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Northamptonshire Wild and Woolly motorbike event cancelled

Getty Images Rider soaked in mud riding a bike past spectatorsGetty Images
The event was held several times in Blisworth, Northamptonshire

A popular Boxing Day motorbike event has been cancelled because no suitable venue could be found.

The Wild and Woolly event has been running at different Northamptonshire locations since the 1920s and is believed to be the oldest motorcycle scramble in the world.

The club which runs the event says it is "absolutely gutted".

Organisers hope to make a comeback in 2024, if a suitable venue can be found.

Hundreds of spectators usually line the course to watch riders compete over 20 laps, facing freezing weather, deep mud and stream crossings.

Some riders do not make it through the compulsory two laps of practice before the race starts.

Getty Images Three motorbike riders covered in mud and dust watched by spectatorsGetty Images
Images of the Wild and Woolly event in Blisworth show riders enveloped by mud and dust

In a statement the organisers Northampton Motorcyclists Club (NMCC), said: "It is with regret that we have to inform you all that there will be no Wild & Woolly 2023, due to our current venue at Long Buckby not being available to us this year.

"The landowner wants the track and parking areas for the sheep throughout the winter period and we have to respect that."

The statement goes on to say that another venue was offered, but the landowner wanted to know how many spectators would attend and the club felt it could not predict the answer.

MOTOXPHOTOS.CO.UK Rider and bike covered in mud are being helped through the mud by a marshall in orange hi-vizMOTOXPHOTOS.CO.UK
Getting stuck in the mud is a familiar hazard on the Wild and Woolly track in Long Buckby

The NMCC said the possibility of running the event every two years to give the land a chance to recover was being discussed.

"We are absolutely gutted as a club to not be able to run this year," the club added.

One fan said on social media: "It is one of the highlights of Christmas for me, but thank you so much for trying so hard."

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