Intro
It is no secret that Donnington Park is the biggest event in the CRMC calendar. Not only is Donnington Park's national circuit a sweeping joy to race round but it is also host to a well-attended Classic Motorcycle Show and Festival.
The Team were out in force with the usual faces of Andrew Green, Gavin Heggs, Mick Rudd and Symon Woodward being joined by new/returning team members: Chris Bartlett, Jim Dickinson, Paul Kirkby and Dave Williams as well as friend of the team (Cling-on) Richie Gelder. Alongside were the Team sponsors, Witham Group, who provided their hospitality lorry and a RAF Regular & Reserves recruitment tent complete with model Hercules and plenty of goodies for passing to young enthusiasts and future recruits.The weather was set to be hot and dry for the full long weekend and with an uneventful yet promising practice behind them, the team were very much looking forward to getting stuck in. Expectations were high, some optimistically so.
Post Classic 125
#157 Woodward
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Post Classic 350 Grand Prix
#51 Kirkby
Practice
Despite not having ridden the bike since crashing at the Snetterton meeting in April I was still optimistic of a good weekend at Donington,(Bling faith). Using standard suspension settings I set off for the first practice session not knowing quite what to expect. After a couple of steady laps I headed down Starkeys Straight only to discover the front brake lever coming back to the handlebar having only scrubbed off a small amount of speed. Ever the optimist I continued only to have a repeat occurrence at the Old Hairpin where I pulled over. Returning to the paddock in the breakdown vehicle, I discovered that the bleed nipple had come loose. A potentially nasty accident but luckily an easy fix.Timed practice for the Wheatcroft Trophy didn’t go much better. After a couple of laps trying to pick my way past the much larger and faster bikes I had a coming together with one at the Old Hairpin. My leathers made contact with their handlebars, somehow I managed to stay on but unfortunately he didn’t fare so well. The session was red-flagged soon after due to the number of incidents around the track and I limped back to survey the damage. (What Paul has forgotten to mention was that although he was unaware, this incident happened under a yellow flag which meant he had to go and make a very humble and sincere apology to the Clerk of the Course).
Race 11
After the rubbish practice sessions I started my first race from a lowly 27th on the grid. Despite a rubbish start and still not having 100% confidence in the front brake I soon managed to pull back a few places. Despite it being a 9 lap race, a series of waved yellow flags slowed down my progress and I finally crossed the line in 16th place, somewhat relieved to finish the race in one piece and lapping only slightly slower than the previous year.Race 24
Yet again I was starting from 27th on the grid and again I struggled to get the bike going. Despite even more yellow flags I was soon making progress though and settled in to a rhythm. The laps flew by and the bike finally felt good. I finished the race in 12th place and lapped 1 second quicker than I have ever managed before.Race 35, The Wheatcroft Trophy & Race 47Race 24 turned out to be the highlight of my weekend. Despite starting from 12th on the grid for race 35 and managing to get a half decent start I soon pulled in after the engine didn’t feel right. The increase in temperature and a poor carburation choice being the culprit. After another lowly start for the Wheatcroft Trophy and after two large rear wheel slides I pulled in yet again, unsure as to whether I had a puncture or not. This time it turned out that I simply didn’t have enough air in the tyre for the track temperature. Not wanting to tempt fate I loaded my van after the Wheatcroft Trophy race and started my 7hr drive back to Scotland, skipping race 47.
Post Classic 500 Air Cooled & Post Classic 750 SUPERSTOCK
Race 9
#74 Heggs
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I was starting mid table(ish) on a warm Friday afternoon. My start was familiar with me slowing for traffic into Redgate only to get mobbed by various machines with a death wish. I picked off a few down the hill through Craner Curves and then laid chase of a FZ750 ridden by Stephen Wimble. A VFR got past me at the Esses which I tried to block pass with far too much enthusiasm in the same place on the next lap putting me into the gravel. This let a
couple more bikes past whilst I dug myself out (at least the Clutch stood the test) which I then had to work past again. Ground clearance continued to be an issue but nowhere near as bad as it had been in previous races. By the end I was back with Wimble and his FZ750 who I finally managed to pick off round the outside through Craner Curves which was exciting to say the least. All that was left was an SR500 which had worked its way to the front of our pack but I didn't quite manage to catch up. Next time maybe.
