Intro
Here we are
again, another year and the start of another racing season for the Classic
Racing Motorcycle Club.
For most; the
winter months have been spent busily in the garage preparing, tuning and
upgrading their machines to give them that extra edge on the circuit for 2018.
Uprated ignition systems, suspension, new bodywork, even complete engine and
chassis swaps were all happening whilst the snow fell and the sensible were
indoors. If that wasn't enough, six new machines and three new riders were
preparing to join the team.
As winters
have a habit of doing, with the days short and the nights cold, spring was upon
us before we knew it. With the finishing touches being a longer way off than
some might have hoped, not everyone made it to Pembrey, whilst others found
themselves finishing their machines whilst getting their leathers on for
practice!
The weather
was a concern for everyone, with the Beast from the East planning a third
visit. As things got closer; the outlook looked brighter, if still very cold,
so we all started to look forward to getting back on the tarmac.
Post
Classic 125
With
Shaun’s Houstons retirement from racing and Symon Woodwards MT125 still in
pieces from last season, due to shortages and price of the spares needed, it
was left to Andy Green to represent the RAF contingent in the class.
#14 Green
Practice was a steady affair with the weather
being damp and very cold. As is normal the 125 race is the first one of the
season for the club. Not wanting to repeat the infamous 2010 start to the
season 125 pile up on the first corner, I take my time on the first lap. A
fairly uneventful race on a bike which was incorrectly geared. Feeling very
rusty after the winter layoff and only managing a few races last season I was
surprised to finish the race 3rd. This was more down to the bike not missing a
beat and everyone else seemingly having problems with their bike, which allowed
me to capitalise on the situation. The 2nd race of the day was sadly cancelled
due to oil contamination on the track.
On Sunday i had the gearing swapped and
ready. I made a good start but a few laps in started to suffer with being
uncomfortable on the bike due to an injury from last year. This had me slow up
and I was just happy to finish the race. Not able to ride the bike I asked
Symon if he wanted the bike for the last race.
#157 Woodward
I accepted Andy’s kind offer as Pembury is a
great 125 track, if you get it right you only need to brake twice, the rest of
the time you just keep the throttle open and hang on. Riding round on the
sighting lap, it was evident that Andy had spent some effort in preparing the
bike as it felt really smooth and well balanced. After starting at the back of
the grid the race went well as I progressed up through the pack, After about 7
laps I missed a gear and sensed a possible engine seizure, as it was a borrowed
bike I pulled in just to be on the safe side and not risk any further damage.
Post
Classic 500 air cooled
#157 Woodward
Some winter work on
the chassis and suspension definitely paid off, as the bike behaved itself so
much better than the previous season, although there is still room for further
improvement. With a 3rd, 2nd and 4th it was
not a great start to the season as hoped, but the season is young
Junior production
#41 Bartlett
Having only ridden a 250 2 stroke so far with the CRMC I
was intrigued when offered an FZ600 to race. I accepted the offer from Andy Green
and first sat on the bike on the Saturday morning of practice.
After a few damp practice laps I started to get a feel
for the bike but it was clear that something wasn’t quite right. Fuelling was
off and the bike struggled to pull when on full power.
Race 1 was an opportunity to familiarise with the track as
it’s been a few years since racing there. Finishing low down the field it was a
pretty uneventful ride out. In the paddock the bike wouldn’t start and as a
result I missed the second race. Race 3 was more about checking track condition
and getting a few more laps under my belt ready for the 250 race. Only thing to
note from that race was watching Muck Rudd trying to control his XJ600 as it
bounced around the corners.
#71
Rudd
I
was given the opportunity to ride a Yamaha XJ600 in the Junior Production class
this season, which I accepted.
Having
seen the bike for around 10 minutes prior to loading it in the van it was a
nervous start riding a machine I had not prepared for myself. The qualifying
session proved to be an interesting introduction to the class, not least having
a bike with a starter button. While the engine showed itself to be strong the
bike itself was a challenge. Weighing the same as a small hatchback, handling like
a tugboat in a storm and lacking any real braking made things interesting. However,
I returned to the Pit Lane with a big grin on my face. A few maintenance tasks
later and the races began. I completed all 3 races with only one hairy moment.
The XJ will now undergo some maintenance and will hopefully reappear in a
meeting or two.
Post Classic 250 air cooled
Practice
Practice was delayed due to oil on the track. Well more
like oil all over the track! To add to this; things were still quite damp so
most riders were fairly careful when heading out onto the circuit for the first
time this year. Unfortunately, practice was also qualifying so no matter how
gingerly we might have wanted to introduce our bikes back to hard work, we had
to put in good times to get a half decent place on the grid.
