October 15th and 16th at the Staffordshire County Showground (ST18 0BD) sees the huge Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, tickets from just £14 and kids go free. It’s free to park, too! Let’s hear from CMM Mag’s editor, Bertie Simmonds, about the show:
Classic motorcycles have just gotten too expensive.
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If you’re my age and you zipped about on the likes of old, knackered Yamaha RD350 Powervalves, you’ll know just how bloody expensive they are now, more so the once humble LC! And if you progressed on to a big four-stroke – maybe a Suzuki GSX-R750 slabside or even a slingshot – then you’ll also know that these aren’t the cheap, entry-level classics they once were.
But there is hope. The VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club) has a 15-year rule and that means we can indulge in bikes that are that little bit newer and perhaps not quite so ‘classic’ as others.
With this in mind, we decided to look back 20-30 years… that’s 1992 to 2002. This was an era of Brit Pop, FireBlades, R1s, PlayStations, Carl Fogarty, Suzuki Bandits and many, many more super-cool bikes that can still be found for bargain prices, if you look hard enough. Don’t believe me? Well, my own £1000 Triumph Speed Triple 955i will be on the stand, so come and take a look and see if it puts Niall Mackenzie’s Honda NR750 and Yamaha YZF-R7 to shame!
Our hall will be fully interactive so pop along, challenge me at Tekken 2 on the PlayStation, and listen to the cool sounds of the decade that taste forgot. It’ll be a giggle.
And then there’s our guest of honour – John Kocinski. What a star. I was lucky enough to see John’s impact on the World Superbike championship when I was a reporter covering the World Superbike series. Dropping a former 500cc GP winner and 250cc champ into a paddock which contained Carl Fogarty, Aaron Slight, Pierfrancesco Chili, Troy Corser, Anthony Gobert and Simon Crafar took the series up a notch! He was a winner from round one at Misano on the dominant Ducati, but his time with the Italian factory would last only one season before a switch to Castrol Honda to take the V4 RC45 to its one and only title. I, for one, will be listening intently to the interviews up on stage; the man is a legend with a lot to say, racing the world’s best in both 500cc Grand Prixs during its golden years and World Superbike in that championship’s golden era, too.
So – enjoy all the staple delights of the CMM Stafford Show, but then come and be cool and down with the kids and help us celebrate 1992-2002!
Bertie Simmonds
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Editor
The brand-new Naughty 90s Hall
‘Classic’ is in the eye of the beholder and, well, it’s time for the new guard to make its mark at Stafford. This brand-new hall, in association with Suzuki, will showcase the very best and most interesting future classics from the 1990s and early 2000s. You’ll find a mixture of clubs from the era and a display of individual, affordable bikes that you simply must have in your garage.
90s Classic ride-in
Near the GP Paddock we’ll be hosting a 90s classic bike ride-in. We’re giving away 90 tickets per day worth £3000, which will give you free entry, and allow you to park up inside the show itself! To take part in the 90s ride-in, all you have to do is apply online at www.mortonsevents.co.uk. You will need to be in the show by 11am and be able to stay until 3pm! Tickets are limited so be quick!
Meet double world champ John Kocinski
There’s no doubt our 2022 guest of honour is a real superstar. He was the 1990 250cc Grand Prix world champion; AMA winner; 500cc Grand Prix competitor; 1997 World Superbike champion; Wayne Rainey’s teammate; Kenny Roberts’ protégé; and part of the dynasty of American greats.
You can join racing virtuoso John Kocinski live on the Yamaha Racing Heritage Club Stage across the weekend. He will be interviewed, warts an’ all, by Eurosport commentator and motorcycle pundit Jack Burnicle, who’ll be asking questions about what it was like racing Rainey, Doohan, Schwantz, Lawson and Foggy, winning and losing in a cut-throat sport, and just how hard it was to give Cagiva their first-ever dry race win in 500cc Grand Prix racing.
As well as the main man himself, we have a few of his stunning racing machines too, including John’s 1994 Cagiva Factory C594 race bike.
Get your Kocinski paraphernalia at the ready and we’ll bring the Sharpie!
Tickets and more info, at the link below!
#morebikes #motorcycles #staffordshow #johnkocinski
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