Scootering - November 2019 - Preview

FREE Trojan CD

included!

Carnage

at Cadwell

BSSO Race Report

Record Breakers Bonneville Salt Flats

Devil in Disguis88ecc…

PLUS

Twin-engine 4 Vespa twin!

WHACKY WOOLACOMBE RALLY REPORT TECH TORQUE: LAMBRETTA PRESERVATION SERIES SCK Open Day ■ Scoots ‘n’ Soul Dealer Profile ■ Club Focus ■ Scooter Boy Tales ■ Readers’ Rides ■ Show Us Your Scooters ■ Readers’ Letters ■ Scooter Trader ■ Events Guide & more…

No.401 November 2019

£4.30

Editor: Dan Clare Email: dan@scootering.com Publisher: Tim Hartley Publishing Director: Dan Savage Designer: Chris Abrams Picture desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production Editor: Mike Cowton General queries and back issues: Tel: 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Lines open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk Archivist: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 Email: jskayman@mortons.co.uk Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page 32 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page ?? for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Subscription Manager: Paul Deacon Circulation Manager: Steven O’Hara Marketing Manager: Charlotte Park Commercial Director: Nigel Hole TRADE ADVERTISING Gary Thomas – gthomas@mortons.co.uk Tel (01507) 529417 Stuart Yule – syule@mortons.co.uk Tel (01507) 529468 Divisional advertising manager: Zoe Thurling 01507 529412, zthurling@mortons.co.uk Group advertising manager: Sue Keily ADVERTISING DEADLINES The advertising deadline for the next issue of Scootering (402 2019) is Thursday, November 7, 2019 On sale in newsagents Thursday, November 28, 2019 SCOOTERING (USPS:020-245) is published monthly

by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ USA subscriptions are $60 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries.

Postmaster: Send address changes to SCOOTERING, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595. chris@ classicbikebooks.com

Welcome to the November edition of Scootering

J

ust when you think nothing new is on the horizon, someone only goes and pulls a 488cc ‘Twin Engine’ Vespa out of the bag, and it all goes crackers again. This Vespa is like no other I’ve ever seen, I love it. And I don’t just like the fact that it has a BIG cc engine, or that it kicks out 56hp, or that it’s a frickin Vespa-twin, or that the whole conversion is largely reversible (though I really DO like that). It’s the whole level of engineering behind it. One man, a lot of knowledge, and clearly a serious amount of access to some stunning engineering trickery! From the hidden master cylinder, to the stand dampers and beyond, it just rocks. The engineering is on a whole different level. Yet to look at, the scooter is just sooooo subtle and outwardly unassuming. Don’t get me wrong, I totally get (and love) those ‘in yer effin face’ conversions and customs which are out there, no doubt.

But for me, for my specific and personal tastes… it’s the street sleeper through and through, always has been, always will be. I

think it’s something to do with that ‘underdog’ appearance, under-promising and over-delivering. I like that. Plus, when it comes to ‘getting excited’ about stuff these days, I think I’ve gone ‘scooter blind’…

I don’t really see much these days which makes me immediately think ‘I want one’… but this scooter does exactly that. When I heard that Stan had been offered a test ride on it, but had turned it down… I reconsidered his employment for a minute!

But he did qualify the statement with the background fact that he had downed a few beers when the offer came, and the owner (Christian Mühlbauer) tagged his offer with the perfectly reasonable caveat: “You crash it, you pay for it.” Could I have resisted the same temptation? Hard to say, but Stan held firm, so respect to him for that (and Captain Sensible lives to ride/write another day).

Anyway that’s enough of my ramblings, it’s another belter this month… enjoy the issue.

Dan

Vespa engineering on a whole new level...

SCOOTERING is published by: Mortons Scooter Media, a division of Mortons Media Group Ltd © 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any way without the written permission of the publisher. ISSN 0268 7194 Distribution: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001.

Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton

The Professional Publishers Association Member

S C O O T E R I N G WA S B R O U G H T T O Y O U W I T H T H E H E L P O F. . .

Stu Smith

Vespa & Lambretta owner, scooter obsessive, amateur home mechanic, rally goer, Mod sympathiser, music lover and general all round good egg. He writes your rally reports, be nice to him.

Nik Skeat

Vespa P-range obsessive, welltravelled rally rider since the 80s, founder of the notorious Scooterboy World forum. He’s also a brilliant beer-brewing bearded Scootering feature writer.

Paul Green

Vespa & Lambretta scooter enthusiast, BSSO professional and general good egg. Our Paul has a long history of scootering both on the road and on the track, with the breakdown bills and crash scars to prove it.

Stuart Owen

LCGB ‘life member’, 100mph Lambretta Club owner and scooter restoration expert to boot. Scooter rider, rally-goer, restorer and author. Reaches the parts other scooter journalists just can’t reach.

