Shakey News
Shakey Byrne backs Bill Allan
Express Insurance and former British Superbike champion Shane
'Shakey' Byrne will be supporting motorcycle enthusiast and
ex-serviceman Bill Allan, when he sets off on 29 May on an
incredible 6,467 mile journey to raise £50,000 in aid of ABF The
Soldiers' Charity (previously known as The Army Benevolent
Fund).
Bill, 53, left his job with the AA 18 months ago to prepare for
the trip and has been planning the challenge with his two daughters
18 year-old Maddison and 15 year-old Nikita who live with him in
Croydon.
Riding a 1995 Yamaha TDM 850cc motorbike fitted with Avon Storm
2 Ultra tyres, Bill is aiming to complete the highly demanding
challenge, on his own, in just 22 days.
The epic journey will take him from his hometown of Croydon
right to the Turkish/Iraqi border. On his travels Bill will pass
through ten different countries, and will only take a total of two
rest days.
To complete the journey Bill expects to use thirty tanks of
fuel, and will be carrying only a basic survival kit comprising of
camping equipment, a change of clothes, a small tool kit, a spare
set of bulbs and a selection of maps and emergency telephone
numbers.
Bill will be sleeping in a tent for the duration of his trip,
which takes in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria,
Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Italy and Turkey.
Although he will be attempting to ride through Albania in just one
day to avoid drinking the water or running into bandits.
Bill said: "By riding to Iraq I am exemplifying the dedication
and effort each of the soldiers in the British armed forces gave
whilst on duty in Iraq. I am not riding out there for fun, my
journey is in support of these men and women."
"When you consider how many miles of sand our troops have had to
walk through, 6,000 miles on a motorbike seems miniscule. I'm
determined to complete this challenge to raise £50,000 in honour of
the soldiers that have given so much for their country."
Tony Way, Managing Director of Express Insurance said: "We are
extremely proud to be able to support Bill on this tremendous
journey, which he is so clearly committed to and for the benefit of
such a worthwhile charity. We all at Express would like to wish
Bill the best of luck with the challenge."
Shakey said: "I say hats off to Bill Allan. To do that kind of
distance - 6500 miles door-to-door - is more than I would
attempt."
"No disrespect to Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, but they
went with full back-up and a support crew as well as brand-new
bikes - Bill's doing it on his trusty 15-year-old TDM800. I'm proud
to give him my support in aid of such a great charity and I'll be
keeping up with his progress. Good luck Bill!"
To find out more about the challenge or to make a donation visit
our Bill
Allan's Trans-European Challenge page.
View other Shakey stories