SUPERBIKE FEATURE

The article appeared in SUPERBIKE magazine. Here are a selection of quotes about specific aspects of the tour.

The Tour

“Redline tours offered someone in the office (via a phone call with me) the opportunity to cut a few laps on this hallowed tarmac the day after watching a round of the World Superbikes. I informed the lads of the impending German bikers synchronised knitting charity event and reluctantly agreed to cover it myself.

My saintly dedication earned me the trip of a lifetime. It was memorable for all the right reasons and filled me with a determination to go back once a year until the day I die. I was gone for four days into which was packed a summers worth of biking highs”

The Roads

“One of the nicest surprises was the road we took from our hotel to the Ring. And the different one we took back. And any other we just happened to deviate on to, whether by accident or design. The area around the track is littered with gorgeous roads, especially those that wind up from the floor of the valley formed by the river Mosel. Ride along, see a junction, pick a road at random and thanks to German efficiency the result is always the same-perfectly surfaced roads with predictable cambers and light traffic. A scratcher's heaven, every one.”

The Nurburgring

“It's as good as they say and then some. Think of your favourite stretch of road and then add a few hills, give it a perfect wide surface, remove all oncoming traffic, speed limits and police, put an ambulance on standby (just in case) and then add some fast cars and bikes to play with and you start to get the picture.”

“Scare yourself 73 times a lap. That's how many corners they’ve managed to cram into a little over thirteen of the most awe-inspiring circuit you can imagine. Steep inclines and steeper descents vie with blind sweeps deceitful hairpins, 130mph yumps, flat-out straights and steeply banked turns.....”

Redline Tours

“The words organised and tour in the same sentence are anathema to me, but my worries were dispelled within five minutes of meeting them. Declan strolled up and greeted me at the ferry terminal with a grin and a glint in the eye that only the Irish can manage. He was the same throughout the whole trip, never short of a quick word and always the helpful host. Handy on his bike too, which was “pretty fast for a lardy ol’ TL-R, eh Matty boy”. Declan’s partner Andy Surridge was VFR mounted and took care of leading the way and ensuring that we were where we were meant to be at all times. And then there was Gary, the fastest man on the trip. He too was TL mounted and he acted as a floater, rounding up any lost souls and leading the way when the fast boys fancied shooting off for a while.

Their organisation was good, their company better, and they coped with a wide range of abilities on the trip without any problems. If your a wobbler or a wannabe racer I can’t recommend them highly enough.”