Hundreds of BMWs will yet again descend on the British Motor Museum when it hosts Europe’s largest gathering of BMW’s on Sunday 13 August.  The BMW Car Club National Festival promises to be even bigger and better with thousands of visitors taking advantage of the huge number of activities on offer. Last year visitors saw over 800 vehicles on display including M Power, Alpina, Z’s, i’s, as well as modern, classic and modified models including MINI’s.

Activities will include a large Motor Sport display area showing BMW Car Club Track Days, a rolling road, tombola & prize draw, family entertainment, Pirelli stand, Concours winners, trade stands, up to 80 spaces for cars belonging to members of on-line forums and lots more. Representatives from insurance companies will also be on hand and staff will be present in the BMW Car Club Trailer to answer questions and enrol new members. This is in addition to the club’s register and regional displays.

Tom Caren, Show Manager for the British Motor Museum said “The BMW Festival is a fantastic family day out and this year we are organising plenty of additional activities to entertain visitors. Seeing so many BMW’s on display from different decades is a brilliant spectacle to see!”

Tickets cost £17 for adults, £10 for children (under 5’s are free) and £45 for a family. Entry to the Museum is also included in the ticket price. Discounted tickets are available in advance from the BMW Car Club Office on 01970 267 989.

To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

Skegness Charity Bike Night
Mablethorpe Bike Night 2017
Brigits Mantle @ The Buck Inn
Running on MT - The Infl8table One
Not Forgotten Rally - Dieppe Raid 1942
Barry Sheene Road Race Festival Powered by Suzuki
Faro 2017 - International Motorcycle Meeting
The Purple Rose Coastal Bike Ride
Cheshire Classic Car and Motorcycle Show
Sutton on Sea Bike Night The Warm up!
Kempton Park Motorcycle Jumble
Flat Track, Off-Road, MX, Supermoto, Scamblers @ Ace Cafe

See more details (and more events) on the main WHAT'S ON section for July

Barry Sheene’s 1976 world championship-winning XR14 – which has been restored with the help of Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme – will be ridden by his son Freddie at this year’s Sheene Festival at Oliver’s Mount on 22-23 July.

The bike, which carried Barry Sheene to victory in four Grands Prix in 1976, was recently restored by former Team Suzuki mechanics Martyn Orgborne and Nigel Everett. Freddie will ride the iconic machine in a special parade session during the weekend, while Steve Parrish will ride the 1977 XR14 that Barry also rode to world championship glory. There will also be a display of other bikes raced by Barry Sheene, and a collection of his leathers.

Suzuki, sponsoring the event for a third consecutive year, will be bringing a fleet of display bikes, including the Team Classic Suzuki Katana and a number of race bikes from the firm’s decorated history. The original GSX-R750F that was restored as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations will also feature, as will the GSX-R1100 restored by Suzuki’s apprenticeship programme and the TL1000S built from new parts.

The event, held at the only true road-race circuit in England, will also feature a full programme of 21 races, a trade village, and live band on the Saturday night.

Freddie Sheene said, “I’m really looking forward to the Oliver’s Mount event, not only for the usual atmosphere but for the fact that the public will be able to see the ‘76 and ‘77 world championship-winning bikes back where they belong. Those bikes laid dormant for the past 40 years and it’s a special moment for everyone to be a part of. The whole process of bringing the bikes back to life wouldn’t have been possible without the help from Suzuki GB and most importantly Martyn Ogborne and Nigel Everett; they have put over 600 hours between them to make this happen. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone over the weekend; let’s just hope the weather stays in check.”

Scott Beaumont from Oliver’s Mount, commented, “To say we are excited about seeing Barry Sheene’s world championship-winning bike riding around Oliver’s Mount again is an understatement. Then the fact that his son Freddie will be riding it simply gives us goosebumps. This is an incredible opportunity to see this bike ridden in the UK for probably the final time. We simply cannot wait for the festival to get underway, and we hope to see all fans of Sheene, Suzuki, Classic Bikes and riding legends attending. See you all trackside for what is likely to be a once in a lifetime event.”

