thank you. You’re £1,100. You do it right. And then you come in there and go, you go in there and go, “Okay, John, we need you for a meeting.” So therefore, it’s not in John’s control, you know, anymore. And I think it would be a lot easier. So therefore, when you duck and hide, you don’t feel bad. Yeah. Yeah. Like I don’t I did the same thing. I mean, you know, it’s it’s tough. Yeah, I know. Offer. You want to ride your scooter back up? You want to jump in the car? All right. No worries. It could be argued that Moto GP riders have nothing to do with travel, but they do go around the world constantly. Is there a law that says they are not world bikers? I think you need the natural talent there to do it initially. Like anything, um you’ve got to find what you’re good at, but if you find that you are naturally good at riding a motorbike, then it’s just all about concentrating on practicing and dedication with it. The dev champions auction was the real reason we were all here, [Applause] Rossy. Um I think uh with his father being so successful as as a racer himself, I think he’s got into it at such an early age uh because of his father and uh um you know when you start that that early uh and go through a really good uh career path like the 125s, 250s, 500s and motor GP like Rossy has done um you do anything for that length of time and and you could be as good as Valentina Rossy. [Music] He’s like the Lance Armstrong of motorcycle racing, isn’t he? He’s just built to do it. Oh, and you just can’t not love that man’s riding. He just makes everybody else look so silly, doesn’t he? And you can just see the steam coming out of everybody else’s helmets, you know, as he’s come from the back of the grid because he’s just had a a bad day in qualifying whatever. And he and he’ll just work his way through. And like when he first got on that Yamaha and everyone’s like, “Oh, wouldn’t it be cool if he just maybe won one race at the end of the year and there he was about to get on the podium. [Music] 1150 1150. I don’t ever want kids, right? I don’t ever want kids, but I’d have his kids cuz he’s special. Think how fast they’d be. No, he’s amazing. He’s amazing. You just can’t imagine what his life’s really like. [Music] you know, your career uh increases gradually uh and uh um all the other things come with that uh when you’re doing well, the PR side of things and the press, interviews and and things like this today. And um you know, I did my first interview at 16. I remember being very very nervous, but um you know, 10 years on uh I’ve been doing it all my career now. And um they’re pretty much the same answers and same questions. I need to wait tomorrow and stand on the bike now. I try I’m able to maybe to open all the so if I’m able to open all the possible make seven time world [Music] [Applause] champion now then Valentino we still got a lot of Valentino stuff that he has autographed that we are going to auction here on the stage. Now then, look at this. From 1996, we’re not. Look at this. Junior, stay here. 1997 World. [Music] Good to [Music] go. Scary harbor on the east coast of Ireland. A scene of great tranquility. Another day ends on one of the most beautiful little secrets a little north of Dublin. Across the road, Joe May’s pub waters the cognicenti of railroad racing. I’d heard all sorts of stories about the scaries, the narrowness of the circuit and the speed of the riders and how close they were to the crowd. Rumor had it that should you not pull up your feet when they go past the wall you’re sitting on, their helmets would hit your shoes. There was something breathtaking about the naked intent of bringing racing so close to the spectator. And other than the Northwest 200, no race in the world allows such proximity to racers at speed. There was a lovely feel to the scaries and even though a handful of the world’s best bike racers were signing on to compete, it was like walking into a village fate. Everyone thinks of Joey, but Robert Dunlop is equally a genius on the bike and strongly outside the shadow of his older brother. A winner on the TT course in his first attempt. Like Joey, he hailed from Bali Money and won the 1983 Newcomers 350cc MS Grand Prix. In 1989, he scored his first TT win in the 125 class with a new lap record of 103 mph. We’re like two two pigs here. [Music] It’s obviously not switched on. A year later, he repeated his success in the 125, improving the lap record to 104 milesPH. And again for the following year, he scored a double victory and took the 125 race for the third year in succession with a record 103 and a new single lap record of 106 mph. And so it goes on. He won at the Northwest and was surely going to win again at the Scaries. And there he was in his tent, Robert Dunlop. [Music] The handbooks talk of