‘Rolling thunder, pouring rain’ would have been a terminally ill-fitting lyric if Bon Scott of ACDC had been singing about the final stop of the Redbull pro National in Culham Park. An ode closer to reality would have been ‘defining thunder of fifty 250cc MX bikes launching from a starting gate under clear blue sky!’

Having had almost two full weeks of well-deserved recuperation after Windfest, the Animal Bike Tour crew were chomping at the bit to get back on the road. And what better an event to unleash their fury of pent up awesomeness than the 7th and final stop of the Red Bull Pro National Motocross Championship series.

Each stop of the series is a two-day festival style event, with the fastest and most exciting motocross racing in the country. It’s a massive draw for petrol heads and family’s alike. As well as more than thirty races over the two days, including National Championship races, there is a plethora of alternative action to keep everyone entertained day and night.

Photos: Ian Roxburgh/Events22

All was still as we turned off the road and began rolling through dirt tracks, across fields and grassland. We wondered what was install for us at our final destination, the Culham Park MX track. But as we neared, the distant hum of finely tuned engines gradually became more prominent, and as we apexed the final hill we were faced with the full magnitude of the RB Pro Nationals!

Enormous race trucks bearing huge sponsor logos lined the surrounding fields of the monstrous MX track, which was already scattered with riders practicing for their heats. So while setting up in front of the FMX Live Tour ramp we felt rather like a young David in a sea of Goliath’s….and, well, we all know how that story ended, Goliath had an awesome time watching David bust out sweet moves on his mountain bike. So we aimed to do the same.

Shows through the day were met with intrigue and excitement. The FMX show is a regular feature of the Pro Nationals, traveling to all of the stops of the series. We were there as something new, from a time before petrol and noise, and although behind us was a 60foot jump and the nations best MX riders were watching, there was an incredible amount of appreciation for the skills performed by Blake and Martyn. As motorbike fans themselves, the respect was mutual for the madness busting out all around us.

As the sun faded, the evening turned to dusk and day one’s racing came to an end, the flood lights were powered up, and preparations were made for the final bike show, to be immediately followed by the FMX.

Night shows always make for a great atmosphere, and here was no different. Everyone at the event came over for the spectacle including the race teams, and the energy was fantastic. Blake and Martyn got stuck in straight away, working hard to show that pedal power can be just as powerful as engines when it comes to entertainment.

The show was fast paced and you could tell by the cheers of support, as the tricks progressed that as always, the audience had been won over! And as the guys lapped up their final applause it was time to hand over to Christian Stephenson who introduced the riders including Animal team rider Jamie Squibb, and took us on a journey through the world of FMX.

The show was finished but the energy continued into the night at the party tent led by the sounds of Christian’s beats. And the ABT team held their heads high as they packed down ready to set sail into the night from whence they had come.

Although wind is usually regarded as a hindrance in the eyes of the Animal Bike Tour, once a year it is completely embraced at the South coast’s largest action sports festival, Windfest.

Photography: Robin Kitchin unless stated otherwise

The family atmosphere, vast range of activities and amazing demos, always make this festival, on the doorstep of Animal HQ, one of our favourite stops of the tour. This year though the weather forecast wasn’t looking great, making the task of deploying the rig to the wet sand of Sandbanks beach in Poole that bit more demanding. In prefect weather conditions we can concentrate all of our energy on delivering the best shows possible, but with rain and wind forecast, and memories of Bournemouth Air Fest fresh in our minds, we were a little bit worried about the challenges that lay ahead. But once again we would prevail glorious in the face of the home crowd, make a pact with the weather, and deliver some of our most exciting shows of the year.

The event is run over three days and arriving early on Friday the atmosphere was building. The miserable morning weather cleared and the boardwalk started to vibrate with the throb of expectancy. The two shows we performed on the Friday both had humble beginnings, but rapidly built into healthy sized crowds who were super appreciative of the performances Blake and Martyn put on. This was early days for Windfest and we were excited for the main days of the weekend ahead.

Saturday came round quickly, and as the morning progressed there were patches of blue in the sky, a strong breeze blowing and a sky line filled with kites and windsurfers, the beach became flooded with people up for a day of free entertainment. Windfest was on!

Photo by Ian Loveland

It’s hard to get across the atmosphere of Windfest with words, but if I had to use one adjective it would be ‘friendly’. Windfest is in it’s 13th year, and everywhere roams a familiar happy face; Matt Crowhurst was there with some of the nations best at the wakeboard pool gap, Redbull put on the skateboard demos and banging tunes, the beach was littered with free to try windsurfers and a scattering of famous faces showing everyone how it’s done.

