Our instructors

Simon Smith

Simon currently lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire with his wife Teresa and their son Finley. He has been a motorcycle enthusiast from a young age, but has only been riding seriously for ten years. He has ridden everything from scooters through to 1000cc sports bikes, cruisers and more recently ‘off-road’ bikes. With a group of friends, he enjoys attending track days and likes nothing better than an early morning ride-out for breakfast!

Simon is a CBT / DAS Cardington Assessed Instructor, Enhanced Rider Scheme Instructor. Holder of the BMF ‘Blue Riband’ Award, RoSPA ‘Gold’ Riders Award and an IAM Advanced Rider.

Simon is one of the most respected and successful DSA qualified instructors. His calm and patient manner & his enthusiasm come across straight away when he is training. Nothing is too much trouble.

Having been involved with a training school in the Northamptonshire area for three years, Simon has decided to join the team at Learn2Ride, alongside his good friend Roy. With this opportunity given to him, Simon will strive to offer the highest quality training to Learn2Ride’s many customers and to promote safe, enjoyable motorcycling for life!

Roy Marks

Roy has ridden motorcycles from the age of sixteen, having been enthused with the idea from a young age by his Father who was also a keen rider. He was quite young when his parents got him a pedal car one christmas, he promptly turned it on it’s side and sat astride the pedal car pretending it was a motorcycle. He has always been passionate about motorcycles and has lost count of the number of motorcycles he has personally owned. He has two brothers who are also very keen bikers.

He currently lives in Milton Keynes with his long term partner Barbara, she also shares a keen interest in motorcycling and will often answer the phone whilst Roy is out training.

A successful businessman and Managing Director of his own manufacturing and precision engineering company, mainly involved in motorsport, especially F1, Roy decided to sell this very successful company and this went through in October 2006.

Looking to diversify into something that involved his love of all things motorcycle, he decided to undertake a motorcycle instructors course. He was in training for almost 12 months during which time he gained, first his downtrained licence, followed by his CBT1 licence at the first attempt, and then his DAS licence, again at the first attempt. The DSA assessments are held at Cardington, Bedfordshire and require a very high standard of knowledge in order to gain the coveted DSA training licence.

Being a person who likes to make the rules and not break the rules, Roy decided that the only way to go forward was to work for himself. After six months in the planning, and following DSA approval in June 2009, Learn2Ride was opened for business, being blessed with Roy’s business background the business has gone from strength to strength and has seen a steady influx of people wishing to learn to ride a motorcycle.

Roy has ridden motorcycles all over Europe, not once but several times. He has spent long spells in Spain, always with a motorcycle, he is always given a warm welcome from the local bikers group based in Torrevieja. He has ridden vast distances in a day, from the mid winter chill of Andorra to the warm sunshine of Gibraltar, from the bitter cold of the Alps to the sunshine of the Algarve.

These days Roy prefers to ride his cherished Harley Davidson when not working and is an active member of the Nene Valley Harley Owners Group, boasting a membership of around 400 members, Roy is proud to be part of this close knit family of bikers who come from all walks of life.

Most recently Roy has qualified to teach the DSA’s Enhanced Riders Scheme, he was the only instructor to pass the five day’s training and assessement course and received a very high pass mark, this has further strengthened the already excellent standard of training already offered at Learn2Ride.

Trainees often remark on the patience and friendship shown to them by Roy, for him the important thing that matters is that he is delivering training of the highest calibre, that his trainees are enjoying being taught to ride, whilst ensuring sound training is taking place. For Roy this is not a job, it is not even a living for him, instead it is a branch of his hobby, an extension of his love for motorcycles and all things motorcycle. His enthusiasm will spill over onto you, not only do you get sound training but expert advice on most things motorcycle, from buying, selling, maintaining and all things in-between, Roy is happy to advise.

From those early day’s with the pedal car turned motorcycle, to his current 140mph Pan European, Roy is still the same down to earth, friendly, kid at heart bloke. This then is Roy, your instructor, your friend, but most of all a real source of expert knowledge and professionalism, we hope you enjoy your time spent with him.