Dates For Your Diary
Monday club nights will be organised on Monday of the months of - March; June and September. This gives us lighter nights.
SkillShare
6 April 2024 meeting at the Dandy Highwayman Cafe Cherhill. 9.30 am for 10 am start
Bike Ride-Outs on the 3rd Saturday of every even numbered month and the 3rd Sunday of every odd numbered Month. Email will be sent out to Bikers and added to the Forum.
Next ride out Sunday 19 November. Details will be forthcoming via email to all bike members.
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Do you have a topic you would like discussed, or know of an interesting speaker? Please contact speaker at speakers@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following members who have passed their Advanced Tests recently:
Please welcome the following to the Group:
Kevin Rivers - Bike
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Don’t forget that we have a range of clothing available to purchase. We also offer a range of books, such as Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, and these are available at discounted prices.
For more information visit the Merchandise page of our web site |
We are always looking for more articles, ideas and news for the newsletter. Have you been somewhere interesting recently that would make a good story? If you attend any group events then take a camera and send us your pictures!
Please forward all contributions to newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
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Thanks to those gallant people who turned up for the AGM and to those who provided a proxy vote. This allows us to complete one of our major governance activities for the year. As you probably expect we did not decide on any major change in direction so we will continue with our training of drivers and riders to the RoSPA advanced standard to improve road safety. We strive to be as professional as possible and will make adjustments as we see fit, or as you good members advise and help us to do so.
Post the AGM we have had a committee meeting and have decided to change our social meetings to every quarter ad to focus on the months where the evenings are longer, and it is a bit more inviting to come out. We will also move the AGM to June for the same reason.
As we move towards the winter and the clocks move back, please do take the extra care on the road I know you will. If you are stuck for something to do as it is a dark wet night and there is nothing on the telly, why not pick up your roadcraft and highway code and flick through. I read them often as I am a tutor and I always pick up something I have forgotten or needs a tweak. If you are a social media person, then have a look at others’ posts and videos on you tube. I find it quite easy to identify those who know what they are talking about and are worth listening to and those who do not! This all helps to keep us honest and up to date with the latest views and ideas (good and bad!).
Take care our there.
Bob
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AGM Summary
18 members attended with 5 sending apologies and proxy votes.
Peter Genet performed the duties of chairing due to the Chair’s absence.
The minutes from the previous AGM were approved.
Membership secretary, Paul Prictor, provide a summary of the current membership and is chasing up unpaid membership; cut off is December after which unpaid members shall be removed.
Treasurer, Winston Castle, reported on the approved finances which are generally in good standing. An outcome is that we are unfortunately unable to continue sponsoring Driven Ohm racing due to our links to a charitable organisation.
Gary Franks thanked the meeting for our four years of sponsorship.
Election of committee – no new candidates were forthcoming so the current committee were voted in en-masse.
A vote of thanks was gratefully received from the meeting for the work the committee had done.
Car tutor coordination – noted that Dave Venman is standing down and a new coordinator is required.
Club nights – these will be kept to three in the year, spring and summer months to allow for lighter evenings. Dates will be in our monthly newsletter but will be first Monday of the month of April, June and September. AGM will also move to June.
Promotional activities: this provoked a long discussion with several ideas being put forwards. The Committee shall discuss and plan at the next committee meeting.
Meeting ended around 20:35.
Link to minutes, Wilts RoADAR AGM 2023 access may be required so please message the Hon Secretary, Mark Sealey, at the address below.
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Booking a Retest
Please be aware you need to book your 3 yearly retest directly with RoSPA via their website. Sadly we cannot book it for you as it is all done electronically. You may also need to check when your re-test is due if you have not been paying your subscriptions to RoADAR as they will not remind you.
Tutors will be happy to conduct a refresh should you wish one prior to a re test.
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Have you been up to anything to do with Riding or Driving lately? If so, then please let us know as we would love to include it here; photos would be great too!
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Off Road Training
Paul Prictor decided to enahnce is Advanced Riding achievement with a BMW off road skills course. Not only did he learn invaluable bike techniques which can be used on the road, but the all important physiscs rule, the inverse square rule of sod!
Paul with his bike for the session!