leading riders having raced here, including the irreressible Sammy Miller, the magnificent Tommy Rob, and the remarkable Robert Dunlop along with Adrien Archer Bald and local boy done good Martin Finnegan. Joey Dunlop notched up no fewer than 17 wins at the scaries and held the outright lap record from 1999 for three years. The first race took place on July the 6th, 1946 with a start and finish in the scar’s main street. Just under 3 miles, it has been raced anticlockwise since 1978. Though in order to reduce the speed of the riders through the start finish area, a chicane was introduced on the section between Sam’s Tunnel and Hills Cricket [Music] Club. The riders come in like bucking broncos, waring gladiators on their metal machines. What propels a man to ride between telegraph poles and hedros at speeds that had outrun a small plane? I did not know. But they did time and time again to pit their bravery and their wits against their destiny. Scary riders. People look at me and go, “Oh, you’re a bit small to be riding a bike.” But you look at Robert Dunof and you think, “How did he ride those Nortons?” He’s just petite, isn’t he? He’s tiny. And bless him is all like battered from all those crashes he’s had and it’s amazing that he can still ride a bike and he’s quite an inspiration really. The Dunlop family is not a small one. Alongside Robert, a partnership of the whole family includes son William and nephew Sam, son of Jim. I like it. I must say it’s one of my favorite road races. the roads are a lot narrower and it’s a lot shorter of a circuit, but it’s quite hard, you know, because it’s quite bumpy. It’s got jumps and it’s got wheelies and the fact that it hasn’t rained here for something like 35 years on on the actual race day, you know, it makes it a great uh a great race and and it’s quite close to Dublin, so you get very big crowds here. The Wizard of Oz has arrived. Cameron Donald started racing at 15 and soon became one of the fastest riders in Australia. Team managed by Ule Duncan Racing. He was here to beat local boy Martin Finnegan, an upset unheard of in recent years. I’ve always motorcycles from motocross, speedway. I like all disciplines of motorcycles. I still race my dirt bikes, circuits with the road bikes, and then that’s led me onto the roads. Local hero Martin Finnegan had won the event so many times he virtually owned the trophy. I caught him in his trailer before the great battle with Donald began. Look at the TT and why fellas like John McInness and all these top names want to come and do the TT. It’s just it’s just a passion. The road circuits are just so much more of a challenge. So much more you against the circuit compared to a a closed circuit competition. I think most road racers and road racing I think is the ultimate sport. It’s much more of a challenge as a rider to get a street circuit perfect because of the imperfections on the track, because of the bumps and the fences and whatnot. Um, it’s the ultimate challenge to try to beat the circuits. At Hills Cricket Club, the atmosphere was simply great. Steaks were barbecued in the car park while beer flowed on the lawn. The local town’s people are passionate about the event, and even though it usually clashes with a British Grand Prix at Donington, the scariest crowd wouldn’t dream of going. They say about racing around here that time is just a statistic, but pure road racing is a way of life. Is it going to be going to be power? [Applause] How nervous do you get on race day? I get quite nervous actually. Yeah, I think it’s uh probably just adrenaline, you know, that’s all. But I I do some lads, my young lads don’t seem doesn’t seem to bother them, but me, I do get nervous. Yeah, I’m nervous now. me. Race day is definitely not my favorite day at the track. I like the build up to a race. I love after a race, but actual race day itself is uh not a day I’d say I enjoy until I’m on the bike with the helmet on then and it’s all clear, but everything else is just a bit of a anxious blur. I I normally sit in the truck on my own, you know, for a while and just just sit down and go through things in my head and check over the bike, you know, and go through that sort of stuff. Leading up to like the senior TT, that’s I’ve never been so anxious. I felt almost ill cuz you you build up to it and and taking off once at a time unlike a mass grid just builds the nerves so much. That’s one of the things I don’t like about racing, you know, because especially at an international, for example, the Northwest with LMR TT because there’s obvious dangers out there, you know, although you don’t think about it, it must be in the back of your mind somewhere in your subconsciousness and uh I suppose you you worry about it’s not fear, you know, but it’s just adrenaline because