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Thundersprint 2009
James Toseland, twice World Superbike Champion, and current MotoGP star, walked round the Thundersprint track, smiled and shook his head when he was told that the fastest classic racers were going to get round the 447 yards of turns, twists and trees which comprise the Thundersprint track in under 25 seconds. “You would have to be mad to ride a classic round here at that speed.” said the affable superstar. As things turned out, there were a LOT of mad classic racers at Thundersprint 2009 |
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Tony Hudson was brilliant in the Masterclass
Leading the mad men in the Masterclass was Tony Hudson on his wailing Honda in a strong sub-25 second time, battling it out neck and neck with TT star Keith Heckles and his mighty Manx Norton Just as spectacular, but in a completely different way, were James Toseland and HM Plant Honda factory rider Steve Plater. James and Steve stunted their way round the course and drove the crowd wild with delight. Phil Read was incredible on his Alto Performance Vyrus
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Chasing them hard were World Champions Jim Redman and Sammy Miller on another pair of immaculate Hondas with displays which had the crowds on their feet and the air horns filling the natural arena right in the centre of Northwich. The Motorcycling Personalities class saw an incredible mixture of pure show business and breathtaking riding. Showing just how fast it's possible to ride one of the toughest tracks in classic racing, Phil Read Junior knee scraped the Alto Performance, hub-centre Vyrus round in a breath taking 21.05 seconds! Sammy Miller deafens the crowd with his wonderful RC181 Honda
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But this was just the start of what was to be three and a half hours of action packed racing. Geoff Steele was neat and elegant on his 350 Velocette and Graeme Hardy , better known as “Forge Formby” on the Shuttleworth Snap, managed a magnificently slow 43.32 seconds - and was nearly deafened by the cheers. Sheer speed and Hollywood entertainment side by side - that's what the Thundersprint is all about |
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Oliver Presswood dominated the Golden Age class with his Velocette Venom
Oliver Presswood was superb with his mighty Velo in the Golden Age class and probably the neatest rider of the day was 250 class winner Peter Jordan with his home tuned 250 Royal Enfield. Peter's time of 24.20 meant that he could have won most of the other classes - he was that fast! Another ultra quick rider was Jaeson Caunce who threaded his Honda round the three corners, ten trees and 100 yards of stone wall of the Thundersprint speed bowl in a breathtaking 22.7 seconds. Almost as quick, but so smooth he made the job look easy, was Howard Ostle and his crackling BSA B.50. The fences echoed to the sound of really heavy metal - and not the punk version of the Thundersprint's Morris Men - when the Classic Unlimited class came to the line. Brian Glover was imperious with his 928 Weslake engined Norton but Mick Rooney - who brings half of Yorkshire as cheerleaders - was a sound second on the Triumph Bonneville. Thundersprint sponsors eBike were down on the track in force to see their man Mark Kemsley bring the immaculate eBike back safe and sound after three quick runs. Just as impressed were the new Cheshire West and Chester Councillors and Officers who struggled to believe their eyes. A twice World Champion stunting it up in the new Authority's best car park? The grins told the story: it was great! Adam Child entertains the crowd on his R1
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The engine notes shifted from bass to soprano with lightweights and ultra lightweights. Phil Bootherstone, and his ex-works Triumph Cub, just squeezed out German star Joerg Trautvetter who had driven 826 miles from the Sachsenring circuit just to race at the Thundersprint. The gap was just 0.11 seconds to the determined Brit. Howard Ostle hammering his BSA through the trees and walls of the Thundersprint
The precision pilots of the Thundersprint in the 50 class fought tooth and nail with only 3 seconds separating winner Raymond Dennerley - Honda CR110 - from Brian Jackson's lovely little Minarelli in sixth place. A special mention must go to David Clarke who rode the wheels off his original Itom to finish second. The crowd were still packed tight into the grandstands for the finale of racing: the sidecar class. Londoner Dave Goddard slid his Suzuki engined hill climb special to the narrowest of victories over Graham Hilditch and Tony Dalton with just three tenths of a second splitting the two crews. Phil Bootherstone and showing how hard an ex-works Triumph can be riddens
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Thundersprint Cavalcade Sponsored by Sunwise Sunglasses: With over 220 race and road bikes strutting their stuff over
