Wootton Bassett Run
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 13:01
I dont know if anyone has posted on here about this, but here goes, does anyone know why MCN will not mention or back the run to Wootton Bassett, it was thought up by a young 18yr old girl biker, in support of the soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, its on March 14th Mothers day, so far there are 13000 registered and going, last day to register is Feb 15th, lots of people have got in touch with MCN, but no reply, I have phoned them but they dont want to know, they say they represent UK bikers, so why no mention of the run, the BBC and Sky news both have said they will be there, but MCN wont comment, for those that have not heard about it,click on Link below.
http://www.afghanheroes.org.uk/bikersevent.asp
Regards Keith
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 13:51
#2
In fact it's 9,000 bikes registered now, 13,000 people, so maybe a couple of thousand bikes will turn up, though the organisers are expecting around 1000, which does really make it more of a local event. I'll still follow this through though.
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 16:19
#3
Hi Kev
I know it says 1000 at the top of the page, but down below the bottom of the page it gives the latest numbers, which when I last looked was around 13000 inc pillons, and all this in two weeks from when I first went on the site, I only found out about it on the American Forum Suzuki B King.org. and I think there would be a lot more, if more people knew about it, from the site link I sent you, I found a link about it on Facebook, and there are people on there coming as far afield as Devon and Scotland, I have been in touch with some of the media and they were really interested, and said they would cover it, its a shame you had not heard of it before now, as with you talking about it would have added a few thousand, please look into it a bit more, as it would give our troops, and their family a big boost.
Regards Keith
PS are you the Kevin Ash that was in a bike mag about 30yrs ago ( give or take a few years ) that used to discribe bike runs, called somthinglike Bike or Bike Rider, if so, I still have every one of them up in my attic, and every time I move house I get a few out, and have a good read, many of the runs I do today, were from what you discribed about the ride, my fav one was to the Elam Valley to see the Dams, sorry about me going on about yesteryear, I do hope you can do a few words about the run, its for a good cause, and the T Shirts for the run are selling like hot cakes, even the Americans are buying them up.
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 17:11
#4
I suspect quite a few Americans have signed up, though of course they won't be going on the run, but with 9000 bikes registered it could still top a couple of thousand on the day. No more will be able to register by the time I get anything in MCN, but I'll give the news desk a call tomorrow and they might be able to drop something in by this Wednesday - I'll give them the angle that more than 9000 bikes are already signed up, the numbers might do the trick and get it in there.
Nope, 30 years ago is a bit far back for me, I started off in this work - yes, I suppose it is work really - as one of the founder team of Fast Bikes in '91 and I only worked for them and MCN, though I did edit and work on some other mags at the same time. I've never heard of another bike journalist called Kevin Ash though!
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 18:06
#5
Hi Kev
Thanks for trying to do somthing, remember all those who are going to go on the airfield are having to fork out a fiver for the wristband, so it looks like it will be large.
I am sure it was you who did the write ups, but getting old now so could be wrong, and getting muddled, I did buy Fast Bikes, so that is why your name rang a bell, I will get up in the attic some time and find the name of the mag.
I look forward to hearing from you soon with any news on the run, and also what MCN are thinking.
Regards Keith
Sun, 07/02/2010 - 20:56
#6
Some of the early issues of Fast Bikes are worth a few bob now! When magazines go out to newsagents etc, the copies left over at the end of the month are returned and usually the publisher will keep quite a few of them as back issues, but we were pretty new to this and not exactly organised, so more than once they were all pulped instead! I think that happened to issues 2 and 6, and possibly some others, so hang on to them...
I'll keep you posted anyway.
Kevin
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 10:11
#7
Early editions of Fast Bikes are worth a few bob!!! Arrrgh. I had the lot covering the first five or six years, plus God alone knows how many other mags, all bundled up. It must have run to more than a thousand different magazines and I binned the lot a couple of years back due to logistics of moving them internationally as I kept living in in different places. C'est la vie. It was a great mag when it came out or so it seemed to me at the time - Schiller, Emmett, Ash et al.
