Regent Street roars to the sound of World GP Bike Legends
Bike racing heroes Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès present all-new event to hundreds of thousands at the Regent Street Motor Show
The exciting new World GP Bike Legends event fired into life at the Regent Street Motor Show today (1 November) as a host of racing heroes and former world champions captivated the crowds with incredible live demonstrations.
To launch the all-new racing extravaganza, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès all donned their racing leathers and climbed aboard some of the most iconic racing motorcycles ever to blast down a 40-metre section of London’s famous Regent Street, giving the public just a small taste of what’s in store at World GP Bike Legends 2015.
The main event will take place at the beautiful Jerez Circuit in Spain on 19-21 June 2015 and will feature flat-out racing in three classes – 125cc, 250cc and 500cc – with bikes dating from 1980 to 2000.
Dubbed ‘The Race of Legends’, the event will feature what’s likely to be the biggest reunion of motorcycling heroes from the period, with many rider announcements expected over the coming months to join the four star names already confirmed. What’s more, following event organiser Goose Communications’ policy of creating access-all-areas extravaganzas like the Silverstone Classic, fans will get an unprecedented opportunity to meet with some of the biggest names in bike racing history and see the iconic racing machines both racing flat-out on track and up-close in the pits.
Tickets for World GP Bike Legends went on sale today, and earlybird prices start at an incredible £55 for a full weekend pass which includes access to the paddock, grandstand seating and an official event programme. Tickets can only be purchased through at www.worldgpbikelegends.com
The launch took centre stage at the world-renowned Regent Street Motor show – an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of motoring enthusiasts to the heart of London. Among the incredible displays of cars past and present, the raucous and unmistakable sound of 500cc grand prix bikes rattled windows and stole the show, as Gardner, Spencer, Sarron and de Radiguès rekindled their racing fires with several jaw-dropping sprints throughout the day.
“What an incredible way to launch World GP Bike Legends!” exclaimed Nick Wigley, CEO of event organiser Goose Communications. “Seeing the look on people’s faces as those amazing bikes roared down the middle of Regent Street summed up why this event is going to be so brilliant – we’re bringing to life a truly golden era of racing that so many of the fans look back on as the most exciting and competitive period ever. With a setting as spectacular Jerez, it really will be an unmissable weekend for any fan of grand prix motorcycle racing.”
Speaking at the launch, triple world champion Freddie Spencer said: “It’s an incredible honour to be riding some of my old bikes here on Regent Street in the middle of London – it’s all a bit surreal, to be honest. For the fans to see, hear and smell these 500cc bikes firing up and accelerating right here on Regent Street is pretty cool. It was a great preview to what is going to be a fabulous event in Spain next year”
Wayne Gardner added: “It’s the first time I’ve attended Regent Street Motor Show and it’s a surprisingly big event and looks successful event. The launch of the World GP Bike Legends has gone off extremely well attracting a huge crowd, particularly when the two-stroke bikes start and the smell and noise fills the air. The idea has been very well recieved today and everyone’s really looking forward to Jerez in 2015. It’s very exciting”
World GP Bike Legends: The inaugural World GP Bike Legends event will take place at Jerez in Spain on 19-21 June 2015. Dubbed ‘The Race of Legends’ the event will feature an incredible collection of grand prix motorcycles from 1980 to 2000, with 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes all represented. The event was launched by former World Champions Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner and Christian Sarron at the Regent Street Motor Show on 1 November. It will be run by Goose Communications – the organisers of the hugely successful Silverstone Classic, Regent Street Motor Show and London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Regent Street Motor Show: The annual Regent Street Motor Show is a unique free-to-view London motor show in one of the capital city’s most famous streets. In 2013 the event attracted 400,000 visitors with displays of more than 300 cars spanning 125 years of motoring from the earliest 19th Century veterans to the very latest supercars stretching from Piccadilly Circus in the south to Oxford Circus in the north. The event on Saturday 1 November also previews the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and includes the EFG Concours d’Elegance featuring many of the extraordinary pre-1905 vehicles that will be driving from Hyde Park to the Sussex seaside resort on the following day.