three 2 and a 1/2 HM Plant Honda factory rider Glen Richards leads the Cavalcade An estimated 100,000 cheering spectators packed the pavements as the battle cries of howling Honda fours and mighty Manx Nortons bounced off the walls of Northwich Police Station and the Magistrates' Court. And you don't see that very often. The atmosphere was electric, the crowds wildly enthusiastic and the good done for motorcycling was immense. Cavalcade Trophies Sponsored by Bill Barrowclough A special thanks goes to Bill Barrowclough for providing the superb trophies for the best presented Cavalcade bikes. These went to: Bob Fletcher – BSA Rocket Gold Star Keith Woods – Yamaha RD350 Paul Thomas – Honda SS50 For a breakdown of all the times click on RESULTS which will take you direct to Sportstiming Services' website |
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Best Ever Thundersprint The sun shone, classic race engines roared round the tight town centre track, the Morris Men danced - and the crowds packed into Northwich town centre in their tens of thousands. The weekend began with the Thundersprint Bike Show, now located right in Northwich town centre on the beautiful riverside piazza. The new venue proved to be extremely popular with over 100 classic and modern bikes on show. World class rider on a world class bike. The immortal Jim Redman on board Clive Brooker's immaculate Honda CR750
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If Saturday was good, then it was only a warm up for what was to come. By 8am the crowds were packing Northwich for the Thundersprint itself. Jim Redman and Sammy Miller screamed their four cylinder Hondas through the trees, HM Plant Honda's Steve Plater showed how to ride a factory racing machine quickly - on the front wheel - and MotoGP star James Toseland decorated the track with massive donuts. What a show! Glen Richard, James Toseland and Steve Plater get to know the Thundersprint crowd The modern stars turned the Thundersprint into a Hollywood spectacular and the classic aces showed just how good they are with some spectacular racing which had the crowd on its feet. Mike Jones, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, was making his first visit to the Thundersprint and had a fantastic time. Mr. Jones said: “I had heard that the Thundersprint was a huge event but I had no idea just how big." |
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JT entertains the crowd on Wigan Yamaha R1
“Not only was Northwich filled to a capacity but I was delighted with the number of long stay visitors who have filled every available hotel in the area. The economic impact on the region is significant. “I was just as impressed by the large media presence. The Thundersprint is being covered world wide and this amount of press, radio and TV coverage is priceless to West Cheshire . “But most of all, I was delighted to see so many happy faces having a good time - and that is very important to Cheshire West and Chester Council” We're certain that this year was was our best ever Thundersprint. We had the most visitors, the greatest number of participant entries and our traders reported record sales. The Thundersprint was a huge credit to the hard work put in by Cheshire West and Chester Council without whose dedication and enthusiasm there would not be a Thundersprint in Northwich. Just as important was the warm welcome given to visitors from all over Britain , and even further afield, by the people of Northwich. For us, the best thing that happened at the Thundersprint was seeing the whole community represented from Mums with babies to more mature citizens reliving the sights and sounds of their youth. Hard core sports bike fans sat next classic enthusiasts enjoying the spectacle. The Thundersprint is for and of the whole community regardless of income or status. “This year's Thundersprint was good – next year's event, in Northwich as always, will be even bigger and better.” |
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Sunwise Sunglasses Sponsor the Thundersprint Cavalcade We're really pleased to have Sunwise join us as sponsor of the Thundersprint Cavalcade - particularly with this year's mammoth entry and the good weather predicted for next week. We're all going to need the sort of eye protection that Sunwise offers. We've seen, and tried, a pair of Sunwise sunglasses and they really are the business with the sort of finish normally found on hyper expensive designer brands. Sunwise is an award-winning British brand with
an unrivalled blend of style, performance and value that has made it
one of the fastest growing names around. Now, Sunwise is making a
big impact in biking through their new distributor www.motocomp.com
Sunrise Waterloo - designed and made in Britain
Sunwise - British Innovation in Eyewear. Sunrise Windrush will be on sale from MotoComp's stand on both days
