TWO decades of the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show were celebrated in style this past weekend as the ever-popular Staffordshire County Showground event saw one of its busiest days.

The 20th running of the show took place October 19-20 and featured a vast autojumble, over a thousand classic machines displayed, top outdoor stunts and a fascinating guest of honour.

As exhibition manager Nick Mowbray explained, all of this combined saw a near record crowd descend on the venue on Saturday: “It was another great weekend, and the first day was one of biggest I have seen in the 20 years of the show.”

Among the attractions that drew the visitors were rows-upon-rows of stunning classic motorcycles, including an extremely rare Yamaha YDS1 which was awarded the Best In Show prize. Owner Mark Cowdery, who only finished his restoration a week prior to the event, found information on the YDS1 hard to come by but clearly did enough to impress judges. “Never again,” said Mark, who took six painstaking years to complete the project. “Although I am doing a 1957 YD1 next so maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon.”

Also victorious was Rodney Hann’s Husqvarna 180 546cc which scooped the Classic Bikers Club Bike of the Year prize along with a £1000 goodie bag. Both trophies were presented by former 250cc world champ Christian Sarron. The amiable Frenchman also conducted engaging on-stage interviews with compere Dave Craggs where he shared memories from a racing career spanning three decades.

“Christian’s stories kept the large crowd spellbound,” said Classic Racer magazine editor Malcolm Wheeler, who commented on how much he and those gathered around the main stage enjoyed the discussions.

As ever, the sprawling Classic Motorcycle Mechanics autojumble covered every available square inch of Staffordshire County Showground, with visitors describing it as the “Aladdin’s cave of motorcycling”. And traders enjoyed a successful weekend too with thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts on the hunt for all manner of motorcycle parts, accessories, literature and memorabilia. There were treats for off-road and stunt enthusiasts as Steve Colley wowed the crowds in the main ring and the Classic Dirt Bike experience gave showgoers a veritable feast of action.

Colley’s incredible antics weren’t confined to the main ring however, as organising team Classic Bike Shows captured an amazing video of him showcasing his gravity defying display all over the showground.

Auction house Bonhams brought the gavel down on proceedings late on Sunday afternoon with one of the main highlights of its annual autumn sale a Moto Morini 250cc Bialbero Grand Prix Racer snapped up for just over £83,000. Ben Walker, Bonhams’ head of motorcycles, said: “With over £1.3 million raised, it was another successful Stafford which once again proves that quality always sells.”

Show manager Nick added: “The success of this year’s show and the superb line-up that we have managed to bring together proves that the world of classics is alive and well, and it is fantastic to see this era of motorcycles prospering.”

With the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show moving into its third decade next October, the popularity of one of the world’s premier classic motorcycling events looks set to grow and grow for many years to come.

Four-time World Superbike champion wows Brands Hatch crowds in exciting on-track display

World Superbike star and Ducati ambassador Carl Fogarty led the first ever UK laps for Ducati’s brand new ‘supermid’ 899 Panigale. The bike, which was unveiled for the first time just two weeks ago in Imola, took to the iconic Brands Hatch GP circuit for it’s first demonstration on British soil, with Fogarty leading round the 2013 Ducati TriOptions 848 Challenge champion Marty Nutt and runner up Jonathan Railton.

Adding to the drama of the BSB Showdown finale, the trio of new machines was chased around the track by a police-liveried 1199 Panigale.  Despite its extra power, there was nothing the bigger bike could do to catch the agile 899 on the damp circuit, and several riders have already confirmed they will make the step up to 899 machinery for the Ducati TriOptions Cup in 2014.

The 899 Panigale will be available in UK Ducati dealerships from next week. For further information and to find your nearest dealer visit www.ducatiuk.com

The 2013 Pata European Junior Cup delivered a fittingly close and nail-biting finale in today’s last round at the spectacular Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

The race - and with it, the title - was won by New Zealand’s Jake Lewis, who took victory after eight laps of the 4.423km Jerez circuit by just 0.036s over his closest championship rival Augusto Fernandez of Spain.

The first eight riders across the line were covered by less than 0.8s, maintaining the European Junior Cup’s reputation for remarkably close and utterly compelling racing on evenly matched Honda CBR500R machines.

It was an impressive ride from Lewis, who had to work his way up from 14th place on the grid after qualifying problems yesterday. His third win of the season secured his championship victory by 10 points over Fernandez.

British rider Josh Harland took the final podium place in third, but Robin Anne from France, who was also in the running for the championship title, could do no better than 20th place today.

“I can’t believe it!” said 18-year-old Lewis after today’s race. “I knew I had to give it my all from the word go and that’s what I did. I’d like to thank everyone that helped me this year, especially my Dad, as I wouldn’t be here without him!”

It was announced over the Jerez weekend that the Pata European Junior Cup will return with another eight-round series in 2014 supporting the World Superbike championship on Honda’s impressive CBR500R machine.

Michael van der Mark finished fourth in today’s final round of the 2013 World Supersport championship season, securing fourth place in the overall standings in his rookie year.

