By 
I first met Paul, as have a lot of people, because I entered one of his events, which was Race The Waves back in 2022. He’s actually really quite hard to miss in this particular event, as not only is he the natural ‘Chef de la Course’ by role, he actually looks like ‘Le Chef’ in his event-related outfit. Anyone who creates and runs the type of events that Paul does, has to be really interesting, so here’s his story………
Q: As a taster for the rest of this interview, what are the top 3 things in life that you are passionate about?
A: Most forms of motorcycle racing, my very amateur photography and design, and connecting with people.
Q: Which part of the world are you from and where do you live now?
A: I have always resided in ‘Gods Own Country’ of Yorkshire, where I was born’n’bred. There is absolutely nowhere better to live!
Q: If I visited there, what would you recommend that I see, eat, drink and experience before leaving?
A: To see: The stunning views of the East Yorkshire Wolds, the North Yorkshire Moors, the spectacular seascapes, and York Minster.
To eat: Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips and apple pie.
To drink: Yorkshire Tea!
Q: What has your work career included to date, what was your favourite job, and why?
A: I began my working life as mechanic/engineer at a Massey Ferguson farm machinery franchise, and then I worked for a plant-hire company. I have been self employed, buying, selling and repairing farm and garden machinery. I then started Village Motors in 1989, buying, selling and repairing motorcycles. I cut my ‘event teeth’ by organising motorcycle social meets, and by creating Race the Waves at Bridlington. During the Covid lockdown, I also created a local accessible community area by the Derwent river. My favourite job is running my own business, and meeting people.
Q: What do you do in your spare time as interest(s)?
A: I really enjoy the simple pleasures of taking time out by the River Derwent, which is close to where I live, as well as designing images, and engaging with like minded communities.
Q: Tell me about the people closest to you like your Family?
A: I married my wife Annie in 2016 whilst at the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man, and I have 3 children and six grandchildren.
Q: What has inspired you in the last week that you would like to share?
A: The courage of people who openly speak their mind in a time of the greatest censorship I’ve ever witnessed.
Q: As a clear ‘petrol-diesel head’, what interesting vehicles have you owned and what was the most special, and why?
A: Sadly for my sins, I am a collector of motorcycles. The bike I would have loved to own back in my younger days was the ‘over the counter’ cafe racer, the mid-1970s Ducati 900SS. A few years ago I was offered one, which was too good to refuse, and so it remains in pride of place in my shed as a constant reminder to possibly one of the best sports motorcycle designs for all time.
Q: What is the strangest motorcycle you have within your collection and why?
A: It has to be the 1929 Blotto Triporteur. Some years ago I visited the Classic Motorcycle Show at The Stafford Show Ground and saw a Dot three wheeled commercial trike and thought it would be a great talking point. Sometime later whilst trawling the ‘for sale’ sites on the net, a strange vehicle cropped up. A little research and we were in the van and on our way down to North London. Later I was made aware that this particular vehicle is the only complete and running example remaining. Blotto manufactured pedal Triporteurs in the early 1920s to fulfil the need for small delivery vehicles, which could access the narrow streets in the French towns. There were street races organised for them, which by all accounts were dangerous for the participating cyclists. Thankfully, I’ve been able to register it on a U.K. registration plate, should I require to run it on the highway.
Q: Have you ever competed in motorsport of some kind, and what was it?
A: No, although when I was younger I possibly could have. At the time, I was merely getting by on a paltry income, which meant having to be frugal. I had a wife and family to support back in those days and being ‘racing-reckless’ with hard earned money was not an option.
Q: How many motorcycles do you own right now, and which is your favourite, and why?
A: I once asked this same question to a really old guy, and he retorted the best of responses; “If you know how many bikes you have, you don’t have enough!”
Q: Which biker has inspired you to ride bikes the most and why?
A: I was never inspired by any one individual to ride motorcycles because for me, they were a natural progression from riding bicycles. The racing champion, Mike Hailwood was impressive in so many ways and had a fabulous attitude. On the track he was ultra smooth and stylish, and cornered with his knees inboard of the fairing.
Q: Can you describe your workshop at home, and what is special about it to you?
A: Ah, that’s a tricky one. The workshop is particularly special because it’s only a few steps from my home. I’ve spent too many years working out of there with no heating (still none), and the love to be outdoors in all temperatures has faded somewhat. These days, if I go out there, it’s more on a ‘needs must’ basis in the colder months.
Q: What is the most used and useful tool in your workshop?
A: There isn’t one really these days, because most repairs and fabrication are individual rather than repetitive.