Sunwise Sunglasses began in 1996 under Trans-Global Sports Limited and specialises in high performance and fashion sunglasses with an emphasis on value for money. Sunwise products start at only £24.99. Trans-Global Sports Ltd is the UK's most successful sports company and won the "New Exporter of the Year" award for "demonstrating excellence in international trade" at the UK Trade and Investment Awards. www.sunwise.co.uk Smile You're On Video - or Maybe You Want to Make One! "Biker Mike" has put some great Thundersprint videos on YouTube and you can see them by clicking visiting our Video Archive. But there are also a lot more Thundersprint videos on the YouTube site. If you like filming, the Thundersprint is the place to be. Unlike many other big events, we actually WANT you to film at the Thundersprint and there are tons of great opportunities to film the track action, the Cavalcade -and the rest of the show. If you are interested in filming, and we can be of any help, please send an e-mail to info@thundersprint.com Knutsford Honda Bring All Star Cast to the Thundersprint
Steve Plater explains the joys of riding a 200bhp Superbike in a large car park whilst Glen Richards looks suitably impressed! Knutsford Honda are just a few miles from the centre of the Thundersprint at High Legh and Dealer Principal, Sean Davis, is already a big fan of the event. Sean said: "I've attended the Thundersprint on a number of occasions and I have always had a fantastic time. When I was offered the opportunity to build a Honda Village showing all that's best about the brand, I jumped at the chance. "We will have a selection of the latest bikes, the rider training simulator and perhaps best of all, the full factory HM Plant Honda team with riders Steve Plater and Glen Richards. It's going to be a tremendous display." Not that the HM Plant team are new to the Thundersprint. British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari and team mate Jonathan Rea came to the 2007 event and the team was tremendously impressed. Team Manager Neil Tuxworth said: "We've been to some big events but I don't think I have ever seen more enthusiastic fans than at the Thundersprint. The boys nearly ran out of pens, they signed so many autographs! We're really looking forward to coming back again" |
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Steve Plater in glorious action on the magnificent HM Plant Honda Superbike
Glen's HM Plant team mate, Steve Plater, is just as keen "I saw the pictures of the track in the car park and I thought, ‘Yes, this looks just like Macau. I'm going to enjoy this!' |
"I really like the whole idea of having a huge biking party in a town centre and I think that it is a great credit to the local Council that they will allow this to happen. "Racing is a serious business for me and it will be really good to have the time to talk to fans in the relaxed atmosphere of the Thundersprint. "Make sure that you come to the Knutsford Honda stand and say hello." Glen Richards is looking forward to a brand-new experience in his racing career when he comes to the Thundersprint for the first time in May |
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Queen of England Blags Thundersprint Star For
Flower Show
The Thundersprint will miss motorcycling superstar James May, and his mighty 70cc Honda Cub, because JM is making a plasticine garden which the Queen will see. James said:"I'm extremely disappointed not to be at this year's Thundersprint, the greatest motorcycling event in Cheshire and probably the world, but I have to meet the Queen. And I don't mean Jeremy Clarkson. "It's especially galling as I had race-prepared my Honda C70 Cub by fitting a new spark plug and pumping the tyres up a bit. I hope you all have an excellent day despite my absence.” Whilst we understand the Queen's enthusiasm for meeting James, and thus removing him from the Thundersprint, we hope that she will reciprocate by doing a lap of the Thundersprint course in Moz Baines' sidecar next year. Will Lizzi Windsor be replacing Pete Jordan as Moz's passenger? Come to Thundersprint 2010 to find out! Thundersprint Camping is "Go" We've got a brilliant new venue for the camping which will open on Friday 8 May and stay open until the morning of Monday 11 May. There's entertainment, good food and pets are welcome. All for £30 for the whole weekend. Click on CAMPING for all the information. |
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Jim Redman Leads All Star Entry at Thundersprint 2009 |
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Each year we promise that the following Thundersprint will be the best ever - and we’re confident in announcing that Thundersprint 2009 will be incredible.So, let’s start at the top. Jim blasts off the line on Clive Brooker's immaculate CR750
We are delighted, truly delighted, that Jim Redman, six times World Champion and six times TT winner, will be back with us once more - taking part in his only competitive event of the 2009 season. |
Fast and smooth. Just what you would expect from a six times World Champion!
