July is a fantastic month for biking events all across the UK. This is a list of the top 7 events that we would recommend this year.
1. BSB Snetterton 5th/6th/7th July: – This is the 5th round of the British Superbike Championship where we hope to see Alex Lowes on his Samsung Honda battling with the front runners for a place on the podium. Alex is currently 3rd in the championship with team mate Ryuchi Kiyonari in 7th. Honda UK is the most successful team in the paddock with a total of 3 titles so it would be great to add another trophy to the cabinet this year!
2. BMF Kelso Bikefest 6th/7th July: – The British Motorcyclists Federation annual show at Kelso features a whole weekend of entertainment! There is a best in show display of bikes, a funfair, trade stall, beer tent, live music and Club Games. These games include Wang A Welly, Space Hopper Racing and new for 2013 the Moto Gymkhana! You can also look forward to the Stannage Stunt Team doing some amazing stunt displays.
3. Goodwood Festival Of Speed 11th-14th July: - It’s the 20th anniversary of the Festival Of Speed this year and to mark this event there is an amazing variety of motorbikes and riders in attendance. Some highlights include:
Freddie Spencer (1983 & 1985 World Champion) Freddie is the only man to have won both the 250cc and 500cc championship title in the same year and he will be at the festival with his 1985 NSR500 from the Honda Collection in Japan.
John McGuinness – TT Legend!
Dougie Lampkin – 12 times World Trials Champion
Steve Webster MBE – 10 Times World Sidecar Champion
See the Honda RC149, the first ever 5 cylinder race bike, from the Honda Collection in Japan.
There will be loads of motorcycle racers and bikes from all eras and plenty to see.
The Goodwood Festival Of Speed is a fantastic mix of motorbikes, cars and motoring celebrities and a brilliant day out for all automotive enthusiasts!
4. VMCC Festival Of 1000 Bikes 12th/13th & 14th July: - This is the ultimate classic track weekend! Taking place at Mallory Park it is the biggest event of its kind in Europe. As well as the packed diary of events happening on track there is loads more to see. On the Saturday and Sunday you can take a walk through the Michelin Past Masters Avenue display area and garages within the race paddock where you can see an incredible line up of bikes (and their star riders if you’re lucky)! There is a Pre-65 Trial taking place on the old motocross track opposite the start/finish straight which is well worth a look. In the evenings you can be entertained by live bands and ‘Stars On Stage’ in the real ale bar. The stars include Wayne Gardner, Carl Fogarty, Jamie Whitham, Neil Hodgson and Christian Sarron. They will all have taken part in the pasts masters track display and will be interviewed on stage by TT winner Charlie Williams. After looking around the trade stands and auto jumble you can relax and watch the Two Brothers Racing Stunt Show and a firework spectacular.
5. Beaulieu Ride-In Day 14th July – This event takes place at the National Motor Museum in the heart of the stunning New Forest. There will be hundreds of bikes on display. Ride in, park up and join the display! The show opens at 8.30am for participants arriving on their bikes and the restaurant opens at 9.30am for bacon rolls, cake, tea and coffee. As well as all the gorgeous bikes you can see stunt shows, trade stands and the ‘Peoples Choice’ award. When you’ve finished at the show you can take advantage of the fabulous location and have a ride around the New Forest. Most of the roads have a 40mph speed limit due to the free ranging animals but taking your time gives you the opportunity to see some of the UKs most spectacular countryside.
6. Red Bull Pro National MX Championship 20th/21st July: - This event takes place at Skelder Bank near Whitby. You can see over 300 riders compete in a series of 29 races throughout the weekend. Professional racers from all over the UK and Europe will be competing and you should get to see some brilliant motocross racing. There is also plenty to do for the whole family. The younger kids can visit Kidzone where they can play on the bouncy castle and meet Peppa Pig and George, Fireman Sam and Bob The Builder. There is also an MX Tryout where the youngsters can have their first go on a motocross bike under qualified supervision and with all the safety equipment provided. Both kids and adults can enjoy the amazing stunts and tricks performed by some of the UKs leading FMX riders. They will be leaping off of mobile ramps and doing their flicks and whips some 40 feet above the ground.
7. Poole Quay Dream Machines – We had to include our local bike night in this list of events! Every Tuesday evening in the summer the roads around Dorset are full of motorbikes on their way to the Bike Night at Poole Quay. It’s the biggest weekly bike meet in the UK and you can see hundreds of bikes lined up with a backdrop of the beautiful quayside and harbour. The Quay is closed to all traffic except motorbikes but there are plenty of car parks close by if you are bringing the whole family to see the spectacular! There are lots of restaurants, bars, food kiosks and waterside cafes for you to enjoy a huge variety of food from snacks to fine dining. A ‘Bike Of The Night’ competition takes place each week. A different judge selects his or her favourite bike from the hundreds on display and the winner receives a bundle of bike related goodies and the chance to enter the prestigious ‘Bike Of The Year’ which takes place on the final Tuesday of September. Honda Of Bournemouth and Motorbikeplanet are not far from the Quay, situated on the border between Poole and Bournemouth. We are open until 6pm on a Tuesday night so feel free to pop in for a chat on your way to the Quay and have a look at some of the amazing offers that we have in store including Arai helmets for less than half price and heavily discounted Alpinestar clothing.
Let us know of any bike related, family friendly events that you can recommend that we visit this year. We love a day out especially when we get to see loads of bikes!
