THE Isle of Wight section of the Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Club saw the rebirth of the annual Ventnor Winter Gardens Motorcycle Show earlier in April.

Enthusiasts from near and far gathered in glorious sunshine, to view the 64 machines on display inside the hall plus dozens more parked outside.

Almost all eras of motorcycle history were represented, from a 1925 Ner-a-car to a 1994 BMW, and AJS to Velocette.

The judges were Rod Hann from Sherbourne, Dorset, ex president of the VMCC, and local expert Reg Glading of Niton.

The awards went to: Pre 1931, 1st prize and Kev Irwin Trophy — Paul Denham with his 1930 Velocette GTP; 2 Nathalie van Couter’s 1929 Norton JE, 3 Fred Salter’s 1927 BMW R42.

The 1931 to 1960 class, 1st prize and Vectis Cup — Geoff Leather’s Manx Norton, 2 Nick Field with his 1931 BSA Sloper, 3 Les Toogood’s Sunbeam Lion.

Isle of Wight County Press: Geoff Leather's class winning Manx Norton at the Vintage and Classic Show.Geoff Leather's class winning Manx Norton at the Vintage and Classic Show.

The largest entry was in the 1961 to 1996 class. 1st prize and the Stihl Trophy — Alec Alexander and his Ducati 175TS, 2 Graham Widdicombe’s 1987 Honda CBR1000F, 3 Mike Massey with 1976 Kawasaki Z1B.

Best in show and the Roy Bacon Memorial Shield went to Pat Ward and his beautiful little 1966 Ducati Mach1.

Isle of Wight County Press: Best in Show winner, a Ducati Mach1 belonging to Pat Ward of Newport.Best in Show winner, a Ducati Mach1 belonging to Pat Ward of Newport.

Thanks go to the Winter Gardens staff, who were kept very busy all day dispensing refreshments to the crowd, and also to those who donated to the charity of the year — Young Lives vs Cancer (ex Clic Sargent).