Leeds-born Michael has just finished a journalism degree at Lincoln University. He’s a classic enthusiast, who had a Triumph Thunderbird as his ‘favourite’ – until we took him to Stafford and he saw his first ‘real life’ Vincent Back Shadow…
Contact him at [email protected]
• Cotton rally
To celebrate George Willoughby Cotton’s patented triangular frame, the Cotton Owners and Enthusiasts Club is holding a ‘Birth of Cotton Centenary Rally’ at Brooklands on July 20, 2014. More than 100 Cotton motorcycles have been registered so far for this event which the club believes will be the largest number ever assembled.
• Lews Newman run
The Marston Sunbeam club’s Les Newman Run, on June 1, was blessed with beautiful weather and a great turnout of Sunbeams, 13 taking part in the run, with a lovely mix of machines, from a 1913 V-twin ridden by Giles Greenaway (with passenger ‘Jack Russell’) up to a 1935 racing 95R, ridden by Christopher Fisher.
Based around Prebednal Farm, Aylesbury, Bucks, the run celebrates Newman, who regularly competed on his Sunbeams in the Isle of Man and used the local lanes around Aylsebury as his own version of the TT course for (ahem) ‘practice’ purposes.
Many had travelled a great distance, some riding to the event, including Gez Cator who rode his very original 1928 Model 2 from Portsmouth and Phil Nutt, on his 1927 Model 9 down from Leicester, while Sean Kelly’s ex-Les Newman Model 90 was the star of the show. The model was raced by Bacon in the 1930 Senior TT and then Newman in the 1934 Manx GP.
