It’s back, as good as ever but with a shiny new name and a shiny new category. Laydeez and gentlefolk, we give you the nation’s biggest and best celebration of biking: Built In Britain with Carole Nash. You probably know it best as Britain’s Got Biking Talent, the annual celebration of the nation’s most beautiful bikes which first rose to prominence back in 2006. Did we say ‘as good as ever’? We did. We meant better than ever. Read on to find out why……

Amateur dramatics…

In the year of the London Olympics we must naturally celebrate the fantastic endeavours of the amateur. As with its illustrious predecessor, Built In Britain does just that. Ordinary bikers with extraordinary creativity and skills will once again take centre stage as their bikes are celebrated by fellow bikers, industry experts and celebrity motorcyclists.

…and Pro-mo-show

This year we’ve refreshed and revitalised the contest’s format to include a Professional Builder’s award. Not only does this mean Joe and Jo Biker need not compete against the engineering might of paid craftsmen and women, it ups the ante for the pro-builder brigade. After all, if you make your living from building biking beauties having the Great British Biking Public naming you top dog is hardly going to harm business now is it?

All inclusive

Unlike many niche bike contests, Built In Britain welcomes entries from across the biking spectrum. So pretty much whatever tickles your biking fancy, you can take part. There are six categories to choose from: Sports & sports modified; Streetfighters; Classics; Concours & restored; Choppers and customs and the new Professional Builder class. Inclusivity extends to deciding who the winners are. They’ll be no cosy chats behind the scenes, no favours swapped: this contest is ultimately determined by you, the biking public. OK, an expert panel will decide a  shortlist of 50 but you’ll get to not vote through a further 10 bikes via theInsidebikes Facebook page but it’ll be you that gets to pick a fave from each category and so decided the winners.

Prize draw

As ever the prizes are quite a draw, with this year’s contest boasting a total pool worth more than £5,000.

Both the top pro and amateur builders will trouser  £1,000 in cash plus an exceptionally tasty Draper Expert toolbox worth £1,100. The second placed amateur will pocket a £500 to spend at bike parts and accessory specialist, M&P and whilst the bronze medallist will become proud owner of a set of road-gripping Bridgestone tyres.  But it’s not just about the loot and booty, it’s the glory too.  Appearing at both Motorcycle Live and the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show puts the top bikes before the admiring gazes of the best of part of 150,000 bikers. Cool huh? But that’s not all….

Brum-brum

As ever the competition will  again off junction 6 of the M42. We speak, of course, of the NEC, host venue of Motorcycle Live, the UK’s biggest showcase of all things biking. The equivalent of nearly one in ten of all UK bikers attend so if you’ve got a tasty two-wheeler, this is the place to get it seen.  That’s why it’s such a privilege to make the finals as the top dozen bikes will be displayed on a special Carole Nash Built In Britain stand for the duration of the show. But there’s a twist this year, for it won’t be Brum where the ultimate winners are announced.

Bright bikes, big city

Unlike in previous years, the contest’s curtain doesn’t fall with the bowing out of Motorcycle Live. This time the Built In Britain juggernaut will roll on down the M6 to that there London. Here the 12 finalists will again see their bikes displayed for the delectation of the biking public, this time at February’s Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show. It will be there, at the mighty Excel Arena, where the final accolades will be acknowledged and the top prizes distributed to worthy winners.

The fame game

“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” Andy Warhol, er, famously claimed. Well sorry Andy but that’s just sooo 1968. Reach the final of Built In Britain and you’ll enjoy 365 days of redoubtable renown.  That’s 525,600 minutes of fame.  “How come?” we hear you cry? Well the 12 finalists will feature in glorious technicolour within the Carole Nash 2013 calendar which is distributed to some thousands of bikers at bike shows and events across the UK and Ireland. Like motorcycle insurance and that vehicle excise duty, the calendar is an annual must-have, albeit one held in much greater affection – I mean if you’re at those shows it’s free for starters!

Pin up pearls

Of course if you make the final you don’t want just any old snap of your bike being used in that calendar. If we slip into fake reality show lingo for one minute, you want it to look ‘well buff’ so that your fellow bikers are ‘well jell.’ Or something.  Win through and your wish will be our command as your beauty gets the biking equivalent of the Page 3 treatment. By that we mean, not that we we’ll be, ahem, greasing your bike’s nipples but simply that we’ll get into a professional studio to be shot in all its naked glory by a top professional bike photographer, Adam Duckworth. As a former editor of MotorCycle News, Adam knows a thing or two about bikes. Talking of MCN….

Read all about it

Built In Britain is once again brought to you in association with our media partner, MotorCycle News, a title which, with some justification, proclaims itself the “world’s leading source of biking news.”  This means the contest is guaranteed some pretty high profile publicity, not just when it reaches its grand climax but as the entries flood in and competition hots up. MCN is also hosting and promoting our special Built In Britain website atwww.mcnbuiltinbritain.co.uk upon which every entry will feature .

It’s easy, rider

Finally one of the great things about Built in Britain is it’s easier to enter than… OK, we’ll leave that metaphor just lying there on the grounds of decency. Look, all you need know is it’s simples. You just take a snap of your beloved bike and upload it in the relevant category with a few details on the aforementioned website. That’s it. Robert is then indeed your mother’s brother. Or your dad’s. With Bob being your uncle all you need then do is tell all your mates you’ve entered and get them to visit the site and vote. So, what are you waiting for………?!