After two weekends of dismal weather August 12/13th 2023 saw the second full Heritage Sprint weekend take place at Betteshanger Park near Deal under sunny skies.
Building on the success of the previous years’ shows we saw more than 3500 people on site enjoying some great racing from 90 competitors with bikes ranging from 50cc ex Grand Prix machines via classic Vincents and BSAs to modern custom Ducatis and Harleys. It was brilliant to see these bikes being really used and not just polished and pampered!
As well as the on-track activity there were more than 200 exhibition bikes displayed by individuals and the 19 owners clubs that attended the show. A really wide range of trade stands offered everything from new bike sales and demonstration rides, clothing and helmets, professional and technical services, custom building, spare parts, hand-crafted products and much, much more.
On top of that, we had live music on stage on Saturday evening, some excellent food, a great bar and a wonderful party atmosphere. Oh, and there was that beautifully restored (and very loud!) Merlin V12 engine that caused quite a stir- plus a genuine Back to the Future film studios de Lorean car that drew the crowds and gave some lucky raffle prize winners a blast along the track
2023 was the year the Heriatge Sprint came of age and established itself in the calendar!
‘We thoroughly enjoyed the event and hope that you invite us back next year. It was great to be able to support a local event, especially one so closely aligned with our chosen pastime.’ Region 17 Harley Group
‘This was my first venture onto a track in nearly 30 years and I had an absolute blast …… This will be the highlight weekend in my calendar. Nigel Smythe
‘We had a great weekend. The atmosphere was just so good and everyone was so helpful and pleasant.’ Richard Merril
‘We'd like to thank you and all that is involved in organising such a fantastic event. It was really buzzing from start to end’. Steve and Mandy Mayes
‘While I still have the ringing in my ears and the smell of Castrol R in my hair, I would like to say thank you for the wonderful event. My uncle Richard and I had so much fun!’ Paul German
‘Very friendly officials - that rubs off on to competitors. In two stints I've been circuit racing 25 years and yours was the friendliest I've been to.’ David Thorp
As soon as the dust settled there are new ideas being we were putting in place for the next Sprint. But before we get there check out some of the great memories from 2023 in the gallery below.
Pictures supplied by Kevin Bennett, Jeff la Cram and John Truman
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