More staring at machinery

Another couple from way back - 1979, in the pits at the North West 200.   The sticker on the back of the bikes would indicate these were the mounts of Roger Marshall, who was a very successful rider back in the 70s and 80s.  A multiple British Champion, no less.  A quick search shows that he is still very much on the scene - rider-coach and Ambassador for Yamaha.  I'm pleased about that - there were a lot of road racers that didn't live very long.  It's still a mad sport to be in - I can hardly bear to watch it any more, given the speeds they get up to on normal roads.  The bigger bikes are hitting 200mph as they come up from Portstewart - just as they pass the end of our road they are braking heavily to negotiate a 90-degree corner.   The corners are what separates the top riders from the also-rans - you can see who is in attack mode and who is just hoping to get round the corner in one piece.  They're all mad, of course - just some a little bit crazier than others.

Motorbikes! And a Mr Whippy ice cream van lurking in the background.

These were taken on old Kodak 5060 film, which according to the Internet is Panatomic-X film, rated at a heady 32asa.  It was withdrawn in 1987.  Goodness knows why I thought that would be the perfect film for sports photography but the negs seem in good shape - both these printed around grade 2, on Foma 133 fibre paper.

Getting in close for this shot.

Pity I cut off the tops of the heads but 43 years ago I was more interested in the bikes than the people.  The haircuts made me smile - in those days most boys had their hair cut by mother.  Hair salons were strictly for women.  My grandfather and uncle cut each other's hair - using proper clippers - but my brother and I had the old 'pudding basin' cut from our mum until we got to Uni and could do our own thing.  I remember the brother's first return home from Uni, at Christmas time.  He had his hair in a wavy perm...What the heck, bro?!