Knowing the BMW 1250GS was good on road, now knowing its unbelievable off road too. he was more at home on the BMW rather than the smaller Yamaha Tenere 700 during the Yamaha experience. Simple things like riding down a 1 in 4 gradient for 200 metres using engine braking and front brake braking on loose shingle and rocks!
Looks like a great time and a way of really improving overall riding skills, skills that can be used on the road - especially given the pot holes and gravel we find!
Oh, and as for the law of sod, why is it water leaks into your riding boots, but when its dry, water never leaks out?
Ride to Sammy Miller's Motorcycle Museum
The monthly rideout saw a sat nav ride down to Sammy Miller's museum near Bournemouth with two riders, Peter Genet and Bob Fram. No daschunds this time though the pigs were a surprise!
The rough route down
Rough route planned, way points added and curvy route set in sat-nav. Google anticipated time of 1hour 49 minutes was waayyyy off as it turned out!
At 09:30, two riders, Bob Fram and myself departed the Marlborough meeting point following the road to Pewsey and onto the Wallops. Simple enough! However, sat nav decided to follow its own course to get to the way points and so did we. Which makes it all the more interesting! For example, going through the New Forest taking narrow single lanes with pigs grazing along the roadside! Never mind the donkey’s and horses! Pink pigs!! That was a first for me. This is for me what riding is all about. Setting an end point and getting there, somehow!
The roads were mostly dry so made for a comfortable pace as we breezed through the lush autumnal valleys laden with golden trees. By the time we arrived it was almost midday, so time for a cuppa tea/coffee and obligatory bacon bap from the “One man band” on duty. Suitably refreshed we ventured into the museum.
I’d mentioned to my wife that I’d be back by 4pm ish! Lucky for me my in laws had arrived and distracted her so she didn’t really notice I got back an hour and a half late! Though I am now writing this from the shed at the bottom of our garden!
Sammy Miller has won the most ever riding awards for moto cross since the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s. He even rode the TT when he was 80 to which his collection of trophies attest to. An amazing man and bloody good rider – wonder if he knows IPSGA?
His museum is full of old and newish motorcycles, dating back to the 1900’s through to around 2000. An eclectic mix of British bikes many names neither of us recognised. But the technology! How that has changed. From a simple candle for a front light to the LEDs of today! And, as for the suicide shift!! Thank goodness that has disappeared, and gear change is done with the feet! Saying that though, linked braking has been around for well over 50 years so not sure why it’s a “feature” of many modern bikes?
As you wander around this museum, you soon realise that the early riders were incredibly hardy, or foolish!
From the old, to the almost new! An amazing collection of motorcycles!
Once the rain mostly stopped, we headed back home, this time sat-nav set for direct route seeing us head to Salisbury and, for me, onto Marlborough towards north Wiltshire.
A thoroughly great day out. Great roads. Great scenery and, of course, great company!
Peter
Driven Ohm Racing
October saw the final round of the season at Castle Combe.
In a first for the team, we had all three cars out on track to race. Ben Pemberton in 265, Max Gray in 887 and Gary in 905.
Having wrapped up the 2023 class win for the Supercharged cars at the last round, Gary had his sights on securing 3rd overall in the series. Ben is still quite inexperienced but has raced this car twice at Combe and Max was starting his first ever race having tested the car on the preceding Wednesday.
Qualifying went well, with both Ben and Max getting better times than they achieved in previous outings, and Gary shaving a couple of tenths off his qualifying PB, securing 3rd in class for the start.
The race started in the usual flurry of tyres and dust, with Ben jumping Max off the line is his slower car, and Gary dropping a few places by getting pushed wide on the run up to Quarry.
On the first lap, Max got by Ben, and Gary set out after the two Minis ahead of him, piloted by George Walker and Gary's teammate Olly Kingston. Gary had to contend with a Peugeot 205 for quite a few laps, and once he got by the other two Minis were 10 seconds down the road. George and Olly had a fantastic scrap for the class win, with Olly just edging it on the line. Gary came home 3rd in class, securing 3rd overall in the Hot Hatch series in the process. Max and Ben both gaining in experience.
It's been an amazing year, thanks mostly to Darren Duffield and the 119 Racing crew who have been preparing and supporting the cars during the year. We have had a couple of issues, driveshafts, windscreens and bonnets all breaking, but the team have quickly leapt into action and got the drivers out to do battle.