you expect yourself to do well even though you know that something s could happen. You know, you’re doing what you love doing, so you don’t look at the bad end of it. It’s something that doesn’t come into your mind while you’re racing. It’s not a case of gritting your teeth and holding your breath. It’s a case of calculated risks. So, you definitely don’t go into a blind corner with your teeth grit hoping you’re going to pop out the other side. I’ve thought it over in my mind at how fast I can take that corner with experience in other corners and then from there I I ride the track. So, it is it is calculated. Attention P. Here’s the crit for the grand final at the end of the day. Front row 86 13 10. Second row 451. Like Rossy and his dad, Rutter and his. Robert, William and Sam Dunlop were on the line together. A great motorcycleycling dynasty. [Music] So, Robert number four in the lead as best at 95.976 Mark. Will it be Robert? Philipp the new lap record holder. Yeah. When they thought he was beaten, Joey pulled the finger out, lifted that lap record that day to over 105 m an hour. Not bad for an old man of his age at the time. Younger than me, of course. Everybody knows about joy. I mean, how do you put that kind of thing to the back of your mind? What’s the technique? I don’t know. Well, as I say, it’s quite difficult. I’m not sure whether Joey got nervous or not. I’m sure he probably did, but some people, I think, can hide it better than others, you know. I think it helps. I think when you’re um in that mental state, I think that’s when you perform your best. Well, I think that my nerves does enhance my performance because it pumps the adrenal. I mean, my heart’s going like twice as fast as it normally would even now, you know, and still got about 10 or 15 minutes left, you know, before the race. So, I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s positive. The paddock was open to everyone. Families gathered as girlfriends and wives looked on apprehensively. And children were carried on their dad’s shoulders. You’ve got your sons, you know, racing. You know, if you’re in a race with them, how do you feel if you’re undertaking or overtaking them? You know, what do you think? I don’t mind. I I think it’s good fun, you know, because they always give me a bit of stack because I’m obviously a good bit older than them, but uh I enjoy passing them, you know, because I usually lift my bum up and show them my bike side or something. But it’s all good fun. At speed on the circuit, what are you thinking about? What’s that zone we all hear about? Just concentration basically. You know, you’re just concentrating further ahead of you. I know that camera, you know, cameras on bikes doesn’t give you a true picture. I mean, even at whenever I rode the Norton, which is capable 190 mph down antiport brush, I could focus on somebody and pick somebody out of the crowd even at that speed. Places like the TT, you could be riding along and you sitting thinking, “God, I wonder what we’re having for dinner tonight or where we’re going.” Then you have to tell yourself, “Oh, back to the job.” You know, I often used to see on short circuits, people qualifying on the same tires, and the same conditions, they would go faster in the race. The only difference in the race is their mindset. I’m a great believer in that speed comes from the mind. I mean, uh, pretty much anybody in the paddock could could ride a bike, you know, physically. They just don’t have it mentally. So, it’s it’s all mental. Good bike racer has to be competitive, has to be determined. Obviously, you got to have courage. Uh, you got to have confidence in yourself and in your machine. I think it’s just hard work and effort. I think you get back out of it what you put into it. Confidence play does play a big part. Obviously, you know, uh the right rubber and you know, good bike and you know, it’s a combination of things, but most of it comes from the mind. [Music] [Applause] I asked Robert the question everyone perhaps wanted to know. Why did he do it? Me, I don’t race for Robert in-law. I wish they didn’t love me, you know, and the legacy that Joy has left behind. I’m sad to report that I stood at that bit of ground out in Talon the day before my son was married was very important. If I was going to Talon, I was going to pay my respects to the great man himself. I think we all appreciate what he did in the world. [Music] [Music] Steven Davidson, author and photographer of Ragged Edge, one of the most beautiful books dedicated to road racing I have ever seen. Steven is as devoted to photographing races as racers are devoted to racing. It’s a similar need. There could be no modern-day sport without either of them because history in the making cannot possibly exist if no one knows about [Music] [Music] it. It’s amazing race. That’s biggest race in the south of Ireland and the biggest crowd. 