Motorcycle enthusiasts took to the streets to watch a veteran motorbike run.

The 78th Pioneer Run proved to be quite a spectacle for passersby in Brighton city centre who were treated to a glimpse of the pre-1915 motorcycles.

Nearly 400 machines – all 100 years old or more – started at Tattenham Corner, Epsom Downs, and travelled the 47 miles to Madeira Drive on Brighton’s seafront.

The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club started the run in 1930 and it has taken place every year since, apart from during the Second World War and in 2001 due to the nationwide outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

The club, founded in 1924, is one of the oldest clubs in the country and organiser of pre-1915 motorcycle and tricycle events.

Every year the historic event attracts the largest gathering of pre-1915 solos, sidecars and tricycles, with entries from France, Germany and as far as the USA.

Enthusiast Chris Rolph, from Northampton, his wife Margaret and their terrier Max completed the run in his beloved 1909 Phanomobile tricycle.

Chris, himself a veteran of the event, said: “We had a lovely time – it was one of the fastest runs we have recorded.”

His passion for old bikes started when he saw a vintage car at college. He bought his first tricycle after asking the owner to give him first refusal if he ever sold it.