His Pata Honda team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti had a relatively lonely ride to fifth place, and fifth in the points table, as world champion Sam Lowes took the final race win of the year.

Dutch flyer van der Mark took three podium finishes in his debut World Supersport campaign, while Zanetti finished on the rostrum at Monza in May. Both are enthusiastic about the forthcoming 2014 championship year which begins with a private test at Jerez on Tuesday.

Michael van der Mark - 4th

It was quite difficult today because it took us a while to find the right set-up for Jerez. My start wasn’t that great and I had to pass some other guys but my pace was OK. I had to catch Rolfo but he was doing really good lap times and we were quite similar. Three laps from the end I was on his rear wheel and tried to push to get even closer but I pushed a little too much and lost the front a few times. I’m happy with fourth place in the race and in the championship. The season has gone really quickly and I can’t wait for the next one to begin!

Lorenzo Zanetti - 5th

Fifth place is not bad but I lost a lot of time in the first three laps trying to get past Russo. When I did that, the group with Michael had gone and I needed to be there to fight for the podium. Also, towards the end of the race my rear grip dropped off and this has been a problem. I spent the rest of the race alone, which wasn’t positive. However, the season has been positive and my feeling with the bike has improved so I think we can look forward to the next season with a lot of confidence.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Michael had a race-long battle for third but the grip dropped in the last few laps which prevented him attacking for the podium. Fourth was good, though, and he finished fourth in the series in his rookie season, so we’re happy with that. He was 10 points short of third overall but I’m sure he can fight for that and more next year. Lorenzo couldn’t quite get to the pace of Michael and couldn’t get better than fifth. But he has also had a good rookie season and I think we can be satisfied with both our riders’ performances this year.

Baiocco scores points in final two BSB races while incredible Superstock 1000 contest sees both Ducati riders in the top four.

Ducati ended the 2013 British Superbike Championship season on a high this weekend at Brands Hatch with points-scoring finishes in both of Sunday’s BSB races and an impressive performance in the National Superstock 1000 class.

Coming off the back of a sensational weekend at Silverstone for Matteo Baiocco and the Rapido Sport Racing Ducati team, the pressure was on to produce another good result around the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Having missed the first free practice session on Friday, the Italian was on the back foot for the first part of the weekend. Come qualifying, however, the pace seen from the 1199 Panigale RS superbike last time out made a welcome return, and for the second race meeting in succession Baiocco progressed into the final qualifying session to secure tenth position on the grid for race one.

A problem with the clutch meant that the reigning Italian Superbike champion couldn’t capitalise on his strong qualifying, and he slipped back to 17th over the first of three 18-lap contests this weekend.

Race two on Sunday saw mixed conditions throw another layer of uncertainty into the mix, with riders opting for different tyre choices throughout the grid. Baiocco’s decision to run full wets paid off in the early stages, and he ran for a time as high up as fourth place. As the track dried, however, his pace dropped away, and he had to fight hard to maintain a points-scoring position, eventually crossing the line in 13th. The final race of the year saw full wet conditions, and from down in 18th on the grid Matteo once again had it all to do to score points. With great pace in the middle part of the race he was able to secure 15th, rounding out a progressive debut season in BSB with points finishes in both races on finals day.

The two Ducati riders in the National Superstock 1000 class grabbed the headlines, as Tristan Palmer rode to his fourth podium of the season for Rapido Sport Racing and Robbie Brown rode brilliantly through the field to score his best result of 2013 in fourth for DMC Racing.

In Friday’s dry qualifying session Palmer put his Panigale fifth on the grid, with a marked improvement in the dry for Brown putting him 15th. Sunday’s wet conditions then played into the hands of both riders, and as Tristan fought for the outright race win, 2012 Ducati 848 Challenge champion Robbie proved once again his prowess in challenging conditions. He charged through from 15th to finish just 0.294s from the podium positions setting the fastest lap of the race along the way.

Palmer had led the race going onto the final lap, but just lost out going into Clearways for the final time. Second place for Palmer and a seasons-best fourth for Brown left both Ducati teams in high spirits going into the winter break, with more success surely on the cards for the Panigale in Superstock trim.

Having seen the potential of the Ducati Panigale in the BSB, Millsport Racing, who have worked alongside Rapido Sport Racing this year, have announced their intentions to step up to compete in the main superbike class for 2014. The team is now looking to secure sufficient sponsorship to mount a serious championship challenge.

Robbie Brown said: I can’t complain at that – I just wish I’d had a couple more laps and I know I could have won it! It’s great to finish on a high – we’ve made some real progress over the last few race meetings, and I wish it wasn’t the end of the season now. I’d like to say a big thanks to Ducati Manchester and everyone who’s supported us this year. Hopefully we can get the budget together and come back stronger next year.

Tristan Palmer said: I pushed 100% to try and get the win but Jenkinson just got past on the last lap and there was nothing I could do. It’s great to get another podium for the team, and to have both Ducati’s right up there is good for everyone. I’ve enjoyed riding the Panigale for Rapido Sport Racing this year, and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to challenge for the championship next season.