30,000 people here laying in the banks. A lot of air time. Bikes are in the air. A lot of places around here. Uh Gilly Leap in particular is really fast up through Sam’s Tunnel. It’s really spectacular. We’re going to come back out into the sunshine. It’s fantastic race and it’s really tight racing as well down into Dublin Corner. Everybody’s sideways. It’s not like a road race. It’s more like a short circuit down there. And it’s grandstand view for everybody sitting up there. still in the leading of second as part of the Irish road racing calendar. The scaries is an incomparable event and is effectively a mini TT. Comparisons with Gladatorial Rome comes to mind. How can it not be when racing here is clearly about life and death? One of the great things is where everybody can be to watch. You can just, you know, right beside the road, you you’re stupid enough, foolish enough, you reach out and touch them. Sam used to pull some awesome willies here. He was killed in a race in the north at the corridor. But uh there’s a plaque over here commemorating Sam. And the bikes come up through here. It’s really spectacular. On the side, front wheel way way up in the air. Sometimes two wheels in the air and the big bikes something else. Pure scary. Pure scary. People say, “Oh, you must know it really well.” But the small back road bit I’d never drive on a normal day, you know? Like I haven’t done I haven’t done one lap of the course till yesterday evening since last year’s race. Martin Fenan be the local hero. He lives just up the road in Lusk. Sort of born and bred within sight of the course and uh he’s real expert and we driving around here every day. So he knows he knows every bump in that road and he knows how to get both wheels in the air over them as well. It’s hard to get a handle on because it’s something we just can’t comprehend. Ordinary mortals can’t do that. A lot of people in the in the crowd will probably say you have to be nuts or or mad to ride a circuit like the street circuits because of the danger involved and the risks and whatnot. It’s not something anybody can really understand unless you’re able to do it outside our realm of of knowledge. I’ve been around it for a long time. I have no idea how the hell they do it. I think when you find when you speak to the riders that the calmst bunch of sensible guys around. They’ve just uh all started off riding slow and got faster over a period of time. So going that quick doesn’t seem that crazy to them. I think a big part of it is not thinking about what can go wrong. And it takes a a very strong mind to be able to do that as well to kind of figure the thing out that you’re not thinking about what might happen. And you’re able to do the kinds of things that they’re able to do on a bike. And these kind of surroundings with all this furniture, trees, telegraph poles, lamp posts, curbs, hedges, banks, it’s all there. And I think, you know, they’re able to sort of suspend that information somewhere and just ride the road. I find adjusting to the speed easy, you know, and um I put a lot of effort into it and a lot of practice into it. I think this is what brings it on at the highest level. It takes a really special kind of person to be able to do [Music] that. Cameron Dawn has been here today and he’s never he’s never saw the place before. Last night last night was his first practice and he beat Martin. So nice a young lad. So much natural talent. I’ve seen him at the TT. Nothing seems to phase him. Nothing bothers him. Very like down to earth, grounded guy. Seems really nice. Y has a brilliant eye for spotting talent. He he just gets that feeling this is the guy. This guy can go places. He’s special on a bike road racing. He’s just really special. He’s sort of eclipsed everyone else. He comes with the attitude, I know I can go out here and learn this and I know I can win here and he’s just it’s just unbelievable the confidence he has and he knows that it’s now safe to push this speed or if it’s not safe, he will not push it. He just back off that little bit but still to stay on the pace. He’s just an amazing young man. He’s turning up and putting everybody else to shame. [Music] straight into it. [Music] Just before the flag, tensions are high. In seconds, the lads will be at 160 mph before Dublin bend. [Music] [Applause] [Music] I’m [Music] [Applause] Come [Music] [Applause] on. He goes to Scaries and that’s um that’s Martin Finnegan’s track. that’s, you know, hello, I’m Mighty Finnegan. This is this is this is where I’m going to do really well. And he just obliterates it, doesn’t he? And he’s he’s getting lap records and winning everything. And same at the Southern 100. He was the