Thundersprint News

May 10 - The Thundersprint Bike Show - Winnington Park, 3 Miles From Northwich Town Centre

The Thundersprint attracts many stars and celebrities but there are none more popular than the relaxed and charming James May, co-presenter of the BBC’s “Top Gear” programme "Daily Telegraph" columnist.

Although an expert on cars, and renowned for his hilariously laconic assessments of all that’s new in the world of four wheels, James is a dedicated bike fan and puts the Thundersprint as one of his favourite events of the year.

James relaxes before another stunning Thundersprint appearance. James puts his easy going times down to the fact that he wasn't allowed to do his runs whilst smoking.

Having competed in two previous Thundersprints on a classic Moto Guzzi California, James has gone “Japanese” for 2007 with a mighty 1964, 87cc Honda producing a breathtaking 6.5 bhp.

James said: ‘When I crest Castle Hill in Northwich, in my borrowed van, and see the town spread out below me like Camelot, I will know that my faithful charger, the 87cc Honda C200, has arrived at its spiritual home.”

Asked about his racing achievements on the mighty Honda James listed doing 45mph on the A4 and changing the oil.

Truly,“Mad Dog May”, as James likes to be known when he is racing, will bring a very special presence to the Thundersprint start line.

Mention the name “Northwich” in classic biking circles anywhere in the world and you will find a surprisingly large number of people have heard of the town. They might not know where Northwich is, or have much awareness of its 2,000 years of history, but for sure they will be aware that it is home to the Thundersprint. In fact, the huge level of interest poses a real problem for us.

Thundersprint entries are so popular that we could take 300 or 400 riders - if we had the space! This means that we have to think very carefully about getting the right mix of British riders - and our many friends from the rest of the world.

This year will be our best ever entry and in particular, the non-British entry is world class not just in terms of riding ability but also because of the range of exotic machines which are entered.

One of the big stars of the Thundersprint is "Pepino" San Millan who rides the fabulous Augustin Fernandez tuned BSA.

Pepino's "real" name is Jose Maria but in Spain, where every other person is called Jose Maria, he races under the name "Pepe".

When we mangled this in English and came up with "Pepino", he stuck to this version for his English adventures. The joke is that "Pepino" translates directly into English as cucumber - but garden salad would be a lot more popular amongst bike racers if they had "Pepino's" spice!

To be honest, off the bike Pepino doesn't look much like your normal biking hero. In fact, you might find his English equivalent stamping your library book. But on a bike... Well, he's nothing short of fantastic.

His BSA B.50 is equally remarkable. Augustin Fernandez owns Motocicletas Manx ('phone Spain 98 526 1314) in Lugones, Asturias, and he is an incredibly intense, cerebral tuner who puts as much faith in his brain as his hands.

The result of his efforts is probably the world's fastest push-rod BSA with the acceleration of a top quality classic 750. Pepino and Augustin have made the long trek from Santander, in Northern Spain, on three occasions now - and won every time. The team will be back for 2007 looking for a fourth win at our tenth birthday party!

Just as interesting, but in a totally different way, are German racers Karin Leffrang and Steffen Bauermeister. The couple are making the long trek from Germany with a pair of 250 cc AWO race bikes - machines so rare that they had never been seen racing in Britain before last year's Thundersprint. If you love rare classics, make sure that you get pictures of these bikes because it is a once in a lifetime chance to see them.

If you fancy selling your house to buy a classic bike then perhaps you can talk to Dutch star, Michael Buttinger who is bringing his incredibly rare 1957 Honda Asama racer. Michael has a very robust attitude to race bikes. "If you don't a race bike then it's just a pile of old metal! Race bikes in museums are dead."

We totally agree with Michael - but we're keeping our fingers crossed that the amiable Dutchman has no mechanical problems with this marvellous piece of motorcycling history.

Michael's Asama racer in its original form. We hope Michael is slightly more pleased than the Japanese pilot!

We have always had a lot of fans in France and this year we're looking forward to having Alain Marie who is bringing his stunning BMW across the channel to entertain us. Alain travels all over Europe racing his BMW and the sight, and sound, of this fabulous flat twin will stir a lot hearts.

Alain in flat out action! The Frenchman's BMW is a thing of beauty if you like Bavarian flat twins!

