← The chronometerJAMES TERVIT / PORTFOLIO

BEYOND THE SCREEN / 1996 ONWARDS

A different
kind of drive.

A first-time motorcycle licence pass in 1996. Then the sporting years: Kawasaki Ninja, Ducati 916 SPS and 996 SPS.

Meet the machines ↘
Black 1997 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R with red graphics and purple wheels
H&H Classics · black 1997 ZX-7R reference photograph · not James’s own bike.
1996Motorcycle licence
FIRST TIMEPassed on the first attempt
NINJA / SPSJames’s racing memories

THE PERSONAL CHAPTER

Engineering you could feel.

Alongside the networks, music and media, there was another side to James’s life. He passed his motorcycle test first time in 1996 and recalls racing a Kawasaki Ninja, a Ducati 916 SPS and a Ducati 996 SPS. This is the sporting thread in his portfolio: the machines, their character and the period that stayed with him.

The licence milestone and racing memories are James’s account. The photographs below illustrate the motorcycle families; they are not photographs of James or his own bikes. Individual riding dates and race events have not yet been recorded.

01 / KAWASAKI
Black Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R, left-side view, with silver frame and purple wheels
H&H Classics · black 1997 ZX-7R reference photograph · not James’s own bike.

JAPANESE SUPERBIKE CHARACTER

Kawasaki
Ninja ZX-7R P2

James’s Kawasaki wore black livery. He recalls having it uprated in Uddingston by a mechanic associated with Iain McPherson, shedding weight and fitting a Yoshimura exhaust system. He wore Carl Fogarty replica leathers — another detail that brings those sporting years back into focus.

James identifies his bike as a black ZX-7R P2. The photograph is a black 1997 ZX-7R model reference from H&H Classics, not his own modified motorcycle. The mechanic’s name, exact weight reduction and exhaust specification have not been recorded.

EARLY 2014 · AS JAMES REMEMBERS IT / ARANJUEZ, SPAIN

Ten days.
A different
perspective.

South of Madrid, the sporting story left the ground.

James recalls taking an intensive ten-day Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) course with Mike and the instructors at Skydive Madrid, jumping on every one of the ten days. He progressed through the earlier stages and reached Level 5. The 360-degree turns proved challenging, and he could not progress further on that course. He came away with substantial first-hand experience of free fall.

Aranjuez was part of the trip: James remembers gaining entry to the Plaza de toros de Aranjuez, with the parachuting a few kilometres away. The people, the place and the repeated jumps stayed with him.

Skydive Madrid · the centre and its facilities ↗
From free fall to a recorded trajectoryAn illustrative dotted flight path connects free fall, canopy flight and reviewing data. It is not a recording of James’s jumps.01 / FREE FALL02 / CANOPY03 / REVIEWILLUSTRATIVE STUDY · NO RECORDED FLIGHT DATA
The same curiosity: experience it, measure it, understand it.

THE COURSE / JAMES’S ACCOUNT

The challenge at Level 5.

James reached the 360-degree-turn exercises at Level 5. Explore the stages below to see the skills involved, from the first accompanied jump to Hop ’n’ Pop.

  1. 01
    Your first skydiveCompleted

    A first accompanied free fall, with instructors supporting the student.

    affschool · original video ↗
  2. 02
    Refine your body positionCompleted

    Further practice of a steady free-fall position.

    affschool · original video ↗
  3. 03
    Instructors release youCompleted

    A demonstration of release from the instructors’ grips.

    affschool · original video ↗
  4. 04
    Practice 90-degree turnsCompleted

    Controlled changes of heading through quarter turns.

    affschool · original video ↗
  5. 05
    Practice 360-degree turnsReached · progression stopped

    Full turns in free fall — the stage James found challenging.

    Active Skydiving · original video ↗
  6. 06
    Confidence in your own stabilityNot reached on this course

    An example of recovery and stability exercises.

    Active Skydiving · original video ↗
  7. 07
    Putting it all togetherNot reached on this course

    A demonstration bringing the earlier skills together.

    affschool · original video ↗
  8. 08
    Hop ’n’ PopNot reached on this course

    A lower-altitude exit followed by prompt deployment.

    Active Skydiving · original video ↗

James’s progress is his personal account. Videos are demonstrations from AFFSchool and Active Skydiving, not footage of James or his Madrid course. Syllabuses vary; these clips illustrate the experience and do not replace training with an AFF instructor. Videos load from YouTube only when selected and follow the site sound setting.

WEARABLES / PERSONAL EXPERIMENTS

Taking the engineering instinct into the air.

James also recalls programming and modifying a Suunto watch to measure the parachute’s trajectory. He identifies his watch as the original Suunto Ambit, steel-and-sapphire version, and still owns it. The original Ambit was introduced in 2012 — an early example of his interest in using personal technology to make an experience visible through data.

A note on the dates and sources

James dates the trip to early 2014 and has clarified that his watch was the original Suunto Ambit, which he describes as the steel-and-sapphire version and still owns. The original Ambit was introduced in 2012. His programming and trajectory-measurement work is recorded here as his own account; original watch code and flight logs have not yet been added.

The current Skydive Madrid facilities page lists Ocaña and Lillo; it does not independently confirm the early-2014 course, instructor identities or exact historical dropzone. This account does not claim an AFF qualification or a completed course.

Suunto’s product history · original Ambit launched in 2012 ↗James’s reference · DC Rainmaker’s 2012 Ambit review ↗

MORE THAN A CAREER TIMELINE

Systems. Sound.
And a sporting streak.

Back to James’s portfolio →The same period, back at home: LaserDisc & PlayStation →