Intro
For the vast majority of racers, the old Airfield circuit of Darley Moor
does not hold the same appeal as the fast flowing, tree-lined circuit of Oulton
Park previously visited. For the CRMC, there was a reduced entry for the
meeting but for those that did go, it would prove to be a very rewarding race
meeting indeed.
On a roasting July weekend: Squadron Leader Symon Woodward and Corporal
Gavin Heggs were joined by Wing Commander David Williams, a local legend and
track expert (as declared by the rest of the Team). Williams made the mistake
of claiming to quite like Darley Moor, so naturally the rest of the team all
wanted to follow him round the circuit and generally berate him otherwise.
Williams, the first RAF Regiment member of the Team, has started racing
with CRMC after numerous seasons racing mainly 600s with other Clubs (in
particular Darley Moor). He has been in the background over the last few meets
but we were happy to have him along with his FZ600. Staying in the top ten in
the Junior Production class was no mean feat and he routinely put on quite a
display on track, simulating the Red Arrows as he circulated the track with a
smoky haze trailing behind. He even left
his mark in/on the Gazebo with a fuel/soot/oil mark a 2-styroke would have been
proud of.
Of course we can't fail to mention Woodward’s clanger, after all the
grief he gave Williams, he failed to mention that he holds the lap record in
the PC 500 class on this circuit. You almost managed to keep that one quiet!
Post Classic 500 air cooled
#157 Woodward.
What a difference a day makes,
expectations were high for race 1 where I started 5th, behind four
750s (separate class) and first 500. My
start was poor but after 2 laps I claimed the lead of the 500s braking into the
final corner of the lap. This lead lasted half a lap when my chain split link
failed whilst pulling out of the hairpin. I coasted to the paddock hot and
frustrated. The 2nd race was
even worse, at the drop of the flag my chain tensioner completely failed whilst
trying to get away, this resulted in the rear wheel being pulled out of line
and the chain coming off. I was stationary at the front of the start grid just
hoping that none of the bikes behind were going to collect me on their way through.
Luckily they all missed, so with the help of a Marshall I dragged the bike off
the grid (rear wheel jammed against the swing arm meant it was not moving) and
firmly deposited it in the tyres whilst I stomped off to fetch some tools.
The Sunday was a different day all
together, after some good racing I won both races but not until I made life
harder for myself. Due to not posting a
lap time in the previous race I started at the back for the third race, although
life was made slightly easier by the “not-full” grid. After winning the first race of the day I
started at the front only to not be able to select neutral or fully disengage
the clutch after the sighting lap. This meant
that I rolled past the start line and did a loop to the back of the grid, as I
turned round at the back of the grid, the starter flag went down which meant,
yet again I started at the back!!
Post Classic 750 SUPERSTOCK
#74 Heggs
The VFR had suffered some cooling issues
at Oulton park so during the month off I purchased a twin radiator setup and
had big plans to get this all fitted. As often happens; other things getting in
the way meant this wasn't going to be a viable job in the time I had. Instead I
cleaned up the old radiator a bit, flushed the coolant and added a 6x derived
infill panel from Spyk at Ragged edge racing. This is designed for the twin
radiator setup I hoped to fit but would direct more airflow into the core of
the upper radiator at the cost of a little masking at the bottom on the taller
stock radiator I currently had fitted.
All of the races on the VFR followed the 250
class by one or two races or immediately so I came into each race very in the
zone but also extremely hot. The VFR clearly felt my pain and was also running
very hot but putting down good power when the gearbox would let it.
After a fairly uneventful timed
practice; race one started well but gear shifts got progressively worse as the
race wore on. Finally, towards the end of lap three at the exit of the hairpin
I could not get drive in any gear at all. I pulled in on Pope straight and as I
leaned the bike against the tyre wall, I spotted my chain hanging off. Well
that will do it!
As a result of this and other issues
with the bike, I opted to miss race two as it was immediately after the 250 and
I didn’t want to add any more pressure to my already rather hot and bothered
self.