Although we are already in December, Christmas seems a long time away for us at the moment as new developments seem to happen almost every day.

First, there was the news of HM Plant Honda joining us - you can read the full story below - and now we are delighted to announce that we have another world class association with the news that Bike Magazine are joining us.

Bike is Britain's biggest selling motorcycle magazine and more than just the number of copies which are sold, Bike has a reputation for producing some of the best stories in the motorcycling press.

One industry insider said of Bike: "Their worst stories are excellent and even that's rare - usuallly, they are much better than that. Often, the writing and photography puts them at the the top of the tree - and that's why the magazine sells so well."

We can only agree and it is Bike's relentless pursuit of the best quality journalism that makes us so proud to be associated with the publication.

Bike Editor, John Westlake, will be out in the Thundersprint "Motorcycling Personalities" class - when he's not on the Bike stand in the trade area.

Editor John Westlake said: "The Thundersprint is a phenomenal event and I am absolutely chuffed that Bike is going to be there.

"As anyone who's been before knows, it's a cracking day out, and we're hoping to encourage thousands of Bike readers to come and sample its unique mixture of tense racing and relaxed atmosphere. Roll on May!"

Every year the Thundersprint attracts top class riders from all over the world but for 2007 we've got very special guests in the form of the HM Plant Honda factory team with riders Ryuichi Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea.

Kiyo at play on the fabulous Honda Fireblade. What a site for the Thundersprint!

We’re delighted to welcome one of the world’s top Superbike teams to the Thundersprint for a relaxing weekend away from the pressures of their normal race schedule.

Ryuichi and Jonathan will be having a play on their Superbikes in the Motorcycling Personalities class along with a host of other celebrities. We want the team to have some fun and meet as many fans as possible on their first visit to the Thundersprint.

As with all Thundersprints, the HM Plant Honda team will be located in the paddock which has completely unrestricted access. Fans will be able to get up close to the factory bikes, talk to technicians and meet the riders socially.

In fact, the Thundersprint will provide a unique opportunity to meet one of the world’s great race teams on a personal level."

Thundersprint fans will be able to get close up and personal with the works Hondas at the Thundersprint.

HM Plant Honda Team Manager, Neil Tuxworth, said: "I have heard so many positive things about the Thundersprint and in every way it really is a unique event. Although we are all professionals, and work with racing motorcycles for a living, we are also bike enthusiasts at heart so the chance to be surrounded by so many great motorcycles from the past, and 100,000 enthusiastic spectators, is just too good to miss

"We’re really looking forward to meeting the team’s loyal supporters and making some new friends too. We will be available all day to talk racing and bikes."

Ryuichi said: "I have heard that the organisers turn a small town into a massive race event in just one night and I am really looking forward to taking part in something so different.

"Riding on a 400m long track in the town centre will be completely unlike anything I have done before but it sounds like a lot of fun."

British Champion but still never ridden a 200bhp Superbike in a car park! What have you been doing with your life Kiyo?

Following the success of this year’s Thundersprint eBike Insurance, Britain’s fastest growing motorcycle insurer, have signed a three year deal to become the event’s title sponsor.

eBike's Marketing Manager Geoff Derham takes colleague Alex Phillips for a cruise round Northwich in the Cavalcade. Alex stayed very focussed!

Does Geoff look as if he is sitting on the Honda because it's his job -or is he imagining he's just been signed by Soichiro for the 1973 season?

eBike’s Managing Director, Jaimie Hanley, said: “eBike insurance are delighted to be the headline sponsor for Thundersprint 2007 - and continuing into 2008 and 2009.

“We are a motorcycle insurance company first, last and middle and love to be involved with every type of bike and biker.

"The Thundersprint lets us meet huge numbers of our customers, from sports and race bike fans to the custom and cruiser enthusiasts, face to face and in a very relaxed way.

“We also have staff participating in the racing and cavalcade and taking a full part in the whole weekend party, as the hard core motorcyclists that we are.

“Following the success of this year’s event, we intend to build an even greater presence at the Thundersprint over the next three years.

"The Thundersprint is completely unique and has grown to become the highlight of the biking calendar.

eBike Business Development Manager, Mark Dunckley, was fast and smooth around the Thundersprint track.