Photo by Ian Loveland

Animal Team rider Bubble showed us a few flips and was joined by our own Robin Kitchin (Tour Manager), for a blast in the clear waves. In the main Marquee during the day there was a table tennis tournament, a family area with bands playing, face painting, and an array of children’s activities, and then by night played host to the awesome Windfest parties. Also on the beach were free kitesurfing introductions, and the ever popular slackliners who had their National Championship at the event, and a constant queue of people lining up for a go.

Photo by Ian Loveland

There is also a serious element of competition on and off the water with Life guard paddle races, sea swimming, SUP 5mile round Brown sea Island race, Sea Surf and Nipper racing, Windsurfing/Kitesurfing racing and freestyle comps, ultimate Frisbee and volleyball tournaments, and all with beginner tasters and coaching going on. And of course Jay Stevenson on the event Mic keeping everyone informed and up to speed with all the amazing proceedings on and off the water.

After a run of fantastical shows, mainly due to the awesome-tastic Sandbanks crowds, who always bring out the best in the riders with an overwhelming amount of support, it was time for the commencement of operation Legendary Saturday Night Windfest Party!!

This year’s theme was “Rubix Cube” – the Idea being to dress in all six colours of the Rubix cube then throughout the night make friends and swap clothes until you are mono coloured by the time you leave. Martyn stayed in for a night of Kung Fu Panda, whilst the rest of us headed out to cause our own blows to style! Due to these fashion infringements it was a hilarious Saturday night Windfest party but the pics are currently banned – so instead…

Sunday was forecast as the worst day of the weekend for weather…but turned out to be the finest! Yes the wind was out to cause trouble, but the guys were on a high after the amazing responses from the pervious day’s shows and were getting truly stuck in, serving up liquid hot golden performances every show regardless. They shared the skies in the afternoon with the incredible Red Bull Matadors. Their bonkers aerobatic show finished with a heart shaped cloud stream to also show their love for Windfest.

“Every year it seems to get better, there were so many people watching the shows and all so up for it. It’s an incredible feeling to ride a show with such a buzzing atmosphere.”
Martyn Ashton

“At times I felt like an untethered human kite…but even in those harsh meteorological conditions it’s futile to resist pushing yourself as far as you can in front of such great crowds.”
Blake Samson.

As the sand of the final show on Sunday settled we began our breakdown (of the show not sanity). It was our fastest beach break down yet, I guess the more you do something the better you get at it, it certainly rings true here. I can remember the year the sun had long passed the horizon by the time the last vehicle left the sand of Windfest!

So although not the best weather for the Bike Tour, we prevailed, and in doing so helped play our part in one of the most successful Windfest’s on record!

It’s been a few years since the Animal Bike Tour has made a solo visit to Newquay for a day of shows, having usually been here connected to an event. But with a local Animal store on the beach, a hunger for getting rad, and a passion for surfing, the ABT crew were stoked to pack up the Vito Sport vans and head to Fistral Beach to catch the last day of summer.

There was a thick fog looming in the air when we arrived on site early that Friday morning, but as the ramps and flags were erected, the sun began to bully its way through to supply us a perfect blue sky. The combination of sun and the desire to make the most of the last few days before going back to school meant the beach was carpeted with families, holidaymakers, locals and surfers. It could have so easily gone the other way had the weather not been so fine! But there was no time for Martyn and Blake to dwell on this as the first show became imminent – having spent only one night in their own beds after the 3 day journey back from Sweden, they were acting like puppies who’d just been picked up from kennels and couldn’t wait to get stuck back in. It was great to see them come back to the show with further motivation and energy. And as the music boomed, and the warm up started, people came up from the beach to line the show and see what the fuss was all about.

Martyn had moved a few things around for the first show, the ladder of doom was omitted in favour of a new gap jump and an amazing new line up on the Vito was were created!?! Blake also was firing off an arsenal of new tricks, from Double Can and No-Footer to X-up, to a One Handed Superman!

So needless to say the each show was as exciting as the last, and the smiles on peoples faces as they returned from the bonkers Animal store poster signing sessions spoke for themselves.

Screenshots from Kodak Playsport video

After the final show the energy continued as the sea, now just yards away, was calling. So with a world record pack down we were swiftly clad in Animal neoprene and the four of us were soon paddling out to catch some waves in the warm afternoon sun, Kodak Playsports strapped to our wrists, and excited grins plastered on our faces. The sun was setting as we caught our last waves in – a beautiful way to end to a great day of shows.

After the 0630 call for an ace sunrise surf session before breakfast, we headed north to Silverstone for Blake’s most hotly anticipated event of the season – TRAX – the ultimate performance car show to be held the following day.

