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Unfortunately Eric's first run at Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this year failed for mechanical reasons; the rev counter cog got mashed with the magneto drive pinions. This is a photo of the bike that collected a lot of rather wet corrosive salt....so better luck next year for Eric and his sponsors. The initial signs were that his previous record would have easily been exceeded with the much better state of tuning now achieved.

THE SOUTHERN CLASSIC BIKE SHOW REPORT
May 9th 2009

Proving that people still appreciate fine old things, a Triumph Ricardo won this year’s Best Bike prize at The Southern Classic Bike Show. Meticulously restored by John Guy of the VMCC’s Stonehenge Section, the Ricardo also got a prize from The Ace Café London. Top prize for Best Stand went to the Ariel Owners Club, with the Vincent Owners Club and Douglas OC taking second and third places.

Hosted since 1988 at the famous Kempton Park racecourse, just sixteen miles south-west of central London, the Southern Classic is ideally situated for southern Britons and Continental visitors alike, whether coming by road, ferry, tunnel, rail or air. Judging by the various languages in the air at the show and the adjacent autojumble, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Poland and Scandanavia were well represented and quite of a few of them found bargains because of Sterling’s current low value. Indeed, sales of classic motorcycles are one of the few areas showing growth in Britain at the moment. Although the Southern Classic fills a gap by providing an event close to the nation’s capital, it should be seen very much complementing rather than challenging other major shows like April’s Carole Nash International Classic Motorcycle Show in Stafford.

Some pundits had forecast hard times for smaller motorcycle events this year but EGP Enterprises currently run five autojumbles a year at Kempton Park in addition to the show every May. The Southern Classic’s strengths include value for money from the viewpoint of exhibitors and visitors alike, the afore-mentioned ease of access, and an old school ambience of friendly intimacy that marks it out from many other shows, evoking memories of how things used to be before the classic motorcycle world went a little too far down the corporate road.

Getting into the Southern Classic and the autojumble areas is easier than it used to be, now that the two main entrances are open, and visitors dealing with Eric Patterson and the EGP Enterprises team are assured of friendly treatment and a square deal. The show bar is well-stocked and reasonably priced and there is a good selection of food stalls in the autojumble area. Entrance for adults is just £6.00 or £5.00 for Senior Citizens and children and stands are around half the price of many comparable shows.

Many of the machines on display at the Southern Classic having arrived under their own power, visitors hanging around chatting over tea or beer at the end of the day were treated to the magical sounds of yesteryear, redolent of the opening scenes of Lawrence of Arabia or Roger Livesey’s doctor from A Matter of Life and Death on his Rudge, rising and falling on the Surrey air as their owners nosed out of Kempton and headed for home.

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