Mick Extance Has Multiple Bikes and a Van Stolen From Adventure Riding School
The off-road legend and Dakar racer Mick Extance has been the victim of a burglary - we spoke to his son, Adam Extance.
The Dakar and Enduro legend Mick Extance has had seven bikes and a van stolen from his off-road riding centre in Wales - although he and his team are vowing not to let it slow them down.
The theft occurred on Sunday night or Monday morning, while the team were at the Isle of Man TT supporting James Hillier in his 2025 road racing effort. Hillier may have had a strong event on the island, securing a 3rd in Supersport Race 1, and two 4th place finishes in both Superstock TT races, but what was waiting for the Extance clan back in Wales was far from ideal.
“We got back [from the TT] on Sunday night, and then Monday morning, we had a school, so we had like 12 customers that day”, said Adam Extance, speaking exclusively to Visordown. “So we are going to the yard like normal, and it’s then that we realise - we’re a few bikes short, and a van!”
It’s not totally clear how the thieves got away with the haul, although it’s thought the plates on the van were changed before the bikes were loaded in. It’s also thought that at some point after the theft, the bikes were unloaded and placed into another, less obvious van to continue their journey. In total, seven bikes were taken, all of them Beta X-Trainer 300 two-stroke models - two bikes were 2025 editions, while the rest were 2024 models.
“Morale isn't great, because you work so hard for things, and just like that, in like 10 minutes, they've probably walked off with close to £60k worth of property.” Adam continued. “And it’s not just us, it has a huge impact on the whole community. Our school is a big part of our local community. The local pub, for instance, a lot of our customers stay there, if we do have 250 or 300 customers a month… That’s a lot of people staying, eating, and drinking there. It has a huge impact on the shops. It might seem a small thing, but it actually has a big impact on the local community.”
Bikes are obviously a big part of any adventure riding business, and even with seven bikes missing from the Extance inventory, Adam and his father are trying their best not to let the raid set them back. “We're able to carry on, we've got a lot of good friends who have loaned bikes - you really do see who your friends are. We tend to have 12 people a day, so we'll probably run maybe 10 people for this weekend, and then try and get back to full capacity as soon as possible. We really don’t want to be cancelling people if we can help it.”
All the bikes stolen were branded up, although Adam expects that to have been removed to make them less obvious. If anyone hears or sees them, they are urged to get in touch with the school and call West Mercia Police.
More information on the Mick Extance Experience can be found on the official website or by calling 01332 347592.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
