August 5th and the Workies is packed to the rafters. Around 200 people attended the PMC monthly meeting, it was standing room only at 8.30 – and all because there was free sausage, chips and onion rings for attendees.

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.

Was it the free food? Was it the summer weather? Was it that it was just going to be different?
What a turnout. Over 80 people made the journey to the Crown Inn at Bollington for the July meeting of PMC. Lots of bikes - some really interesting machinery on view – (including some exotics).
A few members arrived in cars (me included) so their passengers could take advantage of the balmy summer evening and get leathered tipsy.
The venue and the weather couldn’t have been better; the FREE FOOD that was promised arrived on time with more than enough for every one – except perhaps one member – eh? Keith. Plenty of convivial (yes I know it’s a bike club – but that’s what it was) chat, and the usual friendly banter.
A cracking evening was had by all who attended – and for those who left before 10.30, the midges disappeared around 11pm leaving the evening pleasantly temperate with no pressure to vacate the premises.
Top do.

The next PMC club meeting scheduled (as usual) to be held on Wednesday 1st of July - the first Wednesday of the month has a new venue (this meeting only).
The one-off venue (keeps things from getting boring) is:
The Crown Inn
96 Church Street
Bollington
Sk10 5QD
The meeting starts at 8.30pm.
Here’s the good news – Free Food
The landlord has promised us free chips (and maybe sausages if we are good). But (here it is) it’s on a first come first served basis – so get there early and GET SOME (sorry been watching too many US Marine war films recently)
.

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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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November 8th saw the 11th annual Salvation Army Toy Run take place. Normally starting from Wilmott Street near Oxford Road, this years’ start point was moved to Cassidy Street behind the Wing Yip Chinese food wholesalers off Oldham Road (don’t think they know what hit them!).

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.

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There’s been a fair amount of chatter on various blogs and sites about the BBC securing F1 coverage rights next season. What’s that got to do with MotoGP? The talk is that the BBC might downgrade coverage of MotoGP if race times clash by moving MotoGP to one the interactive channels.

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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Anglesey Coastal Trackday
Sunday 28th September 2008

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

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.

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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.

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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. Read the rest of this entry »

The 13^th of July PMC Sunday ride out, led by Paul Curran, started at 10am from the “Workies” as usual. The plan was to find some good roads, good weather and keep going. It worked out really well, eight members turned up, riding a cross section of machinery from an R6 to a Yamaha Dragstar Classic (and almost everything in-between).

Fluo jacketed Paul (he takes his responsibilities as ride-out leader very seriously) led the group over hill and dale from pee stop to pee stop, along a series of cracking roads stopping off at Devils Bridge (here) and then all the way to Alston (here) and back home past Tan Hill (here). Riders clocked up an average of just over 350 miles that day and ended up at home around 1am. Read Rob Dickman’s impressions of his first PMC ride-out in the next issue of the magazine.

It’s done now. - Poynton, or at least the majority of it’s residents, now know they have a bike club on their doorstep. Club members braved looming storm clouds to turn up at Poynton High School fields and take part in the “Poynton Community Challenge” - a new “fete style” event for Poynton which showcased clubs, activities and hobbies available in the area. From cakes to climbing walls, poetry to paramedics (on push bikes no less!) if it was do-able in Poynton it was there.

PMC members were roped in by the wily committee team on the scene, “seconding” the first arrivals to help with putting up gazebos, banners, exhibition panels and organise later arrivals bikes in an orderly fashion (grand job Phil).

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As you can see, the PMC website has had a refresh. Early days so expect some teething problems …it’s a bit like a project bike - lots of head scratching and standing back wondering what the bejaysus is going on -  then deciding to have a cup of tea whilst you mull it over.

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