first newcomer to win the last superbike race of the day. And the last person to do that before him was Jerry Dunlop. So, what does that say about him as a road racer? He’s very special. To know that you’re the best, then you know you got a psychological advantage on your fellow competitor. How’s that feel in the word, Cameron? Just give a few words. Makes everything worthwhile. Fantastic. What a great ride, eh? Yeah. Yeah. I think I was really determined to be first in the turn one and I locked the front. The tar’s melting over there, so I ran wide that got me double angry and it was just it was a real eventful race. Got a few rocks and broke the screen and so that makes it feel a bit faster when you’re getting a face full of air, but it was great to be able to hold Martin off. Thrilled. Fantastic. Well done. Thank you. Thanks, guys. Cheers. [Applause] Just a quick word. How do you feel about that? That was good. It was really, really good race. You know, I’m happy with it. Cameron pushed really hard. I think the tours had a good old battle. Close enough race. Very close, eh? Yeah. It was very hot out there, too. The tire is melting really bad now, you know. So, it was really enjoyable race. You feel well? Yeah. Yeah, it was a good race. Really good race. Any reason why you didn’t just pit him? Uh just not good enough on the day, you know, just adding the pace. Cameron’s bike seems to have a little bit of legs of mine, you know, but still still a really good race. He’s just riding. He’s riding very well at the minute. And but there’s nothing in it. No, not much in it. No, not much. But um good race. Yeah, the race was fantastic. Got a good clean start leading to the first turn. I saw at the first hair pin that it was Martin behind me. Knew he’d be the man to beat, so I just worked hard at being consistent. try to break him as soon as possible to get clear, try to avoid any last lap challenges from him. You’ll find road racing the all motorsports is probably the riders have the most respect for each other. You know, everyone gets on really well together and everyone has a good fun together when it’s all over. You know, there’s no there’s no real rivalry. He had six wins on the trot until that race. So, it was a little personal goal for me was it was going to be difficult to beat him anywhere. It would have been here on his home track. So, that was a bit of a a challenge for myself. But, we’re we’re good friends. I just can’t see myself riding that long. You know, Robert, I think is exception to the case. He’s a long, long time riding and um I don’t think I’d like to race that long. I don’t find it hard to be ordinary. You know, I come from a very humble background. Never had nothing, you know, financially. My parents were were quite poor. Uh which is something I regret actually. Uh but they were uh I think my dad was a millionaire when it comes to the love for his children and vice versa. Well, I just want to write the love name history books for as long as I can and hopefully my sons in after me. I’ll I’ll keep it [Music] going. On the north circular road not far from Wembley football stadium, there was something happening. Crowds were gathering for a venue rapidly regaining its place as the most famous motorcycle cafe in the country. Proprietor Mark Wilsmore watches over the event which takes place once a year. The Ace Cafe was built in 1938 to cater for traffic especially holers using the new north circular road and being open 24 hours it soon attracted motorcyclists. Street Fighter Sunday is somewhat akin to all the other Sundays that we host here in that Sundays are always bike days. Different of those Sundays will have a particular twist, a motorcycleycling twist, Yamaha day, Harley Day, etc., etc. Street Fighter Day is given over specifically to really was a modern phenomena that’s really started in this country the style called Street Fighters which I think is by and large born from dropping of sports bikes fairing getting damaged bars getting damaged. So then getting them back on the road with a minimalist look, no fairings, flat handlebars. And this has given rise to a whole new style of motorcycles which has now borne an aftermarket scene, a whole tribal scene with the clothes and what they do with those bikes which um perhaps I’d rather not expand upon what they do with those bikes which involves invariably either a front wheel or a back wheel and lots of smoke and lots of screaming engines. It’s a very very modern thing and I think it’s the really the modern equivalent of ultimately the calf racer. Street Fighter Sunday um probably one of the biggest events of the year down at the Ace Calf. Able Street Riders are taking control and um if it all goes to plan, which uh it should do, we’re going to burn the place down. It’s