Oxford United: UPDATE

David Aldana in the pits with Suzuki's Boastie and Tim Neave. David rode Boastie's beautiful 450 framer.It was too hectic for me to get any action shots, but I'll post them when they turn up. I've never seen so many photographers and video teams.Aldana wasn't over to do a few demo laps. He was racing Europe's fastest (and not so fastest). He was great, and yes, he wore skeleton leathers. Aldana T-shirts and posters went down well. Get yours at the Sideburn webshop.
Jacapo Monti and his friend/mechanic Ulderico drove from Northern Italy (about 900 miles) to be at both events. Jacapo had new tuxedo leathers, won the Thunderbike final and came third in the Short Track Main, behind Ade Collins and Tyson Nelson. A good week.A lot of people put in a massive effort to put this race on and it was worth it. Co-Built and their family and friends put Adi's poster all over town. The Co-Built guys also worked hard with Boastie of Short Track UK to prep a track that hadn't hosted a motorcycle race for years. They had to deal with people who didn't want it to happen, but had the support of the owners.

There was a televised greyhound race the same day (on a sand track on the outside of the shale bike track). It finished at 2pm, just three hours before practice was scheduled. One condition of the race was to cover the whole dog track with tarpaulin sheets held down with tyres and line the fence between the two tracks with dust sheeting to catch the shale.

We've had the driest April on record, so there had also been days of watering by Co-Built and friends. Loads of people mucked in, the British champion, Ade Collins, spent two hours watering turns three and four before practice. Thanks to all, and of course all the UK Short Track organisation and marshals.

The biggest crowd in UK dirt track history turned out, people who hadn't seen a live motorcycle race, never mind a dirt track race, turned out. Oxford, being a dog track, had a big bar/restaurant, that looked down on the track, and it, the terraces on the main straight and Turn 1&2 looked good and busy from the pits.

The guest star, David Aldana was great, rode hard, crashed harder and kept smiling. A smashed up bike stopped him from making the final. Oh, 2009 Isle of Man Senior TT winner Steve Plater was racing too.Thanks to everyone who came to the Sideburn night, we had people from Newcastle, Scarborough, Liverpool, Kent, Italy, and some big names who could've entertained the crowd telling their own stories (like race promoter Bruce Cox; bike designer, aerodynamicist and cartoonist John Mockett and the two below, journalists and authors, Rupert Paul and Mat Oxley).A huge thanks to those who helped put it on: Co-Built, who basically made it happen; Adi (fueled on Hobgoblin beer) for the killer artwork;Skooter Farm for the DVD projector; Anna Custom Made for bunting and taking money on the door; Jason, Alastair, Peter, Guy and Red Max for the bikesand Julian Ryder for being the MC. GIAldana auctioned off some great memorabilia.

It's nearly midnight, practice started at 5pm, but David is still smiling.Action photos and Drogo Michie movie! to follow...Drogo was so over excited, he got through a lot of tissues.

My old mate Ozzer came along and took some photos. This is Anthony Co-Built showing me how to ride. Am I sitting too far forward? Anthony's well back and was flying that night, 2nd in the Thunderbikes final. G