Dates For Your Diary
Group Meeting
14 November - Driven Ohm Racing, Gary Franks
SkillShare
That's it for this year!
April 2023 we start again.
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 20 November. Details will be forthcoming via email to all bike members. It looks like a good day out too!
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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:
Ed Deacon - Car - Gold, retest
Welcome
Please welcome the following to the Group:
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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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We're now on
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AND
Twitter! |
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Thank you to those for attending the recent AGM and for those that have renewed their membership for another year. There is still opportunity to renew however there will be some reminders going out via email from the Membership Secretary.
One question we were asked at the AGM was as to the success of sponsoring DrivenOhm racing and how many members it has attracted to the group. There is no answer to that but we are looking into it. There are opportunities to attend the race events as one of the sponsors – so if you do want to attend on behalf of our group, then please get in touch – this would suit members from the car section.
Another year approaches with more activities going on. We are still training and coaching riders and drivers all throughout winter. We are looking to promote the group more in 2023 so if you have any ideas and could help please let us, the committee, know.
This is my last year as Chair of your group. Several other members and I have been on the committee for many years, and it is time for a change with fresh ideas and approach. Come and join the committee to see how things are managed. We are a friendly bunch and need your help to continue.
I look forward to your continued support for another year. Lets hope its as good as the last few have been.
Peter Genet (on behalf of Bob Fram)
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A successful AGM was held on October 10th with the majority of the Committee remaining post for one more year. Minutes have been made available to all members via email.
However, since the meeting, we need a new membership secretary. Please get in contact with the Secretary at the email address below.
The current committee members have been in post for several years with six out of seven being bike members. We would like to welcome new members to join us and take over the running of the group. Change of committee members is good as it brings in new and fresh ideas and perspectives.
The workload isn't too time consuming, but we would really like to re-dress the balance between car and bike members.
Please let the Secretary know if you would like to come along and see the workings of your committee. |
SkillShare
Dates to be added for April 2023.
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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!
| Ride to Brittany
One of our members, Alex Wysocki, decided to take a motorbike trip to Brittany. His story is below.
With holidays over and the summer weather fading, I craved one more bike trip before the winter. I suggested to my wife that we take a short break to Brittany on the motorbike. She agreed on the understanding that there would be no tents involved.
Our destination was Auray in Brittany which I had visited on a motorbike trip some 20 years ago. We booked an overnight ferry with a cabin leaving Portsmouth on Thursday night at 23:00 and took us to Cherbourg arriving at 08:00, refreshed and eager to go. It was drizzly so we headed directly south to escape the clouds, stopping for coffees when the sun made an appearance. We popped-in to see Mont Saint-Michel to find that you can’t ride close to it these days. You could once park next to the magnificent island town and walk onto it over the causeway.
We proceeded on smaller roads as we were in no rush, following a route that took us South-West through some of France’s more remote scenery. The backroads are generally well maintained and very quiet, interrupted by the occasional sleepy town offering ample opportunity to stop for refreshments. We had lunch in Yvignac-la-Tour where everything was fully booked due to an ‘event’. A kind couple took pity on us and suggested that we join their table, for which we were grateful. My French isn’t the best, so we ended up ordering a ‘lottery’ meal having no clue what we had ordered. The food, predictably, was excellent.
After much gesticulation and laughter, we finally got back on the bike and continued our ride. We booked a comfortable hotel in Port Saint-Goustan and after a short walk we made our way into the pretty medieval harbour. After taking-in the lovely architecture, we found a cosy place to enjoy a meal with some well-deserved Merlot.
The next morning, we woke to sunshine and took a route exploring the surrounding area. Our first stop was the quaint fishing town of Locmariaquer. After exploring the town, we jumped back on the bike riding through La Trinite-sur-Mer, stopping at Plage De Kervillen to take in the sea air. The next destination was a short ride to visit the famous Monoliths or Carnac. Whilst impressive, they are very much like our Avebury. Certainly worth a walk around the main site which has the biggest concentration of stones.
A sucker for exploring peninsulas, we then targeted Quiberon which is a long sliver of land jutting out into the sea. The area is surprisingly built-up with some pretty buildings by the road. At the narrowest point the sea is visible on both your left and right. The tip, Pointe du Conguel, offers near 360-degree views of Quiberon Bay and the surrounding waters. The weather was glorious with people swimming and making the most of the late September sun. We walked and sat on the beaches soaking-up the Vitamin D.
Riding back up the peninsula, we spotted clouds in the distance with thunder and lightning. We stopped at a café for lunch and watched as the storm passed to the side of us, revealing blue skies. Following a circular route back towards Auray (found on bestbikingroads.com), we were at the hotel by 16:00. After changing, we walked into Auray exploring more of the town before sunset. As the evening drew-in, we returned to Port Saint-Goustan where we enjoyed some local cider before finding an excellent restaurant next to an inn frequented by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700’s whilst drumming-up French support for an emerging American nation.
Our final day involved a long and scenic route back to Cherbourg. The first destination was the fortified city of Vannes, certainly worth a longer future visit. We zig-zagged North-Eastwards through the countryside making slow progress but by chance going past the home of Dick Strawbridge (from the TV show ‘Escape to the Chateau’). We had limited time for stops as we had to make the ferry back home, but we arrived in Cherbourg on time and enjoyed a hearty meal on the boat.
