2008 Archive
It rained and it rained and it rained then it bl**dy poured down
King Of Brands 08
CRMC Round 7
On Thursday afternoon my wife Jane & John Mitchell went to
Brands Hatch to set up camp & cook supper. Luckily for us it’s our closest
circuit so travelling time was not an issue I joined them quite late after work,
as I had booked in for the Friday practice session to help find my way around
the track. Friday turned out for a change this year to be a nice dry day weather
wise.
Most of the C.R.M.C. rider’s were having real trouble with the guy who was doing the sound testing especially the triples but after a bit of polite persuasion from Tim Woolley we all finally passed and although we had missed the first session we could get out on the track.
I did two laps and the top end of the bike was making the most horrible clattering noise so I pulled of to the pit garage, only to find that an exhaust tappet adjuster lock nut had come lose, following half an hour with the spanners the rest of the practice day went with out any hiccups.
I had booked myself in to race in the Post Classics as well as my usual races, so on the Saturday the first race was the Post Classics in the dry absolutely amazing for 2008.
I drew 28th on the grid and a got good start to bring the bike home to a credible 16 place. Next race up was the 1300 twin & multi cylinder where I was 3rd on the grid but just seemed to lack the pace and finished 10th.
By the time we where called for the next Post Classic 1300 race the heavens had opened. I was then 17th on the grid & managed another cracking start; I was making good progress through the field and managed to get up to 4th however whilst trying to take 3rd place by going round the outside of a fellow rider at Graham Hill bend I lost the rear end and came out of the corner completely sideways dirt track style, dropping back to 7th by the end of the race. (bummer) When I pulled in to the pit garage Graham Redrup (TR3OC) kindly handed me a toilet roll.
Saturday evening was very wet & blowing a gale some how the tents & gazebo made it through the night with out being brought down.
Sundays start was the usual wet & windy morning that we’ve come to expect this season. I started 12th on the grid not a bad race and finished in 9th place. I had a problem that the rear tyre wasn’t warming up so dropped the tyre pressures for the next race. The weather was kind to us and we actually got a dry race in on a wet track. I started off in 10th and brought the old girl across the stripe in 6th.
The last & final race of the season was the Post Classic 1300. Very wet again and with a little less air in the tyres I got away from 8th on the grid in the rain to have the best result of the weekend a well-earned 5th place with few good tussles and growing confidence with the way the tyres were handling. After the dust had settled the final set of points put me 12th in the 1300 Nationals and a very credible 4th in the Boyer Bransden series a result I could have only dreamed of at the beginning of the season.
For my 12th place in the 1300 National I was presented with a new pair of Gaerne Race Boots by Rob Lidgate, thanks Rob and what’s really nice they are water proof.
Well this season has just been an absolute hoot I have had the best time that I could have while keeping my clothes on but did have help.
My heart felt thanks have to go too Graham Redrup, Martin Pink and Martin Pratt all TR3OC members for being the best pit crew I could have wished for, Tony Atkinson from Barnard Castle cheers guys for travelling the miles and camping in the most hideous of weather conditions. Not of course not forgetting Richard and Dave from P&M for their first class piss taking and technical support. Thanks and God Bless chaps.
To John Mitchell aka k21.co.uk for keeping the scores on the doors, fab cooking, great company and giving so much of his time up to create a great web site.
Thanks also to Ian Stewart (TR3OC) aka Factotum Property Services for his continued support with my endeavours great to see both you and Lorraine at Brands.
Last but not least is my long-suffering wife Jane with out her support I just could not have done it.
I would also offer a great big thanks too all that made the effort in all weathers to come and watch me wobble and float around.
God bless and see you all next season.
Chris….
