And did Oli feel it was worth coming from Somerset?

IT MIGHT HAVE been July, but 18 months on from my last Stafford show, I arrived and it was raining, as usual. The rain was at least warm and didn't last long though, and I joined the merry queue of visitors shuffling towards the pedestrian tunnel.

Spirits were most definitely high, with most visitors having few expectations that this was going to be much like previous shows, but being delighted to be there in any case. Inside the gates I made a beeline for that stall that sells cheap tools outside the main entrance and picked up a three quid micrometer and made my way into the main hall. It was, it's fair to say, quieter than usual.

What was missing? A few big club stand and there was a dearth of foreign visitors, and the occasional day trippers were of course nowhere to be seen. For me this was, selfishly, no bad thing. You could for once, get a look at the bikes properly, and actually talk to people without being whacked by a rucksack.