I’ve got to be honest, I was never a massive fan of the Thundersprint and I was more than a little happy when it packed its bags and headed for pastures new in Anglesey.

I’m not a motorbike fan, never have been and never will be after an unfortunate episode on the back of my sister’s boyfriend’s bike when I was a young man.

But I digress.

I am prepared to accept not everyone shares my views and there are a lot of people who delighted in watching old motorbikes whizzing round the ‘course’, or Leicester Street car park as you and I know it better.

Somehow, I never felt the whole event was the massive boost for the town the council would have us believe and I was always a little concerned no one was ever able to produce official attendance figures, not even the council or police.

Even the official Thundersprint website says of the last Northwich event: “No-one knows precisely how many Thundersprinters came this year...

To my simple mind, if you don’t know how many people attended, how can you work out what the economic benefits have been?

What I am sure about is that over the two days of the Thunderspint, a great deal of money was spent by visitors.

Burgers were bought and sold, motorbike clothes and accessories were purchased, beer was consumed.

But I believe this exchange of cold, hard cash all took place within the Thundersprint ‘bubble’ – people from out of town spending their money with businesses from out of town.

And when the Thundersprint camp followers folded up their caravan and went home, the money went out of town with them.

I would even suggest that for many of the town centre traders, Thundersprint weekend became a commercial washout.

I, for one, put off coming into Northwich to shop that weekend and took my business to Warrington.

The smell of burning rubber and burger grease was just too much for my delicate sensibilities.

And I personally never agreed with ratepayers’ money being used to support the event. Yet year after year, Vale Royal Borough Council and the extravagantly named Chester West and Chester Council thought it was a great idea.

They never asked my opinion but then again, I don’t think they would have wanted to hear it.

It was just all too easy for the council ‘suits’ to tick the box that said ‘Northwich Event’ and move on to planning some sparkling soiree in Chester where they had to spend some time and effort.

Anyway, I had a smile on my lips and a spring in my step when the news filtered through that the Northwich Thundersprint was no more.

But where was it going, I thought.

Onwards and upwards, it appeared – the Thundersprint was going international, that is if you can call Wales international.

And what a triumph (no pun intended) it was.

Here’s how the official Thundersprint website reported the 2013 event: “The whole event was better than we could have hoped for.

“The welcome we have had from the people of Anglesey has been incredible, not to say heart warming.

“We were also delighted with the reaction of long time Thundersprint fans, who had nothing but praise for the Anglesey circuit.”

But wait, perhaps the other man’s grass isn’t always greener. Roll forward just a few months and check out what the Thundersprint website is saying now.

“We had a great time in Anglesey and enjoyed a truly warm welcome from the Anglesey Circuit and the people of Anglesey.

“However, a lot of our customers live in central England and they were pressing us for a location nearer to them.

“When we were approached by the Darley Moor Motorcycle Road Racing Club to re-locate to their fabulous circuit, set in the heart of the beautiful Derbyshire Dales and yet only 20 miles from the M1 motorway, we didn’t require much persuading.”

Yes, just one year in Wales was enough. Seems like the English just don’t want to cross the Menai Bridge.

Can’t say I blame them if what was waiting on the other side was the smell of burning rubber and burger grease.