Black Country MAG

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since 04.04.2000

Welsh National Motorcycle Show.

31st May - 4th June 2002

Bank Holiday traffic... don't you just love it?

It took two hours to do the first fifty miles towards Builth Wells, even with some frantic queue jumping (always fun with panniers and full rally kit). However, once past Leominster, the traffic was done with, and the roads were just beautiful - whoever designed the A44 must have owned a bike. As for that last 10 miles of twisties between the A44 and Builth wells...full-on adrenaline at 40mph! (I took a wrong turning on the way home, and found an even twistier road, complete with cattle grids and the ultimate in low-speed thrills - free roaming sheep! Gotta love Wales!)

This was my third year at the Welsh Show, so everything was familiar, but with some noticeable improvements. Better access to the camping fields meant you didn't have to squeeze your bike past the fun-fair contraptions. Cars were allowed onto the main camping area, instead of being crammed into the top field behind the main arena like last year. I know some people will moan about cars at bike rallies, but there was a separate bike-only camping section. The Welsh Show is a family event, and the "typical" group attending (us included) was a bloke on a bike, with his missus/wife/partner in a car with kids (and extra beer of course!)

Daytime entertainment was provided my the MCN Stunt Spectacular, with shows starting at 11am, 1pm and 3pm - so even us late risers got to see some of the action. The shows included the Free Style Jump Team, Team Extreme, the incredible Mokus, MAG Sport's Sammymack and European stunt Champion Kevin Carmichael. (I've cribbed this from the press release and event program - wouldn't want anyone thinking I've become organised and attentive!)

The Freestyle Jump Team definitely caught my attention. Although impressive, I've seen the burnout/stoppie/wheelie/donut stunts at many other events, but this is the first time I've seen this sort of display. The height achieved by the jumpers is impressive in itself, but when they start standing on the seat or sitting on the handlebars in mid-air, jaws were hitting the floor all round.

Headline band on Saturday night was Dr & The Medics. Not most people's idea of a "biker" band - which is a good thing in my opinion, as the R&B/Metal/Rock thing gets a bit repetitive after a while. They played a cracking set of party tunes, and the dance floor was heaving. When they closed with "Spirit In The Sky", people were running back into the barn to dance. A really good party atmosphere - possibly helped by the 2-litre jugs of lager from the bar!

Funky!

Apologies for the quality of this photo - I'm still getting to grips with the digital zoom on my new camera - but if you look closely, you can make out MAG-UK's (previously) well-respected webmaster, getting jiggy with it!

Health Warning

Being involved with running a show on this scale is a major commitment of time and energy. After 4 days, you end up looking this knackered! Top marks to Gary, Steve and all the other organisers and marshals, who put on a show to be proud of.

Verdict

An excellent family event, with plenty going on throughout the weekend, and loads of room to spread out of the campsite, so you get to choose whether you party all weekend or just chill out and relax. See you there next year.

If you like this sort of Show/Rally, you should also take a look at the Anglesey report. For more info about this years event, check out the MAG-UK website.