Upon arrival at Silverstone that Saturday evening we set up the metal work of the show to the screams of tires fighting for traction as drivers warmed themselves up for the preceding days exhibitions. With these sounds echoing in our heads we caught a quick dinner and headed off for the safety of an early night.

Our B’n’B was situated on the main road directly opposite the entrance of the event, and as we sat down for breakfast the house vibrated with the deep rumblings emanating from the huge sports exhausts of the cars lining up to fill the dedicated club car areas. Blake could hardly swallow his Weetabix!

There was a long, three lane queue to enter the event, and not a single car surrounding was unmodified, but we looked pretty cool rolling on BRABUS rims behind tinted windows in the bright red Vito Sport X! It didn’t have the same earthshaking sound or impracticality as some of other vehicles in the line…but we still felt pretty cool!

We also felt very sorry for everyone who had obviously spent hours polishing their pride and joy’s before the dirty wet drive to the event. Luckily the Animal Bike Tour was around to brighten up everyone’s morning, and as the rain cascaded over waxed bonnets, and dripped from deeply flared wheel arches, the boys gave their all to break the mood and give everyone a warm ray of radical. And who can resist a smile and a cheer when freebies from Muc-Off were being dished out to help bring cars back up to winning spec whilst being treated to the sight of Martyn and Blake having fun trying to maintain traction….which funnily enough was the exact opposite of what some of the others at TRAX were trying to do, with regard to traction I mean!

The British Drift Championship Super Pro round was part of the days schedule and what a performance! Blake and I let out gasps and cheers, the like of which are normally reserved for only Martyn! It’s an incredible sight to behold as ridiculously supped up cars travel at 100mph completely sideways 400 meters before the corner begins!

Between shows we wandered off to check out some of the club cars that had been driven in by motor enthusiasts – it is amazing how much passion, time and savings goes into these machines! We ventured into the pits where there was a huge line up of vehicles, ranging from award winning showcase cars to the ‘tunnel of boom’, a tunnel entirely made from sub woofers – impressive, but you will need more to beat our shockproof Kodak Playsports!

But what had all gasping was the never before seen Project-X vehicle! It’s a Mercedes Vito Sport-X with modifications, ok so what’s new? Well…try £5,000 of huge ltd edition BRABUS rims and £25,000 worth of Pioneer stereo kit that uses 8 amps, 4 batteries, and a 300amp power supply to create 30,050 watts of sound. Absolute awesomenessssss – hopefully hear this alongside our show soon!?!

The standard Sport X has a range-topping turbo-charged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, producing 224hp and 440Nm, reaching 60mph in just 8.3 seconds with a maximum speed of 122mph. This one has 800kg of stereo crammed in it so it is maybe a little slower…but it is pretty cool if you fancy waking up a small city!

The weather cleared as the day progressed, meaning each of the four shows brought bigger and better tricks, and as our last show neared those who had stuck it out pored over for the final chance to see our two wheel guys in action. This time they were treated to a dry rig show and Martyn and Blake delivering the next level of entertainment! And as the last Animal Bike tour t-shirt was won and the smell of burned rubber and tired clutches faded the day was done.

“It’s been a really cool day – I love fast cars and some of them here today are just amazing! I saw a beautiful Mustang 500, I nearly took it home for my wife! I wonder if Mercedes would consider giving me the ProjectX? My Hands Free would sound great up that loud…not much room in the back for bikes though I guess!!”
Martyn Ashton

“Wow! I can’t believe the level of speed, control and agility – combined with huge extents of bodywork and the un-paralleled levels of perfection we saw today….I was AMAZING!”
Blake Samson

Thank you to Fast Car magazine, a partner of MBUK at Future Publishing, for inviting us to this crazy event. If we get asked back in 2012 Blake will be rolling on a lowered Octane One and Martyn will get some hydraulics fitted to his Inspired!

Over the years the Animal Bike Tour has crossed oceans and distant lands to exotic locations as far afield as Singapore, France, Spain, Kuala Lumpa and Ireland, and each year there tends to be at least one stop that takes us out of the realms of the UK. This year we put the Mercedes vans (and our driving stamina) to the test and headed to our most excitedly anticipated event, 1000 miles away in the capital of one of the most beautiful country’s in the world, Sweden’s first ever Scandinavian Fitness Festival in Stockholm.

Photos taken on a Kodak Playsport

It would be Robin and Blake’s first time in Scandinavia, but their excitement was easily match by that of Martyn and myself who have been almost regular visitors over the years. It’s a long 3 day drive from Calais to Stockholm, but the anticipation of what awaited upon arrival overwhelmed the early start and with the joy of passing through the gradually changing landscapes we soon settled into the road trip rhythm.

