I had my first bike experience aged around 5 years old at Butlins, wanted more but couldn't persuade parents to buy one!

 

Used to enjoy riding push bikes fast and remember a feeling of wanting to lean over further but couldn't because peddles kept digging in!

 

Some mates were into bikes at school when aged about15, which started my interest again.  I had a 50cc bike at 16 (AR50 with big bore kit - i.e. AR80 - 70mph down hill!), I passed my bike test on my 17th birthday - got myself a KR1s, then a ZXR400 (which I crashed and wrote off), followed by a mk III RG250 ('85) which was the first bike I really started to ride hard round corners and use knee sliders (well, skate board pads!), but that kept blowing up, so after rebuilding it a few times, I bought an RG500. Then a GSXR750 slab side, then a GSXR1100 slab side, I streetfightered the RG500, and then got an RS125 (trying to keep speed down - didn't work!).  First time on track - Performance Bikes track day Pembrey Sept 1999 on the RG500 street fighter, did one session and blew up but at least got pic in PB!  Didn't know what to do with all the space on a race track!

Riding down Rocky Lane late 1999 on my RG, banked over pretty hard, came across a family walking down road. A close shave with them made me realise the danger to other people when riding fast on a public road.  So, I decided…… no more, I need to get on a track and race.  I first thought about MZ racing, but decided to race TZR250 (1989) in BEMSEE Yamaha “Past Masters”.