Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2020 i Classic Racer

Dear CR Regarding Pat Alexander’s proposal in CR #200, I think that first it needs to be decided what is to be (re) created. If the intention is to put on modern races for totally standard machines, so the only real deciding factor is rider ability, then Pat’s proposals look fine. But let’s not fool ourselves that this will recreate anything which ever existed back in the day. One only has to read the biographies of the top racers from the classic era to know that the bikes they were racing were far from standard. Whether this was home modification or, for the top men, factory supplied one-off parts, the winning bikes on the grid were – to use Pat’s definition – aliens. So the best bikes and riders would…

The third and final round of the 2019 FIM Europe Vintage Road Race Championship was held at Pau-Arnos (France) under sunny skies and a temperature in the mid 20s. There were wins for Richard Peers-Jones and Peter Howarth and two second places for Paul Allender. The 2019 FIME Champions are: Tanya Hentschel (200cc), David Whitehouse (250cc), Pete Boast (350cc), Lars Sanberg (500cc), Hasse Gustafson (750cc), Jurgen Riedel (F/ Era 1300cc), Richard Peers-Jones (F/ Era 350cc), Rob Witty (Post Classic F1) and Peter Howarth (Post Classic F2). FIM confirms six-date Europe Vintage Road Race Calendar The FIM Europe Vintage Commission has announced a six round Vintage Road Race Championship calendar for 2020. Round 1 – Valencia (Spain) February 27- March 1 (provisional); Round 2 – Ring Djursland (Denmark) May 1-3; Round…

DG Sport, organiser of the popular Bikers’ Classics event at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit, has announced that after the 2020 edition, which takes place from Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5, the event will be held every two years. “Far be it from us to downgrade the A-XOC Bikers’ Classics, on the contrary,” commented Florian Jupsin on behalf of DG Sport: “In doing this, we want above all to avoid a certain routine, guarantee the originality and exclusivity of the participants and guests but also to arouse further interest.” Preparations for 2020 have already begun, with a mixture of parades and races, including the 4 Hours of Spa Classic, a round of the European Endurance Cup.…

The ever popular Carole Nash Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show is set to celebrate its 40th birthday over the weekend of February 1-2. Alongside the Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford, the Bristol Show, which is held at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, was instrumental in launching today’s buoyant classic scene and is renowned for the quality of the club stands, all of which make that extra effort to claim the large cash prizes. The first 1000 people who purchase their ticket in advance will be given one FREE goodie bag per transaction, complete with an assortment of products and special offers. For more information go online to www.classicbikeshows.com or call the team on 01507 529529.…

The Sammy Miller Museum in New Milton, Hampshire is crammed full of interesting machines – including one of the biggest collections of exotic racing bikes in the world, and all are runners! These include the V8 Moto Guzzi, AJS Porcupine, Mondial 250 with dustbin fairing, Nortons, Ducatis, Suzukis, Hondas, Velocettes and many more! The Road Bike Hall includes a huge collection of factory prototypes and exotic designs from all over the world, and of course there are plenty of dirtbikes and trial icons, too – over 400 bikes in total. The museum is open to visitors daily from 10am. Sammy Miller Museum, Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire B25 5SZ For further information and details call 01425 620777 or 616644 or visit www.sammymiller.co.uk…

Founders help celebrate CRMC’s 40th The CRMC invited the founder members of the club to celebrate its 40th meeting at Snetterton, the venue for the first CRMC meeting and also the 2019 season finale. Among those attending were co-founder Dick Linton, former chairman Alan Hilton, Eric Kirk who gave the club magazine its name, Classic Racer’s Malc Wheeler, and Simon Morris – who raced at the first CRMC meeting and every year since. Others at the first meeting and still parading with the CRMC are Richard Leeton and Geoff Sullivan. The poor weather that brought the meeting to an early close also put paid to the lunchtime parade by 40th anniversary guests, but they did enjoy a couple of laps in the course car before tucking into the Snetterton hospitality…

The 2019 ACU Classic 500 and ACU Post Classic Championships were both won byTeam Minnovation Racing based in Wakefield. In the Post Classic category, the black liveried Kawasakis of Lee Hodge and Joe Barton won every race after round one at Castle Combe, with Hodge pipping Barton to the title by just two points. The Classic 500 championship also went down to the wire, but this time Barton came out on top with Richard Molnar and Mark Cronshaw close behind in third and fourth respectively.The exceptional consistency of both bikes and riders in this class has made for some very close racing this year with only two DNFs by the top four in 28 starts. Two new classes in 2020 championships The 2020 ACU Championships will include separate classes for…

You know, I don’t normally get sentimental at this time of year. It feels like a long time between race ending and the season yet to come and these two things often make me grumpy (ask Malc) – but seeing the story of Wayne Rainey getting out on a motorcycle for the first time has changed all that. If you go to our sister online title: MoreBikes.co.uk you can find a video of Wayne’s first ride on thatYamaha R1 when friends and fans came together to give him the chance of heading out on track once again. It’s an informative and emotive watch and, in these long and dark evenings as the temperature plummets, it’s well worth a look if you want the cockles of your insides nicely warming up. Seeing…

