ELK Promotions announce their 2012 dates, starting with The South of England RealClassic Motorcycle Show & Bikejumble on Sunday 11th March 2012 at The South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL.
The full calendar of classic motorcycle events are available on www.elk-promotions.co.uk and the events build on the success of the 2011 events. Commenting on the South of England RealClassic Show that took place on Sunday 23rd October, organiser Julie Diplock said “We were really pleased with our last show of 2011, we had our biggest ever turn-out of public and over 150 bikes on show”. New clubs attending for the first time included the Trident & Rocket 3 Owners Club, Surrey & Sussex branch of the VMCC and the newly-formed West Sussex branch of the BSA OC.
However, despite the strong competition East Sussex branch of the BSA OC took the award for the Best Club stand with their great recreation of a 1960’s cafe, complete with juke box, coffee and rock cakes. A real team effort. Ladies were well represented in the awards, with Jill Jackson winning Best Lightweight with her 1961 BSA Bantam D7, Pat Piggott winning Best Overseas with her 1961 BMW R60 fitted with Steib 501 sidecar and Sybil De Bidaph taking second prize in the Overseas class with her superb 1925 Indian Wall of Death machine.
Interesting bikes seen in the show included a 1969 Triumph Trident T150 on the TR3 OC that completed the 2011 American Iron Butt Rally, covering 8,500 miles in 11 days. Also seen on the TR3 OC was the extremely rare 1965 proto-type P1 triple. This bike was the first prototype of the Trident/Rocket 3 model. The Surrey Branch of the Norton Owners had a great selection of machines, including a pair of extremely rare Norton Nomad desert sleds, one 500cc and one 600cc. Only one 600cc Nomad was ever sold in England as the rest of the entire production of only 600 was dispatched for export. The 600cc Nomad took first place it’s class.
Guest of Honour was Gordon May and Peggy, the Overland to Egypt Bantam. Peggy is a 1952 BSA D1 Bantam that took Gordon over 5000 miles from Manchester, UK, to Cairo, Egypt and back. A challenge for most motorcycles, but quite something on an antiquated 1952 BSA Bantam. Gordon’s first attempt at the journey, in August and September 2009, ended with a major engine failure in north-eastern Italy. Undeterred, Gordon set off again in the spring of 2010 with a completely rebuilt engine, with a new route across the Mediterranean to Tunisia then along the north coast of Libya and Egypt. On the return leg, the plucky little 2-stroker crossed the Sinai before heading north through Jordan and Syria. After a ferry crossing from Syria to Italy, Gordon retraced the route of his first foray over the Alps. The Bantam was seen at Ardingly still fully loaded and covered in layers of oil and sand accumulated on the journey and Gordon was on hand to talk about his travels and his forthcoming book. To find out more about Gordon see www.overlandtoegypt.co.uk . Trading was brisk in the autojumble, with a number of machines entered in the BikeMart.
The organisers are aiming to expand the event again in 2012 with the addition of more inside space for the autojumble.
