Category: News

Some people push limits. Talan Skeels-Piggins keeps rewriting them. The former Winter Paralympian, double world champion and pioneering motorcycle racer has become the first paraplegic motorcyclist in history to break 200mph over a measured mile from a standing start. At Sparks Welding Supplies, we’re proud to sponsor and support him, and to have played our part in the bike that carried him there.

Who is Talan Skeels-Piggins?

Before 2003, Talan’s life was already full of challenge and adventure. He grew up in Cornwall and attended Truro School, where he captained the hockey team and headed up sailing. He went on to serve in the Royal Navy, finishing his career as a Lieutenant and Fighter Controller aboard HMS York, with deployments stretching from the Arctic Circle to the Falklands and the Gulf. He later became a PE teacher.

Then, in March 2003, everything changed. A motorcycle accident shattered his spine and broke his neck, leaving him paralysed from the chest down. He was given only a 30 per cent chance of survival, and told that if he lived, he would never walk again.

From hospital bed to the Paralympics

Most people would need years to come to terms with an injury like that. Talan needed eight days. Just over a week after being paralysed, he set himself the goal of learning to ski, earning a place on the national team and representing Great Britain at the 2010 Winter Paralympics.

He did exactly that. Seven years later, he was Britain’s top-placed male skier in the Giant Slalom and Super-G at the Vancouver 2010 Games, and went on to become the 2012 Super-G European Champion.

Back on the bike and making history

Skiing was only part of the story. Talan’s love of motorcycles never left him, and he set out to prove that paralysis didn’t have to end a riding career.

In 2012 he became the first paraplegic in motor-racing history to gain an ACU Road Race licence and compete against able-bodied racers, riding a modified Suzuki SV650 at Snetterton with Club Thundersport. The world titles followed. He was crowned 600cc World Champion in the paralysed category at the Bridgestone World Cup in Vallelunga, Italy, in 2015, and took first place for paralysed riders again at the 2018 Disabled World Championship. He is also the first paraplegic motorcycle race instructor and the first paraplegic to hold both motorcycle and car race licences.

He has also opened doors for others. In 2011 he co-founded The Bike Experience, a charity based at Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire that offers free sessions to help paraplegic motorcyclists ride again. Several other paralysed riders who now hold racing licences got there through the charity.

Breaking the 200mph barrier

Talan has now achieved the landmark that gives this story its headline. At the Straightliners World Speed Record event on the runway at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, he recorded a maximum speed of 200.254mph over a measured mile from a standing start, setting a new land speed record and becoming the first paraplegic motorcyclist ever to pass the 200mph mark.

It’s the end of an 11-year journey. Talan first set his sights on breaking the 200mph barrier more than a decade ago, and through the racing, the setbacks and the years of preparation, he never let that ambition go.

Doing it takes more than raw speed. Talan has no functional sitting balance, so he rides strapped to a specially adapted machine. Accelerating from a standing start to over 200mph in a single mile puts enormous stress on rider and bike alike, and every component has to be exactly right. It’s a feat of courage, and it’s also a feat of engineering and teamwork.

Why Sparks Welding Supplies is behind him

At Sparks Welding Supplies, we’re part of Talan’s team. We repair his bike, and for this record attempt we went further: our team modified parts on his machine to suit the demands of a 200mph run, and we supplied the oils and lubricants that kept it running at its best.

A run from a standing start to over 200mph puts huge strain on every part of a motorcycle. Engines run hotter, components face forces they rarely see on the road, and for a rider who is strapped to his machine, every modification has to fit perfectly and hold firm. There’s no margin for error, and that’s exactly the standard we work to every day.

Seeing parts modified in our workshop, and a bike kept in peak condition with our oils and lubricants, help Talan make motorsport history is something we’re incredibly proud of. Congratulations, Talan, from everyone at Sparks. We can’t wait to see what you do next.

There’s a particular kind of confidence that comes with buying your first welder. You’ve done the research, watched the YouTube videos, maybe even had a go at a mate’s place. So when it comes to picking up a helmet, it’s tempting to grab whatever’s cheapest and get on with it. I get it—the welder cost a few hundred quid, the consumables add up, and that £18 auto-darkening helmet on a certain well-known marketplace looks, well, fine. It’s got the right shape. It’s got a visor. Job done.