#157 Woodward.
Both Yamahas were put into the van after Darley which is where they stayed all month as I went immediately out of the country only to arrive back the Thursday night before Donnington. Despite this I had high hopes for the bikes and as I shared the grid with Gav’s V-Four I was determined to ensure I left him behind after his previous ever-optimistic claim. Things didn’t go quite as planned. Due to being in the preceding race I was the last bike to arrive at the collection grid and despite going straight through the collection area, the pit lane Marshall was unwilling to let me onto the track as the rest of the grid were formed up. Eventually I was allowed, but the hassle, rush and hot weather had me in an agitated state. As the flag dropped I was too heavy on the clutch/power and the chain tensioner failed, resulting in the wheel moving and chain coming off the sprocket, leaving me stationary on the grid as the rest of the bikes raced off.Race 21
#74 Heggs
A familiar start was taken into Craner Curves when I got told off for rolling-off the throttle by Woodward coming steaming past. Annoyed at myself I dragged the VFR round the old hairpin to see if my "massive power advantage" could out drag him up the hill. Once the RD came onto song it stopped getting bigger however and to add insult to injury he threw his exhaust silencer at me in protest. Still having flashbacks to Woodward’s Dick Dastardly style tactics (you will have to wait until the 250 report to see how bad the man is getting), I hoped that maybe the VFR could find the poke to get past him on the long straight but again I was disappointed to find the RD had more than enough legs to stay out of reach. Over the following lap, Woodward made some good overtakes which I failed to mirror and another trip into the gravel did little to help my cause, letting Woodward get away. I was now in a group of VFR750's however, which was an interesting prospect with Wimbles F750 and the SR500 up front. I enjoyed tussling with the pretty equal VFR's for most of the race before I managed to pass them. By the time I caught Wimble it was a bit late and the SR was long gone. It was somewhere about here that I realised I could brake a lot harder into the Esses than I was doing previously, which helped. It was still a good race and thankfully no sign of Green!
#157 Woodward.
Due to not getting past the start line on the 1st race I was starting at the back, but after a fun 125 race immediately previously I was up for it, Heggs was disposed of through Craner Curves on the first lap and I set off reeling in the leading 500s. I surprised myself to find that within 3 laps I had caught up and overtaken the leading 3 500s, I prematurely thought I had it in the bag as I caught up with a 750 in front of them. I was bulked and slowed a little waiting to get past the larger bike and before I knew it 2 of the 500s swept past. They hadpicked their pace up and now the race was on with the 750 adding an undesirable variable. Keen to make a clean break before anybody else did I attempted an optimistic overtake of the 750 which was not only unsuccessful but had me detouring through the edge of a gravel trap, I lost several places during the sight-seeing detour and finished 4th. During the race the exhaust note changed and after a quick “in-flight” inspection I realised the end of one exhaust was missing. My head temperatures were consistent so I carried on. The only issue was retrieving the lost item, after a bit of investigation I located the item and could see it by the side of the track. After a quick chat, the CRMC Marshalls had soon located and returned the missing item for John to weld back on.
Race 33
#74 Heggs
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#157 Woodward.
To be perfectly honest, I am writing this at 0100 AM at a (free) pool bar in Turkey and I can’t remember much about this race except that it was fun and I finished first 500, less than a second ahead of Richard’s Ducati and was lucky enough to get a clean break in race 45 to win comfortably.Race 45
#74 Heggs
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600 Junior Production
#61 Williams
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There were 50 ‘proddy’ entries for this round so close racing with like-minded loons was assured. After a very average qualification session, which saw me towards the back of the grid for the first race, I gained 11 places to end in the high teens.
Each subsequent race followed the same theme: Starting at the back of the grid and then working my way through the field to be rewarded with a back of the grid start in the next race. Strange, but it made for good racing. I had a reserve ride in the Post Classic 750s so again started every race from 40th on the grid with a best result of 19th.
Racing the ‘Fizzer’ is great fun and once I find a way of stopping the exhaust studs unwinding themselves mid-race it will just be tyres, fuel and racing.
Meanwhile, Sy Woodward was trying to keep his bikes in one piece and his son Joe, mechanic John and I take full credit for his first victories of the weekend – Joe reminding his dad that he was about to miss his race, me riveting his stinger back onto the RD and John pushing both bikes miles to and from the assembly area. A real team effort. Can’t wait for more of the same at Mallory!
