An Irish bike has won the AMD World Championship in Germany, writes Trish Whelan.
Held for the first time in Europe, at the Big Bike Europe Expo in Essen, the Championship showcased the best in designs for motorcycles, scooters, trikes and sidecar outfits.
Thousands of entrants from around the world went through a series of qualifiers and were eventually whittled down to 122 machines representing 23 countries.
The 2013 AMD World Championship title was taken by Ireland's Medaza Cycles' creation 'Rondine' (pictured above). Don Cronin and Michael O'Shea, the two Irish men responsible for the build created a one-off frame to carry the single-cylinder, 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 engine.
The Irish duo qualified for the competition by taking top honours at the international open qualifiers at the 2013 Carole Nash Irish Motorcycle and Scooter Show in Dublin last March.
Another Irishman, Noel Connolly from Galway (pictured right), took 16th place in the Freestyle Class with his sidecar outfit called The Chieftan.