Pictures from our events
Enough kit for everyone |
Safety first - with style |
Protect those feet |
Inside the Ride n Slide trailer, the comprehensive kit store. Body Armour, Boots, Suits and Helmets around the top. |
Kevlars and Leathers |
We"ve got everything you need ! |
A comprehensive collection of speedway machines |
A small selection of our 500cc laydown machines |
A small selection of our 500cc upright machines |
A couple of our 125cc machines |
Kings Lynn Young Star Adam Lowe (See 'Who we are' section |
Russ in action at The Norfolk Arena during a Jason Crump/Shane Parker Training School |
Russ showing that "dirt" and "tarmac" do mix !!! |
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Group shot, L-R Standing: Alec Wright, Mark Francis, Scott Butler, Dave Hueston, Jacek Podlasinski, Richard Brommell, Mark Wilsher, Denis Passingham & Mark Johnson, Jamie Passingham. Kneeling, Percy Dickson, Steve Passingham & Stuart Passingham. On bike, Shaun Avison |
Claire and Russ with the awesome Ride n Slide Dayz Team L-R: Steve Cook, Gary Laker, Claire, Karl Rushen, Steve Oakey, Russ, Adi Bursill, Julie Tutton, Martin Pearce, Mark Dutnall and the "H", Heather Smith. |
Its briefing time, Russ introduces the guys to the bikes they will be using and tells them what to expect on track as well as going through all the safety aspects of the day. |
Shaun Avison is one of the first to take to the Arena Essex track, last minute checks and advice coming from Cookie, Steve Oakey and Gary Laker. |
Adam Sheppard (missing from the "team" shot) gives Gary a hand pushing off returnee Mark Johnson |
Hmmmmmmm, "would that be a fishermans tale by any chance" Russ ? I hardly think so, the closest he gets is watching Deadliest Catch !!! |
With all the riders having had a feel of the bikes and track it"s demo time. Claire talks the guys through what Russ is doing, breaking the riding and sliding process down into stages. |
Russ getting it into the turns nice and low on the tight Lakeside circuit. |
Mark Wilsher takes the Tomas Gollob line, getting up close and personal with the Arena air fence ! |
Quick changeovers keep the day flowing, Steve Passingham and Mark Wilsher handover the machines with the help of Cookie, the Oakster, Adi and Adam |
Mark Johnson looking good aboard our latest 350cc acquisition |
Speedway riding debutant Mark Francis looking more than comfortable on his first few rides aboard one of the 125cc machines |
His second Ride n Slide Day with us and Steve Passingham shows once again that he seriously knows his stuff ! |
"You just can"t get the staff, when i"m operating I have someone to do this for me" exclaims Adi !!! |
Hang on boys, team riding we cover on the advanced course !!!! Mark Wilsher and Steve Passingham enter the pits turn side-by-side. |
Another of our speedway debutants, Richard Brommell took no time at all in feeling at home with no brakes or gears and his magical disappearing act later in the day was nothing short of breathtaking ! |
Despite feeling the rough end of the pineapple back in August, Shaun Avison showed no ill effects and grew in confidence (no pun intended as he is about 9ft 6" tall) as the day progressed |
This guy just blew us away ! South African Percy Dickson had never, and I honestly say never sat on a speedway bike in his life before the day and by pushing himself harder and harder he was soon doing this aboard one of the schools 350cc machines, just awesome !!
