CHAIRMANS WELCOME

Hello

I’m Paul Belton and I am privileged to be the current Acting Chairman for the Sudbury Motorcycle Club since 2020. I am following on from the departing Chairman Gavin Hockey who is a good friend and a class act to follow.

Well what can we say about 2020? What a year! As we all know with Covid-19 it has been a real strange time and one that has sadly affected the whole world. However, by carefully managing the risks and ensuring we could implement COVID-secure measures, the Sudbury Motorcycle Club have managed some great safe Enduro race events this year!

About me:
My day job is Director of a commercial window company where we design, manufacture and install large and bespoke glazing projects including schools, hospitals and office buildings. My typical duties include design input, problem solving and dealing with anything that is difficult. I would say that I am well organised – it’s a case of having to be as everything happens so quickly and as is so typical of the UK Construction industry you always seem to be late before you have even started! So, motorcycles are my release from the stresses of work.

I have always had a passion for motorcycles, Enduro, MX and Road racing and I have made many lifelong friends through motorcycles. Together with my fantastic wife Mel we have 2 boys, Will and Ed who have both followed me with a love for motorcycle adventures and sport. It gives me no greater pleasure than spending time with my boys and riding bikes together with our friends.

I have been riding motorcycles since my teens and been competitively riding Enduro since my early twenties (which seems a long time ago!) I can normally be seen riding the ACU Eastern centre Enduro rounds, but we also make the annual trip to Western Beach race, the Welsh 2-day Enduro, a yearly trip to France with Sport Adventure and also riding local practice fun days with GH Motorcycles. I competed in the Red Bull Romaniacs in 2016 and came away with a Bronze finishers medal – that was a tough one!

So, if I’m not riding a bike at weekends you can find me setting up a track, mending bikes or doing a job at home on the Farm with my boys in tow. Oh – I nearly forgot that we also love to ski and we try to get a couple of ski holidays in each season which the family also love.

I have been a member of the Sudbury Motorcycle Club for all the time that I have been racing and am privileged to have known and spent some great times with the late Dave Roper. The Roper family are great friends and remain a massive part of the Sudbury Motorcycle Club and through them the DR team 374 memorial fund was formed.

It gives me great pleasure to help and progress all youth riding and as a club we are very lucky that we are able to coach and train selected Sudbury Club youth riders through our Dave Roper memorial fund. These selected riders have all progressed so much and can be easily recognised throughout the Eastern Centre with their results, team DR tops and in the media. Long may this continue.

I can honestly say that we have a fantastic club and a great committee, perhaps a little biased but I truly believe the best around!

I would like to personally thank all of you for your help and support.

Yours Sincerely

Paul Belton Chairman Sudbury MCC

GETTING STARTED

In order to compete in off-road motorcycling events, you will need a competition licence from the A.C.U. (Auto Cycle Union) and be a member of an affiliated club, such as Sudbury MCC Limited.

The first step is to complete a New Member Application for the ACU using the on-line process. As part of that process you will be asked to choose the affiliated club you wish to join and you can choose Sudbury MCC from the drop down list. You will be asked to pay for your ACU licence and Sudbury MCC membership as part of the same transaction.

When your licence is sent to by the A.C.U. it will have an ACU handbook, this explains the rules and regulations relating to how the events are run, and covers rules about the bikes themselves and riding gear.

As part of your Sudbury MCC membership you will receive regular e-mails about up and coming club events and socials and also other key events in the Eastern Centre.

JIM AIM AND G.H. MOTORCYCLES.

Both shops offer perks to members of the Sudbury club, they offer extensive parts, clothing, accessories and workshop facilities, and are both happy to help wherever possible. For information on the specific benefits you will need to contact the shops directly .Jim Aims Motorcycles are contactable on 01376 402006, and G.H. Motorcycles are contactable on 01206 791155.

View their websites below:

EVENTS.

The following is a brief description of some of the main events you can compete in:

TWO-MAN ENDURO – As the title infers it is done with a team mate.

The objective is to do as many laps as you can in a session (e.g. ½ an hour). You then swap with your team mate, hand over your time card and they then do the same. This is repeated for the allocated number of sessions (usually 2 each in the morning and 2 each in the afternoon with a break for lunch). You get penalties, if you run over your allotted time for your session. A two-man competition is probably the best way for anyone to get started in Enduro.

SOLO-ENDURO – Is an individual against individual race. You will need to complete several single laps of a circuit each within an allocated time session the length of which will vary and the allocated time will get shorter in the final sessions. What class you are in determines the amount of laps that you are given to do. A certain number of laps (often the first two) will have a designated part of the track which will form a “special test” where your test times are recorded. A time card or automatic timing system is employed to record what time any individual went through the time check at the end of every lap. If several riders clean their lap within the same time the special test times are used to determine the places.

HARE AND HOUNDS. Basically you will be given a set start time and finish time and you complete as many laps as you can within that allotted time. Different clubs do this in different ways, some do 4 hours straight through, others 3, others will do 2 hours with a lunch break followed by a further 2 hours.

MOTOCROSS. Several riders all start together in a line and go around a fairly short course filled with obstacles like jumps and whoops, the objective is to be the first past the finishing line after a set time (e.g. 15minutes) and complete the most laps, there are generally 3 or 4 races for each class.

In all of the above you will race within your own class and different numbers of laps and lap times will be specified depending on your class:

• Championship – This is the top class, which has the fastest and most experienced riders.
• Experts – This will be up and coming riders trying to gain their championship status.
• Expert Vets – An over 40 class for the faster aging Enduro rider who still wants a challenge.
• Clubman – This class will normally comprise the majority of the field and has a diverse number of abilities and ages. If you have ridden before then this is probably the best class to start in.
• Novice – This class is for the beginner you will compete against people of the same speed and ability.

BIKES

In the Eastern centre events it is permissible to use a standard motocross bike or an Enduro bike (some events you will have to have lights front and rear).  All bikes will have to pass a scrutineering test so must be in a race worthy condition. This means they will test things like wheel bearings, spokes, suspension and controls (throttle & brakes). They will also check you have the correct legible number on the correct background colour for your class. Importantly, no matter what bike you ride, in whatever class, it must fall below a noise limit (currently 94 decibels). This means regular repacking of the silencer.

TRAINING

There are individuals and organisations who offer training in off-road motorcycling. As a club we are unable to recommend any individual or organisation. You will find information on training on the web, in the various publications relating to the sport and you can talk to other members for their personal recommendation.

SOCIAL

We organise occasional social events throughout the year for club members and their friends and families to get together.

This includes the annual awards dinner dance held in January. This is always a fantastic evening with a brilliant atmosphere. The main purpose of the evening is to celebrate the achievements of our members with some prestigious trophies and awards in several categories. It is a great opportunity to celebrate with friends, family and other club members.

SETTING UP EVENTS

Setting up events requires man power and we need club members to help with this. Typically there will be a work party the Saturday before the event and we need a minimum group of 10 people (two groups of five). We will request work parties via our web site and face book and by e-mail to members. We would be grateful if every member could try to attend one work party a year.  One advantage of being part of a work party is that you do get to see the track before the race.

If you want to put your name down for a work party, please contact either:

• Gavin Hockey (Chairman) 01206-791155 or 07771 986592
• Ricky Roper (Vice Chairman) 07786 080817
• Graham Mays (Secretary & Treasurer) 01206-531768 (evenings only)

THE COMMITTEE