Motorcycle festival comes to Matlock Bath

18 August 2009

Motorcyclists from across Derbyshire are invited to celebrate the art of motoring on two wheels at Bike Plus 2009.

Organised by the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership, the event on Sunday 23 August will offer visitors to Matlock Bath the opportunity to admire the latest machines, test their skills on a motorbike simulator and pick up a free copy of The Bikers' Guide to Derbyshire 2009.

They can also learn about discounted training, enjoy a virtual tour of the nation’s best roads by watching Highways Agency movie Great Roads Great Rides 2 and enter a prize draw for the chance to win a signed photo of British MotoGP contender James Toseland. 

B and M Honda, CMC Motorcycles, Triumph World, Pidcocks and Bob Minions are among the Derbyshire motorcycle dealers who will be exhibiting bikes at the event.

Andy Adlington, the partnership’s motorcycle project officer, said: "Bikers are drawn to the Derbyshire countryside because it offers great rides – but too many of them are running into trouble.  We want bikers to enjoy our countryside year after year rather than leaving the county in an ambulance or a hearse."

The bikers' guide is a free pocket-sized booklet containing advice from the partnership about how to survive the 14 countryside routes which they have identified as biker crash hot spots. The guide also includes an application form for Bike Plus - the subsidised rider development course after which this month’s festival of motorcycling is named.

Thanks to Derbyshire County Council, bikers can usually take advantage of the training for as little as £50 if they live in Derbyshire or £90 if they live outside the county. Bike Plus instructors are approved by the Driving Standards Agency. They teach bikers to spot hazards and tackle challenges such as cornering and overtaking with greater confidence.

At Easter, the partnership sent billboard vans bearing the message ‘Bikes aren’t dangerous. Bad riders are’ on to some of the hot routes identified in the bikers’ guide. The vans, which formed part of a wider publicity campaign, also warned motorcyclists not to get caught out in Derbyshire by difficult roads, speed cameras and extra police patrols. 

Staff from the partnership’s member organisations will be on hand at the event to talk to visitors about their road safety work. 

Bike Plus 2009  is taking place in the Derwent Gardens at Matlock Bath and will be open between 11am and 4pm. Admission is free. 

Free parking will be available to motorcyclists in the Pavilion car park between 8am and 4pm on the day of the event.