Poacher was treated to some fantastic today when the Imps Motorcycle Display Team visited and put on an impressive display. Ranging from age 5-17, the team of 23 riders captivated their audience with daring individual and group tricks. Cy from Wisconsin US, staying on the Folk Fest subcamp, said “I thought it was really cool, I’ve never seen motorbikes before”.
With the Poacher participants sitting on the bank around the Main Stage, under the sun of the warm afternoon, the Imps display began with one of their disabled participants, paralysed from the waist down. He completed a loop of the main arena on a small quad bike, before being swiftly followed by their youngest members, aged between five and six, as they completed some formation riding to warm up, accompanied by exclamations of shock from the audience as the commentator announced their ages. Abby from Lincoln, staying on Folk Fest subcamp, put words to the audience’s surprise, “when the younger ones did all the tricks, I thought it was hard for them because they were quite young”.
The Imps are rooted in youth. Roy, the leader and founder of the group, explained “we prefer them to come in at about 5, then they do a sort of apprenticeship between then and 8 and it’s a constant development from there”.
The display only got more impressive from there. Riley from Folk Fest subcamp, Brigg 1st Scout troop, when asked what his favourite part replied, “the pyramids”. These involved several people stacking in a pyramid formation on top of varying numbers of bikes. Several increasingly impressive pyramids were shown, beginning with a pyramid of 3 and ending with 16 people. Within this, they found time for a touching display of support for Ukraine, as they flew their flag atop an 8-person pyramid with 2 bikes.
Imogen from Lincoln, staying on Folk Fest, expressed her excitement, “it was really impressive, and it looked a little scary with the fire and the ramp”. There were, in fact, two ramps. Six members of the display team held up the first. Teasing the audience, they built the anticipation by driving for it and just missing it the first time. Still, they did not disappoint on the second run, leaping over a car with pyrotechnics spraying out the front.
The second jump was a fixed ramp accompanied by several of the Imps team. Several stakes with cages stuffed with hay were along the ramp, which they set alight. With this set-up, they completed 5 jumps. What better way to win over a large collection of Scouts and Guides than with some fire?
How did this group come into existence? Roy told their origins, “I was a leader - a Sea Scout leader. I was asked because I work in education to set up a camp for children during the long summer holidays, which I did. And one of the items we presented for a programme was motorcycling. Teach them to just ride round a field and from that little acorn grew the imps motorcycle display team”.
He hoped young people watching today would “be inspired not necessarily towards motorcycling but to understand young people can achieve anything if they’re committed and go to the right place to learn it and believe in their own ability”. Abby from Lincoln, Folk Fest, “one time one of the boys fell off and he didn’t stop, he ran and kept running and got back on, and I thought that was really committed to what he was doing”.
It seems they succeeded in bringing their message to the participants watching today. A big thank you to the Imps for their incredible display.
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