Show time: it’s the people that make it…

If you missed the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show at Stafford, you missed a belter. Beautiful weather, gorgeous bikes and lots to see and do made it the highlight of my year. So many people behind the scenes make the event run as smoothly as it does, and they should be congratulated. But what really makes the show are the people who come to exhibit: all the clubs who turn up every year to show their amazing array of machines. Without them, we wouldn’t have a show. Suzuki GB need a big thank you here too. They spent a lot of money shipping over Barry Sheene’s 1976 and 1977 500cc championship-winning bikes and it was emotional to see and hear them before they return to the Sheene family home in Australia. Check out our pics from Stafford on pages 6-7 and 50-51. Also displaying his amazing creations at Stafford was our new columnist, Allen Millyard. One of the highlights of the show for me was sitting down with Allen, as he excitedly showed Ralph Ferrand, Pip Higham and myself the progress he’s been making on his latest masterpiece. To say we were all awed by what he’s doing is an understatement. “I wake up in the middle of the night, realise I’ve come up with the solution to a problem and have to pop down to the workshop to check if it works…” The man is a genius. And he’s going to be with us every month. Check out his first column on page 72.