London bike show shakes off the weather

The Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show enjoyed a weekend of action that saw thousands of fans flock through the doors, despite the extreme weather.

BBC Top Gear’s James May chatted with visitors about his own machines, which were showcased in the Classic Zone, and took a seat on Mike Hailwood’s 500/4.

MCN's London Motorcycle show- busy busy

 Four-time World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty had kicked off proceedings on Friday morning with an emotional reunion with his quartet of title-winning Ducati’s in front of a packed audience. MCN then surprised the British hero with a replica of his 1995 ‘Man of the Year’ trophy after he lost the original in the late 1990s.

Sunday also saw Tai Woffinden, the UK’s World Speedway Champion, crowned this year’s ‘MCN Man of the Year’. Having received over twice the number of votes as his fellow nominees, which included the likes of Tom Sykes and Sam Lowes, ‘Woffy’ becomes the first speedway winner in the 56-year history of the prestigious award.

Race fans were well catered for throughout the weekend. Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith flew straight in from testing in Sepang to meet and greet fans. The show also played host to a number of British Superbike announcements, as three-time champion Shane Byrne took the wraps of his 2014 Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki, Simon Andrews announced he was returning to the premier class with the RAF Reserves Honda team, while Lee Costello and Harry Hartley will be taking to the grid with the Halsall Racing Kawasaki team. Fans arriving Sunday were treated to a special chat show with some of the stars of this year’s exciting championship.


 

The show also featured a world exclusive Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood tribute, displaying his many machines, winning trophies, clothing, and the Ford GT40 sports car he raced. Fans were delighted to hear his incredible Honda 500/4 running.

Elsewhere, the world’s leading manufacturers including BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha showcased their latest 2014 model ranges, allowing fans to get up close and personal with these exotic machines.

Nathan Baines, UK Marketing Coordinator at Triumph Motorcycles UK, commented: “It’s been an exceptionally positive show for us, with plenty of customer leads and interest in our brand, particularly in the Thunderbird Commander and LT models.

“We’ve had five dealers from the London area who have all enjoyed talking to current and hopefully future customers. It’s been noticeably busy throughout the show and we were pleasantly surprised to see so many people struggle through the horrendous weather on Saturday!”   

The inaugural London Custom Bike Championship, which featured an incredible 50 motorcycles competing for the prize purse of £10,000, came to a conclusion on Sunday afternoon with Destiny Cycles entry Carousel being crowned ‘Best of Show’.

The Adventure Zone proved popular throughout the weekend as Nick Saunders, Simon Pavey, Austin Vince, Charley Boorman, Graham Hoskins and Steph Jeavons kept fans entertained with on-stage interviews and chats.

The Revolution live action show proved extremely popular as thousands of fans packed the edge of the arena to witness TT Legend John McGuinness and his team mates Ian Hutchinson and James Whitham battle it out with the opposing team, captained by BMW new-boy Michael Dunlop and team mates Michael Rutter and Phillip McCallen.

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