Newspaper, magazine and radio journalists recently enjoyed a day’s training at the Honda Ron Haslam Race School. The day was organised by Ron and Ann Haslam who run the school, to help broaden the appeal of motorcycles in the media. With the onset of the Second European Driving Licence Directive in September, when the motorcycle test becomes more difficult and more expensive, it’s important to get the message across now about the benefits of motorcycling.
Ron Haslam says: “Motorcycling has been a way of life for my family for years. I’ve raced, my son Leon races and we both hold bike licences – although I came to it late after many years of racing! Motorcycling isn’t just a fun thing to do: it can also be a practical means of transport, especially in big cities. At the school we help people of all ages and abilities get the most from their motorcycling – whether it’s people starting out, or riders more experienced who want to go racing.” The Honda Ron Haslam School has been established for more than a decade and has instructed more than 35,000 riders in that time.
Mark Clews, The Sun: “I’ve only ridden a Vespa before so I had to have the gears explained to me. Eventually I got hang of it pretty quickly and went out on track. I’m a big motorsport fan so to ride underneath the famous Dunlop Bridge for the first time was amazing. My instructor, Mark Bosworth, was superb. He was speeding me up when I was confident and slowing me down when I was getting a bit too cocky!”
Christina Neal, managing editor for Women’s Fitness said: “Today was the first time on a bike for me and it was fantastic! There’s nothing like it at all. I rode a Honda CBR125R, which was a wonderful machine – not too intimidating, but still it felt like a ‘proper’ bike. I eventually got used to using the gears. I’ve been bitten by the bug and I’d love to learn to ride properly!”
Ryan Bangs from Sportsbeat said: “I came here not knowing what to expect, but I really loved it! I live in Guildford and work in Wimbledon, so I’d definitely look at learning to ride so I can commute into work quicker, as sometimes the A3 can get very congested.”
Matt Horler Head of Communications for British Eurosport said:
“I admitted that I’d ridden a motocross bike as a youngster and they put me on a 600cc bike! Hudson Kennaugh was my instructor – he’s currently a front-runner in the British Supersport series – and he was brilliant. The instruction was very thorough before going out on track. I was a bit hesitant at first but in the end I was doing about 80-85 down the straight, which was enough for me!”
Sam Pinney, London Lite: “I’ve had such a good time today it’s inspired me to look at a bike as a means of transport and fun. I loved every minute of it. It’s been superb!”
Caroline Sandry, Ultra-FIT Magazine:
“I ride a Kawasaki ZX-9R on the road and obviously I can’t enjoy the bike’s full ability on the road, but here on track with the instructors I could explore the bike’s performance a little more, knowing that there’s nothing coming the other way! People are so passionate about bikes, I love it!”
The Honda Ron Haslam School has 20 dates this year spread from April through until October. Courses range from the On-Track experience where riders as young as 12 can ride under Ron’s tutelage before enjoying the curves of Donington Park, to the Premier Course where riders experience the performance of the Honda CBR600RR through to the Elite Package where experienced riders use Honda’s awesome CBR1000RR Fireblades in one-to-one tuition with full data-logging facilities. For more details go to:
www.haslamraceschool.com or ring
01332 883323.
