WHAT’S INSIDE
006 ARCHIVE
It’s aspecial ‘T T’ trawlthrough the archives of Classic Racer this issue,to big-up sister title Island Racer 2025!
012 NEVER ACROSSWORD
Ourregular crosswordisanothermix ofclassic racing clues and all with the carrot on astickof the chance to awin an S100 Clothing Care Kit worth£69.95. Go forit!
014 READERS WRITE
We welcome all feedback,good,bad or indiferenthereat Classic Racer towers.It’sYOUR magazinesolet us know what youthink about CR’s content, and tell us whatYOU want to see in YOUR magazine!
016 PADDOCK GOSSIP
What’s happening in thewildworld of classic racing,with shows,products and eventsup-andcoming
022 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
Thebest placetobuy your favouriteracing magazine is to do it thisway –SUBSCRIBE!Not only do youget it delivered to your door BEFORE it hits the shelves,it’scheaper tooand youwon’t need to ventureout of your shed/garage…
024 ENRICOLORENZETTI
Fred Pidcock looks at thelifeand career of Enrico Lorenzetti –aman foreverlinkedwith theMoto Guzziracingfactory
028 ROBMcELNEA
Big Robhit British racing like abig lump of steel…A grafterbut with anatural talent–he’d go on to race in 500ccGrands Prix and Superbikes
038 2000/2001APRILIARSV1000 MILLE
Alan Cathcar trides Troy Corser ’s Noale V-twin thattook wins but just couldn’t challenge forthe WorldSuperbike titles of almost 25yearsago
050 LINE ART:1988 HONDA VFR750R RC30
We revisit Mick Ofeld’s beautiful line -art of ‘Flyin’ Fred’s Rumi Honda, on which he took twoWorld Superbike titles.
052 SUPERSTOCK 1985
Is it really four decades sincethe introduction of base -level production four-strokeracing? The class thatpromised afordable actionhad ashor t but sweet shelf lifeonUKtracks.
COVER IMAGE: Main coverimages by DonMorley/Hitchcocks Archive, Kel Edge,Mor tons Archive, Terr yJoslin. Thanks again this monthto: DonMorley /HA forthe many images in various features.And the following: Roland Brown, Terr yJoslin, Bill Snelling,VinceRank,Mick Ofeld,FredPidcock, Stuar tBarker, BenRumbold,CliveChallinor,Tonyand Claire Greenslade and not forgetting our designerMarkField,archivist Jane Skayman and reproman Jonathan Schofeld.
058 ICONIC METAL: 1970HARLEYDAVIDSON XR750T T
Terr yJoslin’s cameraand VinceRank ’s wordsgive usaninsightintothe beautiful V-twin Harley thattook to the Tarmac tracksmorethan 50 years ago.
066 JOEY DUNLOP
25 years ago Joey leftus, butbefore he did,he took his fnest wins on the Isle of Man, including afnal ‘big bike’win. HisbiographerStuar tBarker looks back on this tale
074 V&M RACING
In this fnal instalment, Jack Valentine talks about forming ValMotoRacing,returning to the TT with Triumph AND winning the2003 Junior race.Whata career!
084 TEAM ALLSPEED
Tony Greenslade and Team Allspeed talk about their 2025 season in the CRMC championship. What bikes arethey using?
086 THE FRED CLARKE COLUMN
In his latest column, our Fred recalls some of the funniest anddramatic stories of his more than 50-year career behind the motorcycling microphone
088 BARRYTHE BIKE
Thefnale! Mike ‘Spike’Edwards fnishes the 1990s Honda CB500 twin and takes it fora shakedown test in Spain. Anybugs need ironing out Spike?
096 BACK IN THE DAY
YOUR picturesand memories from bike racing days gone by!
099 NEXTISSUE
Plenty in the next issue of ClassicRacer, including topBritracer RobMcElnea(par t2), Honda’s CB400 Four race machines,and much, muchmore!
Payjust £4.67 per edition. That’sa14% saving when paying by direct debit. Seepage 22for more details.
Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent. ME186AL. ForOverseas subscription rates please visit www.classicmagazines.co.uk.
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CLASSIC RACER
ARCHIVE
TheBal laug h Flyi ng Club
Ballaugh Bridge and its associated jump are one of the seminal sights and sounds of the Isle of Man TT races.
