The 25th Shropshire Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Show and Autojumble
The Wistanstow Classic Bike Show enters its 24th year and the organisers are pleased to announce the Guest of Honour this year will be Pip Higham, the highly respected drag racer and Suzuki specialist.
From his famous Village Bike Shop, based near Manchester, Pip rose to prominence in UK drag racing and became the first rider in the world to run a nine second quarter mile in the streetbike class. Other records followed and at the height of his drag racing career Pip won the pro stock class at Le Mans on three successive occasions. As well as numerous sprint and drag records Pip also set the fastest ever half mile time at the Brighton Speed trials, a record which still stands to this day.
Over the years, the Show has attracted an astonishing roll call of guest speakers, thanks to Show originator Ron Maund. These have included big names such as Phil Read MBE, Tony Rutter, Tommy Robb, Percy Tait, Stuart Graham and last year Dick Greasley.
This year is certainly no exception and Pip Higham will be a very welcome addition to the show in Wistanstow. Pip will be bringing along a classic Kawasaki-powered Kosman dragster and will be giving a talk about his fascinating career in the motorcycle industry and his involvement in the drag racing scene in the seventies and eighties.
The appeal of our show is the very friendly, community-spirited village feel combined with the array of vintage and classic bikes on display together with the autojumble.
Now entering its 23rd year, the Shropshire Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Show continues to be one of the most popular annual events for West Midlands motorcycle enthusiasts. Over the years the show has attracted an astonishing roll call of guest speakers including big names such as Phil Read MBE, Tony Rutter, Tommy Robb, Percy Tait and Stuart Graham.
This year is no exc
eption and sidecar ace Dick Greasley will be the Guest of Honour. Dick, from Market Drayton, was the first sidecar driver to lap the Isle of Man at 100mph and a serious world championship sidecar contender during the sport’s heyday in the late seventies.
Amongst the star bikes appearing at this year’s show is Robert Dunlop’s fearsome Norton RCW race bike. This is the bike on which Robert famously won the 1990 NW200 Superbike race reaching speeds of over 190mph. Race enthusiasts will remember the distinctive wail of these controversial machines when, for a brief period , the likes of Haslam, Cull, Spray, Nation and Dunlop dominated the UK race scene. Mechanic Dave Evans was a key member of the Norton team during that period and Dave will be on hand at the show and has promised to start the bike up to remind us just how special these bikes were.
The appeal of the Shropshire show has always been its friendly village atmosphere combined with exotic classic bikes and an autojumble. Sponsored by the Wood Brewery, The Plough Inn will be serving a special brew ‘Twist Grip Bitter’. Proceeds for the show go to Wistanstow School. (registered Charity No 1039913)