Earning their crust....

All the best, Jim.

Danny rides Rotterdam

Enjoy -- All the best, Jim.

Nurburgring training dates - 2015

Just in from Neil Leigh, (one of the instructors on the course), are the dates for next year's training Motorrad course @ The 'Ring:- NURBURGRING NORDSCHLEIFE M/C TRAINING 2015 A training date has now been announced by Motorrad for exclusive use of the Nurburgring Nordschleife for 2 days allowing riders to lap the worlds longest and most famous race track safe from public traffic in a instructed group at a pace to suit them from beginner through to very experienced. The date for the training are 11/12th August 2015 with arrival on the evening of the 10th. The format is reverting back to a more formal training atmosphere with each group being no more than 8 riders and with the emphasis on participants being grouped more accurately to allow for levels of experience and safety within the groups. There will be three levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Experienced. The cost for the 2 days incl buffet lunches and 3 evening meals is 990euro. Accommodation near to the track is of the participants own choice and is to be booked separately. If you are keen to attend this event please le me know in the first instance and then we can sort out formal bookings and also arrange suitable accommodation. Game on! Neil www.aeaventures.com All the best, Jim.

Sometimes, two narrow tyres are preferable to four low profile ones.

All the best, Jim.

Chasing the apex @ Barn

All the best, Jim.

"Why"

All the best, Jim.

"Bump - Front Flip"

All the best, Jim.

Danny MacAskill - Around the world.

All the best, Jim.

And all he gets is a muddy knee!

All the best, Jim.

"Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow.

All the best, Jim.

Johnny Walker @ Red Bull Scramble

Enjoy -- All the best, Jim.

No engines were hurt in the making of this....

tomfoolery. All the best, Jim.

Slicks not required.

All the best, Jim.

Makes me ashamed.....

..of my moans, groans, and grumbles about my arthritis. All the best, Jim.

James Hillier's TT 2014

All the best, Jim.

What? No helmet!!!

All the best, Jim.

Health and Safety - eat your heart out!

All the best, Jim.

Part 2

This time 8:52 takes a bow. All the best, Jim.

Erzberg 2013 - part 1

My favourite hero, (they're all mad as a box of frogs), appears @ 09:27 What a star!!!

Nothing planned for next weekend yet?

How about this? All the best, Jim.

Gets rather interesting around 3:52

See what just a missed gear change will do..... plus some initial out braking..... All the best, Jim.

Dougie's trials school

@ Addingham Moorside from a few years ago. All the best, Jim.

Separated by a common language, but...

As clear and helpful an introduction to riding that I've come across. All the best, Jim.

Just a couple of "iffy" overtakes....

In an otherwise adept lap of the 'Ring, (both overtakes in question involved motorrad). All the best, Jim.

Slow motion TT 2014

Even in slow motion these racers look fast. All the best, Jim.

Now if I was a millionaire - my garage would look like this.....

All the best, Jim.

Cowm Quarry - Eddy's Extreme Enduro

You can always turn the sound down. All the best, Jim.

IXION 2014 goes live!

The last remaining, "not for profit", trackday club in existence; IXION,has just opened its booking system for this year's event. Two and a half days @ Cadwell Park - 7th & 8th August - for the princely sum of £180.

Go to:- http://www.cadwell.ruffle.me.uk/ and to:- http://www.mallard.quacky.co.uk/ixion/

And he's a newcomer, yet to learn his way around......

All the best, Jim.

Come on England!

As a Welshman exiled to God's own county of Yorkshire, (I'm on missionary duty - don't ask), I find myself in the unusual position of cheering on the England team, and wishing them success. Given both my penny and the bun, I'd like to see England win all their games, (after extra time & penalties), eventually progressing to the World Cup Final itself, (just like '66), and there; after extra time and penalties, losing to........... I don't really care, as I support only two teams - Wales, and anyone playing against England. So why is a confirmed appreciator of pretty sheep hoping that England do far better than any pundit predicts? Well, the thing is, when England are on the telly the roads are somewhat devoid of traffic, particularly the subsection of other road users given to tail gating/road rage/speeding in 30s, 40s & 50s/refusing to use those shiny objects attached to their wings, or the make-up adjusting reflective thingamajig from which you are supposed to hang your air freshener, rosary beads, CDs, cuddly toy, (used in place of a personality), and bluetooth adaptor. Thus, someone riding a bike has; every time England take to the field, approx three hours in which to enjoy roads normally suffering a thrombosis due to boxes on wheels, blocking roads better suited to PTWs. Starting tonight we could be in for 28 days of motorcycling bliss, (unless Johnny foreigner fails to read the script & goes and spoils it all by being better than England). All the best, Jim.

