The recent chart success of the Arctic Monkeys has caused me to wonder whether their name has any derivation in the apocryphal brass monkeys; which then got me thinking about winter motorcycling (not something I do unless I have to) and the suggestions from certain pessimists that as far as winter is concerned—we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Being an incurable optimist myself I can’t help noticing that the days are getting longer and that it’s no longer pitch dark when I get up in the mornings which brings me to the more pleasant consideration that winter is always succeeded by summer and that for most of us that means pleasant biking and track days. It’s then but a short neural leap to thoughts of Castle Combe and seeing you lot again…….. ah well you can’t have everything I suppose.

It also makes me feel virtuous as a few days ago I received a big parcel from Corsa Italiana containing all the bits I need to service the big black Guzzi for the new season—including a new steering damper for the eyewatering price of £127 plus vat and p&p. For heaven’s sake it’s only a hydraulic damper of the sort of quality that normally prevents the tailgate on my Alfa opening properly in the cold and causes me to hit my head on it. Anyway parts rage apart I’m feeling virtuous because despite intending to do it every October I don’t normally get around to ordering the bits I need until late March and it’s a panic to get them affixed in time for a MOT and at least a few road miles to loosen those ageing muscles before Castle Combe.

So Castle Combe—well as usual we start the season there after the traditional reunion the night before at a suitable local hostelry. This year it’s Monday 24th April and we hope to all meet up for supper at the Crown on the Sunday evening. The Crown we know will not have sufficient room for all to stay the night but we believe the Jolly Huntsman has suitably local sleeping accommodation for those who just want a bed and breakfast and can make it along to the Crown for the evening. If you’re staying or just eating at the Crown please tell them that you wish to dine with the Folly so that they can lay a suitably huge table.

Full details and booking form (and contact info for the Crown and Jolly Huntsman) are on the website at www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk

Don’t forget that there are strict noise limits at Castle Combe so swap those after market cans back to originals. Bear in mind also that we believe we are unique in offering four groups at Castle Combe (so 15 mins on track every hour) and that most other bike days run there do six group so 10 mins per hour. I don’t think the Guzzi would be warmed through in only ten minutes!

Now at this point each year I would normally list another five events for the year but things are a bit odd this year and we’ve not been able to get all the days we wanted at prices that we thought you lot would want to pay so currently all I can give you are the ones we’ve managed to arrange so far, as follows:

Castle Combe 24th April £130
Mallory Park   18th May  £105
Oulton Park    26th July  £159

With the right prices from the circuits and sufficient support from you we hope to do a full complement of days in 2006. We will ensure that you get at least four weeks notice of any days—we are not into mass mailing on Monday to tell you we have Brands on Friday for only £145 but we are hoping to arrange something like that and we do have a Donington noisy day on offer as well. Watch this space.

We have also finally given in to your pleading and are arranging to go to Spain in November. We’ve teamed up with Track Sense (a long established purveyor of biking activities that we’ve known for some years) and are hoping to arrange a big Folly contingent to go to Almeria for one of their two/three day sessions on the last weekend in November. This sounds like fun. You can see details of them and Almeria on their website at www.tracksense.co.uk Stick it in your diary now, we’ll provide more detail over the next couple of months.

Mallory of course is going to be very interesting this year with its new chicane complex at the end of Gerards—possibly a shame destroying what was a real institution and the place where most track day riders finally lose their knee down virginity but Mallory is certainly becoming a more technically demanding venue. I think the Aprilia 250s will really clean up now.

Fortunately these days you are all on e-mail so we will be able to advise you of other days as soon as we secure them but for now (and I know you get bored with this) I really do recommend early booking because we may end up with less days than we would like for 2006 and there could be competition for places. In particular I would suggest that if you want to ride novice at Castle Combe you book now. Some of you may remember Triumph rider Hilary Thompson (the one all the instructors wanted to marry). She works at Three Cross Motorcycles near Bournemouth and has been instrumental in selling virtually every place in novice to members of the RATS (Triumph riders). We may have to run two novice groups but if you want a novice place at Castle Combe book now. A booking form is attached to this mail (or if not, is on the website). A further result of this is that we will as previously be running two novice groups, and two intermediate groups (slower and faster). There will be no pure advanced group at Castle Combe. So what else is new? Not much but we agreed the following at our annual planning meeting in October:

