The main takeaway from last weekend’s motorcycle race meeting at Cadwell Park is that No Limits Racing run a tight ship. The racing came thick and fast, with minimal delays and great tannoy work from the staff and commentators. 

Considering the packed grids and huge number of classes, this is no mean achievement. I have been to many club races over the years, standing trackside staring at an empty track with no idea what’s going on. So it was a pleasure to have a continuous flow of race machines roar past. Especially as my secondary passion besides motorsport is photography; more on that topic later.

At this meeting, we had the humble Honda CB500 to 1000cc sports bikes taking on Cadwell Park’s twisting technical track in dry but overcast conditions. Nothing unusual about that; just about every motorcycle racing club in the U.K. will have these classes.

No Limits does have one class that no other racing club has: a military contingent of racers.

Military Motorsport 

The U.K. military services were represented at the meeting: the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the Army, and the Royal Air Force. Enclosed in one area of the paddock with signs warning that military personnel were about, you entered at your own risk. All of the warnings were just a bit of fun; the teams were welcoming and happy to chat about the bikes and service life, but mostly bikes. 

I have been following quite a few of the military riders over the years, mostly on the roads. Roads or short circuits, most of the riders will use different motorcycles of different capacities depending on the event they are at. Jack Russel #55, one of the RAF riders, has taken to the roads on all sorts. Four cylinder sports, lightweight twins, and sidecars. None of that was evident at this meeting; most of the riders were sticking to one class of motorcycle. 

The military paddock was packed full with motorcycles. There was only just enough space to get between the bikes parked in the liveried gazebos. There wasn’t much room, which is testament to the popularity of the No Limits race meeting and motorcycle sports in the military. A total of 57 riders are registered to race in the Inter-Service Championship, with 32 racing at Cadwell. This was one of the biggest military grids I have seen in some time. So why were there so many military riders? 

Sport in the Military 

Sport has always played a significant role in the Armed Services. Physical fitness is a cornerstone of military service. Taking part in sports is looked upon favourably by the military leadership. Sports are seen as a way to instil a warrior ethos, promoting qualities like discipline, determination, and resilience.

As a consequence, sports contribute to the overall physical and mental well-being of service members, improving their readiness for operational engagements. Therefore, participating in a sport is encouraged. So it was no surprise that there were so many military competitors at this meeting.

Kenneth Macleod KM36 Racing

One of the competitors that stood out for me racing at the Inter-Service Motorcycle race was Kenneth Macleod. After an excellent and exciting race, I touched base with him. This is his report from the viewpoint of a rider.

“The Inter-Service Motorcycle race is unique to every other race of the weekend as the Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force teams compete on mixed machinery. The grid is made up of everything from old CB500s to the latest 1000cc machines. Thanks to a lap of 1:35.2, I managed to secure Pole Position onboard my 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R. 

Inter-Service Motorcycle Race

“As the lights went out, I got a great launch off the line and held the lead into turn one. I needed to stretch out a lead and gain enough of an advantage so I didn’t lose out to the power of the 1000cc machines down Park Straight. And this is exactly what I managed to do.

“I got my head down and settled into a rhythm, consistently hitting my markers and setting low 1:34 lap times. In just over four laps, I had built up an 11-second advantage over the Army 1000cc bikes behind me! Unfortunately, another RAF rider went down just at the start of lap 5. This caused the race to be red-flagged, but thankfully, he was OK”. 

“As we had not completed two-thirds of the distance, the race was restarted as a four-lap sprint. I again got a great launch and got the hole-shot. Unfortunately, this time, as I hit the brakes at the end of Park Straight, my rear wheel lifted off the ground, forcing me to release them slightly, running off line. This allowed the Team Army bikes through”.

“A lap later, I passed the first Army bike on the brakes at Park, this time holding my line. I then chased down the leader, Aaron Evangelista #10 onboard a modern Yamaha R1.

“Despite throwing all but the kitchen sink at it for the remaining three laps, I could not find a way past as the R1’s. Their electronics and power down the straights were just too much for my 600”.