I hope the Wooton Bassett run is a success though I am too far away to attend but politics aside it is a deserving cause for so many young people who are giving up so much for others. Irrespetive of if one agrees with the why's and wherefores of what they are being sent to do, there memory is still precious.
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 10:58
#8
Hi Kev
nice to know they are worth money, it can go towards me bringing in a new B King ABS from the States later in the year, in regards to the WB run, there is now talk of the starting point being moved away from the service station, as the number going is getting bigger every day, number of bikes now registered is over 10,000 with pillion now 14000,
could have been a lot more if bike press had got behind it, but I guess like me had not heard about it, but as soon as I heard, I passed it on to as much media as I could, here is a write up posted a while ago, when they thought only a few thousand were going.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8467000/8467527.stm
Regards Keith
PS let me know what MCN are saying about it.
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 11:09
#9
Hi Again
here is the Link to the orgaisers, to get the latest news about the run.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=231770155035&ref=search&sid=842362883.3271403362..1
Regards Keith
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 11:15
#10
Would be great if you could get something in before the end of the registration date but either way would be good to get some support from MCN before the event. I agree that not all of the bikes registered will actually turn up on the day but either way this event is going to be huge. I know that because of the amount of people I will be meeting up with before I get even close to WB.
The politics of the fighting is not part of this event. The main thing is that we have our troops losing their lifes over there and the event is to thank WB for coming out rain or shine to support those servicemen who are repatriated and supporting the families with free drinks and sandwiches etc.
I think a lot of people have been surprised by how much this event has grown but I think the percentage of people attending will be higher than a lot expect.
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 15:38
#11
Okay, just spoke to Andy Downes at MCN, they ARE covering the event and they WILL be mentioning before the 15th that riders have to register before then. He believes there's something online on the MCN site right now, but if there isn't there soon will be.
I agree scousejock, it looks like the scale of the event caught everyone by surprise. Originally they wouldn't have covered it because it only counted as a local event, and I'd have understood that decision, but as I thought, the sheer scale of the numbers involved means it has become a national news item for that reason.
I'll be posting something on my site too, although chances are a lot of interested people will have seen this thread anyway. But some extra coverage won't hurt!
Meanwhile I'll be registering myself... I'd say see you there but if those numbers do materialise I doubt you'd be able to find anyone you know!
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 16:53
#12
Thanks Kev I appreciate your input on this. I agree it has caught many off guard just how big this has become but glad MCN are getting behind this and will mention it b4 the deadline.
Glad your personally registering I think it will be Historic. Check out the Facebook discussion board as many riders are hooking up at different locations to head to the destination.
Thanks again
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 17:03
#13
I'll try to get something on it into the Daily Telegraph on Saturday too - if it does it'll also go online on the DT website with a link.
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 17:09
#14
Wow the telegraph too. Very high brow for bikers lmao. Only joking I get the telegraph delivered every day lol
Glad your behind this event. Getting the media involved has been slow considering how fast the numbers have risen but I truely believe this will be historic and in the words of one of the "officials" "This has become bigger than Ben Hur" lol love that comment.
Many people have managed to get regional coverage as well. I have spoken to a journalist from the somerset paper who is going to run an article and I am arranging for him to take a pic of the group coming from our area. Think that might scare their readers tho lol.
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 17:16
#15
Well done Kev, I think the numbers are going to go up a lot more now, thanks for your input. I have spent all afternoon emailing my local bike dealers, and giving them a link, not one of them had heard about it, that should all change now.
Regards Keith
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 18:49
#16
Hi Kev
Sods law, now we are getting the big guns behind us,registration has been temp stopped, they say because of the large numbers trying to register, hope its not for to long.
Regards Keith
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 19:36
#17
Yeah I saw that when I tried to register! I guess there are worse problems, like no one signing up...
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 23:11
#18
REGISTRATION CLOSED FOR GOOD
After the meeting today with the authorities and the unprecedented response from the biking community we have been asked to close registration one week early. It will unfortunately NOT be re-opening.
We would like to reassure everyone that the ride IS GOING AHEAD W......ITH the FULL suppo...rt of the police and local authorities. We have spoken to a few local businesses who are all looking forward to the day. ALL bikes will be riding through Wootton Bassett no matter what you may have heard.
