The north-east came alive with a roar yesterday as thousands of enthusiasts made their way to one of the biggest biker shows in the UK.
The 33rd Grampian Motorcycle Convention at Alford was last night described as a “brilliant day from start to finish” – with more than 5,500 people in attendance for a programme of stunts and shows.
The event is the biggest on the Grampian Transport Museum’s calendar and even included a special guest in the form of superbike champion, Carl Fogarty.
There was also high-speed supermoto and pursuit racing on the oval track, whilst stunt team On the Edge showed off their riding skills – which included 15ft vertical jumps.
One of the day’s highlights was Moped Mayhem – a feature of the convention since 1984.
As well as demonstrations from classic motorcycles such as Triumphs and Nortons, vintage scooters such as Vespas took to the oval ring.
The gathering is run by the Bon Accord Motorcycle Club in conjunction with the museum.
Martyn Smith – marketing and events organiser for the venue – said Mr Fogarty had been the “star of the show”.
The sportsman is one of the most successful superbike racers in the world, having won four world championships, and was crowned “king of the jungle” in the last series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Speaking last night, Mr Smith said: “It was a brilliant day from start until finish. The weather was on our side, it was a brilliant turnout and as you can imagine Carl Fogarty was the star of the show.
“He was mingling with the crowd and signing autographs and so on.
“The On the Edge team were brilliant and put on a great display and Moped Mayhem had about 39 riders this year. You really can’t beat it, it is quite funny and light-hearted.
“We have had 5,500 visitors today – that is very, very good. The convention is well supported and well established and it is onward and upwards onto year 34 next year.”
He said people had come from far and wide for the gathering and he hoped all had gone home satisfied.
“We had a few guys who travelled up from the Central Belt, this is a day out for a lot of the biking clubs,” he added.
“And it was nice to see a diversity of vehicles, the convention is not just about the high-speed stuff.”