Race Report: Mallory park 2017 Round 3





The RAF Classic Motorcycle Racing Team managed to field a full squadron of 250s in the third round of the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club Championship at Mallory Park in May. The 9 250s were supported by two 125s and one 400. Obviously feeling outnumbered by the 250s the two 125s decided to misbehave all weekend. Practice was uneventful for Squadron Leader Symon Woodward and Chief Technician (Retired) Shaun Houston on the Earnshaws’ Honda MT125s, unlike the races. The first race took place on a wet track with Woodward holding second place when his bike stopped due to fuelling issues, Houston also retired when his bike stalled going into the hairpin, refusing to restart, although at the end of the race the temperamental machine started first push and Houston rode back to the pits unimpressed. Things did not improve in the second race, Woodward retired when the primary drive failed on the second lap and Houston maintained his 100% record for the season of crashing once a meeting. Unfortunately his departure from his machine whilst going into the “Bus Stop” resulted in a very heavy landing causing him to bust 6 ribs and a shoulder blade, enabling him to have an extended weekend away by experiencing 2 overnight stays in Coventry Hospital. You would have thought a rider of his experience would have learnt to have bounced better!!! Get Well Soon Shaun. Not wanting to be left out, during the last race Woodward’s 125 dumped him in the tyre wall on the exit of the Bus Stop after bouncing off the severe rumble strips during a committed exit from the chicane.
Woodward was also the sole representative of the Team competing in the Post Classic 500 race on his Yamaha 400. The newly built engine after the previous meetings disaster, and the modifications made to his developing chassis worked well enabling Woodward to gain two second places and a third, all races involved close racing with Woodward always crossing the line within a second of another competitor.
The much anticipated 250 races saw an impressive gathering of similarly coloured machines on the grid, and even more surprisingly the return of all machines to the Team Gazebo in one piece at the end of the weekend, (well almost). The first race was held on a wet track with Flight Sergeant Dave Bond, Sergeant Tom Flynn, Sergeant Andy Green and Corporal Chris Bartlett making their debut appearance (and excuses) of the season. Sergeant Flynn experienced the age old racer issue of his leathers shrinking over the winter “off season”, but once “shoe-horned” back in he finished all of the races, steadily improving throughout the weekend, reducing the amount of Team members who lapped him each race.
Another novice, only on his second meeting, was Flight Sergeant Ian Ridley. Due to his wife’s insistence on taking Ridley away partying for his birthday he hadn't had a chance to get the bike on the dyno before the weekend so wasn't sure how it would be running after some engine work and post Snetterton crash repairs. This resulted in some minor issues at the circuit where he missed the assigned practice due to gear selection problems, but after making some adjustments (thanks to the help of Chief Technician (Ret’d) Roy Dale) he made a later practice session. Unfortunately Ridley experienced starting and gear issues prior to first race and made it 20 yards onto track with the bike still not selecting gear so was pushed off and didn't start. Further adjustments followed and the bike was much better, which allowed completion of practice and both races on Sunday. Valuable lessons and experience were learnt and he was happy to finish and get more valuable track time.
1st practice of the season for Bond went Okay with the bike working well and towards the end of the session he was starting to feel comfortable on the bike again and starting to get a feel for the circuit. After a promising end to last year’s season, hopes and ambitions were high. Unfortunately this did not last long, as soon as the flag dropped the Suzuki started misfiring, (or so it was claimed) and the bike retired to the pits out of the rain.
The other Suzuki rider, Chief Technician Mick Rudd, was looking for a consistent weekend after a mixed weekend at Pembrey previously. At the start of the first race Rudd tried to stay with Heggs and Dickinson but it was soon apparent that he didn't have the confidence in the wet conditions, (probably explains why he is riding a Suzuki and not a manly Yamaha!!). As the track dried out Rudds' confidence grew and he managed to claw himself up to 8th.
The 2017’s race meet at Mallory Park saw Corporal Gav Heggs enter with a motorcycle of dubious serviceability and a rider of unknown ability. On the wet first race however, Heggs was pleasantly surprised to find the bike working fairly well. What was more surprising for everyone else however, was the pace at which he shot off into the spray chasing down Squadron leader Woodward. Leaving the rest of the RAFMSA Team in his wake. He held his position for most of the race until he finally dropped back a place to 4th for a good first finish.