I’ve no idea who first said ‘you should never meet your heroes’, but in my experience they  couldn’t have been more wrong. Perhaps I got off to a good start, or was just plain lucky, but growing up in Lincolnshire, just a few miles from Cadwell Park, I had a great opportunity to acquire a few idols before I was very old.The county produced many great racing stars and reading about the exploits of the likes of Freddie Frith set the seal for me. When I started my own race career in the early Seventies Mr Frith (all the time I knew him I never called him Freddie) always took a great interest in us local lads, and after returning from, firstly the Manx Grand Prix and later theTT, I…

The Classic Dirt Bike Show, sponsored by Hagon Shocks, is back on February 15-16 at The Telford International Centre, with two off-road legends confirmed as the guests of honour. American world trials champion of 1979, Bernie Schreiber, will be on stage and will be interviewed several times over the weekend. British 500cc motocross champion Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss stars alongside Schreiber and will also be talking about his life and career on both days. Clubs and private owners will be showcasing their pristine off-road machines, along with hundreds of traders offering everything the classic off-road enthusiast could need. On Saturday evening enthusiasts have the opportunity to join the dirt bike stars for a three-course, sit-down meal for just £33. For further details about the Classic Dirt Bike Show sponsored by Hagon…

Triumph’s 1969 T120R Thruxton Bonneville  Named after an article in The Motor Cycle which carried the headline ‘ThruxtonTriumph by Bonneville’, theT120Rs – widely known as the Thruxtons – quickly carved out a position in motorcycle racing history. Ge ettttiinngg tth ha att lleeggeenndd u undeerrwaayy iinn 1962 wasTony Godfrey and John Holder who rodeT120 Bonnevilles to a memorable win at theThruxton 500 mile production race.Triumph might not have officially wanted to get involved in the racing world at the time but homologation rules meant that the factory’s race shop was quickly set to task in order to produce a track version of theT120R. Those race bikes were exquisite – precision-machined castings, paired ccrraannkkccaassee h ha allv ve ess a an nd d ccrraannkksshhaaffttss,, hand-finished ports, Thunderbird camshafts, and close-ration gearboxes…

Engine: Water-cooled, split-single piston-port two-stroke, with tandem cylinder bores, Ladepumpe supercharger, three transfer ports in forward bore, and three exhaust and two inlet ports in rear bore Dimensions: 50 x 88mm (x 2) Capacity: 346cc Output: 40bhp at 5,500rpm (claimed) Compression: 7.4:1 Carburation: 2 x 1 1/8in. (28.5mm) Amal with remote float chamber Ignition: Lucas magneto chain-driven off crankshaft Gearbox: four-speed Burman with chain primary drive Clutch: Multiplate dry Chassis: Duplex tubular steel frame with cast aluminium backbone and steering head Suspension: Front: 1½in (38mm) Dowty oleo-pneumatic telescopic fork. Rear: Tubular steel swinging-arm with 2 x Dowty oleo-pneumatic shocks Wheelbase: 54in/1370mm Weight: 285lb/130kg dry Brakes: Front: 8.00in/203mm single leading-shoe drum with EMC conical hub. Rear: 7.00in/178mm single leading-shoe drum with EMC conical hub Wheels/tyres: Front: 3.00 x 20 Firestone on…

Arider takes up motorcycle racing knowing nothing about it – we’ve all heard that before – but in this case, it’s embarrassingly true. How about this for a moment of clarity that a professional racer would definitely rather forget? The man who transported Gianni’s first race bike to the Italian championship meeting had a truck that pulled a trailer with all sides made of glass (because it was a sort of mobile showroom for sofas that for the occasion became an improvised racebike transporter to carry motorcycles) – Rolando thought that all teams in the world championship used transparent vans. See? We told you it was embarrassing... But on with the racing proper. The bike arriving in such an obvious manner was a 500 Suzuki, a two-stroke twin that came…

Joey Dunlop’s total of 13 wins was eventually bettered by his brother Robert who took 15, although it’s now Seeley who is considered the course specialist with a commanding 24 victories. Further course changes have taken place at Mill Road (the roundabout now is one of the slowest parts of the track) and in 1996, a third chicane was added at Magherabuoy, designed to slow riders on the high, and long, speed run from the roundabout to the Metropole. The tragic death of Robert Dunlop in 2008 – which led to an emotionally charged victory for son Michael less than 48 hours later – and also of MarkYoung the following year, led to the introduction of a fourth chicane in 2010 at Mather’s Cross, in order to reduce speeds at…

If you want to get in touch… ... please do. We read every letter, email and comment sent to us and we enjoy hearing from you whether you’ve an event coming up, a motorcycle you own or you just want to let us know about something you find interesting in Classic Racer’s world. I KNOW THAT MAN! Dear CR Just read Adrian Pallet’s response to your identity poser (CR #199). I go with all he’s said, barring no 28 who is Middlesbrough lad John Webb who was the man to beat at Croft back in the day, and who Guy Martin definitely modelled his sideburns from. Sadly no longer with us, illness taking him a few years back. Love the mag. Peter Watson PS: I’ll bet you’ll get the same…

