Ultimate Biker steps up

The third and fourth stages of the Dunlop Ultimate Biker competition took place on August 21 and 22, 2005, and gave competitors a final chance to impress before just six riders were selected for the final round.

Stage three saw all the hopefuls assembled at the headquarters of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for a day of assessment designed by IAM boss Dave Shelton. The challenges included advanced road riding, observation, slow machine control and obstacle avoidance. Some of the riders were caught out by the inclusion of a fitness test in the day.

Riding a random selection of machinery donated by Biker’s Legal Defence, each contestant was shadowed by an instructor on the road to assess positioning, braking, cornering techniques and general behaviour in traffic.

The winner of day three, and overall leader, was Andy Carlisle.

Day four was the challenge most rider’s were looking forward to, but they might have changed their minds as torrential rain soaked the Silverstone circuit for the day at Andy Ibbott’s California Superbike School.

To see more on the Dunlop Ultimate Biker competition and entrants, click here. (external site)

With the school’s Yamaha R6 bikes shod with Dunlop D208 or D208RR tyres, the riders were challenged by both the school and the wet conditions as they covered cornering technique, wet braking, throttle and brake control and even laps without any braking allowed. This was combined with classroom sessions and a chance to try out the newest addition to the school, the ‘brake rig’ R6.
This Yamaha R6 with outrigger wheels is designed to allow severe braking to lock the front wheel, without letting the rider topple onto the Tarmac.
For the second day in a row, Andy Carlisle emerged victorious, and claimed the overall win as well. He heads the selection of the final six riders who face more tests, including a day at the ACU, superbikes, super moto and trails riding, before the final three are picked to race at the Moto 1 event in October.

To see more on the Dunlop Ultimate Biker competition and entrants, click here.

The final six are:
1. Andy Carlisle from Coventry
2. Chris Hall from Wrexham.
3. Chris Roach from Letchworth.
4. Carl Nash from Peterborough.
5. Steve Reynolds from Leamington
6. Glen Dennis from Beverley.