That was Knockhill, now Kelso.
July 10 2009
Previous Kelso Bikefest.
Our distinctive yellow signs help point the way.
Well I hope you've all recovered from what was a great weekend out at the Superbike meeting at Knockhill. Not only was the weather pretty good, but the racing was great. Our local hero Stuart Easton did well with a second and fourth - that first elusive win is still out there, but I'm sure it'll come soon.
We saw plenty of you at our pitch at the hairpin and thanks very much for the comments and positive feedback on our Campaign. Some of the comments will be taken on board and acted upon soon, others might take a bit longer to put in place. The mini-moto seemed a great draw as did the Suzuki PR girls who arrived unexpectedly. If you've any photos you're proud of, try sending them in to us through the Forum.
As far as we in Lothian and Borders area are concerned you all did well and behaved yourselves in our area, thanks very much and keep it up. I'd like to think that the advice and tips we've been handing out do make a difference. By listening to the pointers on cornering, observations and other aspects of biking and taking away a few helpful ideas and applying them to your own riding technique, you can see an improvement in your riding ability without it diminishing the fun you have on the bike. Indeed, with practice you'll discover that far from spoiling a day out, the tips from the "polis" actually help you get more from your ride-out.
But, to this weekend. We're all off to the British Motorcycle Federation's Bikefest at Kelso Showground. This is an annual event and is the biggest event of its kind north of the Border. It attracts an audience from all over Scotland and England and has increased in size year on year. The weather is meant to be pretty good this weekend and after speaking to the organisers, even if it does rain a little, the ground is hard enough that the campsite will not turn to mud. With that good news there's no reason not to come for at least one of the days, but it's better to stay over and enjoy a beer or two and the music and entertainment laid on for the Saturday night.
If you do decide to make your way to Kelso for the event then I'll make my usual request - please ride sensibly! Get there in one piece and more importantly get back home again - without scrapes to your skin or panels on the bike, or even building up points on your licence. You can still make your way to Kelso and enjoy the roads and the scenery. Go to our Top Tips page and read up on cornering and observations just to keep it fresh in your mind. Keep the concentration level up, especially on the twisty bits and if you're riding in a group don't be tempted to go for overtakes which mean you're riding into a closing gap, just to keep up with your mates. They'll still be there around the next bend - you might not be.
We'll be out on the roads along with our colleagues on four wheels over the entire weekend, so ride sensibly, you'll not know which corner we might be around. Keep to the speed limits, especially in the built-up areas. As I've mentioned in the past and will continue to do so, it's not about fixing you, our campaign is about interacting with you and helping you to improve your riding skills, thus increasing your enjoyment on two wheels. If there's anything at all you want to ask us about or discuss then come and see us at our stand C4, we'll be happy to give you the benefit of our training and experience and hand out some freebies.
Looking forward to meeting some of you over the weekend, cheers.
