SUMMER HAS BEEN AND GONE

After a packed day at Donington we had a quiet day at Rockingham. Maybe it was the uncertain weather forecast but in any event there was plenty of room on track for everyone.

We had several Follyists booked into the Falcon Hotel the night before. Graham Alcock had a toss up with watching the rugby at home and then travelling down to the hotel, or travelling down in time to watch the rugby and enjoy a beer with it. Somehow the latter option won through, but he arrived at the hotel to find a christening party had set up camp with lots of screaming children in tow. So much for relaxing in front of the match; best laid plans and all that. In the evening he was joined for dinner by Gerrard Carroll, Geoff Kendall, Dave Cooper and Terry Harris.

When we set out for the circuit it was raining and it looked as though the uncertain forecast was going to be gloomy after all. However, over at Rockingham it was dry and looked fairly promising.

The briefing was soon under way in the relative comfort of garage 24 – there was plenty of seating available – and Graham was very prompt with his delivery. Geoff Kendall only looked at his watch twice.

The action got under way on track with the advanced group, followed by the inters and novices. All groups were about half full so everyone had plenty of room and the rider/instructor ratio was about 3:1 in the novice group. The dry weather continued throughout the morning and everyone had a good time on track. It was only towards the end of the lunch break that the rain started and signalled a wet afternoon ahead.

The only downside at Rockingham is the long trek to the diner located on the outer track. By the time you’ve got back to the paddock you’re in need of more refreshment!

There were only five offs during the day and they all happened during the dry morning sessions. Obviously everyone was being more careful in the wet conditions in the afternoon. There were no major injuries although Kevin Barrett’s Aprilia Mille did somewhat destroy itself. Fortunately, with assistance, he was able to repair it sufficiently to ride home. Lucky save of the day had to go to Paul Connolly with his BMW. When he slid off, the bike travelled along on the foot peg and the bar end and there wasn’t a mark on the fairing.

Adam Curtin had brought along his wife’s RVF400, having left his pride and joy safely at home (a shrewd move). During the morning session he had been nipping across the kerbs at the chicane to straighten it out and things were going quite smoothly. However, when he pinched a bit more kerb he found out that they were, as he put it, “bumpy buggers”. Unfortunately both wheels sustained dents in the rims, which will now require straightening at the very least, if not replacing. Oops!

The rain in the afternoon definitely slowed things down and there were fewer enthusiastic souls venturing out than in the morning sessions. Last novice session of the day saw two brave riders battling on – well done to Ruth Sexton and Colin Mills.

So ends another Folly season and hopefully all those who came along to the days had a good time and enjoyed themselves. Our thanks to all those who supported us during the year, especially those who came along to several of the days. Gold medal winners for turning out on six out of seven days are James Carver, Stephen Fryer and Geoff Kendall. Silver medal winners for turning up to four out of seven days are Dave Cooper, Terry Harris, Matthew Jones and Ian Monachino-Ayres. Sadly we don’t have any real medals but we may be able to do something with some tin foil and ribbon Blue Peter-style.

Seriously, the events wouldn’t happen without support from riders, and at the end of the day, we run them for you guys (and girls) anyway. Hopefully we’ll see you all again next season for some more thrills, spills and excitement (and maybe some slightly better weather).

Jackie