Flight Lieutenant Jim Dickinson experienced Heggs first hand, after dragging with Heggs off the line, he was scarily impressed to see the speed that Heggs launched his bike at the first corner. He tried to hang on to him but Heggs pulled away throughout the rest of the race. This left Dickinson sat alone for the rest of the race, where he came home 6th, which given the conditions he was pretty pleased with. Squadron Leader Symon Woodward had a good start but could do nothing to stop John Warick, the race winner disappearing off into the distance. Obviously somebody had forgot to tell him it was raining by the way he was riding. After moving into 2nd place on lap 3 he comfortably held this position.
The thought of all Team members competing at Mallory, plus the “pre-race” rhetoric created a very unusual phenomenon, Corporal Chris Bartlett actually carrying out some race preparation. This paid dividends as when his Maxton was put on the dyno for a quick check the week before the meeting, all was not well with the power graph showing an unhealthy 60% drop in power. After the top end was stripped it was clear that something was wrong but he couldn’t complain, the engine had completed 3 ½ seasons of racing along with a Belgian Classic TT with just having rings changed a few times. Thankfully, Sergeant Andy Green had a spare top end which was fitted by Tom Flynn and he was good to go. With a brand new top end Saturday morning practice was just a chance to bed in the motor and it seemed to pull well. Not being a fan of the wet, Bartlett used the excuse of a new and borrowed motor to try and cover up for his lowly finish where he was happy just to have got round without falling off.
For Sergeant Andy Green, Mallory was his first opportunity to have a race this season due to injury, Maybe he should have stayed at home?? After first practice “he claimed” discomfort although it was not as bad as expected. This reinforced his decision not to race the 125 as well as he didn’t have the flexibility to fit the bike, especially considering his “Goofy” sized boots. By the time the race arrived Green was wet, tired and sore and he was not feeling the love for it. He achieved his worst ever result, coming back in last but one place, grateful that Flynn was still behind him... A race to forget!
The best way to summarise the Sunday races is with the words of each individual competitor, demonstrating their totally unbiased recollection of events and friendly competitive nature:-
#14 Sgt Green Sunday was a lot better day, with a dry track and bright(ish) sunshine all day. After his abysmal performance on the Saturday, Green managed to fit in a sneaky practice Sunday morning to see how he was holding up. Conscious of the fact that if he did not perform better
today he might have to consider buying a Suzuki. At the start of practice, the bike’s clutch centre nut worked loose causing an early return to the pits although it was fixed easily.
Green started the first race from the back of the grid due to his poor performance the previous day. He had an Ok start and time to chase everyone down. No chance of catching Woodward as about 7 rows split us. I managed to pick the rest of the team off. Having trouble braking allowed Dickinson to show a bit of promise just after the hairpin. After having a quick word with myself I managed to put that to bed in Gerrards. Next was Bartlett, I again caught distance through Gerrards and then stayed with him down the back straight to make my move through the Esses. This was all good until the last lap where whilst struggling to brake with any purpose, Bartlett made his move and held out until the line. To top it off a photographer was on the Devil’s Elbow to capture it all... I was hoping to blame a faulty transponder  and deny all knowledge.
The team has a place for everyone, Woodward and myself like to offer advice. Woodward has ninja like skills regarding race craft and frequently demonstrates his ability to roll and slide in a variety of surfaces whether that be gravel, grass or plain old tarmac.
My particular team input is to encourage the rest of them to develop, tune and prepare the bikes to ensure that they get the best out of them. However the final race on Sunday saw me grid up as usual and do the sighting lap to reform on the grid. On the sighting lap a bolt fell out of the fairing which a Marshall spotted as I formed back up on the grid. I was then removed from the race. So I had to watch the rest of the team slug it out.
New boys 2 - Old guard 0.
#41 Cpl Bartlett Sunday was the main event with all 9 riders talking about their plans for the race, with the RAF lads seeming to be getting quicker every meet I was hoping I could hold my own against some of the newer riders. In the first race I had a good start and made up several places and then managed to get by a few more of the RAF riders before Green came past on about lap 3 or 4. I then spent the rest of the race chasing Green and due to an error on his part I was able to sneak past on the last corner of the last lap to beat him over the line to finish 7th overall. I don’t care what Green’s excuses are, I was just glad to beat him.