a sunny day and 5,000 bikers are expected to attend from all parts of the UK. Historically, a few wheelies are tipped up on the street, so the police were out in force. At the end of the day, we all do it differently, and we do it on different bikes. But I get the feeling that what we all get out of motorcycleycling, whatever shape that motorcycle takes, is a very similar thing, the same sensation, a sensation of freedom in a world that’s increasingly regulated and legislated and kind of closed down. [Music] In a world where there’s always some telling you what to do, it’s a chance to just be free. When a 100,000 bikers turn up for TT week, there wouldn’t be a sniff of trouble, just a need for a little polite anarchy. The mad count. So, what’s happened now? Look, I’ll be here. They’re going to cool. So, what going to end up doing is loads of people are going to get really, really outrageous in here later. And then hopefully we’ll them off later and then we can do it out there. If it kicks off, we’re here to make sure there’s no trouble and control the crowd. Really, that’s basically it. Do you expect anything to kick off? No. No. What sort of things might happen? Uh, bit of scuffle, bit of first aid, like pushing and that’s about it really. A lot of people here. Oh, yeah. Loads. Loads. Are they likely to move on to the road? I hope not. Yeah. But we have to take one step at a time. The demographic of those that are, if you like, into that style of bike are by and large the same similar demographic as those that are into the tonup rocker bit, which is getting the ultimate out of their machines. And the ultimate out of machines today means speed cameras, speed humps, etc., etc. So with those constraints, if you got a bike that’s pumping out a lot of brake horsepower, you’re showing the tricks that you can do, and you don’t need an awful lot of space or room to be able to do that. Let’s face it, we’re like the the Red Indas, the American Indians, the Native Americans, whatever you want to call them. We’re lots of tribes, but from the outside, everyone sees us as the same. And yet the enduro riders never talk to the Harley boys. The Harley the Harley boys never talk to anyone else. But we’re all getting the same thing. We’re all riding what is effectively an iron horse. That’s what it is. That’s the difference. That’s I think how you explain it. We are that lone horseman blasting across the Sierra Nevada or you know Dick Turpin on black best. That’s it’s that kind of experience. Steve’s analogy was spoton. When you’re a lifelong biker like he is, you take the freedom motorcycleycling gives you for granted. It’s going tight and then you got all the bikes that we need this area here to run out. If the bands are in there, then tight against this wall. Van’s going tight against it. It’s only going to take this area up here. Look right there. Preparations were being made ready for the performance. However grand looked here, as Veggie Dave explained, street fighting suffers from an image problem. No one gives a toss. No one could care less. Stunts are people. Well, the idea is that a stunter is someone who steals a bike because no one learns on their own bike. Of course, you’re going to crash. If you’re going to crash, you’re going to use someone else’s bike. And if you’re going to use someone else’s bike, he’s stolen because none of us can afford that sort of cash. We’re now witnessing the coming of age as it were of a BMX skateboard generation who’ve now got access to to wheels, extraordinarily powerful, extraordinarily light, and very responsive um pieces of equipment. BMX in skateboarding is a thing of the past and um street riding is a thing of the future and uh we’re here to uh to show people that and and do what we can to educate. If you’re a stunt, you’re a bike seeker, a joy rider, you’re scum, you’re in the same category as some verb capwearing weirdo. Whereas if you go to Europe, it’s a totally different thing. You are a rock star. You go to a bike, if you went to a show like this in Europe, you’ll be signing autographs. in my views as a consequence of everything else being clamped down upon um adrenaline once it’s out as it were and the more legislation or if you like society endeavors to constrain that the more likely it is to burst out some somewhere with with um arguably with something of a vengeance. The passion comes from the heart um through every extreme action in life has a reaction. The riders were getting ready. Make no mistake, this was more than hooligan riding. It was performance at a very fine level. Whilst there are roots in the 1950s cafe racy culture, the look of the modern street fighting machine is based on naked aggression. Having been abused or crashed, it was easier and cheaper to ride a naked bike without