Q: What is the weirdest/funniest thing that’s happened during your time working in the workshop?
A: Back in around 1983, we were experiencing the force of a really strong gale and whilst working inside the building, the roof ballooned skyward on several occasions. Thankfully the anchorage was secure and no real harm came about.
Q: Do you listen to music or podcasts in your workshop, and what are they?
A: No, I have a hands-free earpiece connected to my phone which throughout each day, relays the conversations and comment from the ‘home of common sense’, AKA: Talk Radio.
Q: What bike are you currently riding, and what is good and what is not good about it?
A: 2005, first-generation Triumph Rocket3 Roadster. It’s good because although it’s a heavy old handful, it has so much presence and torque. These days, it’s not so good when trying to lift / pull it onto the aftermarket centre stand and also, the removal and refitting of the rear wheel. The weight of the wheel and the awkwardness of the rear end design can certainly test one’s patience whilst also offering my old muscles a serious workout.
Q: Tell me about the Triumph chopper that you have?
A: Back in 2015 I was browsing eBay for something old and interesting in a custom style, and this British Chopper cropped up (Phew! I’ve just realised that I have been the custodian of the old thing for a decade now!). It is an exceptionally well constructed rigid frame with long-ish girder forks wrapped around a 1970 Triumph T120 engine. The rear wheel rim is laced to a Triumph single sided hub, and the front wheel is from a ‘60s Honda CB77. The prism style fuel tank adds to the overall style.
The bike has an interesting history. Andy Springham (of Springham Engineering) is a Classic Triumph motorcycle specialist, and he acquired the bike to remove the engine for a ‘69 T120 build. The engine is actually from a 1970 model so he sold the bike on as a running project. I found out through further investigation, that the maker of the frame and forks was Chris of P & D Custom Bikes. Chris told me that their business had evolved in 1982 from a previous business; Kustom Korner of Alpha Road, Crawley, West Sussex, and this is where my frame was made. They kindly supplied evidence of the Kustom Korner build with a dating certificate for the frame, and with the fork rake set at 45 degrees. Their customer for the build was referred to as Ching!
Some say, that the thing must be a pig to ride! Sadly they are deluded by their ignorance. Over the decades I’ve ridden all kinds of motorcycles, and I can say that Kustom Korner really understood frame geometry, because although the bike may appear awkward and ungainly, it does ride exceptionally well. It would be really easy to refurbish and upgrade the bike, but I prefer to keep it wearing its heavily patinated clothes because ‘they’re only original once’.
Q: What is the key skill that you demonstrate in your workshop?
A: Being adaptable when faced with the impossible.
Q: What would you say has been your biggest motorcycling adventure to date?
A: Touring France, Switzerland and Germany with two trips taking in the Nurburgring race track.
Q: What do you have on your motorcycling ‘bucket list’? An ultimate, aspirational bike perhaps?
A: I don’t have anything on my list as I have all the iron horses I would ever need. Although, I suppose should an American Crocker bike turn up, I could find a suitable place in the house for it.
Q: Do you keep motorcycles in your house?
A: Yes, I just have 3 in there at the moment.
Q: Any other two wheeled things that you would like to declare?
A: My father purchased a 1952 Fiorelli racing bicycle, second hand for me in 1962, and from the auction house which stood behind Grays Motorcycle Shop on Foss Bridge in York. Strangely the bike and I share the same birth year and today it hangs in the dining room as reminder to those carefree times of long ago.
Q: Who is your local ‘go-to’ person when you need some work doing in the
Workshop that you can’t do?
A: Thankfully I’ve not required this.
SHIFTING QUESTIONS a bit to event organisation now………
Q: What is the most memorable motorsport or bike event that you have attended, and why?
A: There are two really; The first being in the mid-1970s attending the National Grasstrack final at Lydd, in Kent. I was greatly surprised by the power and speed of the bikes, especially in the 250cc class with those Southern riders onboard, as well as seeing and supporting the Northern riders with the sidecars who were getting really stuck in.
The other most memorable bike event was my first visit to the Isle of Man TT, and witnessing the sheer skill at speed of those tremendous heros. Nothing compares to the lsle of Man TT!
Q: Why did you move into event organisation?