Saturday night allowed me to bleed the
clutch and find a suitable replacement front sprocket bolt (the cause of the
chain removal) with the help of Sy's well stocked van and the ever helpful Squadron
Leader (rtd) John Walton.
Race three saw me starting from the back
of the grid but a strong start threw me into the melee of the first set of
esses. From there I was able to hold my place into paddock corner picking off a
few riders before the pack stretched out. The VFR750 is a lot faster than the
RD250 on the straights causing me to really second guess my braking points as I
swapped between the two machines but these were gradually pushed out. A
slightly "spirited" entry into park corner as I tried to follow a
terrifyingly fast TZ750 resulted in me finding the ground clearance limit of my
right fairing but that was it for me till the end of the race as I was left in
no man's land.
Race 4 built on my efforts in the last
race allowing me to start in a position where I could at least see the top of
the start flag. Another good start helped me grab a few places followed by a
double overtake into the first set of esses on lap two. I felt good but the VFR
was hot again and the clutch was starting to feel a bit useless. I slowed my
acceleration on the straights a fraction but kept pushing into the corners
which allowed lap times to continue dropping and for me to hold my place.
Exiting park corner I saw yellow flags and a haze of dry grass and dust above
the esses. A rider had come off and there were parts everywhere so I slowed to
avoid these which allowed a rider to pass me. Racing continued and as I started
to close the rider in front on the exit to the hairpin the red flags came out.
We filed into the grid area as the VFR protested with limited clutch action and
108 degrees on the water temp gauge whilst the track was cleared. 10 minutes of
relentless sunshine later we were advised to return to our pitches and await
further instruction. It was clear to me the VFR would not be able to start the
next race with the clutch the way it was so I opted to pack up. As it happened
the race was never restarted anyway so the VFR managed to dodge that one.
Post Classic 250 air cooled
Race 1
#74 Heggs
Practice had been a bit
pedestrian from me due to not knowing the circuit so I was starting from a grid
position in the 30's
My start was okay but
that needn't have mattered as progress dropped to a crawl through the esses. I
happily followed along, pretending I didn’t know where I was going as others
barged through at all angles. Once things had stretched out a little I began to
follow, pick off then follow the next bike and so on. I continued doing this
till I started getting into place swapping with a couple 350's who would pass
me at Park Corner or into the hairpin but I would close in on them at the esses
and pass on the exit. Overall I made a couple of places and wasn't too far off
the pace of the next guy in class in front of me. A good start.
#157 Woodward.
I wasn’t on the pace of
fast John so had a race long battle with a “super-quick” Bridgestone Suzuki
which I eventually lost, finishing 3rd, definitely room for
improvement.
Race 2
#74 Heggs
After a very hot
afternoon attempting to rectify my VFR and force water into my face I was less
than enthusiastic to put my leathers back on. A similar performance to my last
effort saw me starting from a slightly better place and finishing in a slightly
better place. Once I was moving I started to feel better and enjoy myself. I
managed to shave over a second off of my lap time and was feeling pretty good
even if I couldn't quite break free from the 350's that consistently had me
into Park Corner.
As I put the RD on its
stand and started to de-prep the bike, I noticed Woodward hadn't returned just
as the recovery van pulled up with him in it. I waited till he had 5 minutes to
get himself composed before I met him in his van with a big grin. "I know,
I know; To Finish First, First You Must Finish" he laughed back at me. We
were now on equal points in the championship and I had all night to enjoy it.
#157 Woodward.
Much like the first race
fast John lead from the front leaving me again with a race long battle with the
Bridgestone. Unfortunately the front fairing bracket failed and the whole
fairing dropped down, severely interfering with the forks/handling/steering. This
made the chicane very exciting (not) and after just retaining control I pulled
off the circuit and waited for the collection van. This is where ex-GE (Ground
Engineer) machinists, John Walton, comes into his own. He supports the Team
with his own trailer, equipped with a huge Generator and a TIG Welder. Not only did he grind back and repair the
mount, but he also reinforced it with some metal we found in my van to stop a
repeat. After the two 500 and one 250 DNFs I was not
in the happiest of moods but luckily the repair was good, Hamilton was on Pole
England had performed well and there was cool Cider in the fridge, so it wasn’t
all bad.