Themain shot shows John Marcotte on his AJS in the 1956 Senior TT.The American seems to be doing the tried and tested method of keeping the bikeaslow as possible over the jump, with the rear landing first.
Back in the dayyou’dprobably be hardpushed to get more than 30mph over the bridge itself,but times have changed and today’smachines can (should the rider take the bridge in acertain ‘style’) hit the bridge at twice that speed and ‘fly’ forup to 20 metres....
Care must be takenonlanding because –rather likeCadwell Park’sMountain, you can runthe risk of machine damage, or the chain could jump offthe rear sprocket. Not good.
In the next shot it’sthe 1965 125cc TT and we see world champion Kiwi Hugh Anderson (17) showing us that Kiwis can indeed fly,but he’s going to land his 125cc Suzuki firmly on the front wheel in front of the chasing MikeDuff.
Finally,wegobackanother 25 or so
years, (if the caption is correct): ‘Bob Foster,leaping Ballaugh Bridge in pursuit of JDDent (Norton) who he is about to get ahead of!’
We’renot sure what is scarier: riding one of these old vintage machinesover the jump –orsome modern 200bhp+ missile?
■ If youlike stories of the Isle of Man TT –old and new–then youneed to get hold of the forthcoming Island Racer 2025. Put together by the team behind Classic Racer, it gives youhistorical features, alook at what happened on the Island last year,aswell as alook ahead to this year ’s races. Out from April 10 it costs £9.99 and can be found here: mortonsbooks.co.uk/product/islandracer-2025-your-guide-to-the-2025-isleof-man-tt
CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
Wo rd s: Ber ti eS imm onds Phot ogr aphs: Nic kN ic holls Collection at Mor tons Arc hi ve
Ag o!
–a ll on MV Ag ust as. Th ew ins included a Senior/J unior double in 19 68, 19 69, 19 70 and 19 72. Fo llo wing the death of his close friend Gilberto Pa rlot ti during the 19 72 TT ,A go said he wo uld ne ve rr ace on the Island again. His fe elings we re not anti-TT as suc h, but more aimed at the racing str uct ure of the time that ef fe ctiv ely fo rced riders contract ually to race there as part of the whole Grand Pr ix circus. Here we see Ag oo nt he MV Ag ust a, at the TT ov er Ag o’ sl eap. His 10 race wins on the Island still see him equal 14 th in the list of all-time TT winners. ■ If yo ul ik es tories of the Isle of Man TT –old and ne w–t hen yo un eed to get hold of the fo rthcoming Island Ra cer 2025. Pu tt ogether by the team behind Classic Ra cer ,i t giv es yo uh istorical fe at ures, al ook at what happened on the Island last ye ar ,a sw ell as a look ahead to this ye ar ’s races. Out from April 10 ,i tc osts £9.99 and can be fo und at: mor to nsbooks.co .uk /pr oduct/i sla ndra cer -2025-y our -gui de -t o-the -2 025isleofman-t t , it costs
Ev en toda y, looking b ac ko nl egends of Grand Pr ix racing s uc ha sM ik eH ailw ood, Ba rr yS heene, Ke nn yR ober ts, Ph i lR ead, Angel Ni et oa nd the mo re mo dern contin gent of M arc M arquez, Ca se yS toner an de ve nV ale ntino Ro ssi, one name still st ands ta ll. M ay be ta ller t han t hem a ll. Giacomo Ag ostini: Ag ow as not only a ta lented individual on tw ow heels, ta king an unprecede nt ed 12 2G rand Pr ix wins and 15 wo rld ch ampionship t itles, he wa sa lso blessed with fil ms ta rg ood looks a nd ch arm in abundanc e. He wa sq uic ka ro u n dt he Isl e of Man, too… Despite racing on the Is land j ust 16 times, he wo uld win 10 ra ces and ret ire fr om thre e, fin ishing on the podi um i nt he ot her t hree
CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
Junior
So far, only one parent and child combination has takenthe ultimate twowheeled championship, that of the old 500cc classand its current incarnation MotoGP,and that’sthe great Kenny Roberts (1978, 79, 80 champ) and his boy, KennyJunior(2000.)