We have one more "away fixture" at Silverstone on November 4th with all three cars out again on the National Circuit, and the last engagement for the team is the awards night on November 18th in Bristol.
The Silverstone round will mark the end of a 4-year sponsorship of the team by Wiltshire RoADAR, and it's a great way to sign off.
We have big plans for the evolution of the team for the 2024 season.
Gary Franks
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Highway Code App
The Stationery Office has launched a new Highway Code app.
The app is for all road users and makes it even easier - and more fun - to keep up to date with the rules of the road.
What's new?
- Instant access to the very latest version of the Official Highway Code while on the move, on tablets and mobile devices
- Quizzes and timed challenge features, that help users check their knowledge of the Highway Code and track their progress.
- A voice over option enabling users to listen as well as read.
The app costs £3.99 and is available to download on both Android and iOS platforms. |
Membership and GDPR
Due to GDPR we are required to remove an individual's details from our Group database when they are no longer required by us. We remove a lapsed member's details if they have not paid a subscription by the 31 Dec following the AGM (3 months after the subscriptions are due). If a member has forgotten to pay their subs and pays after 31 Dec we will require a joining form to be completed so we can replace them on the database.
It all seems a bit strange, but we do not want to get on the wrong side of the Government's Information Commissioner. We understand if members forget or are late with their subscriptions, but please help us to keep our database accurate and compliant.
This is, of course, separate to those of you who maintain a membership with RoADAR HQ.
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Promotional activities
Successfully supported by Wiltshire RoADAR motorcycle tutors and WABAM Observers. Final confirmed date for the year is:
Starting again in the New Year!
If you have any ideas for events, then please get in touch with the committee using the committee email address :
Look forward to hearing and discussing your ideas.
Presentation material
A generic set of slides has been created for use if you are asked about Wiltshire RoADAR and have the opportunity to present. This could be at a local club, workplace etc. Please send a mail to committee@wiltshireroadar.co.uk and the slides will be sent over to you.
We also have flyers and business cards so ask for these via the same means.
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Call for Bikers from Severn Freewheelers
Many of you will be aware of Severn Freewheelers, the blood bike charity
that provides its free service to the NHS and specifically the Great
Western Trust (GWH) at Swindon. Partly as a result of the Trust’s
response to COVID and the service being better understood by the Trust,
the workload now means we have two bikes serving the area. Last year we
undertook over 2000 jobs for the Swindon Trust. Overall Severn
Freewheelers did over 7000 tasks.
This is a request primarily seeking riders to help support our
operation going forward. Naturally over time people fall away as their
circumstances change, they move away or indeed decide this is no longer
for them.
The service runs 1900hrs to 0700hrs weekdays and 24 hrs at weekends
and public holidays. A typical duty is Wednesday evening till Saturday
evening or Saturday until the Wednesday. You would keep the bike at home
until you handover to the next rider. The bikes are the latest BMW RTs.
A new rider needs to have undertaken his or her advanced test in
the last three years and is required to be retested every three years.
In addition, there would be a check ride undertaken on joining and
further periodic check rides with a nominated assessor. Managing the
risks within the operation is a core value of the charity. There are of
course other roles as coordinators and fund raisers and riders are
expected to contribute beyond simply riding which is vital to maintain
the service. From a response basis, riders need to live within 25 miles
of the Great Western Hospital. Training is provided for all
new members.
If this is of interest, please feel free to get in touch.
Geoff
Geoff Brown
Severn Freewheelers
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Media coordinator - Help us to broaden our reach
To help promote the group we have a variety of online media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. To help make the most out of the opportunities that these outlets provide, we could use some help from someone who has experience of using such tools. Drop me a line at secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk if you would be interested in helping promote our group.
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Committee minutes
These are available from the Group Secretary if any member wishes to see them. If you are interested in reading the minutes, then please send a mail to the Group Secretary whom will promptly forward them onto you.
Test results
Reminder to let the Membership Secretary and your tutor know when you have taken your Advanced Driving/Riding Test and result. This is so our database is kept up to date; there is no need or pressure at all to have the result published on the website or in this newsletter if you wish to keep your result confidential.
If you have read this far, thanks! If you have any feedback or suggestions about content for your newsletter, then drop us a line at newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk If you can't leave constructive feedback though, then we don't want to hear from you!
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