The OPP Golden Helmets Motorcycle Precision Team will be performing at the 175th annual Fergus Fall Fair this year.
The Golden Helmets Precision Motorcycle Team was formed in 1963 and every year it tours Ontario giving exhibitions of riding skills at fairs, festivals and parades.
The 20-member team is made up of OPP officers on regular patrol duties. It consists of a ride master, commentator, a motorcycle technician and 17 riders.
Each team member must have successfully completed a three week motorcycle course and at least one season on motorcycle patrol just to be eligible for the Golden Helmets.
They must also be in good physical condition and possess a police fitness pin.
The motorcycles are Harley Davidson Police Specials. They have 1690 cubic centimetre engines and each weighs 800 pounds.
They are the same motorcycles used on normal police patrols.
During each performance the riders will take their bikes through a series of complex patterns that are intended to demonstrate the maneuverability of the machines and also the riders’ skills.
Although a nucleus of the team stays on from year to year, there are always changes and each spring new members have to be trained.
The team does an average of 30 performances per season, from June through September.
The Golden Helmets will perform on Sept. 17 at 10am.
The show will be held in the parking lot in front of the Centre Wellington Sportsplex
The fair will run all weekend, Sept. 16 through 18.