Junior grewupinatime when Senior washelping train not just the next generation of US talent, suchasDoug Chandler,Wayne Raineyand John Kocinski, at his dirt-trackranch, but European riders.
‘Little Kenny’ as he wouldbecalled was neverpushed into racing by his famous and successful father but –aged 15 –hemade the decision himself afterwatching John Kocinski raceatWillowSprings.
KennySenior only backedJunior when hesaw howdetermined he was. Sadly, despite this,the nepotism card wasoften bandied about, even when Jnr wasbattling ColinEdwards forthe 1992 AMA 250 title. He’d soonprogress… racing in Spain before joiningWayne Rainey’s250 GP team in 1994.
Injuries hampered hisearly international career but abest result of 6th showedthe promise and this wasbackedupbya4th in his secondseason. Aswitchtohis dad’s 500cc Yamaha team netted afront-row
start at Brnoand another best fnish of 4th. 1997 and he wasstill riding forhis dad –but on his dad’sown bike: the Modenas KR3. Fortwo years he learned alot and formed aclose bond with team engineer Warren Willing.When Suzuki came shopping forJunior at the end of 1998, his dad insisted Willing went too.
What followedwas areturn to form for the Suzuki 500cc Grand Prix team and their often recalcitrant RGV500. 1999 saw AlexCriville win the title –when Mick Doohan retired through injur y–but the frst tworaces of 1999 were wonbyKenny and Suzuki (against Doohan, no less) and backedupbytwo more later in the season. 2000 would be their title year with four more wins.
As the 500cc two-strokes became the 990cc four-strokes, success would be more elusivebut there were still fashes of the old Junior brilliance: 3rd at Estoril in 2006 in aver yclose race with Valentino Rossi and Toni Elias.
Our favourite quote from Senior about Junior? When asked by ajournalist about Junior ’s general good demeanour,Kenny Senior said: “Don’t worr y, there’s still time forhim to be an a**hole, just likehis old man!”
Words: BertieSimmonds
Photographs: Mark Wernham/Mortons Archi ve
Kenny Roberts Junior 2000 500ccGrand Prix champion
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Across
1: See14Down.
3: The final GP team for RobMcElneaashe wascalledintoreplace the injured Bubba Shobert. (5,5)
9: Afeather-light touchonthrottleorbrakes, perhaps?(6)
11: The initials on the tank for the 50 0ccWorld Champion for 17 straight year suntil justover 50 year sago. (2)
12: See14Down.
15: Rachel, late Frenchracer who was nicknamed ‘the boss ’ofSuper sportand won twice at Le Mans in the 1990s. (7)
16: Four initials that refer to the onlyson of aMotorcycling World Champion to alsobea Champ himself.(4)
17: Monsieur Coulon, co-founder and engineer for the famous Tech 3GPteam.(3)
19: Rider sneed these behind them to compete at the top level. (5)
21: The beautiful blackstuffthat every engine needs. (3)
22: Mr Dunphy, London-born racer who wore aclover leaf on his liddue to having Irish parents.(3)
23: North Yorkshire circuit and formerBSB racer.(5)
27: Famously the favourite energy drink
of Mr GMartin!(3)
28: In terms of carburation, the opposite of rich. (4)
29: One of the best TT races of all-time wasin 1967 for the Diamond ___. (7)
32: Sporting discipline that saw its origins in the famous Guidon d’Or events whichstarred top GP racer sinthe 1980s. (9)
34: Famous Italian electronic component makerwho also sponsored manyteams and events, formerly called Marelli. (7)
35& 36 Across: Famous junction in Ramsey that lies after the 23rd milestone on the Snaefell course, just ashared clue with the Island Racer magazine crossword, out verysoon! (10,6)
Do wn
1, 18,& 33 Down: BSB supportseries started by RobMcElnea, where the winner got aspot on his team!(6,6,3)
2: Spaniardwho won thelast-ever 125cc twostrok eroad raceWorld Championship. (4,5)
4: Thefirstname of the late, great, Go-Show. (7)
5: Father of Stefan, who won aworld title in the intermediate class 20 year safter his dad just missed one! (6)
6: Tricolore-branded Italian helmet
manufacturer.(3)
7: Useful metal coils of various sizes, whichare vital in suspension and enginecomponents…. (7)
8: …although theyneed to work in conjunction with thisfor the rearsuspension in particular. (8)
10: The shape that contains thethree tuning forks in the Yamaha logo. (6)
13: No longer aTTrecord holder,but only behind his nephew Michael. (4)
14,1 Across, &12Across: Dutchracer who specialised in 250s, and has ason Zontaracing today while he competes in rally raids! (6,3,3,9)
18: See1Down.
