MCE: Keith, I understand you were the first Club MCE member to experience our latest and greatest club benefit - spending a day with an MCE BSB team?
KL: That's right. I was lucky enough to spend a day with MSS Colchester Kawasaki at Oulton Park. It was fantastic - I went up for qualifying and I was with the team from before lunch right through to the afternoon sessions. Unbelievable.

MCE: How did you manage that?
KL: To be honest, I think I was just lucky - my name was the one they pulled out of the hat. But you've got to be in it to win it and I made sure my name was in the hat in the first place! Since I took out a policy with MCE Insurance last year I've put my name forward for as many Club MCE benefits as possible. All you have to do is register for each activity on the Club MCE website, then it's just a case of waiting for the call. As luck would have it, the call has come through several times already!

MCE: And did the day with MSS live up to your expectations?
KL: Absolutely - and then some. I didn't really know what to expect but I ended up spending more or less the whole time with team principal, Nick Morgan, who really looked after me. He showed me around the pits and the paddock, introduced me to the riders and tech guys and told me all about the team's history. To be honest, hearing about how a BSB team runs was one of the best parts of the day; there's so much going on behind the scenes - from getting everything prepared for the race weekends to raising the funds to run the team in the first place. I had no idea how much it costs to run a team like this but suffice to say, it's a lot! Nick's been really busy during the closed season raising sponsorship.

MCE: That's amazing - I'm surprised Nick had the time!
KL: Well, I would have thought the same but by the time the teams reach qualifying, it seems that most of the team principal's work has already been done. Of course he still needed to keep an eye on things - and he needed to rush off to sort out a couple of urgent repairs (he was definitely not afraid to get his hands dirty!) - but overall he was quite laid back. I spent nearly all of my time with him - even when we went off to eat lunch with the team.

MCE: How are they feeling about their season so far?
KL: It sounds like it's been a season of mixed fortunes. Simon Andrews is out injured, which has been a blow, but Kawasaki legend, Chris Walker, has now been brought in as a replacement. That has definitely been a boost. What's more, MSS is also running in the National Superstock Championship, which I didn't realise. Their rider, Howie Manwaring, is having a great season and they're all really pleased with him.

MCE: Yes, I think he was riding in both the Superstock and the Superbikes for Thruxton, which is pretty amazing, but with the Stalker in for Oulton Park, Howie just rode in the Superstock. He finished 5th in the end, but still managed to knock half a second off the lap record! One to watch out for.
KL: Yes, I think he's a bit of a rising star. Chatting to Chris Walker was amazing too. He's now the Sales Manager for Norton and he was using his own money to fund his ride in the season's first two races as a privateer. He's been waiting for confirmation of a title sponsor, which hasn't yet materialised. It just shows you how tough it is to get a ride in MCE's BSB. It's definitely not for me!

MCE: Why's that then?
KL: Just ask anyone involved with the MCE BSB and they'll tell you: to be a competitive rider you need to have a few wires disconnected! I saw this with my own eyes when I did a Club MCE ‘walk-the-track' with Steve 'Baywatch' Brogan.

MCE: Was that another Club MCE treat?
KL; It was indeed. Thanks to you guys I've done all sorts - I've done two pace car laps (one in the R8 last year and this year at Oulton Park in the Nissan GTR - both amazing in their own way). I've also done a couple of grid walks, which I really love. Thanks to MCE I've even managed to get my wife, Lynne, involved. She's got biking in her blood (her uncle, brother and cousins all rode in the British Sidecar Championships), so she loved the safety car lap and grid walk. It's such a great feeling to be out there with the likes of Tommy Hill, Stuart Easton and the Laverty boys; especially with everyone in the grandstand looking down at you wondering: ‘How the hell do they get out there?!”. Ironically, all they need is a policy with MCE!!

MCE: Sounds like you're really making the most of your membership. That's a lesson to any Club MCE members out there who haven't yet got stuck in. Get your names registered!!
KL: I'd definitely recommend it - the benefits are awesome and all for the price of an insurance policy you were going to buy anyway!

MCE: Exactly - we're trying to turn our BSB sponsorship into benefits for our customers, so it's great to see you enjoying them! Like the walk-the-track with Steve Brogan - tell me about that.
KL: OK. 'Baywatch' was in there with us, telling us about where he would brake, how fast he would be riding, what gear he'd be in and so on. It really is unbelievable how fast these boys ride and I really enjoyed the lap, but you definitely need to be a man of iron to ride in the MCE BSB. I think I'll just stick to pottering to and from work on my Moto Guzzi and watching the BSB from the grandstand (and the pits!!).