It was Mark's inquest yesterday. Although the day was very hard, I was impressed with how thorough the inquest was. The verdit was Mark was 'Unlawfully killed', which I strongly agree with.
Click the button below to read the article in the T & A.
A few weeks ago I agreed to do a charity Santa run and instantly regretted it - I'm not really what you'd call an active person and even though the run was only a mile I knew it was going to be hard!
Well it was today and I was quite proud of myself as I managed to run the whole mile - I was knackered at the end though!
First frost of the year this morning - winter is here :(
I got the pictures from the track side photographer at Mallory park today.
I've finally finished the diary for our Europe tour and put comments to a lot of the photos. Enjoy!
Yesterday I did another track day at Mallory Park with Smallboys Trackbikes and this time Jane hired a bike as well!
I was on a track prepared Suzuki GSXR600 and Jane was on a Honda CB500. I should have been on a GSXR750 but somebody crashed it badly the week before, but I wasn't bothered, the GSXR600 was a very good bike.
Mallory Park is a fairly short curcuit, and I found it very easy to get to grips with, helped by the bike also being very easy to ride, I was up to speed in no time. I was defintely one of the fastest in the novice group. Jane also got on very well, once she got over her considerable nerves!
We both had an absolute blast - thanks in no small part to the excellent service provided by Smallboys.
Here are some pictures from the day - hopefully more will follow when we got the photos from the track-side photographer.
Steve and I went to York Dragway today and had a really good day. There was Jap tuners, American Muscle and Volkswagen racing - old beatles and camper vans! It was very impressive. Some of the american muscle cars and beatles actually lifted the front end completely off the deck.
There was also a jet car which was amazing and VERY loud.
I went to watch truck racing this weekend with my mate Chris and my nephew Jacob, and it was fab. As well as trucks there was BMW racing, Formula Renault, Ginettas and scooters. Chris got us paddock passes so we could wonder around looking at everything up-close and personal.
All the racing was fantastic with the possible exception of the scooters which got dull after the initial hillarity - but the trucks were definately the highlight of the day. We even saw a very spectacular crash right in front of us when one of the Ginettas flipped down Craner Curves.
The weather was very good - but unfortunately we didn't take sun cream so we all came back with a rosey glow!
I went out for a ride today with Chris. He is learning to ride and has got himself a tidy CG125. It was a fun ride and Chris rode very well - though our bikes were mis-matched a little!
Yesterday me and my brother Nig returned from our two week tour around Europe. It was without doubt the best motorcycle trip I've ever had. Pictures and details will follow.
Jane bought me a track-day at Cadwell Park as an early birthday present (very early - my birthday is in November!)
After Mark's tragic accident there was some debate as to whether I should still go - but in the end I decided I wanted to do the trackday.
Well it was awesome - one of the best days of my life. Jane had hired me a bike through Small Boy Trackbikes and their set-up was superb. I was on a race prepared GSXR1000 and it was amazing. It took a lot of getting used to as it was a very focused bike. Basically the bike didn't work unless it was going fast, so learning the track and the bike at the same time was a real challenge, but by the end of the morning I was feeling quite comfortable on it. The afternoon sessions were an absolute blast and the last session was phenomenal.
Small Boy Trackbikes prepared the bikes before we got there, checked them out between sessions, and even started them up and got them ready for us - all we had to do was jump on before each session and hand it back at the end - it was like being part of a race team!
When you take everything into consideration - petrol, tyre and brake wear, risk to your bike, etc. hiring a trackbike makes a lot of sense. You also know that the bikes will be set-up well for the track. Rain tyres are even provided should you need them - luckily we didn't. It was also nice to be able to pack everything we need in the car rather than strapping it to the bike and really nice to get back in the car to drive home rather than having to ride home. I don't think I'll even consider doing a track-day on my own bike now!
Last night we did our annual camping in the woods. It was a very good night. We decided to try out a different spot and it was much better; quiet, lots of wood, and good trees for my hammock.
On Sunday 5th April I was out for a ride with my good friend and neighbour Mark Dossett.
Mark had just got his new GSXR1000 K9 and was running it in so we were having a steady ride around the Yorkshire Dales. It was a beautiful day and we were both having a very good time.
We were nearing home on one of our favourite roads, Askwith Moor Road, going over Otley moor. As Mark was about to pass the junction with Moor Lane and Snowden Carr Road, a Honda motorcycle pulled out from the right from Moor Lane doing at least 40mph, the Honda never slowed at all.
Mark was doing around 50-60mph when the Honda pulled out on him. Mark did manage to get the brakes on and attempted avoid the collision, but he never really had a chance. He hit the side of the Honda and was killed instantly, as was the rider of the Honda.
Riding pillion on the Honda was a 12 year old boy, who luckily survived the crash but was badly injured; two broken legs and a broken wrist amongst other injuries.
I was a short distance behind Mark when the accident occurred. I knew it wasn’t good, and as soon as I pulled over I knew Mark and the other bike rider were dead. I rang the emergency services and tried to reassure the boy, then more people came to help, including a doctor and first-aider, so I left them to it and sat down.
I have been over the accident many, many times in my head since and honestly do not see how Mark could have avoided the accident. He did absolutely nothing wrong.
This whole incident really shook me up, and it is taking a long time to come to terms with it, though my friends are being a huge help.
Rest in peace Mark - you are sorely missed.
I taxed my R1 tonight and went for a fab ride to Ripon and back via Pateley Bridge. The weather was very nice, and my new dark visor came in very handy as the sun was very low. That was until the sun went down, then the dark visor was a down-right liability! Next time I'll take my clear visor as well!!
Continuing on – yet again the USA trip is off. Unfortunately it does not look like Daz will be up for the trip for quite a while because of his shoulder. I think I am going to have to put it on the back burner and concentrate on touring Europe for a while.
Talking of which things are about to get quite interesting as I am in the process of organising a trip around Europe this year. I will be updating this site with the plans very soon. We have booked the ferries and I've starting investigating camp sites, so things are progressing nicely.
Sorry for the lack of updates again - it happens every winter. The biking side of me goes into hibernation, I don't call this site Fair Weather Bikers for nothing!
Not a lot has happened since the last update. We've had a proper winter this year with plenty of snow and ice, so my bikes have been SORNed off the road since the end of January, but I intend to re-tax them in April.
Towards the end of January I did ride my VFR to work. I decided to lube the chain, so was putting it onto the centre stand. As I was lifting it up, the bike slipped and fell onto it's right side in my garage.
I wasn't happy, but luckily the only damage is a few minor scratches and a broken mirror. Unfortunately mirrors for the VFR are £50 from Honda and I cannot find pattern mirrors anywhere. £50 for one mirror is ridiculous - Honda should be ashamed of themselves.
Who'd have believed it - 5 years doing this site!