Except it really isn’t. And this is the one area where cutting corners can genuinely change your life in ways you don’t want.

Let’s talk about welding helmets properly—what they actually do, what separates a decent one from a dangerous one, and how to make a smart choice without necessarily spending a fortune.

At Sparks Welding Services, we know that keeping your vehicles and machinery running smoothly isn’t just about repairs — it’s about prevention. That’s why we proudly supply Rock Oil, one of the UK’s most trusted names in lubrication and machinery protection. From airport service vehicles and agricultural tractors to HGVs and workshop equipment, our clients rely on Rock Oil products to maintain peak performance and reduce costly downtime. In the following case studies, we share real-world examples of how the right oil, cleaner, or spray can make all the difference — improving efficiency, extending equipment life, and ensuring every engine, chain, and gearbox operates exactly as it should.

In the world of heavy goods vehicles and industrial equipment, downtime is not only inconvenient; it incurs a cost. When your HGV chassis cracks, your digger bucket fails or your recovery truck’s off road repairs are required, you require welding expertise of a level that can cover the heaviest industrial application. Founded over 40 years ago, Sparks Welding in Slough, Berkshire, is one of very few UK specialists in heavy-duty gas metal arc welding to offer industrial-strength solutions capable of withstanding real-world rigours.

When most people think of professional welding services, they think of a repair job on a structure, or a gate, or something else from an industrial fabrication. However, at Sparks Welding, in Slough, we have been in the business for forty years and we have created some interesting things, including fabricating props for films.

Our Slough workshop is now stocking Rock Oil Lawn Mower Oils at Sparks Welding. You’ll make the most of your machine and get the best results with this oil. With the growing demand from local gardeners, landscape professionals and grounds maintenance teams, we bring you the latest product in our range.

Meeting Local Gardening Needs.

With growing season upon us, maintenance of garden tools and lawn equipment is the need of the hour to keep them in use for a longer time. Our Slough workshop recognises the growing demand for specialist, high-quality lubricants for garden machinery. The new Rock Oil Lawn Mower Oils are another addition to our ever-growing offerings for the local community.

The workshop manager based in Slough comments: “Our customers are looking for the specialised oils for their garden machinery.” As a Rock Oil premium stockist, we are proud to now offer their Lawn Mower Oil range which offers excellent protection on the engines of garden machinery”.

Due to requests from local farming community, Sparks Welding has added Rock Oil Milking Machine Oil to the range of products we have available.

Wales has a rich dairy farming tradition that supports many local communities. Sparks Welding saw the need for quality lubricants to be used on milking equipment. Our new workshop at Capel Dewi is well placed to serve the agricultural community across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

We have received requests from our farming customers who want specialised products for their dairy operations. We stock a range of Rock Oil products; adding Milking Machine Oil is just another step in offering more to our customers.

Anyone who’s ever worked with metal can tell you that cutting metal generates a huge amount of heat. Without proper cooling and lubrication, you’ll be battling deformed tools, poor surface finishes, and impossibly high production costs in no time. That’s where cutting fluid saves the day – but the wrong choice can spell shop-quality outcomes or costly mistakes.

At Sparks Welding Services, we fix all types of vehicles that are out there – from HGVs and farm machinery that earn their keep to high-performance vehicles and motorbikes.

We also run our own mini fleet of commercial hire vehicles that includes 4x4s, caged tippers, flatbeds, transit vans, and Luton vans.

We have learned over the years that protecting an engine properly is just as vital as quality repair work. That’s why we’re pleased to say we’re now carrying Rock Oil’s high-quality Synthesis range. Having worked on all manner of vehicles has shown us that the right oil can make an enormous amount of difference to the life and performance of a vehicle’s engine.

As landscapers and tree surgeons are aware, lubricating equipment is not merely a matter of maintenance – it is a matter of reliability, safety, and doing the job correctly. It is for this reason that we are pleased to add the Rock Oil Groundsman lubricants range to our products. Let us find out how each product can assist in keeping your vital equipment in motion.