We covered a lot of distance on the first day passing through France, Belgium, Holland and a good deal of Germany. Stopping for the night in Bremen, which left us with just over 150 miles to the second ferry of the journey that would take us across the Baltic Sea to the Southern most reach of Denmark, and there would begin our time in Scandinavia.

We hit the road early and after the short crossing were quickly cruising thought the network of bridges connecting the Danish archipelago. The most popular way to cross from Denmark to Sweden is the Öresund Bridge. A magnificent display of modern engineering, at almost 5 miles in length – it’s the longest road and rail bridge in Europe and carries an average of 17,000 vehicles a day. The vast structure is in itself impressive, but matched with the views from 80m above the sea and a vast wind-farm churning away in the distance, it becomes a fantastic welcome to Sweden.

Jönköping was the next stop over, and we arrived early evening to give us time to ride the cliff-top pathway into town, overlooking Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second and Europe’s 6th largest lake. It was the first real stop, and it was nice to have a look around, skim some stones and enjoy being in a foreign country. The tranquility of the lake was a welcome contrast to highway transit we’d been embracing for almost two days straight. On the ride back from dinner we came across a new looking skatepark with some interesting features. An opportunity never missed we spent the next hour riding the concrete lines on our varying selection of bikes in the dark before retiring to our beds.

The final leg of the journey landed us in Stockholm just after midday. Here we were greeted with a warm Scandinavian welcome from the organisers of ScanfitFest who were very excited by our arrival at the Kistamässan Exhibition Center, and having seen a lot of our videos, were eager to see in person just what the rig looked like and what we could do on it. The show was quickly set up in it’s spacious new home for the next 3 days and we headed to the hotel to check in and attend the event meeting where we were welcomed by the event visionary Ulf Laurang. His words were really inspirational and it was clear that he has a huge passion for what he’s trying to create in Sweden. Everyone was introduced and it was clear to see that we were in the company of some of the elite in their field; Dance and Fitness instructors who had traveled from as far afield as America, Male and Female Freestyle Football World Champions, Stockholm’s finest Free runners and of course, two of the worlds best mountain bikers!

Our first show would be the grand finale to the opening ceremony which was hosted by former Miss Sweden, Annika Duckmark, we couldn’t understand much, but when she passed over to me on the mic I’m pretty sure she asked me if I was single!? Either way there’s no time for flirting when you’ve driven 1000miles to deliver liquid gold entertainment and introduce the Animal Bike Tour to a virgin audience. Needless to say we killed it, and even though heartbroken, even Annika was stoked out to the max as Martyn and Blake threw down some of their best moves, eager to prove that their performances taste of awesomeness in any language!

The opening day was free to students who had descended upon the event to join in the huge array of fitness classes – from Gangster Hip Hop Dance and Zumba, to Warrier and Pole Dancing. I chose to partake in a Military Workout – bad move! I have to say I wouldn’t like to go to war against Sweden, to call them fit would be an offensive understatement!

A couple of local friends who had come to the event invited us out that evening to join them in a training session of the national sport called “Pingis” (‘round the table’ – a form of table tennis) and be part of Team Licha for the night. Martyn and Blake decided to conserve their energy, but myself and Robin headed into central Stockholm to represent for the UK. The venue for the training session, all though turning out to be what can only be described as an underground bar, was packed with Pingi competitors, and we were soon in the swing of the game playing with somewhere in the region of 30 others at the same time on the same table! Even the Pingis National Champion made an appearance! Robin strapped a Kodak Playsport to his bat for one of the games – the footage should be amusing! Thanks to Alicia and Emily.

The weekend progressed with people coming and going, and between shows we had the opportunity to experience the other activities at the festival, a little bit of Zumba with the Zumba Twins, celebrities in that wild and crazy world! There was a basketball exhibition match between the two best teams in Stockholm who were quite happy to let Blake and I shoot some hoops with them. Bake had a little try at pole dancing, apparently a lot harder than is looks, and for onlookers, a lot less arousing! He also became rather smitten with the sport of Power Hooping, as you’ll see from the video…

We played keep-me-up’s with the worlds best freestyle footballers (who were completely un-judgmental of our lack of elegance). There were a variant of inflatable games which we took full advantage of, and an awesome parkour/free running/tricking area which was filled with not only Stockholm’s best, but athletes who had come as far as Russia to inspire the Scandinavian people with their smooth fusion of acrobatics and street influenced style.

