This is another of the columns I originally wrote for Cafe Racer magazine is France a while ago. Hope you enjoy it. May 1987. I turned 16 on Tuesday and had bought a Vespa by the weekend. I must be honest, I had no interest in motorcycles then, just scooters. When I was a kid I remember a teenager on the next street had a Honda Super Dream CB250N, but I couldn’t have given less fucks about it. A guy who volunteered at our local youth club wore a leather WWII-style flight jack

Gar Wood, the son of Ron, was working through some of his late father's effects when he came across the trophy below, from 1984. He searched and found the Cycle News report that related to it, Chris Carr winning the 1984 Houston Astrodome TT in the Junior Class. Ron could spot talent. Carr would go on to win 7 GNC titles in his career. Gar got in touch with Chris and sent the trophy back to him. #woodrotax #chriscarr #ronwood #1980s #Astrodome

This amateur film from the 1983 GNC season opener is something else. It was filmed by a friend or family member of local Texan Terry Poovey. Poovey was national number 18 from 1977 to 2007! The factory Honda rider, Poovey is the star of the show and his ride in the main has to be seen to be believed. The film shows his qualifying race, a semi, I think, for the main. Back then the classes were stacked with talent. In Poovey's qualifier is Kenny Roberts, a rider many regards as

My friend Russ sent me this with the optimistic, but wholly misleading comment 'It's a British On Any Sunday'. It most definitely isn't but it is a charming snapshot of, I'd say, a simpler, less macho, less corporate, far less image conscious time. I'm not sure where the track is, but one of the interviewees says the East Midlands, so too not far from Sideburn HQ, but in cosmic and style terms Leicestershire 1981 seems like a different universe. The absolute highlight is the