Race 3
#74 Heggs
Another step up on the
start pushed me a little further up the rankings into the esses then on the
advice of William’s I entered the right hand park corner from the centre of the
track and not the left. This stopped the 350's from nipping in front of me and
allowed me to use my corner speed advantage. I pulled a few more places before
I was in a pack of 6 machines. We exchanged places on almost every section of
the track even briefly colliding when one of them chopped across the front of
me on the hairpin leaving me nowhere to go other than to nudge his back wheel.
In front of the cloud of machines I was in, I saw Graham Acott in the distance.
It wasn't long before we were on top of him but it was clear that something was
up as he pulled off the racing line and stuck his hand in the air. With Graham
passed it was back to business and we were really racing in our pack. I was
over joyed to cross the line in front of them all and felt I had really fought
for that place. On later inspection of the timing sheet; I had taken another
second off my lap time. On even closer inspection I had actually come third in
class which really did surprise me. Notwithstanding, it was a podium through
attrition, it was still my first time up on any of the steps.
#157 Woodward.
The Bridgestone was
missing from the grid unfortunately and after a good start I found myself in
the lead. This didn’t last long until I was joined and overtaken by John. He
slowly pulled away and left me scrapping with 2 350s until the end of the race.
At least this second place put me back in front of Gav in the Championship, so
I wouldn’t have to face his knowing grin for a while.
Race 4
#74 Heggs
The call for our last
race was delayed so by the time we got down to the holding area the bikes
weren't warmed up yet as we were hustled onto the circuit. I was now starting
on the row behind Woodward but my start was very poor with just no power,
letting a number of bikes pass me and blocking my chance of staying with
Woodward of ever Graham Acott. The bike never felt particularly strong for this
race and I was starting to become concerned that the heat was finally getting
to the RD engine. I managed, for the most part, to hold my own with the help of
some later breaking and a changed apex on paddock corner. Seeing Graham again,
this time barely coasting, signalled another gifted podium if I managed to make
the RD finish. I managed the bikes temperature for the rest of the race before
finishing for a hot hand over for the VFR750's last race. Another 3rd
place for me but I would have liked to have finished stronger.
#157 Woodward.
I got another good start
and was determined to make John Warrick work for his points so I got my head
down and went for it. After a lap or so he showed his front wheel and the battle
commenced. We changed places a few times and I remained with him for about 2
thirds of the race. We were both getting
quicker but unfortunately he was getting quicker, quicker than I was and
started to pull away. Although he had me beaten I was content that competed
with him and made him work for his points.
In Closing
#74 Heggs
I ended up quite enjoying Darley Moor.
Its simplicity let me really focus on improving on each corner. This was the
first time I have really felt comfortable and dare I say competitive in a
hairpin too. The proof of this came in some good results, my first pair of
podiums and getting the fastest lap time of the RAFMSA team. The VFR750 may be
the biggest bike on the team but it is still sweat to just squeeze in front of lap
record holding, podium squatting Woodward.
#157 Woodward.
Saturday was terrible, Sunday was fun. I even managed to prep the RD400
for Donnington as I leave the country the day after Darley and return the
evening before Donnington. Normally I would let it slide, but as Gav’s
confidence seems to be a bit over exuberant I would just like to point out that
on a circuit with a huge straight his 110BHP 750 did lap ½ a second quicker
than my 48BHP 1970s 250, but he was still 2 ½ seconds slower than my 65BHP RD400!!!!!
Dream on Gav.
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. An extra special thank you goes to Derek Carruthers for all of the photographs he took of us at the hairpin that we have greatfully used on this blog.
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