--------
Snetteron 08
CRMC Round 6
Guess What, “It’s P*****ing Down” so must be another CRMC Race Weekend………
After Cadwell I had to take the bike and hammock over to P&Ms, The problem with the pipes was still with us and they had cracked again and again at the last meeting so were looking a bit like a patchwork quilt of braze. I was thinking of exhibiting them in the Tate but decided the bin was a more suitable home for them, Richard Peckitt & Dave Whitfield recommended designing and fitting sprung loaded down pipes as well as Dave putting in some sterling work on repairing a loose tappet block and a heli-coil was also needed after trying to torque down the barrel nuts, I can highly recommend P&Ms as every time the bikes in the workshop they can’t help but tinker with everything and a big thanks to them for helping keep me on the track this season.
With the weather as bad as it was I was lucky to share a pit garage with the legendry Ron Chandler, Phil Davenport, Phil Godfrey and Roy Robertson on his Egli Vincent good company without a doubt. Another treat was a visit from Steve Parish who has never ridden a Triple but liked the feel and look of my north, one day I may let him have a go.
Race 1 on Saturday started 3rd ended up, yes you’ve guessed it 7th again the rain the came giving a 1.5hr delay to the program so my 2nd race ended up being the 1st race on Sunday, (no lye in this weekend) 2nd race started 7th guess what, finished b***dy 7th yet again……
Next race was the 1300 Nationals got off to a great start and was running quite quick up when on the 3rd lap I hit the start / finish straight at about 135mph when reaching the braking area in to turn one the throttle jammed wide open, A quick bum clench and a tricky moment hitting the kill switch I was able to park the bike up against the Armco and watch the rest of the race with a chatty track marshal, however on the next lap Patrick Banfield on or rather off his lovely 750 Rob North came sailing past on his bum, I think he waved back at me but can’t be sure, thankfully he was OK and joined me on the Armco to await recovery back to the pits. Poor Patrick won’t learn he dropped the bike on the same corner on the Friday track day, Needless to say his machine is now residing at P&Ms for the next couple of weeks. So I ended up with my 1st DNF of the season with no damage, the problem of the wide open throttle has been put down to carbs icing so have fitted chrome sliders for Brands Hatch.
Next race which is now the 3rd of the day was The Race of Aces, drawn 38th but had a great race and finished 13th
4th race of the day Boyer Bransden Championship again I rate this as probably my best race of the season so far, 7th on the grid and hit 3rd place into the 1st corner, the next 4 laps were a great confidence booster as I held onto the leaders but by the 5th they started easing a gap and I ended up loosing the dry line and finished ………………………..7th just got pipped at the line by Adrian Armson and Nigel Hall Smith, after that race I am fired up and can’t wait for Brands in October.
Another wet weekend for the crew so a big thanks to John Mitchell (Chief Cook) Andy Driver (TR3OC) and Doughnut Man, Dave Whitfield, Martin Pink and not forgetting Graham Redrup (Crew Chief) your continued support is gratefully received.
God Bless and see you all at Brands Hatch for the CRMC Race of the Year.
--------
Cadwell Park 08
CRMC Round 5
Unbelievable another WET weekend of racing with Saturday having a 3.5hr rain delay in the early afternoon and the 1st time I’ve seen Marshall's pumping water off the track, so on with the Jonny Jacket and off down to the start line with very little practice time, I managed a few practice laps on the Friday evening in the dry but came back in after the 1st session with a very sick Trident engine, Martin Pink (TR3OC) and Tony Atkinson got stuck in with the spanners and soon found the problem a broken clutch plate (see photo) so we were soon fixed and back out for a 2nd practice with everything feeling good.
The 1st race on Saturday was not until after lunch so a little bit of Sloe Gin on the Friday night meant a nice lie in on Saturday, So onto the grid straight after lunch started 13th and finished 7th seems to be my lucky number, shortly after the heavens opened and which meant my second race of the day was cancelled.
Sunday 1st race started 7th and guess what finished 7th, (Note to my self, “got to get quicker”) I love Cadwell it’s more or less my spiritual home and where I had my 1st track day with the TR3OC way back in 1900 & frozen to death. I can’t explain the difference from running round Cadwell on a Track Day to these days blasting round and actually racing, great adrenalin rush……..