Two minutes of unbelievable action

All the best, Jim.

Worth reposting

If only for Shay's comments @ 04:22, (and he's had a wash & shave!). All the best, Jim.

TT 2014 - "It is what it is boys!"

All the best, Jim.

TT 2014

Enjoy. All the best, Jim.

Pit Lane fire

Given gravity feed, adrenaline, and the pressure inherent in a racing pit, it is surprising that this happens infrequently, (although this was the second such instance this year). All the best, Jim.

Just about to set off .....

For this - All the best, Jim.

If you don't marvel, understand, or support, then you probably will never understand.

Simon Andrews died yesterday following an accident at the North West 200 race last Saturday. Simon had made super human efforts to recover from three previous accidents, and died as a result of the injuries he sustain in this latest "off". My thoughts are with Simon's father Stuart, mother Dee, girlfriend Lisa, and his mate "Breakers" all of whom were at Simon's bedside in The Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital yesterday. To quote another great rider who is sadly no longer with us as a result of a crash in Moto GP, Marco Simoncelli, ‘You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike than other people do in all of their life’. All the best, Jim.

Makes my toes curl!

All the best, Jim.

Sometimes we only truly value something once we have lost it.

Just back from three excellent days @ Cadwell Park, the UK's most technical and rewarding track, (Anglesey runs it close, but can be complicated by gusting on-shore winds), wall to wall sunshine, good mates, eager and "open to learning" clients, helpful MSV circuit staff, (fixing noisy exhausts, providing both Gaffa tape & cable ties for us instructors too senile to remember to bring our own), no "offs" on the last day and only one on Wednesday, (no damage done to bike or rider - try that on an ordinary track day!), and unremitting good humour, (seasoned by some apt banter), all contributing to the usual "Hopp Rider Training Better Riding Day", and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, Performance Plus" day. However, our collective enjoyment of proceedings was brought down to earth with a jolt at yesterday's lunchtime briefing when Martin and son Richard Hopp told us that this might be the final BRD/LRSP event of the year! Bookings were low for the July sessions, (2nd & 3rd), and almost nonexistent, (ten to date), for the September outings, (10th & 11th). Despite being by far the very best track based training outfit in the UK, (safer - less than one "off" per day, the average for a track day is two doz +), cheaper, (when you factor in the cost of repairs & lost track time due to sessions being red flagged), and with an experienced, qualified, and diverse instructor team, (who can both instruct and coach), Hopp Rider Training are looking at the prospect of shutting up shop at the end of this year. Should this happen we will lose the cream of the crop, and once lost it will be almost impossible to reinvent, (level of trust built up with Cadwell marshals, circuit administrators, (Hoppy is allowed to run customers on circuit wearing textile outfits such is the confidence of MSV in Hopp Rider Training's safety and level of training expertise)), canteen staff, fellow instructors, police, and most importantly, clients. So, if you want to experience the very best, safest, most rewarding and useful track riding, have a look at Hopp Rider Training's website -- www.hoppridertraining.com -- and book yourself onto one of their remaining courses this year. Leaving it to next year will be too late. All the best, Jim. " Ps - attached are some before and after photos of the Mutley.

Ouch!

All the best, Jim.

Four weeks & counting

And I'll be on the Steam Packet bound for Douglas. All the best, Jim.

Joey, Hislop, & McGuinness, 3 minutes apeice

All the best, Jim.

Still missed.

All the best, Jim.

Sliding and a wheelie!

And all from an, "upright", (as opposed to a kneeler). All the best, Jim.

Boundaries - pushed.