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Jacek, Scott, Mark(W) and Alec (partly hidden) ready for the next lesson, gating !! |
Richard (rear), Jamie, Mark(F)(partly hidden), Steve and Dave taking in that same lesson. |
OK, here goes !! head in front of the handle bars, nice high elbows, bum right forward to the very front of the seat and bike gripped with your legs. Then its build the revs up to a constant, drop the clutch and you"re off ! Piece of cake !!! (sort of) |
Demo over and its the guys turn once again to put what they"ve just seen into practice. Adi, Gary, the Oakster and Dutters move in to get them going again. |
Mark Wilsher in only his second session on a speedway bike showing some impressive skills powering around the Elite League circuit. A little bird tells us that he"s already in the market for a bike of his own !!! How cool is that ??? |
Another Gollob or Hampel in the making ??? Our Polish attendee, Jacek Podlasinski is soon flying and putting in some impressive laps. He has already booked to join us at Kings Lynn in November. |
Legend and ladykiller(just look at those legs !) the Oakster, fires up one of the 350's following someones tumble and returns it to the pits |
Recruited at short notice by father Steve, Denis Passingham soon looked comfortable one of the 350s after moving up from the 125s. He later came out on top of a ding-dong battle with younger brother Stuart when the two of them went head-to-head from the tapes. |
Dave Hueston having no trouble getting the back out. Despite a couple of tumbles this fabulous character just kept coming back for more and more. Guys like this that never stop trying make the whole thing so worthwhile, Dave, we salute you ! |
"are you lookin at me" enquires birthday boy Richard !! |
Jamie Passingham gets it all just right, sideways into the turn, nice work Jay |
Its all so wrong, but so damn right !!!!! Yet another of our debutants, Scott Butler somehow gets one of our 125's sideways ! What a star !!! |
You"ve every right to be chuffed with that effort Scott, consider it nailed dude !! |
Like Percy above, Alec blew us away back in August when he took his first rides on a speedway machine. This youngster oozes natural ability and rode with confidence and consistency that far belies his limited experience. Remember the name, Alec Wright, as you will be seeing at whole lot more of him over the next few years. |
Time to bring it all together and round off the speedway experience. Brothers Denis and Stuart Passingham come up to tapes for their head-to-head. "Start Marshall" Karl gets the guys ready while the Oakster prepares to let the tapes go. |
Stuart showing that whatever Dad (Steve) and Bro (Jamie) can do, he can do just as well !! Hang on, where"s your race jacket you bad boy !!!! |
More off the start action, this time Mark Francis gets the drop on Dave Hueston as Alec and Russ"s Dad John look on. |
Wooooooh Dave, we said you need to get the bike over at an angle to get the back out, but that just damn near defies gravity !!!!! 10 out of 10 for effort. Our awesome photographer Lizie Leslie at her best. |
Could this be the rarely seen "two-seater-bike" !! Nah, Adi takes to the mudguard for a lift back to the pits from Karl as the day draws to an end. |
Our mechanical legend Rob Tutton fires up one of the 500's for Richard to take his final ride of the day. |
Richard, Jamie and Scott waiting to come to tapes. Karl, Dutters and Gary on hand to see out the final few minutes of the days brilliant session. |
And away they go, Jamie gets a flyer and Scott opts to go next time with Percy in the last ride of the day. Little did he know what lay in store for him ! |
Group shot for the first official Ride n Slide Day, L-R, Standing: Scott Dudley, Russ Olivant, Luke Sanders, Mark Lee, Alec Wright, Kurt Manders, Steve Webb, Scott Avison, Gary Eaves, Mark Johnson, Dave Huckle, Paul Partridge, Anita Partridge. Kneeling: Mark Wilsher, Steve Passingham, Stuart Passingham, David Gardner, Martin Hills, Paul Fowler. On Bike: Jamie Passingham. |
Warm up time !! Russ puts the riders through a routine that stretches out those muscles that are going to be extensively throughout the day, also to lessen the risk of injury should any of them take a tumble. |
Former speedway rider and grasstrack master Karl Rushen, is a very valuable asset to Ride n Slide Dayz with a wealth of knowledge that will prove highly valuable to our attendees. |
Almost ready to go ! Martin Pearce, Russ, Chris Shallcross and Adam Sheppard prepare to unleash the guys and our young lady onto the Arena Essex circuit. |
Daughter and Father, Anita and Paul Partridge made the journey down from the West Midlands to be with us and look on as the first riders take to the track. |
Paul Fowler is one of the first up and is soon showing his liking for the tight but pacey circuit. |
Pre-demo brief. Russ explains to the group what he will be doing, why he'll be doing it and showing how it all comes together with the specially designed demonstration. Luke, Scott,Alec, Mark, Russ(O),Stuart, Jamie and Dave(H) look on intently. |
"You want us to do what ?????" Luke Sanders throws a bemused look as Ride n Slide team member Steve Oakey can offer no explanation. "Maybe he was speaking Spanish" !! he thinks |
Pre-demo brief. In this shot its Stuart, Jamie, Dave(H), Steve(W), Martin and Gary looking on |