Post Classic 250 Air Cooled
Race 5
#14 Green
Gridding up on the front row in second, left me a good opportunity to stay with the front runners. I had the very fast Bridgestone ridden by Jeff Smith in first and fellow team mate Symon on my right. I was determined to try and get a good start, when the flag dropped I found I had made a good short run to Redgate and was first out of it. Not familiar territory being out in first, I just got my head down and pushed on as fast as I could. I didn’t see anyone for about 3 or 4 laps when the Bridgestone pulled out of my slip stream and drove past me down Starkies straight.
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#15 Dickinson
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I started in 22nd on the grid and achieved an average start. I had a dabble with some of the lower capacity machines and tried to get some muscle memory back. I was down on corner speed but the gearing tweaks I’d made seemed to work well. The bike was running pretty cool and rich but otherwise happy. Uneventful but enjoyable.
#41 Bartlett
This was later found to be top of the carb coming loose so I was lucky to get a top 10 finish.
#71 Rudd
An apprehensive qualifying session after a season of engine rebuilding was accompanied by the X7's reoccurring poor acceleration out of corners. As a result i would be starting race 1 from a lowly position.Following some carburettor adjustments post qualifying, plus considering how well the X7 would cope with a can of fuel and a match, I began race 1 reasonably well. That was until the old hairpin, at which point most of the field decided to leave me behind and carry on racing. With the bike sputtering and failing to accelerate out of corners again I decided retirement and further investigation would be preferable to another engine rebuild.
#74 Heggs
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Starting on the third row of a full grid was quite a nice feeling with Gelder on my left, Bartlett on my right and the Green, Woodward duo up front. Unfortunately my start was an absolute howler with the bike bogging badly. I fully expected to be at the back but it couldn't have been that bad as by the end of lap one I had made back most of my losses and was in front of Bartlett, which was probably going to be the only time I would be allowed to do that this weekend.
#157 Woodward.
When Andy Green is in the right mood he is a hard, fast rider, and as the season has progressed he has been getting more and more in the right mood. You could tell he was up for it this weekend and was going to be hard to beat. This was reinforced by his qualifying and it was nice to have 2 RAF bikes on the front row. At the drop of the flag Andy shot off like a scolded cat, leaving myself, Jeff and John, to trip each other up. Jeff broke free to reel in Andy whilst John and I fought for third until his premature retirement. Congratulations to Andy, he rode excellently and had the beating of me (I just best make sure it does not become a habit)Race 17
#14 Green
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came out of the exit the three of us were greeted by a red flag and forced to stop. Jeff managed to stop immediately, however Symon and I did not. We both had the same idea it turns out. We thought we must be over 2/3rds race distance, so we both crossed the finish line and stopped at the end of pit lane. Potentially giving us 1st and 2nd should it have been declared. However this wasn’t the case and we were made to push our bikes back up the pit lane in the baking heat, re-joining the rest of the bikes to form up again for a restart. The crash turned out to be long-time friend Chis Bartlett on his Maxton framed 250, it was a big crash and thankfully he was ok apart from a rib. However the bike took a battering.
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#15 Dickinson
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Saturday’s first race was much the same as the last one.
My lap times dropped but I was still adrift of last year’s efforts. I was somewhat distracted by seeing Bartlett having a lie down at the end of the start finish straight followed by a red flag.
The restart followed the same profile for 5 laps, thankfully with no more falling off from my team mates.
#41 Bartlett
Race 2 on Saturday had seen a few little tweaks on the jetting. However it all came to an end on lap 4 when the back wheel kicked up coming into redgate, throwing me from the bike and landing heavily.Heavy bruising and probable cracked rib meant that was the end of the weekend for me.