20: Redcigarette brand mainly associated with Yamaha in the 1980s. (8)
22: Spanish pri vateer who raced forROCYamaha, Elf,and Honda Pons duringthe 1990s. (4,5)
24: Californian who won his fir st ever GP at Laguna Seca in 1988, but never another.(6)
25: Main housing for disc brak ecomponents. (7)
26: Makers of the famous Porcupineengine design. (3)
27: Slackness of achain, for example. (7)
30: The one and only Roman Emperorin motorcycle racing. (6)
31: The kind of rider that has to wear an orange jacket, at the TT for example. (6)
33: See1Down.
HOWTOE NTER
To be in with achance of winning,fill in your details and return the completed crossword to: Classic Racer May/June 2025 Competition, Mortons Media Group Ltd, MortonWay, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Competition closes:9am,June 18,2025
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First name: Surname:
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If you don’t want to cut up your issue of ClassicRacer, we will accept aphotocopy of the completed crossword andform You can keep your CR pristine and intact.Wewill print the answerstothis issue’s puzzle in the next edition of Classic Racer –you can findthe answers to the last onebelow.
The answerstolast issue’s Classic Racer crossword: Across 1 Skoal Bandit Suzuki, 9 Dustbin, 10 Syd, 11 Roll, 14 Indonesia, 15 &18 Down Twin Ring Motegi, 17 Minoli, 19 IRTA, 21 &13 Down Pull In, 22 & 25 DownIan Simpson, 27 &12 Across AutoUnion, 28 Armstrong, 29 Smart, 30 Peak, 31 Andre, 32 Stroke, 33 Saarinen, 34 Silencer
Down
1&24 Steering Dampers, 2 Outside, 3 Lydden Hill, 4 Anderstorp, 5 Disqualification, 6 Saito, 7 Undo, 8 Ireland, 16 Wets, 19 Inlet Valve, 20 Australia, 23 McGregor, 26 Honda RC
LOVED V&M RACING!
Dear CR
I’ve been enjoying the tales from Jack Valentine and his time running V&M Racing. Theycertainly added a big splash of colour to the paddocks of the 1990s.
Iwas akeen supporter of the team backinthe dayasIdorecall the V&M boysduring their early stints in the drag race paddock. It wasalways good to see them go from straight-line events to showing that theycould makesome bloody good
bikesfor goinground corners too!
Iwas thereatthe TT in 1999 and it wasanhonour to chat to the likes of SteveMellor and big DJ afterthey’dwon Morestuff on the teams and the people behind them please. Theseare the people oftenforgotten while the riders getall the glory!
John Nash
The editorsays: “Very true,John!”
STAR LETTER PRIZE
Wina Classic Racer T-Shirt!
Yes, youcan if you’re the lucky writer of the STAR LETTER of eachissue. Just let us knowyour sizeand we’ll send youone of our lovely T-shirt designs, gratis!
SEARCHING FOR THE ARTICLE!HELP ME!
Dear CR
My name is Ari Henning and I’m theson of American vintage racer Todd Henning,who wasadominant force in the 1990s. Irecently discovered some old negatives andhad them scanned, and in one image fromDaytona dad is being inter viewedbya manina Classic Racer T-shirt (see photo, left)
I’m assuming CR mayhavewritten about dad as part of its Daytona coverage.I see that Ican purchase archiveissuesand I’mhappy to do so, but I’m hoping someone can offer some guidance regarding whichissue (March/ April?) would likely feature Daytona coverage. Ar iH en ni ng
The editor says: “Well, that’sdefinitely the legendary John Brownor‘JB’ as he’s known but we can’t seem to pin-point the issue for you Ari. Sorry! Anyone?”