Next up was the 1300cc Nationals which almost fields a list of riders from the Who’s Who of Classic Bike Racing, I got a good start but got squeezed into the 1st corner by Lea Gourley and the infamous Gary Twaites and ended up 11th, I am secretly using this season as practice for next years 1300 National Championship but don’t tell any of the other guys (yet!)
Last race of the day was back to the Boyer Bransden Championship started 7th and had a really hard race ended up mixing it with Simon Bartlett (TR3OC member) who was battling hard with Bob Sleightholme and coming down into Mansfield we all had a bit of a moment which unsettled my rhythm allowing Tim Woolley (TR3OC member) to finally get in front of me for the LAST time……
The reward for the weekend was staying 4th in the championship, makes all that slippery time on the track worth while.
As always a great big thanks to the motley crew of Tony Atkinson, Martin Pink, Martin Pratt (TR3OC), John Mitchell (k21.co.uk) and Jane Chapman (LSW) (Long Suffering Wife) without who’s continual help and support racing would still be a dream……
---------
Donington Park June 08
CRMC Round 4
Well what can I say, Donington Park race track was a real emotional
roller coaster,
For those that don’t know, Donington is situated next to East Midlands
Airport with it’s overhead alarm clocks waking most people up several
times a night.
We arrived in convoy on the Friday afternoon and Donington was packed
out with large campers and transporters all getting ready for the
Donington Classic Revival Meeting, there were vehicles and riders from
all over Europe making the weekend a very big occasion.
I had the Rob North 930cc scrutinised late afternoon with no problems
and then managed to blag a garage in the pits, which was a blessing.
Saturday morning was dry and sunny and the weekend promised to be
brilliant, a great start to a real classic event.
We were called for practice and off we went, I had not completed a lap
when the red flags were out due to a bike crashing on the first corner (Redgate)
and no it wasn’t Toseland!!! from the week before, so we were called
back in to the holding area for 15 minutes before we were released back
out on to the track, after just 2 more laps, another rider joins the
kitty litter club so out come the red flags again and that was the end
of practice.
Saturday when I lined up on the grid for my 1st race (Boyer Bransden
Championship) I was drawn in 11th place for the start of proceedings and
had only had 2.5 laps to learn the track, not good for a circuit like
Donington which is known as a fast technical circuit, so with a little
fear in the mind I was ready.
With engines revving and the smell of racing oil in the nostrils, the
flag drops, the bullshit stops, and we were away, I made a great start
off the grid but due to the lack of knowledge of the track I had to
satisfy myself with following others around the track to learn the
lines, no sooner do you start the race than it seems sadly to end. I
felt down beat, finishing 16th out of a grid of 34 but as it happened I
had come in 2nd in my class (7b) a best result for me so far, brilliant.
Back to the pits and the willing pit crew, we decided to change the rear
sprocket to improve the gearing, spanners were clinking, every body
doing there thing when we noticed my tank had sprung a leak so out comes
the trusty araldite to stop that leak.
The next race was on the Sunday, so down to the track, no practice just
the warm up, and on to the grid. Position 21st (grid positions are
pulled out of the hat at the start of each day for the 1st race and then
the 2nd race is based upon your finishing position) so off we go
adrenaline pumping engines screaming, I finished 14th not bad so my pit
crew tell me and another 2nd in class, watch out Rossi here comes
Chapman.
Sunday afternoon came accompanied by very heavy rain, so we all watch
some of the other on and off track action before my race getting some
idea of the conditions were like and to see just how slippery this
circuit can get in the wet.