For our part, we are delighted to have eBike join us as long term partners. Not only has the company got an incredibly high reputation with its customers, which by association reflects well on the Thundersprint, but eBike staff are highly professional, creative and fun to work with.

We have a really good time together striving to make the Thundersprint the best event in the world. We could not have a better partner and we look forward to doing spectacular things together over the next three years.

The critical problem the whole of the eBike Management team faces for the 2007 business year is how to get Alex on the track for next year's Thundersprint. Any suggestions?

Pictures on our website come from a number of sources and you are free to copy them for your own, personal use. Please give a picture credit to www.thundersprint.com should you put the images on your own website.

If you wish to use any of them commercially, please contact us first . Many, but not all, are also available in high resolution versions from the original photographers. These are:

Many of the images have been produced by us and we don't sell them commercially. If you see a picture you like, please try the photographers listed above.

If you have any ideas on how we can make improvements to the Thundersprint please e-mail us at:

info@thundersprint.com or ‘phone us on: 01928 740 498 between 9am and 8pm British time

The New Year started very promptly for us with the excellent G-Mex show. We always enjoy this show because there's lots to see and a really friendly atmosphere which makes it a special event on the show calendar. The Thundersprint had a high profile with representation on the BMF and Salvation Army stands in addition to many of our regular traders promoting our "Grand Prix in a Car Park".

It was really good to meet so many Thundersprint fans personally and to listen to your views and comments. We organise the Thundersprint but it is very much your event and we are very grateful for your comments and listen to them closely. Thanks for finding the time to talk with us.

The Salvation Army team did a wonderful job helping us promote the Thundersprint whilst spreading the good word about the their Christmas Toy Run which has become one of the biggest charity events in the country.

The Salvation Army Team were delighted with the response they had at the G-Mex Show

We would like to make a special mention to one of the key driving forces in the Salvation Army Toy Run, Mike Hunt - fourth from the right.

In addition to his charity work, Mike is also a keen and skilful classic racer and his T500 race bike was on display all weekend. Mike's race bike attracted a huge amount of interest but the star of the stand was his original 1969 Raleigh Runabout mo-ped.

Despite being tucked away at the rear of the exhibition the little Raleigh had a queue of fans all weekend - along with a string of offers to buy. Forget the exotic race bikes, nostalgia rules!

Over 9,000 Thundersprint flyers were given out over the three days of the G-Mex show. Here Elizabeth and Harley chat to a first time Thundersprint visitor

Finally, Frank put showed an impressive lack of knowledge about motorcycling when he took part in the "Road and Racing Motorcycles" quiz.

Fortunately, with the help of a flyer he managed to remember something about the Thundersprint and here he manages to get compere Wayne Kershaw to promote the Thundersprint to a large audience.

Here's Frank avoiding answering quiz questions with a style which would get him a job as a government Minister.

It's going to be heaven for Honda British Superbike fans at the Thundersprint. Not only will there be a unique chance to see British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari enjoying himself on the 200bhp HM Plant Honda Superbike but team mate Jonathan Rea will be joining in the fun on the second factory Honda.

Jonathan knows all about road racing, being born and bred in Northern Ireland, and is looking forward to the Thundersprint as a break from a hectic championship schedule.

Jonathan said: "I have heard that the Thundersprint event is great fun and very different from our normal championship events. When I saw the pictures of all the trees and walls it reminded me of my motocrossing days - just the place for a play on a Superbike!

"To be honest, we are all looking forward to attending the Thundersprint and meeting all the fans that are there.

"British Superbike racing is a serious business and although I love meeting fans I am 101% focussed on winning when I am racing.

"The Thundersprint is completely different and it will be a great opportunity to relax whilst enjoying a unique event.

"I hope that lots of the Irish lads come over for the craic and give me plenty of support.”

Jonathan Rea is deadly serious about winning but, rumour has it, knows how to party too!

Although we are already in December, Christmas seems a long time away for us at the moment as new developments seem to happen almost every day.

We can only agree and it is Bike's relentless pursuit of the best quality journalism that makes us so proud to be associated with the publication.

Bike Editor, John Westlake, will be out in the Thundersprint "Motorcycling Personalities" class - when he's not on the Bike stand in the trade area.

Editor John Westlake said: "The Thundersprint is a phenomenal event and I am absolutely chuffed that Bike is going to be there.