STUFFIWANTTOSEE
Dear CR
I’m really enjoying the magazine but asyou have been asking forfeedbackand what Iwant to see in the magazine then Iwouldsay something on theTransatlanticseries and the 250cc two-strokes from Britain, like the Armstrongand the like.
Thedayswhen the grids were full of RGs privateers and the 250/350 were full of Yamahas were the best forwatchingclose racing in my opinion.
Iwould really liketoknowmore about the people involved with the development of these bikes, the individual teams, Ruth Randle etc, whydid they quickly appear all together and then disappear?
The‘Back in the Day’ feature in your mag is very good, something Ihavenever seen before in amagazine. Keep up the good work.
An dy Cl ay to n
The editor says: “Sounds good Andy.What do other people think?”
TEAM CHRYSALIS
Dear CR
Enjoyedthe piece on the rebuild of the Team Chr ysalis BMW F650, but Iwould love to read more about the team andwhat happened at the 2000 Isle of Man TT.Asasingles fanofthe time, it washeart-breaking to read about Dave and Alison and then heart-warming to seewhat their sons did at the 2000 Singles TT –win it in their memories!
Also, we so need afeature in your magazine about the amazing machines that made up the single-cylinder paddock. Real prototypes they were. And someofthe peoplewho built and rode them were real one-offs too!
Bi ll Fr ank
The editor says: “Well Bill –the story is in the 2025issue of Island Racer and we would love to run afeature about the singles paddock.”
AFEW INACCURACIES?
Dear CR
About the BobMcIntyre RoyalEnfield test in the last issue, Irather think dear old SammyMiller spoilt the restoration via fitting that silly racing seat, and there were afew inaccuracies.
Forinstance, as restored it hasaLucas rotating magnetofitted which wasnot even invented when that bike wasbuilt or racing, and as this muchlater designmagneto did not have anyfacilitytoadvanceorretard the ignition,thisinturnhas meanthaving to also fit adifferent timingpinion within the engine,and is fitted with aLucas Bob Weights Automatic Advanceand retardunit.
What should have been fitted to this engine waseither aLucas KF2 or a same period Lucas Racing Magneto with full manual advance and retard facility controlled by hand from alever fitted to the leftbar.And forthis biketogenuinely look as raced, or even as sold, it should also be fitted with astill very easy to makewire frame fly-screen.
Then there’s the modern concentric carb, whichsadly looks so very different to the muchearlier period Amal Monobloc
carburettor this bikeshould have.And then there are the exhausts, and (astested by Alan Cathcart) who on earth thought to put those horrible red with blacknumbers race plates on? They would, and should, have been either white with blacknumbersas on the front, or yellowwith blacknumbers. Foryour information, Peter Howdle and Ivisited SydLawton straightafter therace, and as apublicitystunt Sydagreed to fit aWatsonian Jet80Sidecar to thebikein exactly the race condition complete with Fly Screen etc, forPeter and Itothen rideit up to Scotland to meet up with BobMac’s original sponsor BobCooper of Troon who wasalso aREagent. Theintention wasto tour the north as part of apublicitystunt but we kept running out of CastrolR –we literally drained Scotland dr yofthe stuff. It had to be sent from CastrolinEngland. Here’s apic of us takenbyme(with a delayedaction) outside CoopersOfTroon. Do nM or ley
The editor says: “Wehad to cut the letter alittle Don –and we know you’ve chatted to Alan about this too.”
PaddockGossip
Compiled by The ClassicRacer team //
Formula750 Britishclass launched!
John Cooper backinthe day.
TheEastMidlandsRacing Association(EMRA ), basedat Mallor yPark, is adding anew, all- BritishFormula 75 0class to four of itsclubmeetingsatthe Leicestershirecircuit this year
Theentry is open to any competitorsont wins or triples with British- builtfour- stroke engines, andM allory boss Stuart Hicken is hoping to at tracta field of 40 bikesfor thechampionship.
“We’re aiming to re -create thehalcyon battlesbet ween thehowling BS Aand Triumph triples, andthe John Player Nortonsthatdominated Formula 75 0inthe early1970s,” said Hicken.
