Classic and modern biking thrills at Pageant of Power
Visitors to this year’s Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (15-17 July; cpop.co.uk) will be able to see numerous examples of world famous classic and modern motorcycles – in action and up-close in the paddock.
More than 40 motorcycle entries will be split into four classes (over 500cc, 500cc, under 500c and three-wheelers). This year’s ‘star attractions’ will include a number of the world’s most powerful superbikes, including the new Ducatti Diavel and Icon Sheene, three rare machines in the under 500cc class (from MZ, Kreidler and Ringhini), and the fabulous 1977 factory Kawasaki KR750 racer which will be ridden by 2011 World Superbike ace, Britain’s Tom Sykes. Famous names from the past participating in the Pageant will include BSA, Cagiva, Gilera, Indian, Norton, Seeley, Triumph and Velocette.
On Friday, riders will have two opportunities to set a ‘target’ time on the track for the Pageant’s ‘Consistency Competition’. The rider recording a time closest to his (or her) target over the weekend will win a Breitling Superocean watch, worth more than £2,170.
Modern superstars
Star-turns of the over-500cc class will be two factory Kawasakis – the 1977 KR 750 in-line triple, as raced by French-Canadian Yvon DuHamel, and the company’s 2011 ZX10R, which will be run by world superbike championship contender, Tom Sykes. Sykes is a member of the 2011 Kawasaki Racing Team and the 25-year old from Huddersfield will be pushing both machines to the limit around the Cholmondeley course.
A very different kind of bike-racing is represented by two Husaberg Supermoto machines from DCR. Supermoto is a unique genre, racing on mixed surface circuits which include asphalt, motocross and flat dirt. Founded in 2003, the Dave Clarke Racing team went on to win multiple Supermoto British championship crowns, headed by Andy Mitchell who rides alongside Clarke at the Pageant.
Additional stars of the class will include the 2004 Fila Ducatti 999R – a 999cc, 178 mph road bike created to celebrate James Toseland’s 2004 World Superbike crown – and the Pageant’s youngest bikes, the outrageous 2011 Ducatti Diavel and the new Icon Sheene ‘ultrabike’.
A unique tribute to Barry Sheene, the limited-edition Icon Sheene is powered by a turbocharged 1400cc Suzuki engine producing 250-plus ps. Only 52 examples of the £107,000, 200 mph machine will be made in Britain by a dedicated team of Barry’s ex-colleagues and team mates.
With its most un-Ducatti like appearance, the 1200cc Diavel was described by the Daily Telegraph as “the most exciting motorcycle of 2011”. The long, low and lightweight £12,995 machine defies categorisation, accelerates to 62 mph in just 2.6 seconds and tops out at 155 mph.
Classics from 1925
The oldest bike attending will be the 1925 Bohmerland (from the Auto & Technik Museum’s 200-strong bike collection in Sinsheim, Germany) – made in Czechoslovakia in bright colours with innovative cast alloy wheels and almost 10ft long to sit three people in tandem.
In the under-500cc class, the super-sleek 1969 RE 125 MZ (one of only two in existence) demonstrates the art of maximising performance by minimising the frontal area. The 1970 Kreidler will also be running, representing a German marque which won a string of seven 50cc world championships in the ‘70s. The youngest bike in this class is the 1980 Yamaha TZ350G, the oldest the 1927 AJS H6 Big Port.
The 500cc class will comprise a dozen machines, from the 1934 Velocette A95 to the 1984 Ducatti TT2. Eleven-time British Trials Champion Sammy Miller MBE will bring along two bikes from the 400-plus on display at his unique Hampshire museum – a 1957 GP Gilera and a replica of the 1967 Honda RC181 machine.
Three wheelers
In the three-wheeler class, there will be an original 1929 Morgan Super Aero racer complete with a two cylinder JAP engine. Recently, Morgan has reinvented its most iconic model as the road-going 115mph ‘3 Wheeler’ powered by an 1800cc Harley Davidson V-Twin driving the single rear wheel via a five-speed Mazda gearbox. This new model is on sale now in the UK with a price tag from £25,000.
From 1972, the Weslake side-car outfit features an 840cc engine designed by the late Harry Weslake, famed for creating the powerunits in Le Mans-winning Jaguars and the Vanwall and Eagle F1 racecars.
“We have attracted a splendid mix of classic and modern bikes to this year’s Pageant, including many marques from the golden age of British motorcycling,” comments event organiser, James Hall.
“While many of these bikes will be competing for the Breitling Consistency Award, undertaking several timed speed-trials of the course, there will also be a parade of the more venerable machines, plus a host of motorcycle trade stands and owners’ club displays for fans to enjoy,” adds Hall.
Visiting the Pageant
The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power takes place on the Cholmondeley Estate near Crewe, Cheshire, and is the biggest celebration of power and speed in the country – the only one of its kind in the UK.