My final race (National 1300 Championship 7c) was late in the afternoon,
and the heavens had opened again, it was wetter than a fishpond and I
felt like a fish. Only 15 riders braved the conditions, we set off with
tight bum cheeks and spray everywhere, after 3 laps there were only 7
riders remaining. Coming down the Craner curves we were greeted with a
sad looking Rob North lying on it’s side in the middle of the track,
carnage every where it could have been the Somme, I haven’t been on a
more slippery surface even when ice skating (makes Magny-Cour feel like
a Scaletric track) the race was red flagged so back to the grid. 7 were
left and I was soaked to the skin but willing. The front-runners kicked
up a fuss about the conditions and the race was abandoned. Bummer!!!
At the prize giving I had won 2nd in class in both races and was
presented with my Trophy by the great Peter Williams of Norton fame.
Brilliant my 1st Trophy and the points gained have promoted me to 4th in
the Boyer Bransden Championship (7b).
I would like to thank my Pit Crew Graham Redrup, Martin Pratt, Martin
Pink all TR3OC members and Tony Atkinson (Barnard Castle) who’s not only
a good carpenter but pretty handy with a spanner or two. Further thanks
to my sponsors Ian Stewart (Factotum Property Services), John Mitchell
(K21.co.uk) web master and Master BBQ Chef and of course my lovely wife
Jane (Sponsor, Cook, Bottle Washer, Driver, Video Photographer and Camp
Commander) Thankyou…..
A final note, this w/e Sunday July 13th, The leak in the tank has been
finally found and the tank will be welded and have a fresh coat of paint
for the next CRMC Event August 9th / 10th at Sunny Cadwell Park. (See
you there) Chris….
--------
Lydden Hill May 08
CRMC Round 3
My wife Jane and I set off for Lydden on Friday afternoon, Jane kindly towing the bike trailer with her car and me in a hire van due to my own van still being repaired after blowing the Turbo (see Anglesey Report) After having supper and walking the track, Jane eventually headed for home knowing that quite a few lads from the TR3OC were coming down on Saturday morning to lend a hand.
Saturday was wet and cold and it looked like the rain was here to stay for the whole day. Andy Driver was first on the scene bright and early to help get me going for the 1st practise session. After a last minute panic, due to the starter not working, I was on my way. (Must remember to turn the fuel tap on for the starter)
After practice, the rest off the crew started turning up to man the tea making facilities. (I wish) For any one who has never been to Lydden the circuit is like an amphitheatre, offering great visuals. The track is a mirror image of the Brands Indy circuit.
1st Race,
I started 20th on the grid making a pretty good start and bringing the bike across the finish line in 8th place in a reasonably uneventful race.
2nd Race,
I completely fluffed the start due to the bike being in 2nd gear. Never a good idea. At least 10 bikes passed me before the first corner but I managed, by riding hard and wild, to make up the lost places and came in 7th.
After the pit crew had taken the piss out of me mercilessly, we then had to set about changing a rather burnt, smelling clutch.
Due to Lydden’s Sunday sound restrictions, no engines are allowed to be fired up before 12.30pm. This meant we could indulge ourselves Saturday evening with my homemade Sloe Gin and copious amounts of chilli, kindly brought by Tony Hayworth and his wife Hillary.
I woke late on Sunday morning to a beautifully bright and sunny day which marks my very 1st dry day of racing since I started this insanity. After watching the boys in the Post-Classic Unlimited class race in the rain on the Saturday, I decided to book myself in for 2 extra races in this class. However, how they raced in the dry was a different story. I guess riding a TZ in the wet could be quite a handful, but in the dry these guys were fast, very fast……
Sunday 1st Race
I started 26th on the grid and brought it home in 12th in the Post-Classic Unlimited class.
2nd Race was the Charlie Sanby Trophy Race with my usual position of being drawn 28th on the grid I finished 13th. These were very hard and fast laps, with surprisingly, a few riders throwing their bikes at the scenery.