The second race had me starting further up the grid with 8th place. Fully aware that Dicko and Rudd were going well in the previous race I was pretty sure that both of them and Green were intent on passing me. Green was removed from the race due to the bad prep of his bike so that was one down. Once the race was under way I thought I was going well and again had another good start. As the laps passed I didn’t really see many other bikes, staying close to another rider (Lee Clare) whom normally leaves me well behind I was quite happy to follow him over the line only being 4 seconds behind. More importantly though, I managed to keep all other RAF riders behind me as well other than Woodward. I was rewarded with an overall 8th position.
In summary, a great Sunday’s racing, my wet weather riding needs some work but the bike went well and I wouldn’t have been on the grid at all if it weren’t for the mechanical help of other riders. Also helped a lot by Green’s spare top end which seemed to make healthy power.
#15 Flt Lt Dickinson Had a good start in Sunday’s race 1 and went for the outside into Gerrards amongst lots of traffic. As I went for the outside I saw Green dive up the inside. I held onto him through Gerrards and drafted him down Stebbe straight and through the Lake Esses. I gained
ground into Shaws and went up the inside on the exit (had a party in my helmet as this is the first move I’ve pulled on Green), but it wasn’t long before he came past again. By this point Rudd was in view so I spent a lap or two reining him in and then I got a great run out of Devil’s Elbow and deployed my 50 Bhp, passing Rudd like he was stood still near the start finish. As usual, the EBC Pads were the bizz and I think I held him off for at least half a lap. I can’t remember where he came back past, but I nearly saw the grass coming out of Gerrards chasing him and started to consistently feel this front end flutter people talk about round Gerrards and the Lakes Esses. Rudd beat me to the finish by 0.5 seconds. L
In race 2 I had a fair start, blasted past Lee Clare and was alongside Bartlett into turn 1. Clare came round the outside and I ended up behind Raymond Howarth on his pristine 350 Honda. Just ahead was Bartlett so I was desperate to get on his tail but it took me a few laps to get past the Honda, eventually getting up the inside into the Esses. After this I started chasing Bartlett down but he was too far gone, and to add insult in injury the Honda got back past!
Not sure what Happened to Bond but I didn’t see him all weekend – happy days.
Had a great weekend and was pretty pleased that my pace is picking up. Bike still running ok.


 #71 Chf Tech Rudd Sunday began with much improved conditions and the racing reflected this. A decent start saw Rudd trying to chase Green and Bartlett while keeping Dickinson at bay. This saw him trading places with Dickinson, on his faster RD, with Rudd crossing the finish line in 7th 0.6 Seconds ahead.
Prior to the second race of the day Rudd made an error by adjusting the jetting on his X7. This saw him have a poor start and a lack of power on the first two laps. The problem started to clear later in the race and he was able to chase down Bond and Heggs who had passed him on the opening laps. He managed to pass both riders and another competitor in one move out-braking them all into the hairpin, a nervous moment going in 4-abreast. A decent final lap kept them behind to the finish.


#54 FS Bond After the fault on the Saturday, the X7 was taken out for testing and passed with flying colours! Despite starting Sunday’s first race from the back of the grid again, a few places were made up and after getting past a few teammates and some 4 strokes I made it to 10th in class – not a great result considering the progress made last year but the race was fun.
For Sunday’s second race I started not quite at the back and was up for a good race this time! The flag dropped and the throttle was opened and the misfire came back… I decided to cruise around Gerrards and go back to the pits, after every one was past me I opened the throttle again and the bike worked fine – L. So I continued to race and made my way past a few other people, had a good battle with Rudd and Heggs but eventually losing out to the two novices by the finish line.
Overall a disappointing meeting after last year’s improvements, I think down to a lack of focus on my riding and less prep than last year. You reap what you sow and I haven’t sown a lot this year and it shows.
#74 Cpl Heggs Sunday started with much hope but a dry track highlighted some skill deficiencies and gear box issues dropping Heggs back to 14th for a frustrating race.
The last race of the day was more successful as Heggs managed to stay with Rudd jostling for position in a game of skill vs power which Rudd inevitably won.
As for myself, Sqn Ldr Woodward, I couldn’t match the pace of the race winner but had a good dice with the X7s of Jerry Longland (2016 Champion) and Richard Cheatham (2015 Champion), finishing 2nd and 3rd on the Sunday. Except for those I lapped I only saw the rest of the Team in the collection area before the race , but I can see and feel their confidence building and know the season is only going to get harder.

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