All the best, Jim.

42 days ...... & counting.

All the best, Jim.

Ilkley Grand National

It's many years since I entered this trial - indeed the last time I was one of the Marshals. On my final, "clear-up" lap, (checking for stragglers/picking up flags & way markers etc), I very nearly became part of the moor - permanently. I made the mistake of cutting a corner across a light green bog, but for two fellow Marshals both my bike & I would still be up there. All the best, Jim.

In no particular order.....

Crossing double whites x 2, entirely wrong starting point, tipping in WAY too early, not enough lean, could have continued lean for longer, target fixation, panic, (did he use his front brake in the middle of the corner?), and then - why on earth put the video up on YouTube?! All the best, Jim.

A clear description of the benefits of actively using peripheral vision.

http://motodna.com.au/vision-joining-the-dots/ All the best, Jim.

His dad's pride & joy.....

All the best, Jim.

Al Jazeera - TT documentary

A fresh pair of eyes look @ the TT, and why it remains unique, dangerous, and undeniably addictive. All the best, Jim.

Ouch!

Luckily no significant harm, but no thanks to the Golf driver. All the best, Jim.

Hopp Rider Training - customer review

BETTER RIDING DAYS WITH HOPP RIDER TRAINING AT CADWELL Martin Clark Track days, don’t you just love them? There’s the gimlet eyed racer type, all scuffed leather and limp looking to improve his overtaking technique. Then there’s the track day hero;; latest Ducati, new Mercedes Sprinter van, thousand quid Honda generator to get his tyres all toasty and colour matched Kushitani leathers. And worst of all there’s a wannabe Rossi on a knocked off sports bike hot from eBay. He, and it will be a he, uses his Vauxhall Corsa on the road cos he’s just so fast. Well, probably. Any one of these will use you for extra traction out of Coram, Barn or the Karrussell given half a chance and that’s your ride to work or ride to the south of France bike wrecked and no insurance because it’s a racetrack and you’ve got a month off work. Well, sort of. It doesn’t have to be like that. There are some really nice guys who use the truly fantastic Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire to teach performance riding for riders who ride on the road and want to improve their skills in a safe and controlled environment. This is Hopp Rider training (http://www.hoppridertraining.co.uk/). And no, I’m not in their pay. Unfortunately! Hopp Rider Training look after this as well as other training venues. Locally you might have met them at the Lincolnshire Road Safety Performance Plus Event which majors on the important issue of stopping one’s motorcycle using only the brakes and not other road users. The instructors at Hopp are all proper bike teachers. Not the sort of superannuated racers you get at your common or garden track day. Track day riders will have met these guys who are the motorcycling equivalent of the French ski instructor. “Bend ze knees… Vollow me“. Yes, we all know how cool and fast you are but how exactly is this helping me? I’d say the key message and the key selling point of the Hopp Rider Training Days is learning to corner at speed for people who ride their motorbikes on the road. We all know about throwing our vision wide. We know about counter steering. We know that just about any motorcycle made in the last 30 years good it is to ride with design limits way above those that we’ll approach in ordinary use. Think for a moment; the performance of your machine would probably stagger a neophyte. But when you’re spending your own Keith Code’s 100 cents of attention on a road ride then that’s 20 cents of it gone on the oncoming people carrier and another 30 cents on that recently cut hedge. Then there’s the worry about allowing your machine a full head of steam and making the policeperson’s day which has got to take another 30 cents. How much of your attention goes on machine control on any one ride? So would any sentient being explore the physics of riding a single track vehicle at speed on a crowded road? This is possibly not the best way to spend your leisure hours. Unless, that is, you want to make the full acquaintance of those nice ladies of the orthopaedic ward at Lincoln County Hospital. So what’s one of these Hopp Rider training days at Cadwell like? Just how far could you lean your BMW flat twin over if you really had to? First up there’s the noise testing which is not a problem except for the hard of thinking who equate decibels with willie size. Then there’s a briefing looking at safety and a little bit on the science of what keeps you upright. Next you choose your group. There are at least 15 of these ranging from Gosh That Doesn’t Look Very Safe in group A to the Simply Glacial in the restful end of Group C. You choose, I’ve done the lot. It’s your call with most riders choosing the modest end of the scale. This says a lot about the day. The bikes must