fairings. And this is what gives street fighters an unfinished look. Street. [Music] Yeah. The only sponsip I know over here uh proper professional sponsorship will be Kevin Carmichael with Triumph. Uh if you go to Suzuki or Kawazaki or anyone like that, they just don’t want to know because they think uh it’s an incredibly bad image and they don’t want to be associated with it. I don’t know whether rebellious is probably the right word, but um it’s more of um getting away from the the monotony of of um the stereotypical lifestyle that we lead. People coming into motorcycleycling on the whole come into motorcycleycling for fun. And guys 20 years old through to perhaps 30 years old, their understanding of what is fun will be quite different from my, you know, kissing 50 years old. My idea of fun, I might enjoy watching something, but it won’t necessarily stimulate me to want to go and have a go. No qualms about selling a bike that can do 190 mph and you just happen to get a slight whiff of throttle and it’s going to lift the front end. Don’t care about that. Don’t care about the fact that the bikes have just got to the point now where your obvious rider is just nowhere near capable of using a fifth of the bikes bikes what the bike’s capable of irrespective of bikers ego because they think they can but they can’t. So well that’s acceptable but doing a control wheelie in an official organized show now now we can’t we can’t seem to be condoning that [Music] [Music] If we didn’t have such a day as Street Fighter Sunday, which has some semblance of management and and control, the those that wish to pursue it would pursue it in any case some way or the that we need to educate. Without the education, there is going to be more deaths, more fatalities, more accidents, more injuries, more maming. In my view, it’s better out here than on some industrial estate that’s closed for the weekend where there won’t be any telephones or first aid people. Viking culture is changing by the day and um we will uh we will change it more and more and more the the more that we do and the the more that we say. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] We’re going to have an array of different stunts. We have um six riders and a couple of supporting acts. Uh you will see um array of different things. with the area that we have here. It’s going to be the majority of it will be donut related. Um we’re going to have some fire going on. Um and just watch and you’ll see [Applause] [Music] Now the boys were really beginning to warm up. This was motorbike street fighting at its most peacock presence. He cried out, “I’m a rebel. Look at me. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Yet it was a family event. Moreover, one supported by mainstream commercial sponsors. What I really liked was the fusion of ideas which supported a new way of looking at biking. Radio 1’s DJ Scatter came to me when I first came to the Ace Cafe and saw everybody loving what I love. You’ve got black, white, Indian, Chinese. Everybody that loves the sport is out here representing. And that’s what it means to me to be urban. Once you into music, it’s just it’s just spread across the cars, the bikes, automatic. It’s just a whole of everybody was having fun mixing with everything. It’s not about where you belong or where it should be. It doesn’t stop within one area. It’s just a whole universe of entertainment. And that comes to the music and everything and everybody’s having fun. It brought back big memories to me of when I used to ride in the Caribbean, meeting people like Mark sharing obviously his passion of bikes, cars. For me, I’m just trying to do something different. I’m trying to put the the urban scene with within a different environment and I see all the whole people just react to us because um stay in in the smaller industries. Everybody’s into the bike. So, I’m thought why not just put a be entertainment more into it. I like the ched out scene. And I’m more into like, you know, you know, I’m I’m more into the shine life. You know, if you see my bike, it’ll be more on the bling riders extreme life. The bling, the bling is just something that comes in music. It just comes in music automatically. It’s just, it’s just the whole culture of the music itself. If this doesn’t [ __ ] a snooker authority, then I don’t know what does. But it’s always been like this. These days, 100 mph on a modern bike is no big deal. And if you tried that on the North Circular, your license wouldn’t last long. Yet through the 50s,60s, and 70s, that was the ambition of many cafe racers to do the turnup and achieve 100 mph. [Music] The old single carriageway A406 was busy, greasy, often wet with an eastern roundabout black spot. And add to this, skinny tires, feeble brakes, and crude suspension, and you have a catastrophe in the making. 