3rd Race
Was the Post-Classic Unlimited class again, I was 12th on the grid and finished 12th but great circuit practise,
4th and last race of the weekend was where all the action happened. I started 9th on the grid. After the flag dropped, the rider immediately in front of me put his hand up to indicate that he had stalled. I had to take major evasive action, hoping against hope that my start was fast enough to avoid clashing with other riders. The 2nd lap in, the race was red-flagged because a rider had buried himself in the tyre-wall on the first corner coming off the start/finish straight. So a re-start was required. 4 laps into the race, a guy on a beautiful Rob-North, lost the front end right in front of me, hitting the tyre-wall at high speed around a left-hand bend. The race was red-flagged again. 3rd time lucky, we were held for so long before the re-start of the race, we had to have a warm-up lap before the start. The race was now only going to be 4 laps long. I managed to finish in 9th place. After having to ride so hard, I had the Rob-North sliding around in most corners.
All in all a damned fine weekend, with my learning curve ever increasing.
Thanks have to go to Andy Driver for turning up so early on Saturday to start me up and managing to blag me an extra practice session, to Mike (Spike) Edwards for advice and new nickname (more soon)
To Graham Redrup TR3OC for being pit crew all weekend, to Tony and Hillary Hayworth for their good company and copious amounts of chilly.
To John Mitchell Web-Master and sponsor for feeding us all from his fab b-b-q and keeping the scores on the doors.
Nice to see Dave Whitfield from P&M come and show support for me.
Finally a big hello and thank-you to Ian Stewart (Factotum Property Services) for joining the Team as a new sponsor.
See you all at a very Sunny (Wishful thinking) Donington Park on 28th / 29th June
--------
Anglesey April 2008
CRMC Round 2
What can I say. Weather-wise, of all the weekends not to consider living under canvas it was that weekend. High winds made putting up the gazebo really hard & it was only when we’d flung our stuff in & sat for a bit that we realised how cold it had got. It started to rain about midnight and that was it for the next two days. Strong winds, rain & the occasional shot blasting of hail stones. Great racing conditions. That evening I changed the sprocket size to Cadwell gearing, then fell into bed about 1am.
Friday. First thing, scrutineering. Then practice sessions before and after lunch. Everybody was cold and very wet. My wife, Jane, thought she’d got hypothermia. Then our friend Gavin arrived with thermals for her and soon Jane was clothed in his warm underwear which cheered her up immensely and we all had a good evening.
Saturday saw me drawn 28th on the grid. I must admit that I had been nervous about my first race start. Then realised, having been a courier in London for 14 years, I’d been doing racing starts every time I left a set of traffic lights.
So when the flag went down, I was a little bewildered as everyone seemed to hesitate, causing me to do the same for a moment. I then went for it and shot down the middle of the track. The 1st corner, a left-hander, I came out to overtake a rider, and a guy on a Norton thundered down the outside of the track, we had a brief coming together as his fairing brushed my elbow. I was pleased with my first race as before the 1st corner I had gained 10 places and had taken a further 4 by the end of what ended up as a four-lap race, due to a high-speed crash of another rider.
Race 2. Had an average start, neither gaining nor losing a place it rained constantly and I was mystified that I was grinding out the footrest on each right-hander. Which meant I was leaning the North further than I would have in dry conditions, all became clear once back in the pits as the foot-rest virtually dropped off in my hand due to the stud unwinding to virtually the last thread.
Sunday morning was wet again but the wind had dropped completely. It was so warm! My wife Jane was out of Gavin’s thermals in a trice! Race 3. The numbers were drawn as usual to allocate grid position – No Super pole here. Started 26th on the grid and ended up finishing 14th.
We then had sunshine for a few hours after lunch & everyone started to dry out a little. It actually got quite hot. Then just before the 4th race, the temperature dropped suddenly and the track began to steam. Most of the track was dry, but there were some slippery parts, as I found out on the last lap. I’d overtaken a guy on the fast bend entering the tight top complex. I threw the North into the sharp left-hander & flipped it into a just as tight left-hander, getting on the gas a little too early & aggressively the back tyre spun up sending me sideways, with the clip-ons hard against the lock stock. I settled the bike but it had cost me my hard gained 9th place & I had to settle for 10th.
