Festival of 1000 Bikes - Mallory Park

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Evening All,

I've started to upload photo's from this weekend's Festival of 1000 Bikes - having a few problems so will post more over the coming days - may be worth calling back for a look.

Saturday was a showery day this year (when roadbikes get tracktime) and Sunday, race bikes, dawned clear and warm and stayed that way all day.

Whist I went both days and had a great time, in my view the VMCC made an error using Mallory this year, the circuit is undergoing major refurishment work and was simply just not ready. The road bike paddock was a quagmire, and with road bikes preparing for a track session on a wet track with both front and rear tyre treads full of mud it really was not a good set up.

The "Avenue of Clubs" was a cramped mess - I thought last year was amatuer but this weekend was simply shocking.

I went to Goodwood on Friday for the Festival of Speed celebrations - now they know how to set up and run an event.

I thought Mallory set up was disappointing, shocking and verging on dangerous.

Cheers

Stuart
 

Tracey Tilley

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I agree

Hi Stuart,

Sorry I didn't manage to see you all weekend and I totally agree with your comments.

The Road Paddock was treacherous so they sent us around to the overflow camping area. This meant a ride through liquid mud, 3 inches deep and 50 yards long.
We brought the bikes back across for scrutineering and parked them by the track entrance to avoid going back and fore over it.

The facilities were minimal. Toilets that had no water for most of the weekend, no showers and hard ground that the main stand sunk into when the luggage went on.
Our session was 1.30pm on Saturday and the inevitable happened.The heaviest downpour of the day arrived and totally ruined our session.Although John Emanuel had a good time!
The sprinting was good, I have photos and film but a flat battery.I will sort it out later.
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Written to the VMCC

Evening All,

Having been to the Festival last year, ridden on track and had a great time I was shocked and bitterly disappointed with the set up this last weekend - Mallory clearly was not ready for the event and you could see the huge raw earth works all around. The Avenue of Clubs was cramped, squashed and disorganised, the Riders Paddock was a quagmire of mud, the food vans approaching third world and virtually no sign of staff to clear up and re-stock toilets and showers Saturday through Sunday.

I've written to James Hewing, CEO of the VMCC to let him know my thoughts. Perhaps other likeminded people could do the same to influence next years choice of venue, or at least quality of preparation and organisation. It can't be the only track venue which will host the event and charge the VMCC a reasonable sum?

His contact details are jameshewing@vmcc.net

I went to Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday - now they really know how to organise an event........

Stuart

(PS Suffolk Rally would have been fun Len - but it didn't have 1000 bikes I guess)

Sorry, maybe next year.

Hope the weather was kinder to you than it was for us.
 

Paul Ennis

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
But it did have 20 or so Vincents, no quagmire and a mystery tour in a 1929 5.7 litre Dennis coach. Mallory Park? No contest!:)
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
James Hewing replied...

Evening All,

James replied to my e-mail - fair cop Mallory was not ready and he will be having a detailed review with them before thinking about next year.

Lots more people not happy that I have spoken to.

FYI I was chatting to a VOC member today who was there with his mates BMW outfit - it ruptured its alloy sump on a chunk of loose concrete on the race paddock surface and dumped the contents onto the tarmac - not very happy.
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I think I've finally managed to upload all the pictures now

Evening All,

I think I have managed to upload almost all my pictures now from Festival of 1000 Bikes last weekend - and the added bonus is Tracey has uploaded a video too.

Hope they are helpful/enjoyable to some Forum Members.

There's one Norvin I've asked for some info on if you see the picture titles.

Cheers

Stuart
 

Tracey Tilley

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks for the mention.
I am still struggling with the camcorder. Also filming moving bikes on a track is a nightmare.
The Pegasus Vincent sprinter came out OK though.:)
Next Rally to practice on is Dorset.Hope the weather improves.
 
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