We joined in with some of the freerunning workshops and were taught a few things – including backflips off the floor, which for me has been a lifetime ambition. It was interesting to see Martyn and Blake joining in the various challenges of gap jumps and leaps of faith. The styles they employed as they worked out how to utilise their body’s as the tool to launch across features when very much used to being on a bike in such situations.

Having bonded with the guys we got chatting and came up with the idea of trying to integrate the guys into our show. They were really keen, and after a bit of experimenting we performed our most enjoyable shows of the weekend. This could well be a part of the Animal Bike Tour in the Future – watch this space!!

A special mention has to go to the Pièce de résistance at the festival, the Segways! Having befriended the owner of Segway Sweden, who in his day was a motorcycle stuntman, Robin found his new calling as Segway Stuntman – bringer of doom and world Segway firsts, I shan’t give too much away, you’ll have to watch the video, but lets just say that some of the Animal Bike Tour features were put to full use and lot’s of fun was had!

So as the event came to an end on Sunday evening we all felt that had been a positive experience, and as we said our goodbyes having gorged ourselves on Max Hamburgare – the finest Swedish fast food, we were filled with nothing but good memories and hamburgers!

We changed our travel plans slightly and headed off that evening back to Jönköping, 3 hours south, to try for an early session the next morning at the skatepark we’d discovered on the way over. We were super lucky with the weather as after an hour session the heavens opened and the rain poured like you’ve never seen!

The plan had always been to get to Malmö in time to get a session at their skatepark, another 4 hours further south, one of the worlds best bowls, and a regular feature on the Bowlmasters skate series which only has 3 stops. We headed straight there and arrived to a bone dry concrete park! Not believing our luck the session began and it definitely lived up to it’s reputation as one of the worlds best!

We were again graced with the companionship of familiar Swedish faces, and blessed with local knowledge had us booked into an amazing restaurant at the main square in the centre of Malmö. Having felt like all he’d seen do far were the inner walls of the hotel, the Kistamässan and Max Hamburgare, Martyn was over the moon so see the such beautiful examples of traditional Swedish architecture. The food was beautiful and the company delicious! It was a great last meal in Sweden. Thanks to Nicole and Anna.

Following an early morning walk around town for some sightseeing, and to pick up our final presents, we were back on the road for the homeward journey with plenty of time to reflect on what had been a fantastic stop for the Animal Bike Tour. The event may not have had a large attendance, but we had made new friends, learned new skills, come up with new show ideas, learned a little Swedish, a lot about Swedish table tennis, and fully confirmed our opinion that Sweden is one of the friendliest and most pleasant places in the world.

Upon our return I think we all enjoyed the one night we spent in our own beds before heading to Newquay for the next stop of the tour, but that’s another story!….

Setting up the Animal Bike Tour rig on a soft sandy beach is always a daunting and taxing prospect; temporary roads have to be erected to get the vans and trailers into place, and then flooring laid to make everything rideable. But at such fantastic events as this weekend’s Bournemouth Air Festival, the rewards ultimately out weigh the efforts.

Photography: Robin Kitchin

Having set the show up on the Wednesday, we arrived Thursday ready to give a share of the 300,000 attendees a slice of our alternative aerial action. Instead we were faced with torrential rain that after delivering two weeks of rain in 30 minutes blew the town’s drainage system and spewed thousands of litres of water through the streets. This came cascading down to the beachfront and into the sea, picking up road cones, wheelie bins and cars along the way, hitting national news and narrowly avoiding us!

Photography: Chris Skone Roberts

Which was fortunate, as alongside the standard rig, we had a new Mercedes Vito SportX (with 230 horses squeezed under the bonnet) on show with us!

Needless to say all flights were off and the first day of the festival canceled. This marked the first time in my four years of hosting the show that we have admitted defeat. It takes a lot to get the team down, the bike tour is our passion and we consider ourselves very lucky to be able to call it our job – so with a good forecast ahead we waited contentedly to pounce.

The following day started similarly damp, but the transition from morning to afternoon was almost surreal and as sunglasses were donned, ice cream sales rocketed, and big crowds started building around the show. So with a back drop of deep blue sky, speckled with aircraft, Martyn and Blake got their gnarly boots on and began showing what pedal powered air time looks like. Da Vinci would have been proud!

The weekend continued with similar weather, and instantly the first day seemed like a distant memory as the ABT drew in crowd after crowd, the skies filled with all types of aircraft, and we began to feel like the effort of a beach show had been well worth it.

Here’s to the next sandy seaside event at the Windfest – see you there!

Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging of the Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team, The Red Arrows. We saw you fly three times this year and each display was as magnificent as the last.