Classic Racer takes you so close you can actually smell the Castrol R. With the world's finest archive, and an editorial team who live and breathe the sport, the only way you'll get closer will be to put on your leathers.
ARCHIVE In a rich history of ‘racer-replicas’ they don’t get much better than this… Racing surely improves the breed, which is why road-riders have enjoyed the benefits of technology trickling down to their mounts: think of Suzuki’s 1980s endurance racers and the road-going GSX-R750F – which would then return to the track as a proddie racer itself… We think this bike is the ultimate homage to a race machine even if it’s based on a road bike. It’s the work of Allen Millyard, who has built some amazing bikes, including one powered by a V10 Dodge Viper engine and ‘The Flying Millyard’ powered by part of an aero engine. This is a copy of Honda’s 1966 RC166 ‘six-cylinder’ 250cc racer, campaigned by big names such as Mike Hailwood. A number…
ARCHIVE Some of the fittest sportsmen on the planet in the 1980s and 90s were backed by cigarette companies… Be it a 500cc, 250cc or 125cc Grand Prix bike or a circa 1990s British Superbike, some of the biggest teams in racing had fag backing. The irony was that most of the athletes riding these machines were non-smokers – we will mention a couple of exceptions below… In the 1980s through to the 90s, a 500cc two-stroke GP bike was around 131kilos (or lower) and pumped out 160bhp (or higher!) Meanwhile a superbike was probably around 120-130bhp and a bit lardier – around 160-170kilos, maybe more. This meant that the riders plonked on top needed to be on top of their game fitness-wise and yet the logos often emblazoned on…
ARCHIVE Simon Crafar has the strange honour of being the best rider never to have won a World Superbike race, and yet when he went to 500cc GPs he became one of the few to beat the dominant Mick Doohan… Crafar was Malaysian Superbike champion in 1991 and he spent time in the UK too, racing a long-in-the-tooth Castrolbacked RC30 in 1992. For 1993 he ended up in 500s riding a privateer Harris Yamaha YZR, before he got signed up by Oscar Rumi’s semi-factory RC45 team for the 1994 season. Even in the factory team, the RC45 was a fickle beast, but by 1995 Simon had ‘inherited’ Doug Polen’s factory machine, even if it still ran in Rumi colours. By the Assen round that year (where Carl Fogarty took his…
WIN Keep hands warm and dry as you ride through autumn and into winter with these great value waterproof gloves from Weise. The Weise Fjord Gloves feature full grain leather and textile outer construction, with touchscreen compatible finger and thumb. Find out more at www.weiseclothing.com Across 1 & 5 Across: General referee or decision maker on a given circuit. (5,2,3,6) 7: Martin, Suzuki spannerman for a British legend who has since restored the bikes he once worked on. (7) 8: Adjustment of sprocket sizes to change an engine’s behaviour. (7) 11: When a bike’s suspension is fully utilised. (8,3) 12: Long-time organisers of the Dakar Rally. (3) 13: A rider who’s moved on from being an amateur. (3) 15: Home city for the circuit originally called the Österreichring. (9) 18:…
Sponsored by DUKE DUKE DUK DUKE DUKE Classic Racer, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR. CRletters@mortons.co.uk facebook.com/ClassicRacerMag/ If you want to get in touch… Then please do. We read every letter, email and comment sent to us and we enjoy hearing from you if you’ve an event coming up, a motorcycle you own or just want to let us know about something you find interesting in Classic Racer’s world. Star letter WHERE ARE THE CHAIRS? Dear CR When I got my first bike aged 16, I found Mallory Park, and more so sidecar racing. My memories still give me pictures of these racers with their single-decker buses converted to transporters and mobile homes for use in the paddock. Racing seemed to be a family affair…
PADDOCK GOSSIP NMM ‘LIVE’ 2022! Following the huge success of National Motorcycle Museum LIVE as a two-day show last year, the event continues as a weekend event this year over Saturday and Sunday, October 29/30. This is the time when everyone can visit the NMM free of charge (okay, you’ll pay to park, unless on a bike) and enjoy a host of exciting free attractions including Henry Cole and Friends live on stage – including engineer Allen Millyard. There’s also an indoor trade area with guests such as Sealey Tools, Central Wheel Components, H&H Classic Auctions and BSA, Triumph, Norton, Royal Enfield and Langen. You’ll even spot the new BSA Gold Star in the foyer of the museum. Rider/commentator/presenter Steve Plater will also be hosting a number of stage shows,…