“A lotofthese bikeshave been sidelinedbylater,more competitiveJapanese bikes beingincludedinclassic races. So,we’re creating Formula750 British, aback-to -basicsracing classfor Britisht wins andtriples, in abid to bringall thoseglorious RobNor th -framedtriples andthe thundering Norton Commandoes back to thecircuit
“A nd wherebet terthan Mallor yPark–where John Cooper memorablyrodethe
Mick Of ield: November 23, 19 49 –February23, 2025
Classic Racer is sad to hear of the passing of one of our valued contributors –MickOfield.
If youknow CR,you can’t help but notice the stunningly beautifuland accurate ‘Line-Art’ side-ons of race bikes old and older by Mick Ofield. Sadly,Mickpassed away in Februar y, aged 75, at home in Tennessee. Mick wasborn in Leicester and spent a lifetime in motorcycling,not only as a designer but aracer too His artistic talent wasspotted earlyatschooland Mick did a degree in product design at Leicester Polytechnic before joiningNorton VilliersTriumph in the early1970s. He would work on anumber of machines, including the Norton Commando 850 and laterwork with BobTrigg on the Yamaha
RD250 and 350LCs.
It waswhen sent on afact-finding tourofthe USAfor NVT that he fell in love with that countr yand would eventually move over and st ay.He wouldlater work forBates Leathers, designing agreat number of products. Muchofhis knowledge on designing the best kit came not just from his road-riding experience but from histime club racing bet ween 1970-20 04. In recent years he wasa regularatthe Barber Vint age Festival in Alabama. In later years he set up adesign agency and worked closely withhis communit ychurchalongside wife of almost 30 years, Peggy Everyone at Classic Racer wishes to extend theirdeepest condolences to Peggy,aswell as all of Mick’s familyand friends.
wheels of hisRob North-framed BS ARocketIII to beat Agoand theexoticM VAgusta5 00 GP bike,and wherewehostedthe earlyM atch Raceswhich were the domain of the Britishtriples andt wins?”
Thesimplestructure of the rulesisdesignedtoencourage owners of thoseearly 1970 s Britisht wins andtriples to dust them of fand go racing again, in aclass wheretheyknowthe playingfieldwillbelevel
EMRA’s new‘Formula750 British’ classisbased on the original early1970Formula 75 0s technicalrules forBritish bikeswithproduction- based enginesbuilt up to Dec31, 1974 Capacity limitisfrom6 50 cc to 10 00 cc.Aftermarket period frames arepermitted andall bikesmustconform to a105 dBa noiselimit.Itshouldbea helluva spectacle!
EM RA ‘For mula 750British’ classschedule
Round1 May5
Rounds 2& 3July5 /6
Round4 Aug10
Round5 Oct5 (provisional)
Eachdrawing took weeks tocomplete!
He wasahandy racer,was Mick.
Cold WarWheels needsYOU!
Cold WarW heelsreturns to theYorkshire AirMuseumfor thethird time –biggerand better than ever
It’s acelebration of bikesand cars from the196 0s,70s and8 0s,atimewhenEast andWest were engagedina stalematethat neithersidewantedtobreak,for fear of nuclearwar.Against thebackdropofMutually AssuredDestruction, carand motorcycle manufacturersdesignedsomeofthe most iconic two- andfour- wheeledmachinery of all time,onbothroadand track.
Cold WarW heelsbringstogethert woandfour- wheeledlegends from that time, in frontofthe YorkshireA ir Museum’s collection of Cold WarJets, includingthe mighty Victor andNimrod, andthe legendar y Bucc aneer low- levelbomber.
It ’s agreat dayout (exhibitorsget free entr y) anda fantasticoppor tunity forvisitors to reminisceabout thec arsand bikesthey owned, or theirparents did.
To make it anothergreat show,they need greatbikes.Fromthe mundane to the
ex treme, if it ’s from that period they want to seeit! So,dropthe museum alinetoget a booking- in form.Jerry Ibbotson is theman youneedand he’s at: pr@yorks hireairmuse um.org PutC old WarW heelsinthe subjectline.
Seeold
There’s lots to see at The International ClassicMotorCycle Showsponsored by CaroleNash, heldoverthe weekend of April 26/27
Held once more at the Stafford CountyShowground, thisyear’s special guest is TV biker and restorer Henr yCole. Henr y(and friends) are well known thanks to his shows including ‘The MotorbikeShow’,‘Shed and Buried’ and ‘World’sGreatest Motorcycle Rides.’Henr ywillbe around, being inter viewedonthe main stage during the weekend.
