Supercharged Showdown: ride a Kawasaki flat out, legally!
By Michael Mann
BikeSocial Managing Editor. Content man - reviewer, road tester, video presenter, interviewer, commissioner, organiser. First ride was a 1979 Honda ST70 in the back garden aged 6. Not too shabby on track, loves a sportsbike, worries about helmet hair, occasionally plays golf and squash but enjoys being a father to a 7-year old the most.
14.02.2025
Click the image to go to BikeSocial Membership platform to register
Fancy riding your Supercharged Kawasaki flat out?
Calling all Supercharged Kawasaki owners, road legal or otherwise. Or those interested in a Supercharged Kawasaki.
How would you like to attend a joint BikeSocial/Kawasaki event and do as many high-speed runs as you want on the UK’s longest available runway?
We’re calling the event ‘Supercharged Showdown!’
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kawasaki’s awesome H2R, BikeSocial and Kawasaki UK invites all owners of Kawasaki Supercharged four-cylinder age - road legal or otherwise - to Elvington, near York - a former RAF base with a 1.8-mile-long airfield and no noise limit for a chance to run their bike flat-out.
Straightliners, the drag racing events experts, will use their immense experience to conduct the event with support from BikeSocial and Kawasaki. We’re inviting owners of Kawasaki H2, H2R, H2 SX, Z H2 models to come and find out how fast they are on a 1.8-mile-long runway with official timing equipment at the ready.
The BikeSocial and Kawasaki teams will be on-site, so will a team of high-speed riding experts will be on hand to help with launches and body positions for ideal aerodynamics.
Free professional photos, as well as a commemorative printout of the registered speed at 1-mile and 1.25-mile intervals, and a beautiful sticker will form part of the record of your day.
Kawasaki UK will bring several of the latest generation supercharged models from its 2025 line-up which can be booked in advance for a trial on the day.
How many opportunities will you get to feel what a supercharged motorcycle can achieve, legally?!
Not only that, but Kawasaki’s official Bennetts British Superbike riders, AJN Steelstock Kawasaki’s Christian Iddon and Max Cook, doing display runs on their Ninja ZX-10RR machines, while recent Guinness World Record breaker Jonny Davies will be repeating his jaw-dropping feat of jumping off the back of the Ninja H2 SX and skiing behind the bike.
Where?
Elvington Airfield, Yorkshire, YO41 4AU. A former RAF base with a 1.8-mile runway hired exclusively for you. And there’s no noise limit.
When?
Wednesday, 21st May 2025, 10.30am – 5pm, which coincides with the Straightliners ‘Speed Week’ - the annual records event.
Gates open from 8:30am
Safety briefing at 10.15am
First runs at 10.30am
Last runs at 4.50pm
How much?
Entrance to the site is FREE but please let us know by clicking here if you’d like to ride on the runway, or borrow a bike to do so.
For timed runs on the runway, it’s a one-off £5 charge for BikeSocial members and Club Kawasaki members or a one-off charge of £20 for non-members for as many run as you can manage.
‘Competitors’ will be entitled to a free hot or cold drink too. There is no restriction on the number of runs between 10.30am – 5pm but you must rejoin the back of the queue after each run.
Click here to learn about the benefits of being a BikeSocial member. Membership is free if you insure you bike directly with Bennetts but only £6/month or £60/year if not. Sign up beforehand to save that £20 charge if you’re not already a member.
Spectators are FREE and are very welcome too, but it'll only be Supercharged Kawasaki’s permitted on the runway!
Ross Burridge, Head of Marketing & Racing Department at Kawasaki Motors UK, said:
“The arrival of the supercharged Ninja H2R in 2015 caused quite a stir to say the least! That’s why we thought it was only right to celebrate ten years of Kawasaki’s supercharged range with this unique event. We are pleased to be working with BikeSocial on this free-to-attend event and hope that as many people as possible take the opportunity to visit and take advantage of an action-packed day!”
Small print – please read:
Riders will be required to sign an acknowledgement of risk form and have their riding gear checked (one-piece leathers preferred, though 2-piece leathers or CE armoured GoreTex must zip together at least ¾ of the way around). The scrutineer’s decision is final.
Once the bike and kit have been scrutineered, the rider will receive a sticker for their bike plus an exclusive event memento sticker, wristband and drink voucher for themselves.
Only once a safety briefing is completed the rider joins a queue in the paddock. A batch of ten bikes are escorted to the beginning of the runway.
Only one bike at a time will be permitted on the runway.
For those wishing to book one of the latest Kawasaki Supercharged road bikes to test on the runway, you will need to complete this form and provide your licence and DVLA check code to Kawasaki.
BikeSocial members must bring their policy or membership number.
We look forward to welcoming you to Elvington, and don’t forget to tell all your Supercharged Kawasaki-owning friends!
For further information or any questions, please email us on enquiries@bikesocial.co.uk or join the discussion at the BikeSocial Facebook group page, or on our new BikeClub site.
