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The early part of the calendar is usually taken up by going to various motorcycle shows. It’s the precursor to the sporting season and isn’t a new phenomenon, and it’s good to meet up with old friends when you have a bit of time to chat and talk about motorcycles. The Telford OffRoad show is definitely the number one for those enthusiasts who are interested in scrambling and trials, be that twinshock or Pre-65.
A couple of years ago my old friend Alan Wright sold the Telford show rights to Morton’s Media and the tongues started wagging that it wouldn’t ever be the same. How wrong they were! Wrighty was retained in a consultancy role, and that made sure that the tradition was maintained. I have to say that I wouldn’t miss Telford, although I rarely see all that the show has to offer as I am usually blethering with folk and miss quite a lot, when I think about it. But does it matter? Not a jot, how else would I get information for my website and meet up with friends in the sport? Morton’s have thankfully held on to the ‘spirit’ of Telford and resisted the temptation to alter it to include more racing exhibits as the clientele is very much offroad enthusiasts. Change that and then the spirit would have a different flavour!
I was very fortunate to purchase a copy of Ian Berry’s fantastic biography of Jeff Smith. I had been conversing with Ian for a couple of years on social media and Telford gave me the opportunity to meet him in person, and I think we hit it off really well. We both have a lot in common, we both like motorcycles especially scrambles and trials; what could be better than that? We also write a lot about the people who competed, Ian about scrambles and motocross and myself on trials. Oh yes, almost forgot, I also met Jeff Smith, had my copy of the limited edition book autographed by the man himself and met his daughter Chris, who is herself a motorcyclist and has a great knowledge of the sport. Motorcycle shows? Yes, they sure do have their place, and pre-season they get everyone in the mood.