The crossing was uneventful, and we arrived in Poole just before 22:00. A couple of chilly hours later we were back home – tired but content that we had managed to squeeze so much into a few late summer days.
Alex Wysocki
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Driven Ohm Racing
Driven Ohm Racing: October update
We entered two cars into the last round of the Combe season on October 1st. Gary ran in car 905 and Steve in 887 again. Due to the cancelled race from the previous round, we were booked to run in 2 Hot Hatch races on the day. Both cars ran well, which was very welcome news after the mechanical issues we have had through the season.
Gary had an exciting time in the first race, dicing in a pack of 5 Minis, and fighting his way up to third in class. Unfortunately, he made a mistake at Quarry corner and let two of them get back through, finishing 5th in class. Steve finished strongly in 8th in class.
In race 2 Gary was determined not to get mugged for a second time and again battled his way up to third in class, but this time he managed to hold on to his podium position after a spirited fight with another Cooper S car 95. Steve secured another 8th in class.
We were pleased to have both cars running strongly and finishing well and having secured personal best times for both.
The Combe season has now drawn to a close, but we will be making one more track appearance at Silverstone as part of the Walter Hayes Trophy for Formula Ford cars. Each year they host a closed wheel race for a variety of cars. Gary will be running in 905 and John Watters will be making his race debut in car 887. Both will be running in a 30-minute sprint race on the National Circuit.
Follow progress on Facebook @Driven.Ohm.Racing.
Please check the series website for the latest details:
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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. Of course training is provided for all
new members.
If this is of interest, please feel free to get in touch.
Geoff
Geoff Brown
Severn Freewheelers
Mob 07399 457703
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Promotional activities
SkillShare - 2023 - dates to be advertised!
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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Covid protocol
We continue to review these protocols at every Committee meeting and see no reason to change them at the moment for the next month espeically as there is an increase in cases. Clearly with the changes in legislation some may feel these protocols are excessive; we continue to have your safety at the forefront of all we do - personal choice must lead the way. We will no longer insist on a lateral flow test as these will no longer be free of charge. The responsibility is on us all to do what we think is right for us and our loved ones. The bottom line is if you do not feel safe doing something then do not do it!!
Wiltshire RoADAR COVID Secure Car Tutoring Protocol
This is a voluntary activity and both parties (Tutor and Associate) must be content to be in the same car as each other (normally the Associate’s car). It is recognised each individual has their own circumstances and acceptance of level of risk. There will be no judgement of individuals who do not wish to conduct car training.
Wiltshire RoADAR have a written risk assessment which is available on request. The mitigation factors listed below are to minimise the risk of coronavirus infection for the Tutor and the Associate. These are the absolute minimum required and if individuals wish to add their own factors the this is up to them.
Essential Mitigation Measures
- No training if either party has displayed COVID 19 symptoms within 7 days or is self-isolating in line with Government guidance (including Test and Trace protocols).
- Associate and tutor requested to have conducted a lateral flow test within 2 days of the training session. A positive test should be treated as per Government guidelines and precludes training.
- Face covering to be worn by both tutor and associate. These must be in place prior to entering the vehicle.
- Ensure hands are clean (washed for 20 seconds and/or alcohol gel as a minimum) prior to fitting face covering.
- Tutor and associate must not touch their face when in the vehicle or prior to washing/sanitising hands/ or removing gloves if worn.
- Vehicle ventilation system to be on and drawing air from outside the vehicle (NOT on recirculation). Ventilation enhanced by opening rear windows to allow air flow over tutor and associate to go out of the vehicle.
- Avoid face to face activity and conduct discussions outside the vehicle where safe and legal to do so.
Recommended Additional Mitigation Measures
- Tutor wears disposable gloves when in the vehicle.
- Any equipment taken into the vehicle by the tutor to be sanitised post the session (alcohol wipes or a bleach solution)
- Associate to ensure vehicle interior is cleaned with sanitiser prior to tutor entering the vehicle.
Wiltshire RoADAR COVID Secure Bike Tutoring Protocol
We must ensure the safety of both the Associate and the Tutor. The following protocol is to be followed:
- Both parties must be happy to partake in the tutoring session – there is no penalty for not wishing to partake provided communication is clear.
- No tutoring if either the Associate or the Tutor have displayed symptoms within the last 7 days or are told to self- isolate by the Government Track and Trace protocol.
- It is srequested both the Associate and the Tutor conduct a lateral Flow test no sooner than 2 days prior to the session. A positive test should be treated as per Government guidelines and precludes training.
- All must follow Government guidelines on self-isolation and shielding.
- Appropriate Social distancing must be rigorously applied.
- Follow Government guidelines for hand cleansing and personal safety – hand sanitiser useful at all times.
- Avoid busy locations for meeting, follow the latest Government guidelines for the use of cafes and/or take own refreshments.
- Associates to be encouraged to bring their own copy of Roadcraft and the Highway code for ease of reference during briefing and de-briefing sessions.
- Tutor explanations and diagrams to be suitable for understanding from 2 metres.
Advice will be updated as and when it is received. But, please follow government guidelines.
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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.
Forum
Please could all Members use the Forum on the Website which can be used for any purpose but particularly coordinating events, hints, tips and general conversation. It is easy to register on the website so please do log on and chat away.
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.
Gloucester RoADAR Newsletter
If you are interested in the Gloucester Group newsletter here it is.
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