Saturday 15th August saw PECAM out and about again, this time at the Maxey Classic Car and Bike Show — and with hundreds of cars, more than a hundred motorcycles and glorious summer weather, there was certainly plenty to look at.
The car display ranged from relatively modern classics, including some beautiful Jaguars and Aston Martins, through kit cars, sporting machinery and all the way back to cars from the 1920s and 30s. In other words, something for just about every motoring taste — and probably several opportunities to utter the dangerous words, “I used to have one of those…”
The motorcycle section was equally varied, with more than 100 bikes of virtually every type, age, shape and size imaginable.
Flying the flag for advanced riding
The PECAM gazebo enjoyed a prime position alongside the motorcycle display and, appropriately enough, directly beneath a large Union Flag. It certainly made us difficult to miss!
The motorcycles entered in the show were judged by Robin Balderston, a name that will be very familiar to generations of Peterborough motorcyclists. Robin established and ran Balderston BMW in Peterborough for decades, before the dealership was acquired by Sycamores in 2019. Few people could have been better qualified for the unenviable job of choosing between such a varied collection of machinery.
Flying the PECAM flag on the stand were Sharon M, Bob B, Ian W and, for part of the day, Tim H.
Why only part of the day for Tim?
Because apparently spending Saturday talking about motorcycles wasn’t quite enough motorcycling for one day.
He disappeared for a while to Cambridgeshire Police BikeSafe at Monks Wood, where PECAM supports the course by providing slow-speed motorcycle handling coaching, before returning to Maxey later in the day. Thanks to Bob A and Martin M for their coaching efforts.
It’s always about the people
As impressive as the machinery was, the best part of these events is invariably the conversations.
Throughout the day we spoke to riders at very different stages of their motorcycling lives, but with one thing in common — an interest in developing their riding and taking their skills to the next level.
There were riders returning to motorcycling after time away, experienced riders interested in advanced training and even a recently retired Police Officer interested in becoming a PECAM Observer — or, in rather more understandable modern terminology, an advanced rider coach.
One particularly memorable conversation was with an ex-RAF biker who was actually exhibiting his 1940s Willys Jeep at the show. Inevitably the conversation soon turned from four wheels to two, and we discovered that he had originally passed his motorcycle test while serving in Cyprus, .which consisted to turning up at the Police Sattion on his bike and collecting his pass certificate.
Cars, bikes, military vehicles, Police riders, advanced riding and tales from Cyprus. Just another quiet day on the PECAM stand, really.
Fancy having a go yourself?
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by the gazebo, whether you came specifically to find out about advanced riding or simply wandered over for a chat.
Hopefully we’ll see quite a few of you again very soon.
Our next big opportunity to find out what PECAM is all about is our Slow Speed Handling Open Day on Saturday 5th September at the WestPoint car park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough.
Come along, bring your bike and have a go. Whether you’re newly qualified, returning to biking after a break, already an experienced rider or simply wondering whether your slow-speed skills are quite as good as you think they are, you’ll be very welcome.
After all, advanced riding isn’t about riding faster.
It’s about riding smarter, smoother and safer — and enjoying your motorcycling even more.