And that’snot all.The show’s big theme is celebrating 100 years since the launchofthe Brough Superior SS100 and it’s hoped the showwill include the world’slargest-everpublic display
of these amazing machines –around 20 in total, including some of the rarest andmost famous Broughs ever made.
Among the iconic line-up is the 1929 JTOR V-twin JAP-powered ‘George VI,’previously owned by TELawrence, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ whichwas in his possession until 1932. On the Sunday, Bonhams will also be auctioning twoBrough Superior SS100s, expected to fetchover £300,000 each, in their iconic sale.
Youcan also stockuponrare parts, spares, and memorabilia from top trade standsand autojumble stalls from acrossthe UK. Fortickets and more information, visit: www.classicbikeshows.com
Asmattering of race bikes fromthe erawould makethislookmuchbetter.
Island Racer 2025
If youwant to read about the Isle of Man TT races then youneed to get hold of Island Racer 2025.
Brought to you by theteam that brings you Classic Racer,Island Racer is the world’slargest and best TT racing publication.
TheTTRaces on the Isle of Manare amore than centur yold tradition, as eachMay thousands of motorcycling fans and racers convene on the island to witness some spectacular racing.This year the event runs from May26-June 7, 2025.
Man are a more
Editor’s welcome
When Itook over Classic Racer in 2020, there was one part of the magazine that Iknewneeded more space to breathe.
That wasMickOfield’s amazing ‘Line-Art’ page Mick’swas aname I’d heard of over the years. He had ahand in the designof anumber of motorcycles during the 1970s and 1980s –including the legendar yYamaha RD-LC. For CR he produced a single-page line drawing of afamous race machine He didn’t take anymoney, instead he had an advert where people could buy prints of the bikes.
Eachyear its140 pages delivers the most incredible photos, articles and inter views with the modern gladiators who do battle on the world’smost punishing motorcycle course –as
well as reliving some of the big stories from more than acentur y of racing.2025’s Island Racer focuses on the biggest names and the fastest motorcycles that are taking on TT 2025 and uncovers the stories behind the headlines.
Priced at £9.99 get yours at: www.mortonsbooks.co.uk/ book/island-racer-2025-yourguide-to-the-2025-isle-of-man-tt
Keithatthe pub!
Following on from the successful evening withmultiple British champ John Reynolds, another star will be at aKettering pub being quizzed by Classic Racer editor Bertie Simmonds.
Keith Huewenisaformer Superbikeand Grand Prix racer –hetook 2nd place at the 1981 British350cc Grand Prix. Following the end of his race career in 1985, he’s car ved out acareer as atop-notch comment ator,most not ably with BT Sports/TNT where –until
recently –hewas one of the main anchors. He’s got plent y of stories from his racing and comment ating career to keep youentert ained!
Thenight is Monday, April 28, and tickets cost £15.
Thepub is at: 48 Woodland Ave, Barton Seagrave,Kettering NN156QP and formore information go to: www thestirrupcup bartonseagrave.co.uk or email: info@thestirrupcup bartonseagrave.co.uk
Eachpicture wasa work of art and took three to four weeks forhim to create from his home in Tennessee. Irecall asking him very nicely if we could expand the article from asingle page to two pages, with words by the ‘editor ’. Mickagreed and said that he mayaswell do the words too, thanks to the researchhehad to undertaketoget the picture done… Result! We could have gone to three pages, so beautiful were his renderings. It wasajoy to converse with Mickabout what he wanted to do forthe next available issue. He was even kind enough to let us use his drawings on T-shirts to help promote CR because as he said: “If it helps magazine sales, that’s great. Mags have sadly died here in the USA…”
When he washit by a vehicle in his truck, and wasinjured, in 2023,Isent him a‘red cross’parcel of UK bikemagazines…
At the end of last year Micktold me he hadn’t been well, but he clearly faced it with courage, resilience and his faith –aided by his wonderful wifePeggy.I will miss our emails more than I’ll miss seeing his beautiful artwork arrivejust before Istart every issue. Rest easy,Mick.