Inter-Service Motorcycle Race – Results

“Despite this, I finished a clear 2nd position, only 0.2s behind the leader and top RAF rider. Disappointed with how the restarted race unfolded, but that’s just the way racing goes sometimes. Onwards and upwards as I look ahead to the next Inter-Service Motorcycle race at Oulton Park, 29 – 30th August”. 

Pos	Number		Name	Entry
1	10		Aaron EVANGELISTA	Yamaha 1000 – Army
2	36		Kenneth MACLEOD	Kawasaki 600 – RAF
3	91		Jack MORGAN	Kawaskai 600 – Army
4	123		Dean TURNER	Honda 1000 – RAF
5	188		Michael LARGE-TAYLOR	Yamaha 600 – Army
6	55		Michael RUSSELL	Kawasaki 600 – RAF
7	11		Kieran WOOD	Triumph 675R – Army
8	132		James LESLIE	Yamaha 1000 – RAF
9	7		Sam FOSTER	Yamaha 600 – Army
10	617		Alan SHARP	Suzuki 1000 – Army
11	57		Alan CURTIS	Yamaha 600 – Royal Navy Royal Marines
12	606		Piotr GAWALUCH	Suzuki 1000 – RAF
13	68		Andrew STUART	BMW 1000 – Royal Navy Royal Marines
14	75		Max WILMOT	Yamaha 1000 – Royal Navy Royal Marines
15	62		Sam CARTWRIGHT	Suzuki 650 – Army
16	6		Louis WRIGHT	Yamaha 600 – Army
17	8		Joe CULYER	Honda 600 – RAF
18	946		Shaun PULLING	Triumph 675 – Army
19	4		Matt MAYNARD	Suzuki 600 – RAF
20	538		Seb EVENDEN	Kawasaki 600 – Army
21	417		Si MASSEY	Suzuki 600 – Royal Navy Royal Marines
22	93		Michael PARTRIDGE	Kawasaki 600 – Army
23	15		Jordan HARKINS	Yamaha 600 – RAF
24	33		Lee BARNES	Kawasaki 636 – RAF
25	94		Scott WALL	Kawasaki 636 – Army
26	44		Toby WELFORD	Kawasaki 400
27	999		Natalie CRO	Yamaha 600 – Royal Navy Royal Marines
28	31		Will HOBKIRK	Honda 500 – RAF
29	944		Mark FELTON	Kawasaki 600 – Army
30	63		Callum DENTY	Kawasaki 636 – Army

True Heroes Racing

Macleod also competes in the ROKiT OFF BMW F900R Cup. A support race series run at the British Superbike meetings. Macleod is riding for the True Heroes Racing team. This is the UK’s first and only motorcycle race team formed around wounded, injured, and sick UK Service personnel & Veterans. We will catch up with Macleod at the next round of the BMW F900R Cup Championship. Held at Cadwell Park, 23 – 25 August 2025, check back here to see how he got on.  

Photographic Post Script

This event had a dual purpose for me as a Spectator Motorsport Photographer. The No Limits Racing events are always a pleasure to attend. With great racing and with the Inter-Service Motorcycle Race also being held, I had this on in my calendar for some time. No Limits attracts great racers, and with there also being an endurance race, you never know who will pop up. Gary Johnson #24 and Jack Russell #55 were two of the standout riders; both are Isle of Man TT legends. We have followed both of them on their TT journeys. It was great to see them on the Cadwell short circuit. 

My second reason for attending last weekend was to try a teleconverter I have not used for some time. The x2 converter sits in the office unused and unloved as I didn’t feel it was giving me the quality I wanted. I have a 200-400 ƒ4 for extra reach trackside, so I have never used the x2 much until last weekend. I recently purchased FoCal camera calibration software, which resulted in much cleaner and sharper images.

Calibrating the x2 to my 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lens, I was intrigued to see the results. I must say they are impressive; the shots below are from the bottom of the mountain at Cadwell Park. With the Nikon D500 DSLR crop sensor, the 70-200mm ƒ2.8 at the x2, I have a light setup that reaches out to 600mm. 

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Thanks to RPW and :DEEGEE: Motorsport Photography for the images in this report.