BIKE SHED CAFE RACER FESTIVAL

INAPPROPRIATE BIKES ON A PROPER RACE-TRACK

ITWAS ONLY LOGICAL REALLY, WASN'T IT? THE BIKE SHED, PRETTY MUCH THE GO-TO PLACE FOR THE RECENT RESURGENCE IN INTEREST IN CAFE RACERS, ANNOUNCED IN 2018 THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE AN EVENT WHERE YOU COULD RIDE YOUR CAFE RACER ON A RACE-TRACK.

For a couple of years they'd talked about a proper end-of-summer Festival, based around a proper race track - an inclusive, familyfriendly event that wasn't just for the racers, but would have all the attractions and the atmosphere of their Tobacco Dock show in May. The first one was held towards the end of 2018, and while it was quite small, just a one-dayer, most people who went described it as 'epic' and was, for many, their best day of the year.

For 2019, they expanded the event to make it a full weekender, and the Bike Shed Festival was born. There was live music in the evenings, bars, demo rides, stalls selling cool shi... err, stuff (helmets, clothing, accessories, street food, craft beer. etc.) and, as an added attraction, they enlisted the help of Malle London, the folk who run the now famous Malle Mile event, to run a Malle Trail - an off-road event for those who don't fancy giving it their all on the Tarmac.

The Tarmac in question was Lydden Hill Race Circuit about halfway between Canterbury and Dover in Kent, about an hour-and-a-half south of London. It's the shortest road racing circuit in the country

at only about a mile round, so's well suited to bikes that aren't all about top speed, and has long been used for both circuit racing and rallycross so was ideally set to have a supermoto-style dirt section (without the jumps) for the Retro-Supermoto/Dirt Bike Cup - a race for scramblers, street-trackers, and older twin shock supermotos (and, as it turned out, for huge adventure bikes whose riders hadn't been told that these plastic-clad behemoths weren't really suitable for doing this sort of thing).

There were a series of tarmac events: the Cafe Racer Cup (for proper modern, custom, and retro cafe racers, with clip-ons, single seats, rear-set 'pegs, round, oval or square headlights, and no full fairings); the Street Cup (for naked street bikes, custom or standard, but no super-nakeds or faired sports bikes); the Easy Rider Cup (for choppers, bobbers, customs, cruisers, and bikes with high 'bars and forward controls); the Herald L-Plate Cup (for newbies on 125s); the Vintage Cup (for proper vintage bikes); and the Journo Cup (for journos and ex-champs on borrowed bikes to keep them out of the amateur races). It wasn't compulsory to go brainout (although that fact wasn't immediately obvious to those watching...), and a lot of

folk entered the street classes just for the craic of riding on a track without getting blown away by hyper-fast heroes on the latest sports bikes, as so often happens at 'normal' track days. The idea was to give people who don't own a latest generation track weapon to take part in proper racing, but with low expectations and modest lap times, amongst friends and away from the pros and semipros. Warm-up laps were timed, and a grid assembled in speed order so that no one should have to push beyond their limits. It was more about fun and the experience - racing for people who've never raced or, even, never been on a race track before.

Spectators had the chance to watch the track and dirt action, and plenty of places to hang out, picnic on the grass, lounge on deckchairs, and sit around drinking beer and eating good food with friends and family. There was access to both the pits and the paddock, so that you could wander round, check out the bikes, and chat to the riders who, unusually for a race track event, were friendly and approachable as the whole feel of the Festival wasn't really about being the best of the best, y'know? There was camping, and glamping, decent showers and facilities, and you could bring your RV (that's 'camper' for anyone who isn't a closet American).

At the time of writing, the dates of this year's event, coronavirus permitting, haven't been released, but keep an eye on the Bike Shed's website at www.thebikeshed.cc or the BSH events pages - as soon as we know, we'll let you know!