12,000 bike casualties in London in 1958 with the Daily Mirror running shock horror stories with a headline, “Suicide Club. The only vehicle carrying more dead people than the motorcycle is a [Music] hearse. Even the British Medical Association lobbied for the abolition of the motorcycle. And here we are still at it, still being naughty. [Music] [Applause] [Music] the customary model shoot just to prove that sexism is alive and well in motorcycleycling. And if you’re a motorcycle bloke, you’ll know what I mean. [Music] Come forward a bit. That way. Straight forward. Straight forward. Stop. Cool. That [Music] special. It’s mine. [Music] But it’s a custom job. Totally custom. only one or two bits which are original and that’s it. And by another month or two, it’ be nothing original other than the engine. It’s got 280 back wheel. Uh it’s all custom, totally custom. Tank, rear seat, swing arm. Um cool there. Pipes, seats, handlebars, risers, everything. [Music] It’s more dedicated to the guys who likes that extra little towel in their pocket that they can get out every time they step on their bike, wipe it down, shine it up. The little bling, the little lights, the little colors and everything just sparkling. I love it. Love bikes. I love it. I love being different. The girls, you know, the ladies, I’ll get on the bike and whatever problems I’ve got or worries, I forget about them. I’m on the bike. And I just enjoy myself. That’s it. Clear mind and clear streets would be better. You know, the bikinis, the wet t-shirts, you know what I mean? You know, the shorts, you know what I mean? Everything that it takes, you know, everybody just come out and have a great time, enjoy their yourself. The sun today, very beautiful. And that’s what I’m all about. The sunshine life, the bling life. control was a big issue. And when you consider how much is taken away from us by way of legislation and emasculation, the opportunity to stretch social and biological muscles was something these tribal guys could not ignore. These guys have got their life in their hands really, you know, and for these guys to have their life in their hands, they’re in control. I mean, it breaks the mundane dayto-day monotony of life and um it’s what we’re good at. They want to go out there and show them the things that it’s impossible, but it’s not impossible because they’re men, you know, and from boys to men, they want to prove to people that they can do things. Everything uh everybody everybody does they do from from for their own reasons. It comes from the heart. That’s why we do it. They’re not celebrities. They’re just people who are just ordinary just living and doing what it takes to obviously make their self out there so people can understand the love of what they are trying to show. The love um which is what stands for a wall, a way of life, a way of living, breaking the mold. um using uh the talent that we have to uh create a different lifestyle in the the one that we uh thrive to um to control and and and aspire to. [Music] There are those that um who can pull tricks with their bikes that are absolute poetry. the movement, the flow of the movement, the sound, all combining to, as I say, can only think to call and describe as poetry. But just as with poetry, um someone reading poetry, if the um sound I is delivered incorrectly, if a comma for instance is missed out, it it can just sound like complete and utter rubbish. Similarly with the movement, the poetic movement of machines, if it goes wrong, the rider doing those slick moves has gone from being, “Wow, look at that.” to being a being viewed by those watching as a complete and utter beep beep beep. There’s poetry with movement and that’s typically dance. Whether it’s jing to rock and roll, whe whether it’s break dancing, hip-hop, or whether it’s ballet, the the movement whilst it’s all flowing step by step and arms and bodies movement, it it it can look pretty impressive. And as in ballet with uh the the Swan Lake for instance and the swan dying at the end, if the guy drops a girl, it’s a big boo moment. A big ah oh my goodness, what they done? It’s the same with the guys with doing tricks with bikes. The finale was about to happen and the police were now here in massive numbers. They were determined to keep the off-road stunting exactly there off road. You do me a favor and get away now. You’re going to get smoke going up. [Music] [Music] On the fourcourt of the Ace Cafe, Sparky and his mates were about to engage in an elaborate courtship [Music] ritual. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Laughter]
3 Comments
The good old days! Crazy times 🤯 not to mention the race meeting campsites 🍻🏍 😂💥🔥👌🏻
And the mighty despatch riders?
RIP Robert and William