Plan details re: routes, times, wristbands, will be made available in document format soon. We have another meeting with the police next week to discuss the finer details.
We can confirm that we will NOT be riding on any stretches of the motorway.
Regards Keith
Tue, 09/02/2010 - 00:13
#19
People power - what the web was made for. Good luck.
Tue, 09/02/2010 - 14:21
#20
Its a shame registration had to close but the registration was for access to the RAF base and not for the run itself so I am sure many unregistered bikers will still attend.
I guess Kev you missed registration too but maybe you can use your powers of the press to get into the base lol. Hope your still able to attend.
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 11:06
#21
I think it was a big mistake to close registration early, as I think there will be a lot of bikers still going on the run, and rightly so, but it will cause more problems now for the police, as they will have no idea of the numbers going, so now the police are expecting around 10,000, but it could be 20,000, I think registration should be reopened as soon as possible.
If I may be allowed to stay on my soapbox a little longer, I resent being told off by one of the organisers for getting in touch with the media, and trying to make the event known, I was told they were paying a PR company good money to do that, more like a waste of money, all the people I got in touch with had not been contacted by the PR company, I wonder if they contacted MCN, which should have been one of the first to get in touch with.
I know a lot of people on the site did a lot of work to get the event noticed, Scousejock being one of them, I only found out about it on a American Forum, and that was not down to the PR company, the money paid to the PR company, should have been given to the charity fund.
I feel better now I have got that off my chest.
Rant now over.
Kev I hope you are able to go to the event, and look forward to your write up.
Regards Keith
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 11:15
#22
I know the feeling Keith. I heard of this event through a friend (ex services) who heard about it through some servicemen. Everyone in the Media I have spoken to had not heard of this event. From what I can make out the PR company done a media release which is available to everyone in the media, but so much information is released in this way it is unlikely that anyone would have spotted it.
I agree closing registration could bite the authorities in the ass and cause more confusion but hopefully it will all go smoothly and show bikers in a good light for a change.
I hope Kev will be able to make the ride as well as any other biking journalists who have only just heard of the event.
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 11:45
#23
Kev bring Suzi Perry with you that will def cheer all the bikers up when we are stuck behind 10,000 other bikes lol :D
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 12:26
#24
SCOUSEJOCK
I def second that for Suzi Perry, and if she would be willing to sell a kiss for the charity, that would be great, I will be packing an extra £50 just in case, there I go, dreaming again.
Kev
can you let us know if, and when you may be able to put somthing in the Telegraph, the Telegraph is not a paper I buy everyday, I am a Mail man myself, ( sorry for saying a naughty word ) I do go on line to the Telegraph now and again, to see what is going on in the bike world, it was one of your reviews on the B King that helped me make up my mind about buying one, and I dont regret it one bit, and you were spot on in saying that it needed a bigger fuel load, on a full tank, the low fuel light starts flashing at just over 100 miles, but you have another indication 10 miles later to say you are getting low on fuel, I do ride it pretty hard, I would say with a steady throttle hand you should easy get at least 180 miles to a full tank.
Regards Keith
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 13:01
#25
Update from organisers
Julia Stevenson DUE TO THE FACT THAT SO MANY BIKERS HAVE REGISTERED, AND,AS YOU CAN
IMAGINE WOOTTON BASSETT IS A VERY SMALL TOWN, THE AREA SIMPLY CANNOT TAKE ANYMORE THAN THE 22MILES OF BIKES THAT HAVE REGISTERED TO RIDE THROUGH.
WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK THOSE THAT HAVE NOT REGISTERED, TO BE PATIENT WHILST WE MAY BE ABLE TO ...FIND OTHER SOLUTIONS FOR YOU TO STILL COME ALONG TO THIS EVENT, BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RIDE THROUGH WOOTTON BASSETT ON THE ORGANIZED RIDE.
THIS ALL TAKES TIME. WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CORRECT CHANNELS....AND WE ARE WAITING NOW FOR CONFIRMATION.
