I spent a day at the Dubliner Methven Mountain Thunder Motorcycle Street Races with some of my family on Easter Saturday. I wanted to go and my 50th birthday earlier in the week gave me the perfect excuse: a birthday gift to myself! It was the perfect day for it – not a cloud in the sky. Watching the racers hurtle round the course, accompanied by the thunderous engine sounds, definitely got the adrenalin pumping! I enjoyed walking through the pits, checking out the different bikes, and talking to some familiar faces.
Talking with Elliot was particularly interesting – an avid rider, and having previously done a Ride Forever Course with 2 Drive Safe, he had been racing two different bikes. Below is the video of our conversation, or if you’d prefer to read, the transcript is below too!
Duncan: Hey this is Duncan from 2 Drive Safe Rider & Driver Training, and this is Elliot Woolhouse. We’re here at Methven Mountain Thunder and he’s just been racing today. He’s racing two bikes – in the background is his Buell and just here is his Bucket that he’s racing. So tell us about the Bucket.
Elliot: The Bucket is just little FXR150 air cooled single. Not a lot of power, but they’re a whole lot a fun! Just light, you can throw them around and that’s it. It’s all about having fun.
Duncan: And how are you getting on with that today?
Elliot: Not as well as I would like. I’m a wee bit behind. But it’s my first day racing Methven, so still just learning the track and you don’t get a lot of time for that. It’s 30 something seconds around the track so by the time you’re out there you’re back in.
Duncan: Ok. What kind of speeds are you reaching on the Bucket, and maybe on the Buell?
Elliot: On the Bucket you’ll be lucky if you’re getting 100km/h. And on the Buell probably pushing 160km/h if not more in places.
Duncan: Ok, oh that’s pretty cool. And what about racing like this versus riding on the road?
Elliot: Completely different kettle of fish. The only difference is the road surface. You’ve got similar grip levels, the difference is the tires we’re running. And the way we’re doing it – there’s no cars coming at us so we can afford to make a wee mistake. We’re following completely different lines and braking in completely different places.
Duncan: Ok, alright. Thanks very much. Thanks for your time Elliot. All the best!
As a final note, there was a fatal accident at the races that day. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the motorcyclist who passed away.
