This photo turned up the other day. It's from my very first race. I'm not sure who took it, but the bike is a Knight frame with a Rotax engine, though the frame was for another engine originally, not sure which. It was on 18in Astralites with road bike Dunlops.
I bought the bike from Boastie, who is also in the shot. He runs the Champion Flat Track School in Lincolnshire, and got the whole flat track thing started in the UK, running it until the DTRA took over for the 2013 season.
This is King's Lynn, late-2006 or early-2007, I did a season on this bike until I was offered the Wood Rotax that I still own and race.
I've never practiced, I went straight into the first race meeting. Back then there was no rookie class, I was out with the best in Europe. I was nearly lapped, but Boastie had such a lead, that he backed off and let me finish my first ever heat race without being lapped. Or he would have done if I hadn't highsided in front of a bunch of mates who'd come to watch me. Not sure what made me come back for more, but 2018 will be my 12th season of UK flat track. Sideburn is in this for the long run.