The Pistons & Props Sywell Classic, held over the weekend of 21-22 September, suffered from the tempestuous nature of the British weather as a monumental thunderstorm erupted mid-afternoon on the opening day. It was so bad that stallholders and sheltering showgoers had to hang on to the awnings to stop them taking flight. Some without success.
Italian motorcycle specialist Automoto Classics had chosen Pistons & Props to stage its first outdoor promotion since the business started in 2018, bringing six machines ranging from £2500-£10,000 to display at the annual Northamptonshire Aerodrome event. But once the storm eased, Automoto Classics partner Fabio Grandolfo loaded his Italian lightweights back into his van and headed home.
On the RGS Motorbikes stand the storm was a novelty to start, but soon became serious as it raged for 50 minutes. More rain and storms followedThe storm continued through Saturday night, with more rain forecast for Sunday.
Motorcycle autojumbler David ‘Skip’ Townley, who ran Mad Mile Motorcycles in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire from 2015 to 2020, followed Fabio’s lead and also abandoned.
RGS Motorbikes of Wellingborough, with seven bikes on display plus cars from its Motorsports division, stuck it out for a bit longer, but on Sunday morning event organiser Live Promotions had to call it a day and cancelled the event due to flooded roads and waterlogged parking.
While the Saturday morning sun shone, scooters dominated the two-wheel club displays – Vespa, Lambretta and Maico being the main marques. Last year’s lead clubs – Vintage Japanese and East Northants Classics – were absent, citing rising charges for club displays as the cause.