• You liked the raffle with a trackday as prize so we’ll try to do it again.
• Some of you would love us to accept credit cards and we’d love to accept them but are still having problems in doing so.
• Your favourite instructors Darren (Moggy), Tim Jones and Sarah Jordan are to be asked to help again. Mike Edwards continues as Chief Instructor.
• A slight change to first session ducks in a row—anyone turning up late will not be allowed to join the ducks but will have to wait until free for all starts.
• Grip and Rip should attend as many days as they can manage—if you want to pre-order tyres phone them on 07808 943458 or 07831 342851.
• Steve Jordan (Mr Suspension set up) should also attend as many days as possible.

We are also very happy to report that we managed a small operating surplus (if we weren’t a not for profit organisation you would call it a profit) last year. As usual it goes into the circuit deposit pot. Although you gave us a couple of worrying moments we would like to thank you all for your support last year. We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.

As always we will rely on your support again this year. We are small, (but perfectly formed) and we don’t have lots of money to spend on advertising. We rely on you lot to bring your mates and persuade everyone you can to come to a Folly day with you. Once they’ve been once they are likely to come again—unless you are so much better than them and it really p………s them off.

The following (I don’t apologise for reproducing it) may help:

MOTORCYCLE FOLLY—UNIQUE?

The Motorcycle Folly is these days a unique phenomenon amongst trackday organisers—a not for profit organisation run for the benefit of those who attend its days, not for the benefit of its owners. Those attending a Folly day for the first time usually express their amazement at the differences from a commercial day. Less riders so less hustle and hassle; real instructors who actually want to help; sensible riders, many of them regulars so with consideration for others on circuit; a friendly, clubby atmosphere; but most of all fantastic organisation with things clearly explained and happening on time and in the right order.

When it started up in the late 80s it was just a bunch of mates and anyone else they could get to come along to share the cost of circuit hire. You can’t operate like that now so they have had to get professional with written procedures, briefings and bracelets, insurance, official photographer and so on but the bunch of mates ethos remains—they even send out a written report to all their “members” after each date saying who did what and who fell off and what was funny.

Riders do fall off of course—wouldn’t be a bike trackday otherwise, but they like to keep below the industry average of one in ten riders and serious injury is very rare. Worst injury in 15 years has been a broken arm. Trackday tramps say that the incidence of “headbangers” at Folly days is remarkably low. The Folly themselves say that headbangers do attend from time to time but they soon get the message and either adapt to Folly style or go back to Deathwish Trackdays Inc.

Fast riders can stretch themselves in the Advanced Group. With 20mins on track every hour and minimum stoppages (less loonies around) they believe they get more track miles in with the Folly than with other organisers.

The Folly ethos extends to novices too. They get their own briefing at the beginning of the day, are shown around the track and get a debrief after their first session. Novices are encouraged to have one to one sessions with instructors during the day. There is even a “Novice Guide to Trackday Riding” handed out to all to reinforce the message—no pressure, no fear, take the bike home in the same condition in which it arrived.

They only do six or seven days a year and advertise rarely so most people find out about the Folly by word of mouth. It’s not exclusive, anyone can attend, just use the booking form on the website at www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk. Whilst doing so check out their “what our members say” section. The Folly say and believe that they are “probably the best trackday organiser in the world”. We can’t comment but they may well be the best kept trackday secret.

Finally, Ian and I have been thinking about our ages recently and are becoming concerned that we risk becoming seen as old boys trying to tell the young bloods how to do things. Last year someone on Visordown described me as the “old duffer that does the briefing” and I’m still smarting. In fact after ten years at the helm of the Folly we think its time that we became bumblers who wander around the paddock mumbling about how things used to be and occasionally going out and wobbling around the circuit. (What is it about words used to describe the incidents of near senility that means they all have to have the letters bl in them?). Anyway we are looking for someone or someones to step into our shoes and either carry on where we are and what we are or move it up a gear and turn it into something bigger and better (and probably for profit in those circumstances). We would be happy to stay around to help (in fact you try and get rid of us—I’ve got at least ten years bike blagging in me) as would the other officers. If anyone is interested in knowing more just email me at .

Geoff.

Any comments on this newsletter (not bookings), .