Kiyo at play on the fabulous Honda Fireblade. What a site for the Thundersprint!

We’re delighted to welcome one of the world’s top Superbike teams to the Thundersprint for a relaxing weekend away from the pressures of their normal race schedule.

In fact, the Thundersprint will provide a unique opportunity to meet one of the world’s great race teams on a personal level."

Thundersprint fans will be able to get close up and personal with the works Hondas at the Thundersprint.

"We’re really looking forward to meeting the team’s loyal supporters and making some new friends too. We will be available all day to talk racing and bikes."

Ryuichi said: "I have heard that the organisers turn a small town into a massive race event in just one night and I am really looking forward to taking part in something so different.

"Riding on a 400m long track in the town centre will be completely unlike anything I have done before but it sounds like a lot of fun."

British Champion but still never ridden a 200bhp Superbike in a car park! What have you been doing with your life Kiyo?

We are always being asked if there are any souvenirs available of the Thundersprint so we have purchased the last of the high quality Thundersprint t-shirts which were manufactured by one of our traders who has now gone out of business. These are truly the last of the line and therefore highly likely to be found on e-bay selling for tens of thousands of pounds in a few years from now. Or maybe perhaps not. All the shirts are extremely generously sized and therefore think one size smaller than you normally buy.

The cost is £10, including post and package. For this, we will also throw in a free Thundersprint pen and pencil set - another example of fine Chinese engineering which later generations will regard with awe!

What will really be regarded with amazement is the Thundersprint 2006 dvd. Produced by renowned film maker Rob Hallam, everyone is agreed that this is one of the best bike dvds ever produced. A shorter version of the dvd is being shown on ITV's "Men and Motors" so you will get to see all the TV show plus about 15 minutes of bonus footage. That's extra bike shots by the way, not a film of a London banker's pay cheque at Christmas!

Click on order form on Order Form and get your Christmas presents in stock now

As the demand for a whole weekend of Thundersprint activities grows, we are really pleased to let you know that all Saturday’s action has been relocated to Winnington Park Rugby Club, located just two miles from Northwich town centre.

We have always been very fortunate to have the active and enthusiastic support of Vale Royal Borough Council but, even working closely together, we have always struggled to find a single site which could house both the weekend camping and Saturday’s static motorcycle display.

Now, we are delighted to announce what we hope will become a permanent relocation of Saturday's Thundersprint prelude, to Winnington Park Rugby Club. Winnington Park is easy to find being right next to Moss Farm Recreation Area, the location for last year's camping. Winnington Park will be well signposted from all directions.

When we first visited Winnington Park we were amazed at just what an excellent facility the club has. They have a large, tarmaced car park for displays, a superb club room and plenty of room for camping.

The camping will have a separate area for those bringing well-behaved pets for the weekend - and another area for families with well-behaved children!

Pet owners will be expected to keep their animals under total control and to observe and respect the club's hygiene arrangements. Animals must only be exercised in the designated area.

The families' area will have a code of conduct regarding noise and the playing of games with the intention being that those with little ones can enjoy a peaceful night without being disturbed by noise of any kind.

If you opt for the family area, we would expect you to comply with this code of conduct.

The other areas will be open for general camping with a demand from the club that campers behave in a reasonable, socially acceptable manner. This seems very fair, and completely sensible, to us.

We were also tremendously impressed with the club's enthusiasm for the Thundersprint and their desire to build Saturday’s part of the Thundersprint into a major event in its own right. As far as we are concerned, this is the last part of the jigsaw puzzle which will give Vale Royal a full weekend of Thundersprint activities.

Clearly, the Thundersprint itself will remain on Sunday 13 May, in its normal Northwich town centre location.

This is the day after the prelude at Winnington Park which will be on Saturday 12 May.

Mick McCafferty, Chairman of Winnington Park Rugby Club said: “We see Winnington Park Rugby Club as a key part of the Vale Royal Community and it gives us great pleasure to be able to make a contribution to such an important event.

"We want to play our part in showing the world what Northwich has to offer and what we, as partners in the wider Vale Royal Community, can achieve.

“We have already successfully hosted small motorcycle rallies and caravan events at Winnington Park but nothing on the scale of what is planned for the Thundersprint. We know we have the skills and management to host a great event on the day before the Thundersprint and we’re already hard at work planning the day now.”