WE HOPE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND NOW.THIS RIDE IS SO BIG AND YOUR SAFTEY IS MOST IMPORTANT TO US, WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE BE PATIENT.
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 19:36
#26
There won't be anything in the Telegraph this coming Saturday, those pages were pretty much all done already, and no extra spaces appeared, as they sometimes do. But there should be something going in the following Saturday. I know it's after the registration date but as they're closed now it's not such an issue and the website address will be published - there'll be a link from the Telegraph's site too, and that's huge so it'll get plenty of referrals.
I'm planning on going myself, maybe we can have our own meeting point or something, I'll see if that's feasible a little later, though it looks like it's going to be pretty chaotic! Tell you what, I will ask Suzi, she'll be good for getting more publicity, but I doubt she'll be able to make it, she's often out of the country and is very busy right now.
Re the PR company, they certainly didn't get anything about it to me and I am officially the motorcycle correspondent for Telegraph Motoring, so they missed the motorcycle section of the country's biggest broadsheet newspaper. Can't say I find that very impressive, and I'd certainly have written something in my MCN column too. I don't think Janie Omorogbe heard anything either, and she writes about bikes each week for The Sun, which is the biggest daily tabloid. Be interesting to know exactly who they did inform. It's simply not feasible to go out looking for press releases as a journalist, they have to come to you, but that's what PR companies are paid to do. Other news of course we do have to chase ourselves, but not this sort of thing, which is dependent on publicity.
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 22:33
#27
Just heard from the organisers that no one will be allowed on RAF Lyneham, pressure being put on by Police,or MOD.
Elizabeth Stevens We have had it confirmed that RAF Lyneham cannot cope with the numbers now that have shown their support. They still fully support the ride. We are looking at several bases at present and when things are confirmed I will let you know.
Regards Keith
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 22:44
#28
There's not going to be room in Wiltshire at this rate...
I won't now be able to post a separate news item on this until the weekend, purely and simply because it's only me here and I'm still writing a load of other stuff then flying off tomorrow morning to the MV F4 launch in Spain. But plenty of people are following this thread and thanks to Keith and Scousejock it's as up to date as it could be anyway. Thanks for all your input here, I'm sure a lot of people are appreciating it.
Wed, 10/02/2010 - 23:51
#29
Kev we are all gratefull to you, your input is now getting mentioned on the site.
Regards Keith
PS I will put a link to this page.
Thu, 11/02/2010 - 11:56
#30
"flying off tomorrow morning to the MV F4 launch in Spain" Its a hard life aint it Kev lmao. Hope you have fun over there. The MV is an awesome looking bike but not sure I could bring myself to take it out and get it dirty its just to dam sexy.
Thanks for all your input on this. I know Suzi is very busy so wont hold my breath but would be great if she did get involved and if anyone throws any beer bottles at her i will ask them very very nicely to stop ;)
It will be very manic on the day so not sure anyone will find people they know on the day (but I will keep an eye out for you if for nothing else than to shake your hand to thank you for your input) but I am sure it will be a day to remember whatever the final plans become.
I'll check it out, see what they say, but I suspect they're viewing this as a local/regional event and they do only cover national stuff, it's all they can do in the space they have. There are lots of other runs happening regularly around the country in aid of various causes, so I imagine they're seeing this as another one of those and wouldn't single it out.
You don't judge the news value of an event by how good you think the cause is, but what it means as an event to riders nationally, and usually local/regional runs are dull to read about, they'd fill the pages if they were all reported and they're not relevant to riders in other parts of the country anyway.
But in this case, if that many riders really are coming on the run my own judgement is that it would default into something of national interest through sheer volume alone. 13,000 bikes in one place is big news regardless of the reason why they're there. But I'd want to get solid confirmation of those figures, they do sound like an element of exaggeration might have been applied, and even if it hasn't, there's no way that everyone who registers will actually turn up. If half of them do that's still pretty big, but generally the proportion will be less than that.
I'll look into it myself and if I can find an angle to write about I'll get something into my MCN column, though it's too late now to do it before Feb 15, this coming Wednesday's column is already done and dusted.