Hong Kong Classic Bike Club chief Ian Foster tells us he took part in the Ramsey Sprint in the recent Isle of Man TT on a 1979 Honda CBX 1000. 'Experts and novices race on an 1/8 mile [201-metre] public road course along the promenade. I was announced as the first ever competitor from Hong Kong, to big applause from the crowd!'
Foster says riders step up to the mark in turns. 'The red light is on; once this changes to orange you roll forward to the start mark, a few seconds later the green light shines and you take off,' he says. 'Once your front wheel moves the clock runs! It is an intense few seconds of sending a 600lb [272kg] motorcycle hurtling down the track as fast as you can go, reaching speeds of 90mph and 100mph [144km/h to 160km/h]. The body does feel a certain G-force - an exhilarating experience.'
Foster, who owns 35 bikes, says the Honda's one of his favourites. 'I've owned [it] for 15 years, with its characteristic 'wall' of six cylinders [motorcycles normally have two or four cylinders],' he says. 'The crowd was fascinated by my classic ride with the 'howl' from its six-into-six exhaust system.'
Foster, a member of the non-profit Hong Kong Automobile Association's (HKAA) committee, says this 'safe, easily organised form of motor sport' could be set up here if the government gave it the green light. 'There is a very long, ideal strip of concrete here - the old Kai Tak airport. The HKAA will have to investigate the idea's feasibility.'