Or it might have been because John McGuinness, the IOM TT’s number one racer, came along for a chat on his way to Brands. John, born in Morecambe, described a lap of the TT interspersed with personal anecdotes that delighted the audience.

After his exceptionally entertaining talk he opened up the floor to questions, answering with intelligence, aplomb, wit and the odd rude word. In fact there were so many questions, and John seemed to be enjoying himself so much, he had to be dragged off the stage to enable the free sausage and chips to be served!

Signing Up
After filling up with food (got to get your priorities right), members and guests inundated John with requests for autographs and photos which he readily supplied and posed for – even for the guys who came back two or three times!

John’s transport (apparently it does six miles to the gallon) took up a huge slice of the Workies car park and caused one young lady some consternation - until she decided it was best to call her friend to come and reverse her car out of a parking space.

Hunts Honda brought along an HM Plant painted bike (signed by Mr McGuinness and available to buy).

The club committee tried very hard to get Hunts people to donate it as a prize in the club raffle, but even plying them with drink didn’t work.

Lots of people arrived on bikes (good on yer – it is a bike club after all). There was oodles of interesting machinery parked outside the club for people to look at including a mint Honda CB750 and a couple of fabulous monkey bikes which, I am assured by witnesses, were ridden to the meeting.

Thanks
All in all a great night for everyone in the club, thanks go out to the organisers, John and his crew, the members for attending and Hunts for bringing along the Honda for the event.

James is now 12 he is also performing so well that he is being pestered by the ex world 250 star Carlos Cardus to join his Galfer team, in preparation for Moto GP 125 in 18 months time.

Club member James Flitcroft, now 12 and based in Spain full time to pursue his racing career, is challenging for the Spanish pre GP crown. Racing against some of the best teams in the world at this level, James and his father Craig are still managing to put the bike up on the front row and are in the running for an overall win. A brilliant performance from a team consisting of just one man and a crackingly good rider

Craig, proud father of James (well who wouldn’t be) informs us that the Spanish don’t know what has hit them.

In fact James is performing so well that he is being courted by the ex world 250 star Carlos Cardus to join his Galfer team in preparation for MotoGP 125 in 18 months time.

James and Craig thank all the PMC members who support them in their endeavours. Visit their website at http://www.jamesflitcroft.com .

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As usual, the event was well supported by PMC members who met in the Working Men’s club car park at 9.00am for the trip down to the start point. Over 30 members turned up and many of them dressed themselves (and their bikes) for the occasion.

The club normally holds a “best dressed bike” competition and this year one member went all out for the win covering his bike in fake fur - using double sided tape and judiciously applied glue from a hot-melt glue gun won, I suspect, at a PMC meeting raffle (we had millions of ’em – think everybody’s won one!). The reindeer bike was the star of the car park being petted by everyone who saw it, nice one Phil.

Despite the forecast it didn’t rain for the PMC members trip to town or for the whole of the toy run (seems the organisers have friends up there). Riding into the car park art around 10 am we were greeted by literally hundreds of bikers who had already plotted up. The ranks of parked bikes continued to swell well beyond the capacity of the parking area as rider upon rider arrived for the run.

Helping to marshal the event gave some PMC members a unique perspective on the run. Blocking junctions along the way (with the sanction and help of two police riders) it was amazing to see the procession of bikes go on and on and on – the parade past lasting some 15 minutes or so.

Eventually ending up at the Trafford Centre the riders congregated in the Orient for a presentation and thanks speech by none other than Steve Berry.

Thanks to all the PMC members who took part in the run and especially to those who marshalled.

Check out some the pics below and jump to the ride-out forum to see more.

Not only that, there seems to be a fair head of steam behind a campaign to replace Steve Parrish, Charlie Cox and Suzie Perry with the commentary team from Eurosport. (seems a good idea to me).

So if you can’t get good coverage next season, maybe at least you can get good, knowledgeable and enthusiastic commentating.

There’s a petition for just such an eventuality – hit the link here to get straight to it.

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Mike “Spike” Edwards has been racing for over 25 years and ridden just about everything from 125s, 500GP racers, big V twins, been British Champion a couple of time and even won a GP.

But who or what is Gordon.

Gordon is a Yamaha SZR660 that Spike rescued from a salvage yard, after spotting and bidding for him on Ebay. Gordon cost Spike just £454, and was Spike’s way of showing the racing fraternity that you didn’t need a massive budget to race a competitive bike.

Gordon’s first public engagement was at Poynton Motorcycle Club on Wednesday 6^th August at the monthly PMC meeting. Spike Edwards presented Gordon to the assembled audience in a compare and contrast evening with PMC press officer Phil Harold’s own racing SZR that has now been named ‘Brian’.

The evening began with the two bikes nose to nose and Spike on stage recounting Gordon’s rise from the ashes of a Macclesfield breakers to a competitive race machine and ended with a lively question and answer session.