#71 Rudd
Following discussions with other team members and X7 riders around the paddock it was concluded that elements of the exhausts were the root cause of my woes. An emergency call was made to Dave Bond who agreed to loan me his exhausts. Dickinson delivered them in time to fit and make some initial adjustments prior to Race 2, with passing assistance from Steve Parrish. Starting even further back on the grid the acceleration issues seem to be cured only to be replaced by problems with full throttle. Once again I retired the bike.#74 Heggs
I started better this time but the pack soon spread out and as I started to fall into my groove the race was suddenly red flagged. The restart was better again; I even managed to stick a wheel in front of Gelder into Redgate. Naturally I didn't hold it as I failed to keep the pace through the corner but caught back up a little down the hill into Craner Curves. It was here that I saw a mystery puff of dust on the side of the track. It was not like a bike had gone off in front of me, just this little mushroom cloud of dust 10 metres from the track side. This clearlyhad my attention as the dust cleared enough to show the culprit, a bike chain. I didn't need to look up really but there he was, that Dastardly Woodward was coasting looking at his back wheel, no doubt swearing his tits off. I quickly regained focus and dragged myself up the hill and into close proximity to Gelder. He had the speed on me at the straight which I thought was going to be a killer but he suddenly retired gifting me a place. I could make out Graeme Acott up ahead so things must be serious (or he was breaking down again) but I was unable to close him leaving me to take home another 4th place.
#157 Woodward.
As Andy has previously highlighted, we were having a brilliant 4-way dice until Bartlett got ambition and talent mixed up resulting in a big off and a Red Flag. Going into the old hairpin for the second time after the restart I dived up the inside of Jeff’s Bridgestone to take the lead only to have the chain snap on the way out.Race 29
#14 Green
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I started about stripping the bike to find the problem. Both cylinders failed at the same time leaving me thinking that a common problem must be behind it. Upon removing the bottom fairing it all became clear as the rotor, with the end of the crank still inside it, was in the bottom of the belly pan. One snapped crank.
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The only issue I was left with was the gearbox ratios were different, I normally use a TZ gearbox and the replacement one was a standard RD. I managed a few practice laps the next morning and decided that a couple of teeth off the rear would do the job.
#15 Dickinson
The third race of the weekend saw me chop further seconds off my lap time.
Improvements aside, I was still not able to latch onto Heggs whom I had hoped I’d be able to put some pressure on by now.
#71 Rudd
For the 3rd race I started so far back I could barely see the flag. On seeing the plumes of 2 stroke smoke increasing I guessed the race had started. By halfway round the first lap it was apparent that improvements had been made as I could still see most of the field. The bike was running reasonably well albeit lacking power and pretty slow. This lack of pace saw me battling with several of the slower 4 strokes. The nearest I got to the front of the field was ontipping into Redgate I found Andy Guy lapping me on the inside and Sy Woodward going round the outside of me. Following some good racing and rapid learning of the track I managed to finish towards mid-field. While not a great result I was happy to finally finish a race at Donington after 2 years of trying.
#74 Heggs
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On the start of lap 8 Gelder looked over his shoulder, saw me and went straight on at Redgate. There was clearly something wrong but it did tickle me that I had "psyched out Gelder". With little time and a huge gap both in front of and behind me, I just worked past back markers and tried not to be rubbish through the Esses, with little success but another 4th was not to be sniffed at.
#157 Woodward.
As both myself and John Warick never completed a rolling lap in the restarted race we had to start at the back. We cut our way through the traffic until John retired leaving me to claim 3rd, a fair way behind Andy and Jeff.
Race 41
#14 Green
This time I was not the first into Redgate from the start. With the new gearbox fitted, it was topping out a little too quickly down Craner Curves and could have done with another couple of teeth off the rear sprocket. This time John Warrick and Andy Guy were in the mix and it became a 5 way battle for the first 4 or 5 laps. This closeness meant each straight the 5 of us were being spread across the width of the track. None of us wanting to slip stream as you could have been boxed in. Every corner was 2 or 3 deep which made for a very enjoyable end to the day. This time the Bridgestone dropped back which turned out to be a clutch problem. In the end it was a great race which ended in a 3rd place. John Warrick won the last race which is all he needed to win the championship for 2018. We all certainly made him work for those last few points at this meeting.#15 Dickinson
For the last race, I enjoyed mixing it up with some of the other non-RAF racers battles further down the field.
Pase was picked up but most importantly I was having fun out there.
