Hold on that’s not free you say, well track days are and they are a good event to practice your motorsports photography skills or scout out locations for an upcoming event. The only problem is that when you have been to a few most track days are as interesting as looking out of the window. 

Sometimes you can be lucky at a track day and a race team will have booked in to do some testing on the cheap. It has happened to me a few times and you can get some exclusive shots which can make that track day so much more interesting. 

Last year I was at a loose end one Friday, so decided to try my hand at bird photography at my local park. I was rubbish at it, although I have the right photographic kit there is a knack to sneaking up on our little feathered friends that I don’t have, being a big bumbling oaf and all that.

Getting home and reviewing my not so great pictures I was devastated to find out there had been a free to get in classic bike track day on at Cadwell that I could have gone to. So when I found out they were doing it again this year I made a point of putting it in my diary. 

The Classic Suzuki Track Day was organized by Classic Bike Track Days and Suzuki GB in association with its vintage parts programme. A great idea to keep those older Suzuki's running and get them out on track. 

The definition of a classic motor vehicle is 25 years old, and a lot of what you would consider modern looking motorcycles on the road today are that age and older. The sports bike synonymous with Suzuki is the GSX-R, when the first Gixxer appeared it was way back in 1984 as a 400cc sports bike for the Japanese market. 

Back in the day I used to ride an RGV 250cc. These V-twin two stroke pocket rockets were built between 1987 and 1997 so are most certainly a classic now. I was hoping a few of these would be attending the meeting as I do have a soft spot for this machine. It was one of the most impractical and uncomfortable bikes I have ever owned but, and it’s a big but, when the power valves opened up and you rocketed to 11000rpm it was an amazing sound and experience and one I will never forget. 

I was not to be disappointed. On arrival at Cadwell there was a constant stream of RGVs heading from the paddock to the track, a great sight to start the morning, better than looking out of the window! Knowing that there would be loads of track sessions during the day I headed off to the paddock to take in the atmosphere, which had a distinct whiff of hot two stroke oil by now. 

Classic Bike Track Days and the Suzuki vintage parts programme had excelled themselves with the display of classic bikes on show. Not only were there pristine examples of standard road going machines brought along by Suzuki enthusiasts, but Suzuki had dusted off a range of Grand Prix, Endurance and race bikes - these were what I wanted to see.

The paddock was open so you can get up close to these machines that you would normally see behind a barrier in a museum. When the mechanics started to warm the bikes up for getting them out where they belong, on track, the hairs on my neck stood up. A V-four 500cc two stroke is one of my favourite Grand Prix bikes and seeing it in full on Barry Sheen race livery brought back some great memories. 

A long time ago, one of the race series I used to go and watch was the Transatlantic Trophy. This one off competition was between the Yanks and the Brits and produced some great racing. The first time Kenny Roberts came over to the UK was to compete in the Transatlantic Trophy. He was to meet and race against an up and coming British racer, Barry Sheen. The Brits won that year.

Also in the paddock were various organizations selling parts and complete classic Suzuki bikes. I spotted an RG 500cc in full race trim that was for sale, looking at the sign taped to the wind shield my hand instinctively went for my wallet. £3200 what a bargain! Hold on, it actually says £32000. I put my wallet away and kept walking! I would love an RG 500 but I don’t think my first born would appreciate me blowing her inheritance on a smoky old two stroke! Still, you can dream.

Chilling round the bikes and chatting to the crowds were the riders who used to race the machines on display. John Reynolds, Terry Rymer, Steve Parrish, Danny Webb, and Pete Boast were all on hand and Phil Read was booked in as well but I didn’t spot him. Also riding was Motor Cycle News chief road tester Michael Neeves who is no stranger to the Classic Suzuki and Endurance teams.

During the day some of the ex-racers took to the track, but it was to be the parade laps that would be when they were reunited with their rides from their glory days. I'm sure at the riders' briefing the organisers mentioned it was to be a parade lap. But by the time the ex-racers had changed into full race gear, that had been translated in their heads into the Cadwell lap record challenge - great stuff!

The track day continued for the regular riders with a great mix of machines on display. From the screaming two strokes, sport tourers, full on sports bikes and everything in-between.

Definitely not in-between, more like right out on the edge, the standout bike on track was this futuristic, for the 1980s, looking machine - the Quantum. Designed by Tony Foale who was exploring the very edge of motorcycle chassis design back in the 1980s. SuperBike magazine hooked up with Tony and ran a competition to design the body work for the Quantum 2 and this is the result. Only 6 or 7 of these bikes were made so this is a very rare machine indeed.  

I will put this event in the PistonClick diary for next year, as a free event you can't beat it. Yes, some of the guys out on track were taking on the Cadwell hills with a degree of caution so you are not going to get as many stand out pics that you would get on a normal race meeting. But the bikes on display more than made up for it. 

Unfortunately a few accidents did happen as the riders tested the limits of their bikes. At the end of the day that is what track days are about - finding your limit in a safe environment and then backing it off a bit. 

That concludes our coverage of the Historic The Classic Suzuki Track Day at Cadwell Park. We had two shooters out for this event. Graeme Taylor Images was using the latest Nikon D500 matched to a Sigma 70-200mm APO DG HSM and a Sigma 17-50 F2.8 EX HSM. 

Thanks to Graeme Taylor Images for the great pictures and helping out on this project. You can check out more of his work in the Photographers section and at his his website.

You might have noticed we are now including the camera settings used to take our images. Hover your mouse over the image to see what settings the guys used or press and hold on your mobile device.