have mirrors and indictors. They are ridden to the event. There are no tyre warmers. Being nice is compulsory. You’ll find a good mix with sports bikes being in a minority and BMW’s the most popular brand. I like seeing like the cruisers and touring bikes on the racetrack, I took a Morini 350 with perhaps 20 of your Japanese horsepowers left to one of their days but my only problem was a facial ache brought on by a stupid grin. Morini, Triumph and the police Morini, Triumph and the police The track is obviously well surfaced and one way. This is nice. Your ride is complicated by a variety of corners with a mixture of technical hazards; off camber, downhill, blind entry, turning at the crest of a hill and the potential for high speed. You can explore the reaction of you and your bike to these sort of real world problems with no distracters and no pressure. The setting is lovely; it really is Cadwell Park. Not a race track in an industrial estate like Donnington or Brands. Next you move to the track to meet your instructor who will be a nice guy, no ladies sorry, and you’ll follow him onto the track. Let’s be clear. This is a race track with marshals and ambulances and a big history. It’s been on television and everything so you’d be stupid not to be the tiniest bit petrified. To be honest that nice little road between Horncastle and Louth is more dangerous. The sessions all follow a briefing on stuff you’ll know;; looking where you want to go, counter steering, using the throttle to turn, you can fill in the script. The difference is that there are no distractions. You. Your machine. The finest track in the country. Or. In my case “why am I such an arse…”. After each session each group of between 3 and 5 riders has a debrief with the instructor. I found it difficult to remember my own shortcomings but somehow the instructor man manages to remind me (in the nicest possible way) to turn my head and to soften my inside shoulder and to separate the braking and turning inputs. He also somehow remembers how your new friends have done. And he does all this while riding his own machine and smiling. There are 4 themed sessions with briefing and debriefing in the morning followed by the free riding on the track in the afternoon. Those of you who do the ordinary track day will know about the curse of the red flag. The riding is stopped because some riding god has lobbed his bike. Oh, it’s happened again. It honestly doesn’t happen at the Hopp because of the tight organisation and because of the self-selecting customer group. The niceness is just infectious, how could you possibly inconvenience all your new friends by crashing your bike? My choice for the afternoon is to grab an instructor with what my psychotherapist would call my current issue and ask him to fix it. He does. I go out with a nice instructor man behind me for 10 minutes. He waves me past and I follow for a bit. We have a nice chat back in the pits. It all works so well. So my BMW isn’t very much like my beloved KTM at speed. The Morini is dragging bits of metal which turns out to be because I’m not using the full road and moving my weight. You want to get your knee down, Sorry, it’s frowned upon. This is a road riding day. So is fiddling with the bike’s settings;; “don’t prat with it”. Case histories? Student nurse managed to drop her 600 sports bike at Saxilby roundabout. New tyres, performance machine, inexperience. You’ll know what happened next, she was scared to take her bike a degree off the vertical. At the Hopp rider training, Martin Hopp takes her under his wing (I can’t think why eh Martin?) and at the end of the day she has moved from group C to group B. There was no silverware, no body fluids changed hands so far as I know, but she was very happy. And she has a picture of the sainted Martin on her bedroom wall. Friend 2 returns to biking and buys a recent Yamaha R1, well, it is very nice in matt black. On the other hand it’s probably not such a good idea in terms of longevity. His and the bike’s. At the end of the day’s riding it’s fair to say that Cadwell’s lap record was under no threat at all. But he had a good day and he’s begun to explore his bike’s potential and he goes home a happy man and a better rider. Problems? It’s not cheap at £165 for a day but it is good value in terms of both learning and fun. If you go several times then the teaching can become repetitive. The weather’s not always good. The food is expensive. If I hear the briefing joke again about the marshals at the hairpin “pulling you off” I’ll commit murder. You’ll not get mirrors and reggie plates and road tyres in the fast group at a track day I like riding my bike fast. I think that track day organisers have painted themselves into a corner and that lots of people like me are staying away. Instruction on the racetrack is the way forward for performance riding and safety on the road. And, most important, it is a lot of fun and it’s local. Give it a go. What can possibly go wrong?