Still the only man to win Six World Championships for Honda, Jim is one of the greatest racing motorcyclists of all time. Jim is a huge Vale Royal Borough Council fan and looks on the Thundersprint as very much his “own” meeting. |
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Jim says: “I first met Thundersprint organiser Frank Melling at the Manchester bike show in 1999. I had never heard of the Thundersprint ten years ago - I don’t think many people had at the time - but I was really impressed by Frank’s enthusiasm - and the fact that he was prepared to re-mortgage his house to finance the event. If anyone has that amount of commitment they deserve to succeed! “At the time, the Thundersprint was run at a Go-Kart track near Wigan and to be honest, I didn’t expect very much. If it had been a well run amateur event that’s all that I would have expected. “In fact, I was really surprised at the quality and efficiency of the organisation and the enthusiasm of the team behind the event. Everything ran like clockwork and from then on I’ve become a big Thundersprint fan. “Although I have ridden at many events in 50 years of competitive motorcycling there are none better organised than the Thundersprint. It’s amazing how a town centre is transformed into a race circuit over night and I love the intensity of the atmosphere. “You can feel the excitement right from the start of day - and that’s at dawn, although it feels a lot earlier! “The Thundersprint is the nearest thing to a classic Grand Prix that still exists in terms of the sheer excitement and scale of the event. There are many other classic bike events in the world - and I enjoy them all. But what makes the Thundersprint special is the atmosphere. It’s electric. The crowds packed next to the track, the noise, the smells - the sheer intensity of the event is unique. I ride all over the world and there is literally nothing else like the Thundersprint anywhere. Clive Brooker's highly professional team get Jim ready for action.
“Everybody races, at their own level, in the Thundersprint and that makes it a world away from events which are just demonstrations. Look at the riders’ faces on the line and see if they care about the times. They do! “The paddock is just like it was in the ‘60s. There are no huge motorhomes with darkened windows or corporate hospitality tents covered in keep out signs. At lunch-time, you’ll find me sat next to my bike having a sandwich and talking to fans and that’s how it should be. There is a tendency for modern riders to forget who pays their wages and their responsibility to the ordinary bloke with an autograph book. “The final reason I like the Thundersprint so much is that I just love coming to Northwich. It’s such a friendly town and the fans are so enthusiastic. Everyone from local politicians and Anne Bingham-Holmes, the Chief Executive of Vale Royal Borough Council, to the “Floatel” where I stay every year, has made me feel so welcome. The Thundersprint is just like a Grand Prix from my heyday and there’s nothing better than being able to get really close to the people who have given me so much over the last 50 years.
“Then there’s Northwich itself. It’s a lovely little market town - with a fascinating history and a cosy atmosphere. “But best of all is the huge number of local fans I meet who make me feel as if Northwich is my second home. “That’s why I’ll be back in 2009 - and with my eye on the winner’s trophy. “Please make sure you come along to Clive Brooker’s van in the paddock and say hello. That’s where I’ll be all day with Clive’s Honda - enjoying the day as much as you.” |
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Website Managed by Square Tomatoes 2009 |
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Geoff
Steele threads his immaculate Velocette to a Pre-War class win
mile laps of Northwich the Thundersprint Cavalcade has got to be one
of the great spectacles in the motorcycling world. That it can take
place at all is a huge credit to Cheshire West and Chester Council
and Cheshire Police who spend countless hours on the planning and
execution of it and to Sunwise Sunglasses who supported the show.
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