Welcome to the VMCC Banbury Run website.
Sunday 20th June 2010
Sunday 20th June 2010 at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warks CV35 0BJ
65 acres of parkland 12 miles north of Banbury, Next to M40 J12.
Open to Veteran & Vintage machines manufactured before 1931.
To view all the 2010 event information, click here > >
Banbury Run: Results 2009
Click the links to download in pdf format.
The 62nd VMCC Banbury Run will be held at The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, on SUNDAY 20th June 2010. Entry Forms and further details will be available from this site after the 4th of January 2010.
Photos of 2009 run now online!
Club member Alan P Jones has kindly posted some photos of the 2009 Banbury Run on Flickr. You can also view or join the VMCC Flickr group.
Photos on this page by Mary Adams. You can view the full set here.
The 2009 Banbury Run Report
Wow! The 2009 VMCC Banbury Run was a fantastic event, 600 pre 1931 motor cycles cruising the roads of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire on an idyllic Sunday in June. The Banbury Run is the premier event in the Vintage Motor Cycle Club calendar and undoubtedly the largest gathering of its type in the world. The Motor Heritage Centre at Gaydon provides the ideal setting for the event as the space available for our use and the excellent Museum adds another dimension to the proceedings.
I’m pleased to report that the day ran smoothly from an organisation prospective and with the experience gained from last year I believe we were able to improve things for 2009. Highlight of the day for me was the humour shown when we announced that the “Fly Past” of a Vulcan Bomber from a nearby Airshow had been specially arranged to fly over Gaydon for our benefit, but it did make a splendid sight!
With a big increase in the Club and Trade Stands attending this year there was more to see if you were a spectator. Coupled with the excellent Autojumble and improved camping facilities I think the proposed idea to extend the event to a weekend is now a real possibility. Gaydon have reserved the dates of the 19th and 20th of June for 2010 and my view of a how to use that time would be to introduce a new event called the Gaydon Run on the Saturday. This would be a Road Safety Run open to all members riding machines up to 25 years old.
The Autojumble, Club and Trade Stands would be extended over both days and a “Pig Roast” or similar, with entertainment, could be offered on the Saturday evening for those staying over. The Banbury Run would continue in its current format on Sunday, as this is already a winning formula and needs little modification except for the improvements added each year. I believe the extension of the event over two days and the addition of a run for all ages of machines would attract more spectators.It would also give the vintage machines an additional ride on the Saturday and the riders of more modern classics a chance to see what fun can be had riding an “old bike”.
As I’m sure you realise events like The Banbury Run do not organise themselves and my special thanks go to my “Team”, as without their help and hard work the event would not have been possible. Assistant Secretary Sam Brown who received and processed the entries, produced the results and with Colin and Amanda Love put the Programme together. Dave Cox who recruited our Marshals and Volunteers and has asked me to include a big personal “thank you” for all of the help and support he received.
Jon Cooper, Norma Murphy, Pauline Cox and Keith Taylor for the Breakdown Teams and Site Movements, Lin Cooper together with our Signing-On Team, Ian Young our Commentator the “Murray Walker of the VMCC” who with Malcolm Wood also judges the Concours. Our Treasurer, Wayne Faunt, who dealt with the finances for the event and looked after the Club Stands, Colin and Christine Turton who did a wonderful job organising our Trophies, the Autojumble Team of Tony Donnithorne and David Earnshaw. Finally Stuart Fraser, who as our Clerk of the Course, had the massive task of making certain everything went to plan!
Unfortunately I’m unable continue in the role of Secretary of the Banbury Run due to pressure of work, something I never imagined would have been a problem when I agreed to take the job on. I started my own business in 2006 which was intended to be a run down to retirement but it has really “taken off” needing me to travel more and often be away three nights each week. However I have offered to stay on the Banbury Run Committee to manage the production of the programme, together with its advertising, and the coordination of the printing.
The results of the 2009 Banbury Run are listed above and my congratulations go to the Award Winners. The times for the event, if you want to know how you did, are listed on the Banbury Run website. That just leaves me to say thank you for having the opportunity of running this fantastic event called “The Banbury Run” and to wish my successor as much fun and fellowship as I have enjoyed over the past six years of running major events for the Club.
VMCC Banbury Run Secretary.