To learn more about Gordon and Spike Edwards click here

And just to prove Mike Edwards is a good guy, here’s  an except from his email to our publicity officer Phil Harold… ‘Thanks for a great night at the club. You seem to have a very well run, efficient club with a group of proper enthusiasts. I hope the chat went down OK.

Just to let you know I have put the clubs link up on my blogs and web site.

Good luck and speak soon‘ Mike.

www.mike-edwards.net

PMC members at the Poynton show in 2007

3 gazebos; 72 burgers; 48 sausages; 15 onions; 48 hot dogs; 144 buns; 72 cans of pepsi; 4 disposable barbies and a sack of bbq charcoal bricks.

That’s what the PMC got through at last years Poynton Show (more info). This year, weather permitting, we hope to beat all records, but we can only do that with your help.

 The show is on 23^rd August (the Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend).

We need members to bring their bikes to the show. Last year we had around 20, this year we would like even more. Any members who can attend the show with their motorcycles will be made most welcome – even if you bring your bike and have to leave it with us and go shopping with the missus as some members did last year (John Lewis is only down the road).

The clubs main reason for attending (apart from any excuse to have a get together) is to promote the activities of the club, make Poynton residents aware that they have a bike club in their midst (half of ’em still don‘t know) and to recruit new members.

As last year, we will have a club barbecue (using a proper barbie this time) with free food and drinks for members and their guests, and as last year, hopefully we will smoke out the fortune teller (she really should have seen it coming).

The assembled bikes will get the opportunity to ride in a procession around the main ring – in 2007 Keith Tonge took the opportunity to show off – he’s away on hols so the mantle is their to be grabbed.

The whole event is top fun; this year there is going to be a fly past by the Red Arrows and a static display of a Vietnam era Huey helicopter (more info here) (all weather permitting of course)

PMC members who would like to attend should assemble in the Workies car park (at the back) for around 8.30am setting off in cavalcade through the town to arrive at the show ground for 9.00am. That in it self is good fun (especially last year when the traffic police at the ground saw 20 odd bikers bearing down on them).

All attending members get into the show ground for free (we might be able to sneak in a few pillions as well – strictly speaking they should pay). Although you don’t have to decide whether you are coming until the last minute, it would be nice to have a commitment from members so we can arrange things properly and make sure we have enough room for you all (that’s confidence/optimism for you!).

 If you are attending please leave a post on the forum giving some details about your bike (so it can be identified in the show ring on the procession) or if you can’t be bothered doing that - tell a committee member (contact details inside the ClubMag)

PMC members are organising a group track day at the newly revamped Anglesey circuit which has undergone massive re-development over the winter of 2006.

The cost of the track day is £100 (already discounted from the normal price) – but it gets better – the club will refund members £25 on the day. That makes the real cost a bargain £75.00.

This track day is the first to be run on the new circuit. If you want to see what it looks like click here.

Some club members will be arriving the day before and staying overnight – but, if you think you can’t make it (and aren’t going to be too tired to enjoy the event) Anglesey is only 120 miles away – so leave at 5 am on the day! For directions from the Workies click here.

The day is run by Hottrax and starts at 8.00am (sign in and registration).

If you want to be part of this bargain track day contact Ian Robins (our social secretary) His number is in the club mag. For more details got to the ride-outs forum

Time to decide (even though you think it’s rubbish) whether to go to the NEC yet again and be prepared to be disappointed by the bargains that really aren’t, disappointed by the bikes that aren’t there (but should be), disappointed by the ever reducing amount of totty lovely looking ladies to gawk at, disappointed and outraged at the price of a cup of tea.

Yup, ladies and gents, the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show is on again, and even though all the above is true, PMC is still going – ’cos it’s about bikes and we’re bikers.

Free food
The club has organised a subsidised trip on the Sunday 30th November down to the NEC to see the show. Tickets are £15.00 each (only £5.00 for OAPs) plus £5.00 for the coach – and here’s the good news – when you turn up for the coach at the Workies you get your fiver back and free bacon or sausage butties.

The coach holds 49 people (and the driver of course) so places are limited. To book see one of the committee members – and have your money ready, because nobody is getting a ticket without the dough.

If you can’t make the 30th you can still buy tickets from the club (same price: £15.00) to use whenever you want to go during the show week.

And although the show is not what it used to be I’m definitely going again – got to have something to moan about after all!

Visit the show site here

So to recap:

PMC NEC Coach Trip Sunday 30th November

 Tickets:  £15.00 per person (discounted from normal price)  - OAPs £5.00

 Coach hold 49 (plus 1 driver)

 Coach is £5 - refundable on the day

Free bacon and/or sausage butties provided at Workies before set off time

 All monies to be paid upfront - coach seats are on a first come first served basis

 Leave Workies at 8.00am

 Leave NEC around 4pm to return back to the Workies

 Tickets available if club members want to buy them for any day and not go on coach.

 Show runs from 28th November (preview day) to 5th Dec 2008