Suzuki GB aftersales marketing coordiantor, Tim Davies, added, “We’re delighted to be backing the Sheene Festival again this year, and we’re really looking forward to watching Freddie ride Barry’s championship-winning machine RG500. It’s been really special to be involved in the restoration of such an iconic machine, with the help of the Sheene family. It was great to watch it come together, and it’ll be even more special to see Freddie ride it at a circuit that Barry loved and enjoyed much success at.”

The 2017 Barry Sheene Festival will take place at Oliver’s Mount on 22-23 July. For tickets and event information, visit www.oliversmountracing.com

Classic Ford fans are in for a treat when the British Motor Museum hosts the 9th Old Ford Rally held in conjunction with the Ford Y & C Register. On Sunday 16 July around 600 classic Fords will go on display at the biggest rally of classic Fords in the UK.  Vehicles including commercials, tractors and vehicles with a Ford engine built up to 1990 will be on display, exhibiting the incredible range of vehicles produced by one of the world’s biggest manufacturers.

Visitors will be able to see a huge range from Model T’s to the cars of the pre-war austerity years plus agricultural vehicles, Thames and Ford commercial vehicles as well as the more luxurious post-war Zephyr’s, Zodiac’s and Granada’s. There will also be the Mk1 and Mk2 Cortina’s, Anglia’s, and Escorts as well as Capri’s from the 1960’s – mid 1980’s. A first for this year is the 1925 Ford Model T Railway Inspection Car which will be running on a short 30m section of track outside the Collections Centre.

The show will also host a display of Ford or Ford engined military vehicles of all ages and the Bicester Home Guard will also be in attendance supporting the military vehicle section. There will be an autojumble and an arena with live displays and commentary throughout the day. The Midlands Meccano Guild will also be featuring an exhibition of hand built models with over 50 tables of models on display within the Museum. Visitors will have full access to the museum and the Collections Centre as well as the show outside.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “This superb show is a real enthusiasts event and incredibly popular with fans of this iconic marque. Anyone who loves old Ford vehicles is guaranteed a great day out”. 

Tickets for the show cost £14 on the day for adults, £9 for children and £39 for a family.  Discounted tickets are available in advance online. Camping is available on Saturday 15 July. Price per pitch, tent or caravan, is £25.

To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

For adventure riders Thailand and Laos provide superb, excellent value riding. In this naturally beautiful region with its wonderful cultural heritage, our offroad tours take you to some real hidden gems rarely seen by tourists and travellers.

On our Dragon's Tail 7 day tour to the top of Thailand's highest mountain - Doi Inthanon - we ride through bamboo forest, elephant camps, the hot springs beauty spot of Pai, along the Ping river with its wooded banks and dramatic waterfalls, through tribal villages and visit the largest cave in SE Asia. As you'd expect the terrain is wonderful and varied - steep mountain mud trails, gentle stony tracks, river crossings, narrow tarmac roads... This is a weeks offroading like no other!  

Golden Triangle tour extends Dragon's Tail  into the Golden triangle region on the Myanmar and Laos border for a 12 day adventure. Infamous for its historical opium production, this area provides a heady mix of lush jungle, hill-tribe villages, tranquil rice paddies, mist-shrouded mountains and mixed cultures.  We ride across the border into Myanmar, take a riverboat on the mighty Mekong into Laos and take in a little bit of China (in Thailand) in unique Santikharee village. 

Laos: Gateway to China Adventure is more expedition than tour. We ride through Northern Thailand littered with its hilly national parks and village trails, continue through the Golden Triangle and then into Laos - one of the most unspoilt countries in the world and with many unpaved roads! The World Heritage City of Luang Prabang with its fabulous temples, palaces and museums is a cultural highlight and we visit an elephant camp and cross the Mekong River by boat. Whether you take our New Year tour, aimed at more experienced riders, or go in February you'll be in for a treat - a truly unique 14 day motorcycling experience! 

Enduro training? Want to improve your offroad skills pre tour? No worries - we offer 1 and 3 day Enduro Training in Chiang Mai where you can get used to your bikes by practising on uphill sections, traversing log bridges, river crossings, sand, mud etc.

And extra nights accommodation is available at very reasonable prices in Chiang Mai. Either relax by the pool or immerse yourself into the classic culture of elaborately ornamented temples - there's 30 'wats' to choose from. 

For further details on all our other tours, locations and summer destinations too, please visit our website: www.hctravel.com