#71 Rudd
Race 4 continued in a similar manner, battling in the lower order. That said with improving circuit knowledge I managed to take another 4 seconds off my lap time. Eventually finishing 17th.#74 Heggs
A good start wasn't going to set the world on fire but I neither lost or gained from my start, so I couldn't complain. In fact this time round I was staying with the front group quite nicely, right up until the Esses where I consistently dropped a couple of seconds each lap. I tried numerous things (I had been trying all weekend in fact) but the RD was either out of its power band or revving its tits off mid corner. I continued to gradually drop back till Gelder past me into the Esses unsurprisingly, but on lap 8 no less, I threw everything into staying with him. This clearly worked as I managed to keep a little pace from McCleans out of Coppice where I past him on the exit. I faked a couple of times into the Esses where I knew he was stronger and entered deep to prevent a block pass. I crossed the line with the bike jumping out of gear in protest but Gelder had made the mistake of missing the last lap flag and had missed his chance to get past.#157 Woodward.
Another tight great race finishing second behind John, but most importantly I restored the natural order between Andy and myself and as you are only as good as your last race, it should help to keep the banter down for the next couple of weeks.
It is great to have close racing with friends and colleagues, Mallory is going to be hard, can’t wait.
In Closing
#14 Green
Overall a great weekend which was helped by the weather. Two friends approached me after the second race and the pair of them subsidised me for a new rear tyre as they wanted to help and show their appreciation. The help, support and camaraderie that exists in the Classic Club paddock is something to be proud of. The support we have for our team and personal sponsors is just fantastic, especially as we have such a large contingent of racers. The riders throughout the grid all help each other out and they all ensure they are looked after should anything happen. Witham Oil again provided the team with a hospitality wagon for the weekend which was very well received with the on-board air-conditioning system and fridges making life much more comfortable.#15 Dickinson
Despite being off the pace I had a cracking weekend on one of my favourite tracks. This was the first weekend my carb tweaks have been properly tested which although running okay, a re-jet is on the cards to make things even better.Hopefully I’ll get some more track time before the next outing. Then I will be able to work my way back up the field and remind the other RAF lads I’ve not lost all of last year’s pace! (we hope not as you didn’t have much to lose in the first place).
#41 Bartlett
Disappointing result and I clearly need more track time.
#51 Kirkby
Despite feeling like I was learning to ride a bike again, I achieved my two aims for the weekend. On Friday morning if anyone had suggested that lapping in 1 min 21.0 seconds would still happen I would have laughed at them but I managed to achieve this by Saturday afternoon. My second aim was to bring the bike home in one piece, which I did….just! A massive thank you to all of our sponsors and to the rest of the team for all of their help and camaraderie over the weekend.#71 Rudd
While not a particularly good weekend in terms of results. I am hopeful that the root cause of my repeated engine failures may have been identified. Unfortunately I will be unable to prove this until next season. Thanks to the Gentleman that has provided the team with a second wooden stool painted in the RAF team colours. I am sure it will be very useful in the future.#74 Heggs
I was very hard to please this weekend. I put down a pretty strong performance and clearly identified the areas that I need to work on. In doing so my braking got harder and later, my corner speeds increased and my acceleration out of corners became more aggressive (and limit finding it turned out). My lap times fell and I put myself high on the tables in a busy grid which, for my second year I should be very pleased with. I was however frustrated not to keep with the fast pack on the RD and disappointed that the VFR is still not quite right on what was probably my strongest circuit. I now look forward to Mallory knowing that I need to build on what I learned at Darley Moor to get me through the hairpin and Donnington Park for that glorious long right hander.#157 Woodward.
Despite a few mishaps and setbacks, it is great to see the Team develop. The riders are all getting quicker and the bikes are all becoming more reliable (even the Suzuki saw a chequered flag). Some riders have had to postpone their racing for various reasons but we are still getting new riders. It is rumoured that even Loadmaster Si Allen will make a Debut appearance on his very long awaited K4 at Mallory. Just got to keep ahead of the rest of them or the Saturday night BBQs are going to be very long.
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.
Needless
to say extra thanks go to Witham group Motul for the loan of their
fantastic hospitality lorry, RAF recruiting for the loan of their tent and to
the race organisers and owners of Donnington park for sorting us out the great
pitch to show it all off. Further thanks need to go to John Walton, Roy Dale
and Tom Flynn for their technical support, Craig Hornsby and Derek Carruthers
for their photographic skills and finally Bethany Fraser and Jackie Walton for
manning the recruiting tent during our (predominant) absence and making sure
the team never had an empty tea cup in their hand.
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