Legends ensure a Classics treat
By John Dickinson on 4th Jan 17
CUMBRIA Classic staged its annual gathering at the Crooklands Hotel, near Kendal, on December 30 with guests treated to a pretty much ad hoc chat show hosted by enthusiast Richard Wynn and featuring northern legends Bill Brown and Pete Mathia.
Bill always has a good story or three to tell and raised plenty of laughter – mainly with tales that can't be repeated – while Math had more stories in the locker than even he suspected. Richard prompted some good anecdotes from Math of his long, long competition career in which he has been sponsored by Brownie several times and he also had plenty of good things to say about his times with Montesa importer Jim Sandiford.
And, of course, Math was ‘forced' to re-tell the story of how he saved the life of Graham Noyce during an impromptu river swimming incident at Namur after Noycey won his 500cc world title in 1979...
There was no shortage of well-known names and characters in the audience either with inveterate dealer Pete Edmondson, who amazingly turns 85 in 2017, having driven up from the Midlands to meet-up with his old pal and Scott Leathers supremo Jimmy Aird.
Stir in riders of the calibre of Mike Barnes, his son Keith, Peter Remington, Paul Coward and Lancashire lads Jeremy Parker and Alan Bott, Scots Joe, Scott and Davy Maxwell, plus many others, including promoter Darren Hudson and there was enough knowledge and experience kicking around to keep the chat going for a season, never mind a few hours in the pub on a Friday afternoon.
The gathering ended on the sobering note that the land near Sedbergh that hosts the awesome Nostalgia Scramble is to be sold and no-one knows whether the scramble will be welcomed or shunned by the new owners.
The good news was that should the event have to be moved then a new track would be constructed at Whittas Park, near Keswick, - a venue that has hosted scrambles for over 50 years.
The last word goes to Brownie who acknowledged his long career – he's still riding in his 70s – with the observation that "I've noticed that there aren't any old people at events any more!”.
