Guest of honour is Alan Whitehead, the original show founder and now a good friend and consultant to Classic bikeshows. He makes a welcome return to the centre stage in recognition of the work he has done to aid the preservation of machines and memories of motorcycling's golden era and to also celebrate his brain-child, nurtured to today, where it commands the position of the greatest classic motorcycle show on the calendar.

The show promises to be memorable occasion as enthusiasts have the chance to rub shoulders with great names such as Sammy Miller, John Cooper, Bill Lomas, Mick Grant, Colin Seeley, Peter Williams, Jim Redman, Tommy Robb, Chris Vincent and Peter Collins. Each have featured as guest of honour at past International Classic Motorcycle shows and they will all be sharing the stage with Alan Whitehead, as he is reintroduced to them one by one, in a This Is Your Life-style presentation.

However, it is not just our celebration. It is also Velocette's Centenary and 50 years since the Vincent factory ceased production. To commemorate this there will be a couple of Velo's and a Vincent on the main stand. The Velocette OC and the Vincent OC have both promised fantastic displays to celebrate their anniversaries.

The Maico Club will be pulling out all the stops too to display 50 years of the Maicolette. They have attended the International Classic Motorcycle Show from day one, so expect an extra-special stand from them.

With anniversaries and celebrations as well as £1000 for best club stand, £750 for runner up and a third prize of £500, the quality of the club stands will be remarkable. As demonstrated in past shows, the club stands improve year on year, with more clubs adopting a theme to try and win top award.

Take the Malmesbury Classic MCC, for example. They won first prize at the 25th Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show, earlier in February, with a stand that depicted embarkation for the Isle of Man. Their atmospheric scene evoked many memories of such trips by show goers who had ridden to the docks for the annual crossing to TT or Manx GP.

The Rudge Enthusiasts Club will also be trying to go one better than their Bristol runner up spot with a clever stand depicting a speedway racing theme. The display mimicked the frantic build up to a speedway heat as four 1930s Rudges lined up behind the tapes. Adding to the stand's realism, four club members, bedecked in genuine period racing outfits, staged regular start-line dramas.

Other clubs attending include the Indian Motorcycle Club of Great Britain, Trident & Rocket 3 Owners Club and the Historic Honda Collection, all of whom are guaranteed to put on fine displays.

The private concours was full long before Christmas. In fact, due to the high volume of applicants, we have rearranged the balcony displays in the main hall in order to accommodate more private entries. The quality of the entries is awe-inspiring, with some quite amazing motorcycles. Among the many private entries is Jack Broadhurst, with a superb example of a 1926 Scott Squirrel, while Samuel McGhee will be displaying his fabulous 1954 Velocette 350 Mac.

So, it is already shaping up to be the biggest and best International Classic Motorcycle Show on record, don't miss it!

For your chance to attend, contact the numbers below.

The show gates open at 9am, closing at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost £8 for adults, £6 for OAPs and £2 for under-15s. There are discounts available on advance tickets, too, on our ticket hotline 01507 529300, or you can book online www.classicbikeshows.com

For more details on stand space, contact our show team, Nick or Glynis, on 01507 529430/1 or visit ww.classicbikeshows.com or email nmowbray@mortons.co.uk

Future shows.

The Classic Bike Guide Summer Show & Autojumble, at Bath & West Showground,
Shepton Mallet, 11-12 June 2005

The 12th Classic Mechanics Show at the Stafford County Showground 15-16
October 2005

Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way Horncastle, Lincs. LN9 6JR