A: Back in 2015, I visited the first Hornsea Bike Event (HBE) on the 1970s Triumph T120 chopper I mentioned earlier. Hall Garth Park in Hornsea is the most fabulous venue to host a motorcycle show and gathering. Following that visit, I left the organisers a very supportive review on their social media page. During the winter period the HBE organisers were looking for a loan bike to use in their 2016 Town Carnival, so I promptly answered their appeal with an offer, and in return they made me the offer to organise their motorcycle show later in the year! Phew!!! What a baptism of fire and torturous journey that became. I’m a simple man with simple ways, but having to deal with the conflicting personalities within the organising group was totally on another scale. The upside was that I got great value out of gaining experience!
Scholarly stuff has never been my friend, as I’m more of a ‘get your sleeves rolled up and push on’ person. ‘Glutton for punishment’ should have been my middle name!! There is so much more I could say but it is best left to RIP. Needless to say the pain-to-gain experience served me well, and especially when a portfolio holder of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council came ‘a knockin’. His mission, to encourage me to organise a motorcycle show for Bridlington in 2019.
Q: What type events have you organised to date?
A: I began my solo journey into event organising by hosting vintage & classic motorcycle socials at The New Inn pub’ yard in Stamford Bridge (the town of the famous battle in 1066). I also hosted a couple of Swap-Meets at the Farming Museum on the outskirts of York.
One of my proudest achievements is convincing the management of York Minster to allow me to host a motorcycle gathering directly in front of the Minster doors. I also created and organised a weekend near home for hot rod cars and classic/vintage motorcycles performing ‘Dirt-Drags’ in a field nearby. And last but certainly not least, Race the Waves (RTW) at Bridlington.
Q: What is/has been your favourite event that you’ve created and run to date, and why?
A: Race the Waves (RTW) at Bridlington. It has been an absolute dream to revive, albeit in a different form, the scenes from many years ago when literally tens of thousands of visitors arrived at the Yorkshire beaches to watch the motor speed-trials and beach racing.
Q: Do you have an ultimate, aspirational event that you would like to create and run?
A: There is absolutely nothing which could come close to organising RTW. It is the only event of its type in the UK, and attracts interest from a Global audience.
Q: Tell me what Race the Waves (RTW) is, and why you created the event?
A: I’ll answer this one in reverse order. Like most things in my life, there was never a fixed plan, just more of an evolving set of circumstances. RTW evolved from the request to create a motorcycle show in The Spa building for Bridlington, in October 2019.
The name, Race the Waves, is my interpretation of the book title, ‘A Dash Between The Tides’. This publication is an informative piece of easy reading and penned by the late Ernie Crust, who documented the history of motor-racing on the Yorkshire beaches and the Middlesbrough Motorcycle Club. RTW offers a tribute to those heady times of the Land-Speed Record attempts at the Filey, Saltburn & Redcar beaches, and in a nutshell, this event is primarily a family oriented visitor attraction to support the commercial sector of Bridlington.
Q: What is really great about RTW?
A: This one is really easy….SMILES!!! Everyone from the racers, the families attending, the towns folk, and if you are really observant, you may even catch a few of the local authority folk enjoying the atmosphere too!
Q: What keeps you awake at night regarding RTW?
A: How to achieve the best possible visuals with little to no budget.
Q: On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how complex is it to run RTW, and why?
A: Phew!!! It has to be a 10! For a mere country bumpkin like me with little achievement in education except for a GCE O level in Art, the organising & managing that is required is just like the trick of keeping all the plates spinning!
Thankfully, a few really helpful and supportive people have stepped up over the years to take some of the management load. The event requires the involvement and co-operation of numerous local authority departments, along with the support by their Health and Safety and Security personnel. The beach environment is controlled solely by mother nature, and we mere human mortals have to create what we can, and by whatever means, as the tide recedes.
Q: What type of learning experiences has organising RTW provided for you?
A: Patience with a capital ‘P’, adaptability, flexibility, and the capability to find another gear, even though you thought you were going flat out!!! The ability to accept that there’s certain things you can’t change, and having the leadership confidence to delegate tasks to others who are only too willing to help out.
Q: 2025 will be my 4th RTW, but how many people have done every RTW event to date?
A: RTW attracted around 50+ entries at our first event in September 2018, and there are still quite a number of people returning each year who braved that very atmospheric, Autumnal event. These people also have a priority when this Annual event returns, because I will always respect the sacrifices these guys made to be able to join us on that momentous, first day.
Q: What feedback have you had from people who attend RTW as spectators?
A: The event always receives the best ever feedback and even when we were stifled for one day by the sea fog that rolled in during 2024, the crowd still remained all day along the promenade, where there are many other stalls and exhibitors associated with the event.
Q: What feedback have you had from your RTW competitors?
