DIRTY SECRETS

What our favourite MTBers get up to when they're not messing about in the mud

When he’s not shredding the local hills around Grinshill, Shropshire, or flat-out training for the next DH World Cup, Atherton Bikes’ Charlie Hatton spends his downtime on a fun little hobby that involves not two wheels, but four.

Introducing the Westfield SE. Completely road-legal, it weighs a mere 445kg and houses a 1,000cc Yamaha R1 motorbike engine. This nippy little bullet produces 160 horsepower, is capable of 13,000rpm and has a top speed of 130mph. Its sequential gearbox and light shell mean you’re up to 60mph in just four seconds, making for a whole lot of fun on the track.

In the warmer months, you can find Charlie enjoying relaxing drives on some of Shropshire’s rural roads, but the real fun happens on the circuit. Trac Môn in Anglesey, North Wales, Donington Park in Leicestershire and Oulton Park in Cheshire are a few of his go-tos when he wants to truly feel the capabilities of the car. Charlie’s not the only mountain biker to indulge in the sport, either – he regularly gets out with Madison Saracen’s Matt Walker, who’s a big petrolhead himself, as well as the likes of Joe Breeden and Sam Reynolds.

Charlie’s had a few track cars but this is his favourite so far. “It’s a little rough around the edges but I enjoy working on it and tinkering,” he says. With no ABS, power steering, traction control or electronics whatsoever, the Westfield SE is one of the rawest track cars out there – one of the main reasons why Charlie enjoys it so much!

YOU CAN FIND CHARLIE ENJOYING DRIVES ON RURAL ROADS, BUT THE REAL FUN HAPPENS ON THE CIRCUIT