Race
1
#14 Green
The
bike has had a new custom pair of rear shocks from K-tech and a TZ gearbox with
a bespoke input shaft to allow a wet clutch, hoping this will address some of
the bikes longer term problems. All I had to sort, was my riding after a long
lay-off. Practice felt like I was trying to learn to ride again.
Race
one had me on the grid in 8th. Not getting the usual good start I
soon sorted it out and stayed with the front few into the first corner hairpin.
Sitting around 4th or 5th into the hairpin I all of a sudden took a whack in
the rear quarter of the bike which unsettled the bike and myself. I somehow
managed to stay on the bike but I ended up finding myself pointing towards the
rumble strip on the exit of the corner. As a result I had to come to an almost
complete stop and compose myself. Frustratingly I could see the front group
getting away and then other team mates coming through on the inside. The first
lap I was a short way behind Dave Bond, so I settled down and followed him for
the first lap, I then made a move which
had me back up to 8th. This is where I sat until the end of the race. What it
did highlight was that I missed pretty much every apex as the bike was steering
much quicker and felt very different with the new setup. More track time was
needed.
#15 Dickinson
After the slow laps in qualifying, and knowing that I
could go a lot faster (and taking a bit of banter in the paddock!), I was
determined to find some pace. Starting from 18th I powered down the straight
and seeing some space between myself and the main pack, held off the brakes to
shave a second or two off the riders ahead into the first hairpin. For half a
second I was pretty pleased with my efforts. Then the front wheel locked. Over
exuberance, a damp patch, who knows. I let off the brake as the bike squirmed to
find grip underneath me, then immediately reapplied it to try to get rid of the
speed. Had it not been the start with so much traffic I would have overshot the
corner slightly and got on with the race, however, with lots of bikes ahead and
excess speed to get rid of, I was in a bad place. With brakes on full I think I
tried to head away from the bend. Either way, I narrowly missed a Suzuki and
nearly (nearly being the keyword) missed fellow teammate Andy Green. I nudged
his back wheel quite hard and found myself on the deck. I quickly jumped up and
with the help of the marshalls dragged my bike off. First Race of the season.
First corner, I binned it. I am just thankful I didn’t ruin anyone else's day.
Valuable lesson learnt. Cold tyres and hard braking don’t mix, especially with
so many other riders around. I then spent about 5 hrs working on the bike!
#41 Bartlett
Race 1 found me starting from 6th place on the grid,
happy with that!. Having only just come in from the 600 race I already knew
where the dry lines were and what I could get away with. Totally unaware of the
collision behind me between Green and Dickinson I carried on my race.
Struggling in the end to keep with one of the new racers in class this year, I
achieved a reasonable result and had my fastest lap of the weekend. Being the
second fastest RAF rider was nice and maybe down partially to the new engine
which Andy Green tuned for me at the back end of last year. The bike was
running well and I think will become more competitive throughout the year.
#54 Bond
The race started with Dickinson sliding past me and
nearly taking Green out. This got me past Green and I was feeling good. After a
few laps Green got past me but I gave chase and ignored my CHT temp that was
getting a little warm... on the fifth lap going down the main straight a big
bag was heard and the clutch was pulled in as I coasted to where Dickinson was
stood with his battered bike.
#71 Rudd
The first race gave me a perfect view of Dickinsons’ over
exuberant start and subsequent loss of control into the first corner.
Fortunately, everyone came out of it relatively unscathed. The X7 ran well,
although off the pace, until the end of lap 8 when on crossing the start line
the engine seized. This gave me the opportunity to join Dickinson and Bond
viewing the race from the hairpin.
#74 Heggs
This winter was spent not only building a VFR750 RC24
race bike but also turning my Yamaha RD250 D into a TZ chassised, LC engined highbred Franken-cycle now
known as the TRD250. Due to trying to do far too much over the winter I was
unable to finish the VFR in time for Pembrey but the TRD was ready, about an
hour before practice at least.
Practice had been slow for me as I got to grips with this
new motorcycle and a track I didn't really know, so I wasn't starting from a
great place for the first race. I had a fair few machines in front of me and I
knew I would need a good start to avoid getting tangled up in other classes. I
set my target to lock onto Green and try to stay in front of Rudd which as the
flag dropped I managed despite a fairly muted start from me.