A: I think the feedback by the racers is best summed up as; “when is the date for the next one?” and “when are the invitations going out?”. I’m very grateful for the friendships which have formed by the creation of RTW, some of which have steered me through various issues within managing the racing.
Q: What do you feel are the critical leadership and organising skills required in running an event like RTW?
A: Don’t take yourself too seriously, remain respectful and keep a perspective with all challenges. Stay as calm as possible, and be open to new ideas from personnel wishing to contribute. But, never delegate a responsibility without close support, no matter how confident the person may appear. This one did cause me serious issues one year, and will never be repeated.
Q: Are there any special additions to this year’s RTW that you would like to share here?
A: I like to keep RTW a bit of an enigma by having ideas and feeding them in as we go along. Possibly an element of surprise keeps folk curious and guessing! I would say, it would be best to attend and see what happens.
Q: Although you are the Head of the RTW organisation, don’t you ever wish that you were on the beach racing at the event instead of being the organiser-grown-up?
A: No, not at all. Racers race!!! Organisers should focus towards their own passion, which hopefully creates lasting memories, great pictorial imagery, and which attracts the visitors and race entries to return the following year.
Q: What advice would you give to someone that aspires to run a motorsport event?
A: Find a quiet and darkened room and give yourself a really good thrashing around the head with a stout length of seaweed. Then see if you still want to do it!
Q: To date, which single photo do you have that really captures RTW for you, and why?
A: It is photographer, Ivo Ivanov’s (link at end to Ivo’s work) picture of the ‘girl in the air with the flag’ facing two American Hot Rod cars. I have it framed and on my wall.
Q: As a person with an obvious deep and lengthy interest towards motorcycles, where does the interest for American hot rod cars come from?
A: The answer is simple. Observing attendees at UK classic vehicle shows over the years, there seemed to be a huge divide between the two interests of cars and motorcycles. Whereas within the Americana, Rockabilly & Custom lifestyles/cultures, their interests bridged this void by participants having a foot in both camps. There is little to beat the look and sound of the American hot rod vehicles.
Q: Who chooses the appropriate vehicles from all of the entries that you get?
A: That is my sole privilege. I want all vehicles to fit with the spirit and theme of the event.
Q: Who can enter the Beach-Race?
A: My wish is to not follow the current ‘beach-race establishment’ and to include a few folk with their vehicles, who under the usual rules for these vintage events, would not qualify for an entry. The old saying, ‘you have got to start somewhere’ applies with RTW. My thoughts are that if the racer is offered an opportunity, he/she will hopefully aspire to create something a little nearer to our aim the next time we post our invitations.
Q: Where can I find out all of the information regarding RTW?
A: Race the Waves facebook and Instagram pages along with our website. Links at the end.
Q: What magazines do you read or have subscribed to?
A: Nothing with a subscription. I occasionally browse the bike category on the shelves in a magazine shop, which is on the rare occasions that I venture away from our sleepy village.
Q: Favourite item of clothing and why?
A: It has to be my Stovepipe top hat.
Q: What music are you listening to at the moment, and what book(s) are you reading right now?
A: I actually love the sound of the mechanical time piece clock as it taps away in the stillness of the day. I have always, and only been interested to read reference books containing information on a need to know basis, and I only listen to music to garner inspiration for social media posts.
Q: Which motorcycle film captured your interest and why?
A: It will be forever, Easy Rider, with the strap-line, ‘They went in search of America and couldn’t find it’. A story which was originally penned ‘They went in search of freedom and couldn’t find it’. The moral of that particular story, no matter what we do or what we want to do, is that there’ll always be the Piper to pay in one form or another, because no one is really free!!! The soundtrack still reminds me of the night we young guns rode into York on motorcycles to watch it at the cinema.
Q: What has been your biggest life learning to date?
A: Never, ever, pee into the wind!
Q: And finally, what is you plan for today?
A: To catch up on all the things I should have done instead of answering all of these questions :-)…….
Related links:
http://www.backfireinfo.weebly.com The home of Race The Waves
https://www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-bridlington/ Things to do in East Yorkshire and Bridlington
https://www.imagefactory-studio.com Ivo Ivanov’s media site
https://diaryofamotorcyclingnobody.com/bultaco-on-the-beach/ My first and 2022 RTW event post
https://diaryofamotorcyclingnobody.com/bultaco-on-the-beach-again-2/ My second and 2023 RTW event post
https://diaryofamotorcyclingnobody.com/race-the-waves-2024/ My third and 2024 RTW event post
By 
