If you love the smell of burning rubber and the cool wind in your face, Nigel’s your man. Monday to Friday he’s the guy in the suit and Technical Director of PSU. But all that changes at the weekend.
On go the leathers and from the garage emerges what for a lot of motor racing fans is a classic bike. The Ducati 748SPS. Nigel doesn’t quite get his kicks on route 66 but the track at Castle Combe isn’t a bad place to start! Castle Combe Circuit opened just 18 months after Silverstone in the
summer of 1950, making it one of the longest established circuits in the
UK.
When asked about his recent track day at the Combe, Nigel said “With my technical director hat on I should theoretically expound on the exhilaration you get from a twin cylinder 90 degree longitudinal powerplant displacing 748cc and developing 76.5kW/104 hk at 11500rpm. Luckily I have to remove that hat when donning the helmet and would guess that few people have experienced 0 to 60 in 3 ½ seconds, let alone hammering down the Farm Straight at speeds in excess of 130mph before weaving through the Esses and preparing for Tower. This bike handles superbly, and leaves a smile on my face every time.” Righto Nigel I think we get the picture. (If anyone knows what a longitudinal powerplant is then answers to the editor)
So where did it all begin? Well Nigel has been a keen motorcyclist ever since he was a kid, riding trail bikes around the Cotswolds before moving onto the trials competition scene. His sporting exploits took a bit of a back seat whilst bringing up a family but now he has a bit more time on his hands he is right back in the hot seat.
Well, good luck to you Nigel, though I think I’ll be keeping my feet firmly on the ground for the moment. If there happen to be any would-be Carl Foggerty’s reading this you can check out track days online www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk
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