The September 2021 Motor Cycle News (MCN) Festival of Motorcycling had been delayed 18 months due to the Covid pandemic. This year we were amazed at the numbers of motorcycling enthusiasts who attended the weekend, and we were told that even the Camping had sold out. Most manufacturers were present, with a lot of them once again offering fleets of demo bikes for people to try over the weekend. The notable exception was Suzuki, who did not attend at all. It was also disappointing that Indian didn’t bring a demo fleet, that FTR-R would be great to try!
There were lots of attractions across the whole show, with the usual motorcycle racing, stunt shows, off-road riding, wall of death and of course the usual, albeit much reduced, motorcycle clothing and peripherals stalls.
PECAM were in attendance in two ways, as has been the case for the last 6 years or so. We had our recruitment stand, very noticeably positioned in the manufacturers area, opposite the Triumph stand and next to Royal Enfield. We also provided ride marshals for some of the manufacturers demo fleet ride outs.
The ride marshal duties offer the manufacturers a group of very experienced, advanced qualified, motorcycle group leads and the riders get to ride the latest machines the manufacturers have on offer. In addition, PECAM has developed a number of excellent routes over the last 6 years, that offers the demo rider the best opportunity to safely and legally try out the machine they are on, on the best roads the area has to offer.
‘…your guys are brilliant, very efficient, enthusiastic and professional’
Paul Taylor, Zero Motorcycles
Everyone was unsure what the first post-Covid peak weekend would be like, but everything came together to make a fantastic event. MCN had done a great job of getting the show together, with the range and diversity of stands and attractions. The attendees were in a festival mood, and very good humoured all weekend, and even the weather was perfect. It is likely that next year the show will return to its normal slot at the beginning of the season, in early May. We are certainly looking forward to it already!