Over all, I was pleased with the results at Anglesey. The great thing was that it was a newly laid out circuit and none of the other riders had any experience there which means trying harder at some of the circuits coming up this year.
Finally I would like to say a huge thank you to my long-suffering wife Jane, who has supported me (so far any way) in this mad indulgence of motor sport and also our special thanks go to our friend Gavin Kidwell; for providing sexy, sorry, thermal underwear for Jane and also looking after the bike & me. He allowed Jane to scream around the complex in his van so she could film my efforts and turned a potentially miserable weekend into a memorable one. The three of us were like a well-oiled machine.
…….. Talking of OIL!!!!. We got home at midnight to find that the van had blown an oil seal. The bike, the trailer & the back of the van were totally covered in black goo and it took gallons of hypo-clean plus hours of work to clean the North & trailer again. Ho Hum…. On to Lydden……
Cheers Chris......
-----------
Magny Cours - Bol d'Or April 2008
FRANCE
On 9th April I loaded the van and trailer with 2 Rob North Tridents, a shed load of tools, 4 people and enough camping gear to house a Superbike Team. We headed south to Portsmouth for the night ferry to Le Harve.
At 7am the following morning we alighted from the ferry in France and headed off in convoy with a second van containing TR3OC members Tony Page and Ian Stewart towards Magny Cours near Nevers. After a wet drive down we arrived at the circuit and met up with Tony Hayworth and his wife Hilary.
Scrutineering in Magny Cours can be a hit or miss affair, especially since we had to fit baking trays!! to the underneath of our bikes as drip trays but somehow we all managed to pass and were looking forward to getting out on to this famous tarmac.
Friday morning we all awoke from our tents to a pretty wet day, which seemed to cause a lot of apprehension over lots of tea within the tro3c camp, due to our prior knowledge of how slippery this particular track gets in the wet. Whether it’s because it’s not an aggressive surface, or F1 cars leaving too much rubber in the braking areas and on the corners, I don’t know but needless to say great care is needed when we were eventually let loose on the track.
For me this weekend was a shake down after the winter rebuild of the bike and a chance to get some laps in for myself, before starting my first racing season with the CRMC at Anglesey later this month.
First session out in the wet ended quickly with the wire from the Krobra rev-counter breaking and earthing the coils out, result = bike stopped dead on the track. Back to the pit for a quick fix and a hot cuppa, wire mended, then out for the next session and slithered around a track which felt more like a skid pan than a race circuit.
The next drama happened during the
session before lunch, coming down the fast straight at about a 145mph, the
primary belt snapped. (see photos) all I can say is
“Thank the lord for rev-limiters”.
However during that session I feel that I got away lightly, sadly though 2 of our group had been claimed by the wet and slippery conditions. Ian Stewart lost his Rickman Trident on a right-hander, smashed his fairing, denting his tank and bashing a hole in the timing chest, putting an end to his week-end fun.
Next up Tony Hayworth lost his Bandit framed Bonny at the end of the fast straight whilst entering the braking area in excess of a 100mph. Both guys were battered and bruised but ok.
With a little help from a large hammer and a vice, the Bonny and a slightly second hand rider were out on the track for Saturday’s sessions.
We did have some dry sessions on the Saturday, but my bike managed to crack the right hand down pipe near the head before the day ended.
I know to some people it may sound like a bit of a horror story, but really, camping and racing at Magny Cours even in a wet April, spending time with a great bunch of friends and meeting new ones just cannot be beaten.
Special thanks have to go to Graham Redrup for being spanner man and general pit crew. A better man you could not hope to wish for when the poo’s hitting the fan.
Thanks also to Loraine for feeding our group and map reading, and also Maria of the Ton Up Club for all the hard work organising this great event.
Already bought new welly boots and a brolly for the 2009 event………
God Bless….
Chris Chapman...........