The books in the Lean, mean and lime green series are without doubt the most complete story ever told of racing with Kawasaki in the USA and the long-awaited VolumeTwo covers the important years from 1978 until 1983 that saw the emergence of the Superbike class. It was this class in which the talents were developed of future grand prix superstars Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer and Wayne Rainey, all three of whom were talent-spotted and signed for Team Kawasaki USA by Randy Hall, the author of both books in this series. As team manager and development engineer he was always at the heart of the action, whether at the racetrack or behind the scenes. In this book, he describes in detail the development and racing of the Kawasaki Superbikes to…

I would like to thank the scores of people who sent cards to us following the death of Chris, my son, at Ballaugh Bridge in August. Many cards included heartfelt letters, not the easiest thing to do or say, and we are all overwhelmed by your thoughts. I have phoned some of you already, and will continue to try to do so where I have a contact number. Equally overwhelming was the turnout at Huddersfield crematorium – some 500 apparently – for the funeral service. I waited outside and met the good folks who had filed out of the back door, which took about an hour, to find out later that many had to stand outside or had to leave by the main entrance. I can only apologise for not…

Love him or loathe him (and there were plenty in both camps), Dr Josef Ehrlich was a true original. Volatile but inventive, constantly coming up with new ideas and innovative designs right up until his death in September 2003 at the age of 88, the sprightly, dapper engineer universally known as ‘Dr Joe’ was involved with motorcycles all his life. It all began in the early 1930s when, in between earning his doctorate in mechanical engineering in Austria, he competed in sand track and road races on a 250 Puch two-stroke and 500 ohv Sunbeam. Like so many people forming part of that vast tide of refugees from political and religious oppression which has poured into Great Britain over the past century, Joe Ehrlich was an ultra-Brit, passionately committed to…

“DUE TO THE DEADLINES IN MAKING THE PATTERNS FOR THE CAST MAGNESIUM SECTION OF THE CHASSIS, A 1987 NSR MOTOR HAD TO BE USED.” “ANDRE DE CORTANZE BEGAN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST ELF – THE ‘X’, IN 1977 AND WAS INVOLVED UP UNTIL HE LEFT THE PROJECT IN 1985 DUE TO HIS WORKLOAD AT PEUGEOT. THEREAFTER THE DESIGNS, WHILE STILL BASED ON SOME OF HIS CONCEPTS, WERE THE WORK OF TEAM MANAGER SERGE ROSSET AND ENGINEER DAN TREMA.”…

Price: £44,000 + VAT Engine: 95 bore x 70.38 stroke, 4 valve, DOHC Molnar Manx replica. Power: 68bhp @ 9,200rpm @ the crank Max revs: 10,000 rpm. MaxTorque: 42 ft lb @ 8,000 rpm Transmission: TTI six-speed gearbox, magnesium shell driven by a toothed belt primary drive via a dry six-spring clutch. Lubrication: Rock Oil Synthesis 10/40 fully synthetic. Ignition: MPL/PVL self generating CDI with built-in advance curve & rev limiter Suspension: (F) Molnar Manx replica forks with forged aluminium sliders fitted with K-Tech/MPL fully adjustable cartridges (R) Falcon all alloy twin shocks, 70lb springs. Brakes: (F) 250mm Fontana 4LS drum (R) 7” SLS drum ‘Works’ rear hub Wheels: (F) WM2 (1.85”) x 18” (R) WM3 (2.15”) x 18” Tyres: Avon AM22 110/80 x 18 Frame: MPL replica Manx frame,…

The event has become renowned for some grandstand finishes and as well as the aforementioned dead heat of 1977, the 1994 Supersport 600cc saw a three-way shootout for honours between eventual race winner Mike Edwards, Mark Farmer and Ian Simpson, the trio flashing across the line with just half a second between them. It was even closer in that year’s opening 250cc race as only 0.3 separated Woolsey Coulter, Ian Newton and Phillip McCallen, although four riders fought all the way to the chequered flag in the 1965 350cc race with a flying Ian McGregor just eking out a bit of a gap on the final lap over John Cooper, Len Ireland and Robin Fitton. Meanwhile, a number of riders have taken hat-tricks, emulating Williams’ achievements of 1974, and Robert…

Organisers responded by removing the Shell Hill Bridge section, an iconic part of the original course, with a new link road from University Corner to Ballysally Roundabout being introduced for 1980.That brought the circuit length down to 8.9 miles but tragedy continued to dog the event though, Mervyn Robinson succumbing to injuries sustained at Mathers Cross that year which almost resulted in close friend Joey Dunlop quitting the sport. However, the meeting continued to attract the best Britain had to offer and although only Kawasaki had attended in the 1970s the Honda and Suzuki factory teams turned up in the 1980s, although privateers still had their moments with 1980 seeing a titanic Superbike race go the way of newcomer Keith Huewen by the width of the tyre after a race-long…

BARTOL THE MAGNIFICENT The 250cc racebike that defied the odds – then and now PERCY TAIT Gone, but not forgotten The nex tissue of Classic Racer is on sale on February 20, at the same place you found this issue that’s in your hand, right now. And a fair few others. Probably.…