As I braked into the first corner (a hairpin which I am
terrible at) I gave the fast group in front of me a little space to avoid
getting involved in the first corner madness, fully expecting Rudd to take
advantage, and pass me. Thus it was no surprise when a bright blue machine shot
up the inside of me, but he was going a bit quick, far too quick in fact and it
wasn't Rudd, it was Dickinson. The back of his machine lifted in the air as he
headed into the side of the fast group who were deep into their turn.
Mercifully he dismounted, clipping the back of Green, who to his credit, stayed
on and Dickinsion slid out of my way as I crossed his path.
With the confusion of that incident behind me I got back
into the game. Rudd managed to get passed me on the slower corners but I
confidently passed him on the later faster sections. I could feel him closing
on me a few more times through the slower sections before I managed to find a
little more speed to leave him at a safer distance. This was me for the rest of
the race, alone and trying to keep a now retired Rudd at bay. My bike decked
out a few times as things sped up so I had a bit of work to do when I got back
in the pit. Finally finishing 9th on the grid was good start having
clawed up 5 places.
#157 Woodward.
It is only a matter of time until one of the RAF 250
riders beat me on the track, the question is who and when will it be.
Competition is increasing after every meeting, but I was determined to ensure
it would not be the first meeting of the year, so I squeezed in an extra days
practice on the Friday just to make sure.
The chassis mods to both bikes had made a far better improvement and I
was feeling confident right upto the last session where the crank failed on the
250. Luckily Bartlett had a spare in his van which was arriving Friday night.
After a quick “Team Effort” rebuild I made it out to qualifying. Starting 2nd
on the grid I had a good race with the other 2 front runners but could not
match their pace at the end so finished 3rd.
.
Race 3
With only one race on Saturday due to oil on the track we
rejoin on a cool Sunday morning for race 3.
#14 Green
I managed to get a
better start for race 3, the new gearbox hadn’t missed a gear all weekend and
the new taller first gear is a bonus when done right. I gained a couple of
places into the first corner, pleased that this time everyone made it round. I
continued through Spitfires Corner and onto the next series of left handers
where I found Richie Gelder rolling around the track after his cold tyre got
the better of him. He was off the line so no action required to avoid his
tumbling thankfully. I was starting to feel better on the bike but still more
work was needed if I was to stay with the front group. Now caught in no-man’s
land, I had to settle down and have enough spare time to relax and practice
some of the riding techniques I need to work on. I soon crossed the line,
bringing the bike home in 4th for an uneventful race.
#15 Dickinson
After getting the bike re-scrutineered following my off,
I set off from the line like I was on a Sunday bimble to Tesco’s! Once everyone
was through the hairpin I tried to enjoy the track and get some confidence
back. Although I finished last in class
- I was pretty happy! The bike felt a little strange but at least I got round
in one piece.
#41 Bartlett
I was confident for race 3 that I could run high up the
field but after seeing a few riders go down on cold tyres my confidence seemed
to take a hit. Andy Green came past and I struggled to keep him in sight. Last
half of the race I spent circulating on my own with no other bikes to chase.
Slightly disheartened that Green had got away so easily I knew I had to do
better in race 4.
#54 Bond
Race one had seen a holed piston and bent conrod which ended
my weekends racing.
#71 Rudd
Following an engine rebuild and an increase in the
jetting; race 2 saw a slow start until the bike was up to temperature. The bike
then ran well until the chequered flag, giving me a lower order finish.
#74 Heggs
Sunday was looking dry, my exhaust was tucked up and I
was starting 9th on the grid. After another mediocre start I latched
onto Bartlett and enjoyed watching his Maxton chassied missile effortlessly
sweep through Pembrey's bends. As we turned onto the final corner, Bartlett
scrubbed off significantly more speed than me so I had no trouble passing him
into the start finish straight. Unfortunately, my old nemesis, the hairpin was
next and as I turned in, Bartlett had no difficulty breezing up the inside of
me. I continued to close the gap through the faster sections of the track only
to drop back further again through the slower corners. Frustrating though it
was, I managed to take a few more seconds off my lap time for a 5th
place finish.
#157 Woodward.
Determined to make more of a fight of it with the other
two leading bikes, I was involved in a fun 3-bike dice until Jerry Longland’s
Suzuki seized (What is it about Suzukis and seizures??) throwing him in the
air, giving me a close view of his cartwheels down the track. This distraction
and the leaders pace meant that I had to settle for second.