Hopp Rider Training 2014 dates

Better Riding Days and Advanced Machine Skills dates for 2014 So here we are half way through March and things are definitely on the up as far as the weather is concerned, more bikes are out and about and summer doesn't seem so far away any more! Our course are filling up nicely, in fact our first Advanced Machine Skills day on 26th April is now fully booked! Other dates and places for the year are: Advanced Machine Skills Saturday 26 April 2014 Carver Barracks Places left: Sold out Current price: £135.00 Better Riding Day Thursday 15 May 2014 Cadwell Park Places left: 43 Current price: £165.00 Advanced Machine Skills Sunday 15 June 2014 Carver Barracks Places left: 2 Current price: £135 Better Riding Day Thursday 03 July 2014 Cadwell Park Places left: 63 Current price: £165 Advanced Machine Skills Sunday 31 August 2014 Carver Barracks Places left: 12 Current price: £135 Better Riding Day Extra Thursday 11 September 2014 Cadwell Park Places left: 49 Current price: £210 If you're still thinking about a day at Cadwell Park to improve your riding skills and need a bit of convincing, have a look at this article from one of our customers: http://www.hoppridertraining.co.uk/chainlincs-iam-writeup-of-a-hoppridertraining-brd/ Looking forward to seeing you on track, on road or just out and about. Until then. Be Skilful Martin & Richard

Danny MacAskill - still the best.

His latest from Barcelona, (the action starts at 1:45.). All the best, Jim.

Very effective.

All the best, Jim.

As if there was ever any doubt.

All the best, Jim.

Taxi!

All the best, Jim.

And given a lick of paint

Time lapse. All the best, Jim.

End of a ferry

Some skill displayed by steersman - but somehow a sad end for a still serviceable ship. All the best, Jim.

Michael & Ryan @ Tandragee '09

The boys go past some handy racers as if they were standing still - then Michael slipstreams Ryan to notch his first win. Awesome. All the best, Jim.

Motorrad Training courses @ the 'Ring - 2014

I received this from Neil Leigh today - it is the best introduction to the Nordschleife remaining. Contact Neil @ aeaventures.com for details. "ARDENNE & EIFEL AVENTURES 2014 Training date for Nurburgring Nordschleife Happy New year Pilgrims! We now have the dates and details for the Motorcycle only training course at the Nurburgring Nordschleife run by Motorrad Perfection team, read on! June 11-13th 2014, the course will be run in a very similar fashion to last years event with 30 minute sessions for riders training in groups and then experienced riders lapping without instruction. The event consists of 2 full days on closed track (12&13th) with both marshalling and first aid facilities provided. The Groups under instruction will also receive sessions of section training each morning on track to help them become more familiar with the circuit and its secrets. The Group made of experienced riders who will be lapping without assistance will be required to adhere to the protocol for open lapping which will be explained before the first morning and anybody failing to adhere to this or who is seen to be not of a suitable standard may be asked to move into the instructed groups. The cost of the course for 2 days on track, training or free lapping is 990 euro, the increase from 2013 being unavoidable due to a much higher circuit hire fee being charged by the Nurburgring organisation for 2014. This price includes 3 evening buffet meals at the Dorint GP Track hotel. Good news is that accommodation is once again available in the Dorint Hotel adjacent to the grand prix track. 3 nights (11,12&13/6) on a B&B basis sharing a twin bedded room is 195 euro. A single room on the same basis is 270 euro. All riders WHO ATTENDED the course in 2013 will automatically receive booking forms once they become available, If you DID NOT ATTEND in 2013 and wish to receive booking forms please contact me asap and I will provide you with the information required. This supersedes any previous email you may have sent me asking for information. I always say this but it really is TOP GUN on two wheels, both myself and Kim Milnes will once again be providing the bulk of the instruction for all English speaking riders and fingers crossed the gods bless us with the same weather as last year, it was spectacular! Sporting Regards, Neil www.aeaventures.com" All the best, Jim.