James Toseland adds a few decorations to the track.
The sun shone, classic race engines roared round the tight town centre track, the Morris Men danced - and the crowds packed into Northwich town centre in their tens of thousands.
The weekend began with the Thundersprint Bike Show, now located right in Northwich town centre on the beautiful riverside piazza. The new venue proved to be extremely popular with over 100 classic and modern bikes on show.
If Saturday was good, then it was only a warm up for what was to come. By 8am the crowds were packing Northwich for the Thundersprint itself.
Jim Redman and Sammy Miller screamed their four cylinder Hondas through the trees, HM Plant Honda’s Steve Plater showed how to ride a factory racing machine quickly - on the front wheel - and MotoGP star James Toseland decorated the track with massive donuts. What a show!
Jim Redman takes off with his vintage Honda racer down the track.
The modern stars turned the Thundersprint into a Hollywood spectacular and the classic aces showed just how good they are with some spectacular racing which had the crowd on its feet.
Mike Jones, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, was making his first visit to the Thundersprint and had a fantastic time. Mr. Jones said: “I had heard that the Thundersprint was a huge event but I had no idea just how big.
“Not only was Northwich filled to a capacity but I was delighted with the number of long stay visitors who have filled every available hotel in the area. The economic impact on the region is significant.
“I was just as impressed by the large media presence. The Thundersprint is being covered world wide and this amount of press, radio and TV coverage is priceless to West Cheshire.
“But most of all, I was delighted to see so many happy faces having a good time - and that is very important to Cheshire West and Chester Council”
HM Plant Honda's Steve Plater goes for a brisk stop at the finish.
Thundersprint Event Director, Frank Melling said: “This was our best ever Thundersprint. We had the most visitors, the greatest number of participant entries and our traders reported record sales.
“The Thundersprint was a huge credit to the hard work put in by Cheshire West and Chester Council without whose dedication and enthusiasm there would not be a Thundersprint in Northwich. Just as important was the warm welcome given to visitors from all over Britain, and even further afield, by the people of Northwich.
“For us, the best thing that happened at the Thundersprint was seeing the whole community represented from Mums with babies to more mature citizens reliving the sights and sounds of their youth. Hard core sports bike fans sat next classic enthusiasts enjoying the spectacle. The Thundersprint is for and of the whole community regardless of income or status.
“This year’s Thundersprint was good – next year’s event, in Northwich as always, will be even bigger and better.”
