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A hit with speed fans
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| Above: Honda's Cal Crutchlow celebrates victory at Thruxton after holding off Shane Byrne. Picture: Taco Jonkman. |
DAVE Madeley and his nine- year-old (bike mad) son Tom were fortunate enough to win tickets for Sunday's Thruxton BSB courtesy of Think!
First fact that has to be mentioned is that they both thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Any parents unsure about taking youngsters to a race meeting can take heart that Tom was captivated all day, which is good going for an age group that often wants to go home once they have arrived somewhere!
Think! should be a familiar logo - you'll have seen it on bike awareness posters and adverts.
I'm all for anybody increasing our safety on the road, but the Think! Motorcycle Academy goes a step further and addresses the riders.
I'll let Dave, a well travelled and experienced rider, explain in his own words.
"Think! Motorcycle academy is a new initiative aimed squarely at the biggest group of motorcycle casualties - weekend sports bike riders on national speed limit roads, or, put another way, those of us most likely to attend a superbike race.
The Think! Motorcycle academy will be at every BSB round promoting road safety, but not in the negative way so often used which causes people to walk past and ignore or just moan about - such as the smoking wreck at the NEC show.
Think! is promoting the idea that safety isn't a negative, but that it can greatly improve your ride and how others see you as a rider.
The academy isn't restricted to bikers; other road users stand to learn a lot as well.
There are interactive displays, such as the riding simulator and an online questionnaire which allows you to see if you're really as good as you think you are.
There are also expert riders on hand to give you advice on your riding skills - you're never so good that you can't learn more, or improve on bad habits that are so easy to slip into over the years.
Police riders from Edge44 gave up their valuable time to offer advice and they proved to be friendly and accessible as well.
Not at all the way we view the long arm of the law.
Despite any BSB round being a demanding and hectic place for officials and riders, Think! managed to drag busy experts from the race pits for a chat - like the Think! ambassador, three times BSB champion John Reynolds, who popped up on stage just 60 minutes before his Rizla Suzuki team went out for the second race!
I'd recommend taking the time and trouble to talk with these people whose only intention is to help you enjoy your riding - in safety.
You can learn, you can improve your skills and you can talk with police officers and have fun. For everything you need to know to improve your riding, your bike and your kit take a look at dft.gov.uk/think motorcycleacademy.
And I'd like to thank everyone at Think! for providing both of us with a great day out."
3:26pm Tuesday 22nd April 2008
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