Final Pre-demo brief shot. Here we see Steve(P), Paul(P) and Mark Johnson taking in the details of what lies ahead |
Brief over and the group makes its way out onto the centre green where they get talked through what Russ is doing step-by-step |
Russ starts the six-lap demo as team member and exit gate marshall Tony Shallcross looks on. |
Focus on the apex cones, big step forward gets your weight off the back end, nice high elbow, supporting weight on left leg and power off that turn and up the straight. |
Any questions ????????? |
Obviously no problems here, Gary Eaves gets it cranked over and breaks the back end free, top job Gaz. |
Jamie Passingham makes it look easy as he matches Gary, slide for slide ! Now we've just gotta get you guys up off that seat !! |
Next up is Alec Wright and Paul Fowler. The guys are pushed on their way by Steve Oakey, Karl Rushen and Chris Shallcross. |
Flying from the very off was Scott Dudley. A regular Trials rider, Scott took no time at all in getting sideways, looking fast and more than comfortable |
Mark Lee looking more than at home aboard one of the schools 500cc machines |
Speedway doesn"t come easy when you"re over six foot, and in this case, well over, but Shaun Avison showed no such troubles although he was unfortunate to take a tumble later in the session that was to end his day prematurely. |
Coming into the day with absolutely no motorcycling experience at all, Dave Huckle did himself proud, progressing in confidence and speed with each outing. He moved up quickly from the 125s to 350 seen here in this shot |
Like Dave in the previous picture, David Gardner came to the day with no previous experience and after a tentative start he was soon getting himself around the circuit at a decent pace, great effort David |
Talk about hit the ground running !! Steve Passingham showed he was no slouch getting sideways from the off and scaring us all to death with his "leg-trailing" grasstrack riding style ! Hats off to you chap |
Another of our "stars" of the day, Russ Olivant. This lad had just the attitude needed to take into a day like this and it paid him back twice over for his efforts. Fast, tidy and efficient, top job Russ |
Following in Lisa Smith"s footsteps from the Launch back in May, Anita Partridge was our only female rider on the day. Like her forerunner she was soon at ease after a few rides on one of our 125's and grew in speed and confidence as the day went on, even taking the opportunity for a cheeky glance to camera !!! |
Ride n Slide team member Martin Pearce pulls Martin Hills bike back onto compression as he prepares to get him "bump-started", no luxurious electric or kick starts here !!!! |
Lakesides Clerk of the Course Fred Parkin was another of our stars of the day. He worked tirelessly liasing between Gerald Richter, the track curator and Russ sorting track grading and watering and left us at Ride n Slide wanting for absolutely nothing. Many thanks Fred, likewise Gerald and his assistant |
Steve Webb aboard one of the 350cc machines. With no motorcycle experience to speak of and after a couple of outings aboard the 125's he gained confidence with every lap once on the more powerful machines. |
If there was an award for "natural of the day" then without a shadow of a doubt it would have gone to this lad. Alec Wright has made the massive switch from tarmac to dirt, one of the most difficult things to do in the blink of an eye. Going from 100% grip to minimal grip his first ever go at speedway soon saw him doing this !!!! Unbelievable ! |
Having done track days at both Kings Lynn and Sittingbourne we were full of expectation of Martin Hills, and wow, he certainly didn"t disappoint !! A quality day and a lot of hard work, well done mate, most impressive |
Another of our guys that hit the ground running from the word go, Paul Partridge. With only limited speedway experience Paul took to the Arena Essex circuit straight away and was definately amongst the first too impress |
This is one of our favourite pics of the day. Kurt Manders was improving with every lap and considering he had no previous speedway experience he was progressing at an incredible pace. In this pic he is absolutely text book, great body position, high right elbow and back end full out, absolute quality Kurt |
Showing that she is as at home with the bikes as she is in charge of the kit store and paperwork etc, Claire soon finds herself out on track lending a hand with the changeovers, talk about a multi-tasker !!!! My god Russ, you have it easy ! lol |
Another speedway debutant, Mark Wilsher soon finds himself getting it sideways ! Previous motocross experience certainly helps but its a whole different ball-game when the option to brake is taken away !! |
Having only previously done one track day at Sittingbourne, Stuart Passingham started with some confidence but grew amazingly as the day progressed. Neat, tidy and compact and was involved in without a doubt the best "race" of the day with brother Denis |
Lakeside Hammers fan Mark Johnson tasted life on "the other side of the fence" by joining us on the day. After a shaky first outing of the day Mark soon grew in confidence and was soon hammering his way around the circuit (sorry, no pun intended !) |
