From your Chairman & Events Coordinator

All Members & Associates will have received an email from club Secretary Graham Maile with links to reviews of 2020 from the perspectives of Chairman Mark Pawson and Events Coordinator Catherine Ryan. Links to these messages are reproduced below

Chairman – Remarks on 2020
Events Co-ordinator – Newsletter 2020

Committee members all join together to wish you all a happy Christmas. We all hope for good things in the New Year, and look forward to seeing you all in 2021

i2i Academy, June 2021

For the fourth year running members have the opportunity to finesse their riding skills on the MC1 & MC2 courses run by i2i Motorcycle Academy. In 2021 these will take place at RAF Coltishall, with dates provisionally set for Monday 21 & Tuesday 22 June 

If we book before Christmas we can secure the 2020 price of £270 (£288 thereafter). To qualify for an additional 10% group discount, we need to book a minimum of 10 places (7 members already registered their interest!)

The CAM Committee is subsidising the 2-day course for members who have not attended previously, reducing the price further. With early booking, group discount & club subsidy, the cost to members is £213 per person for both days. Members who have previously received the subsidy are welcome to attend again, but will pay £243. To secure these dates & prices I will need to firm up numbers soon, so if you would like to attend please email me (Catherine) using this link

Find out more about i2i with these independent reviews –

Dale’s Motorcycle Masterclass

With observed rides on hold, Associates may find the Motorcycle Masterclass series a useful resource. In 32 videos Dale, a retired police rider, explores the planning, positioning & observation which are the hallmarks of advanced motorcycling

Some videos focus on a particular skill, but all showcase outstanding riding and subtle roadcraft. The example below is from a demonstration ride for a friend returning to biking after many years away

Invisibility training with Fortnine

For close to five years Youtube channel Fortnine has been producing insightful motorcycling videos, delivered with uniquely Canadian humour. If you’re unfamiliar with their motorcycle reviews, maintenance tutorials, safety checklists and more, why not use some lockdown time to check them out?

A great place to start is Invisibility Training for Motorcyclists, a detailed look at the optics & neuroscience which work to render motorcyclists invisible – and the steps we can take to counteract these effects

 

IAM Skills Day review

Many thanks to Associate member Steven Libby who, having recently completed an IAM Skills Day on the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire, has written and shared a review of his experience. Read Steven’s account of his Skills Day here

Inspired by Steven’s review you may wish to sign up for a Skills Day at Thruxton, Croft or Mallory Park. A total of eight Skills Days were held between May and September this year, with one date reserved for female riders. The 2019 season is now ended, but we’ll keep you posted when the 2020 schedule is announced so you can get your name on the list at the earliest opportunity

New National Observer

Congratulations to Steve Rowdon, who recently completed a detailed training program and test to become a National Observer. Chief Observer Graham Scott comments –

Steve Rowdon today passed his National Observer test with flying colours after a grueling time under the close scrutiny of IAM Staff Examiner Pete Doherty

Steve joined IAM in September 2005, and has been a very active member since joining the Observer team. My records do not go back far enough to say how many Associates Steve has helped to full Membership, but I do know that some have gone on to become Observers themselves, cascading down the knowledge gained with Steve’s help

The 100% pass rate which his Associates have enjoyed bears testament to Steve’s abilities. I know that Steve derives much pleasure from his involvement with CAM and fulfillment from being an Observer, a role which lets him see first-hand riders develop with his guidance and encouragement. Steve will now help experienced riders within CAM to become Observers in their own right, as he has been nominated Local Observer Assessor to strengthen our team further

Well done Steve on your well-deserved success!

image © Paul Lester

Reflections on i2i Machine Control

Many thanks to Associate Ian Dunckley for taking the time to share his reflections on the i2i Motorcycle Academy Machine Control course which he recently attended in York. Ian signed up for Machine Control on his own initiative, but note that CambsIAM negotiated a group discount & subsidised members’ attendance in 2018 and 2019

Read Ian’s account using the link below – if you like the sound of this unique course you can of course contact i2i directly. Alternatively, put a note in your diary and look out for an email towards the end of the year – we hope to offer subsidised attendance once again in 2020 for this outstanding motorcycle training

  • Read Ian Dunckley’s account of the course here
  • Review the 2018 CambsIAM Machine Control course here
  • Visit i2i Motorcycle Academy here