TV Chef gets a taste of two-wheel course (From The Oxford Times)

TV Chef gets a taste of two-wheel course

12:00pm Wednesday 20th February 2002 in News

Celebrity TV chef James Martin swapped his pans -- and his car -- for a motorcycle when he completed a Direct Access motorcycle course.

James -- one of the stars of Ready Steady Cook - trained with Quickstart at Didcot on a 500cc Suzuki.

He said: "I bought myself a new Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, costing £13,000, after Christmas. I have always wanted a motorcycle.

"A number of telly chefs have motorcycles. They are very practical to get around busy towns and cities."

James, who is based at Winchester where he has a delicatessen and a clothing store, rode in and around Didcot while he was learning.

Recently he put all he had learneed to the test -- U-turns, hill starts and emergency braking -- and a Driving Standards Agency examiner gave James a pass at his first attempt.

Quickstart director Pete Gotch said: "We had good fun during the training. But the fact that James is on the telly did not stop us working him hard like any other student on an intensive course.

"He is a natural rider and I am sure he will enjoy his Harley."