A great shot here of Luke Sanders. Yet again, text book stuff, superb stability triangle with wheels and left leg, Hope your helmet cam footage came out okay mate |
Martin Hills chooses the inside line to nip under Stuart Passingham |
With all the riders done for the day, Lakeside Hammers Co-Promoter Jon Cook can't resist pulling on some kit and putting in a few laps. Have to say, its been a few years since we tucked our suits into our boots Jon !!! lol |
Then its Russ's turn to wind back the clock. An Arena rider in the 80s and a brief spell in the early 2000s, he lets his hair (hmmm !) down and adds a few more laps to the hundreds ridden here in the past |
Group Photo - L to R: Bruce Wilson, Matt Hull, Chippy Wood, Tony Shallcross, Gary Bigg, Chris Gay, Mick Callery, Russ Paine (on bike), Paul Burbidge, Stephen Smith, Lisa Smith, Mark Dutnall, Tony Hoare and Steve Brown |
The Speedway Ride n Slide team: Rob Tutton, Adi Bursill, Adam Sheppard, Julie Tutton, Steve Cook, Mick Oakey, Heather Smith, Steve Oakey. On bike, Claire Evans and Russ Paine Out of shot but every bit as important: Dan Lowe, Mick Lowe, Adam Lowe, Morag Inglis and our awesome photographer Lizie Leslie |
Tony and Bruce ready to go aboard the 350s |
Lisa-Anne Smith, speedway debutant ! |
Steve B gives Dutters a few last minute pointers ! |
Speedway Star magazines Paul Burbidge takes his first ever ride |
A culture shock for Gary, who"s usually found aboard a Pan European monster ! |
Russ gives Mick and Paul some encouragement as they take to a speedway track for the first ever time |
The "white ghost" Bruce Wilson ! |
Mick Callery, another one of our speedway debutants |
Tony lining up the entrance to a corner |
Chippy exiting the fourth bend with Referee Chris Gay firmly in his sights ! |
Classic father and son shot ! Normal roles are reversed as Dragons ASC member Chris pushes off dad Tony |
Russ"s Dad John turning it in nicely |
Steve S putting his best foot forward ! |
RIDE Magazines Matt Hull looking completely at ease aboard one of the "brake-less"! machines ! |
Steve B looking tidy, yet another one of our speedway debutants |
BIKE magazine photographer Chippy Wood cranking it over |
Dutters looking more than comfortable on one of the 500cc laydowns |
John dives up the inside of Chris going into the pits turn !! |
Briefing time, again !!! Chris, Lisa, Steve S and Paul, our invaluable gateman Mick Oakey looks on |
Briefing time, again !!! Paul, Chippy, Tony, Matt and Dutters |
Instructor Russ in full briefing flow |
Matt, Gary, Lisa-Anne and Tony S taking it all in |
Russ showing the importance of the "triangle" for stability on entering the corners |
"I think Ive got it !" says Matt |
Father and Daughter Steve and Lisa are not so sure, "think you may need to turn the bars Matt !" |
Now it"s demo time, all the riders move to the inside of the track as Claire talks them through the specially devised six-lap demonstration |
First half of the bend, nice solid triangle of balance |
Past the apex, leg back and power out and up the straight ! |
The engine room of Speedway Ride n Slide Dayz, Rob Tutton and Steve "Cookie" Cook |
Mick, Adam and Dan, a trio of Lowes, or is that a gaggle ? Whose hard work helped the day run like clockwork (not to mention putting Russ"s bike back together after the demo !!!) |
Claire showing just how "cut-out" for this she is !! |
Our good friend Heather Smith showing that if you can manage a nursery it doesn"t matter what size the kids are !!! |
Ride n Slide Dayz race jackets |
Some of Ride n Slides Dayz 500cc laydown machines in the Norfolk Arena pits |
Some of our upright 500cc machines |
Some of our 125cc starter machines |
Its back to the track, Bruce looking good on a 500 |
Matt too looking good on a 500 |
Chippy giving it large and getting the back out, top job ! |
"Hes behind you !!!" Dutters chasing down Gary |
Mick gets pushed of by Mick Lowe and Cookie after moving up to one of the 350s |
Lisa-Anne showing just how she"s taken to one of the most exciting motorsports there is ! Awesome |
It"s all coming back ! Tony S putting his old grasstrack skills back into action |
Steve B powering off the apex marker cones |
Russ"s Dad showing he"s no slouch around the Norfolk Arena the lap before he came to grief on the third turn |
Confidence in abundance as Chippy wheelies for our cameragirl Lizie |
Tony H going for it ! |
Chris showing what he"d learned on previous track days with a practise start ! |
A demonstration of total control, Bruce has time for a wave to his publications photographer ! |
Russ"s cousin Dutters, flying on the schools ex Simon Wigg Jawa |
Claire and Cookie keeping on top of bike fuelling to keep the day rolling |
Chris powering down the start straight |
Paul showing none of the pre-day nerves looking cool, calm and collected as the day starts to wind down |
Fun over, time to pack away and go home ! |
The unit and trailer that will take Speedway Ride n Slide Dayz around the country. This houses eighteen bikes at any one time. |
Claire and Morag begin the unenviable task of packing everything away for the homeward journey |
With all the riding kit at the front of the trailer sorted and ready for cleaning it just leaves Cookie, Steve and Rob to load up the machines. Russ at this time was still in the pits going over the days events with the journalists (so he says !!) |
"What about this one ??? Better make that nineteen !!" says Claire |
