Spare a thought for the fans who CAN'T watch the racing

WHILE the excitement of Superpole engulfs the circuit, there are some people who just can’t afford to stop and watch the stars in action… like the police making sure thieves don’t take advantage of everyone else being distracted to nick your bike or to raid your tent.

PC Pete Doherty is one of them, and is gutted because he’s a massive race fan. He said: “As much as I enjoy the racing, I’ve got a job to do. There are a few people out there who don’t like bikes and for them this job isn’t much fun. It’s even more of a pain for me though because I like bikes!”

Normally you’d find Pete out on the road on his Pan European – with lights and stripes of course. “So what’s all this then?” we think, eyeing his Suzuki enduro bike.

“It’s a DR-350 of course. There’s a couple of us, and our job is to patrol the entire venue. It’s the perfect tool for the job. We patrol the campsite, the bike parks, even around the circuit itself. I reckon my Pan’s a little too top heavy for some of these fields!”

The two bikes are owned by Kent constabulary and the officers get kitted out in pukka off-road kit too.

Must be a pretty cool job, Pete? “Not really! I’m sweating like a…. well, let’s just say that I’m sweating a lot!”

If you see him round, spare him a thought while you’re watching the racing. He’s watching your back….