Race
4
#14 Green
I
managed another good start, but didn’t capitalise on it out of the first
corner. I settled down quickly but was aware of Chris Bartlett catching me a
little each lap. Lap 5 or 6 had him come past me and I was unable to stay with
him, clearly not able to keep the corner speed he had on his ex works GP
chassis. His bike was running well and had a good pace which I was happy to see
as I had tuned it! Hopefully this will lead to an interesting bit of
competition throughout the season.
#15 Dickinson
After some last minute testing in the holding area, I
retired. The earlier crash had put
some parts out of line and I didn’t fancy testing them at 100mph. Some fixing
up required for the next round but after seeing the other RAF racers looking
quick, I’m keen to get into the thick of it!
#41 Bartlett
I felt good at the start of race 4 but after seeing Green
get a good start and a reasonable lead I knew I had to get my head down. As the
laps passed I got quicker, eventually catching Green and managing to pass him.
There had been a few retirements along the way but I was very pleased to be
told I had managed a 3rd place in the race. This also leaves me sat
3rd in the championship after the first round. Unlikely I’ll keep that position but I have
high hopes.
#71 Rudd
With the weather changing through the day the bike
started to misfire during the sighting lap for race 3. I elected not to start
the race as I was concerned it may result in further engine damage.
#74 Heggs
Now starting from 8th, I put in another solid
effort pushing lap times, improving lines and really getting to know the TRD.
The formula was similar to previous efforts with good performance through the
later fast parts of the track being let down by slower performance through the
tighter sections.
I dropped into my own groove and plugged away till the
flag dropped for another 5th place finish and my best lap time for
this circuit so far.
#157 Woodward.
Although
Longlands X7 made it onto the track it only lasted a couple of laps before
calling it a day. This left myself and John Warick battling for the lead. Fast
cornering on these old bikes requires the bike to be balanced on the throttle
through fast corners or the front end chatters so much, your vision blurs and
the bike drifts off the track. I was beginning to really get the feel for the
bike with its modified suspension which enabled me to hold higher corner speeds
and keep within a bike length of John throughout the race. He eventually
managed to gap me after lapping some backmarkers so I had to settle for 2nd
but was happy that I managed to compete, which bodes well for the rest of the
season. I was further encouraged to discover that I had beaten John’s previous
lap record in chasing him, unfortunately he had lapped even quicker in trying
to stay ahead.
In
closing
#14 Green
After only 2 meetings
last season due to injury it became apparent I have some catching upto do. The
group is getting faster every meeting and the bikes are all moving on. Best I
get some laps in and focus on the next few meetings. Riding the 125 is
something I am going to have to take on a meeting by meeting basis as getting
on the bike is getting more difficult.
#15 Dickinson
A bad weekend!
#41 Bartlett
Overall a good weekend. I’ll be pushing for good results
and hoping for some close racing with the other RAF riders. Having had close
races with Green, Dickinson and Bond in past seasons I’m hoping it will
continue.
#54 Bond
My
weekend ended on race one as the piston had exploded, causing the conrod to
bend and with no spares available that was it for me in south Wales. Overall this
was not a great weekend.
#71 Rudd
While the results were as good as Rudd hoped, he left
Pembrey optimistic that the X7 had improved over the winter with major problems
cured and a direction to take the bike to prepare for Snetterton.
#74 Heggs
Considering I was riding a machine I finished the day I
was supposed to ride it, this weekend went very well. Handling was superb, the
vibrations of the old RD chassis (named Shackleton as a result) were gone and
the engine was putting down plenty of power. The only hampering point the
machine currently has is a gear shift that is set far too low and I am unable
to adjust further. This will be something to rectify for the next meeting.
I need to focus on my slower cornering skills but I am
very happy round long fast bends. This was evidenced twice, whilst being
briefly joined by race leader John Warwick through the fast last corners of the
track, I was comfortably able to keep pace with him. This meeting was a big
confidence inspiration for me and I look forward to putting an even better
performance at Snetterton's 200 circuit in a few weeks.
#157 Woodward.
With all of the riders improving, things could
get interesting this season, If they get too close I might have to start
dieting.
Finally special thanks go to the companies who continue to support
us: EBC brakes UK, Talon
Engineering, Stahlwille UK, Forcefield body armour, MCA Leicester, NGK spark plugs
UK, Royal Air Force
Motorsports Association, Royal Air Force Central Fund, Spencer Racing, Tony Salt Tyres, Witham group
Motul, Speedbikepics, Sports pics, R-Tech Welding and
individual sponsor for Symon Woodward: Mick Abbey tuning.
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