Dave Oakley

Riding and building scooters since 1983, Dave has been a contributor to Scootering since the 90s. His builds include chops, cutdowns, street-racers, autos and the most infamous custom of the 80s!

Big Stan

80s scooterboy turned long-distance rider.

Be it local, national or international, he’ll ride anywhere in his quest to bring you the tastiest scooters, best roads, trade interviews and hidden gems.

Sarge

With over four decades of riding, rally-going and competing on both Lambretta and Vespa scooters under his belt, this former Freddie Mercury lookalike is still going strong.

He’s a top DJ too, don’tcha know.

CONTENTS letter from the 03Welcome Editor 61Kevin’s Chronicles A warm welcome to the November edition of Scootering.

06

Kickstart

The upfront section with all the latest news, views and product reviews!

16

Feature Scooter: Doing the Boxer Beat

When images appeared of Motorino Diavolo’s Vespa twin they were dismissed as photoshopped nonsense but, as Stan discovered, it’s real and this boxer packs a punch!

Report: Mersea 23Rally Island Scooter Rally 2019 Carnage… absolute carnage. Mersea Island Scooter Rally 2019 was as bonkers this year as it has always been.

Jamie Godley fills us in.

28

Rally Report: W.o.T. Rally – Old Skool and Fun!

Hosted by a coalition of the Gatecrashers and Skegby Scooter Clubs, the W.o.T. Rally is always one that everyone looks forward to.

31

Mailbox

Readers’ letters, laughs, feedback and fury – get it off your chest, man!

32

Subscriptions

Get your mag delivered to the door, earlier than newsstands, and save money… cool. Plus – gain access to all the benefits of the ‘Scootering Extra’ subs club.

The final part of our homage to scooter legend Kev Walsh.

74Club Do’s & Events

Your essential guide to the scene – What, Where & When!

Words & 79Scootering Sounds

The best of Scootering words and music as reviewed by Nik & Sarge.

Rally Report: Brighton 82Mod Rally

August Bank Holiday weekend is, invariably, the most profitable, with thousands upon thousands of scooterists descending on the muchloved South Coast resort of… Brighton!

Bergheim: 88Brilliant SCK

Scooter Centre’s open day was blessed with sunshine, sausages, beer and some of Germany’s finest scooters.

Tech Torque: 93 Lambretta Preservation: Part 2

An original paint example can be so good, that it may look like it only needs a polish! But there is often more to it than just that.

99BSSO Racing – Cadwell The highs and lows of racing life. Like the weather at Cadwell, it never rains, but it pours…

Scooter: 102Feature Toxic Purge

The best of our readers’ rides as sent in by you.

The rules have been made irrelevant by this… probably the most radical and controversial scooter of the Toxic brand.

Keeler Sportsman 40Bob combo

107Scooter Trader

34

Show us your scoots!

A scooter capable of being both eyecatching on the high street, or competitively climbing up a Welsh hill in the dead of night!

51

: Dealer Profile: Scoots and Soul

Scoots and Soul are specialist dealers manufacturing in-house, handmade Lambretta seats, with comfort as priority.

56

The Clubman Vespa

Sean Jeffries couldn’t say no when he was offered a complete Vespa Clubman at a very reasonable price.

4 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

section.

The sales and classifieds

The 114Bonneville: Final Frontier…

A quest to embrace the epitome of challenges of scooter endurance, at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Ride: 119Reader’s Pretty Green

When a Yorkshireman sets out to build a scooter with a timeless appearance, increased performance, and within a ‘tight budget’, you can guarantee tight, and we mean tight!

88

16

40

114

Never miss from only £20 an issue Subscribe today on page 32

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 5

KICKSTART Snog, Marry, Avoid

A

service on Stan’s GP coincided with the arrival of Quattrini compatible Clubmans. It would have been rude of him not to

test them…

Pitting any Clubman against an expansion chamber is only going to have one result – the expansion chamber will win. That’s not to say Clubmans are bad exhausts. For those wanting a standard look and less noise they’re an obvious choice, it’s simply a question of priorities.

Regular readers will know that I’m running a long-term test of a Quattrini motor built by Chiselspeed in Leeds. When I dropped it in for service, Martin asked if he could use it to compare sample Clubmans from BGM and Ron Moss. I agreed, as long as I got to ride them.

In fairness to both BGM and Ron Moss, it’s worth pointing out that a lot of time and effort’s gone into setting up my CST. The other pipes were only fitted for comparison; fine tuning of the jetting may give either of them a little extra power, but the results are more than accurate enough for our purposes.

The price of standard looks is performance

Chiselspeed CST10 Expansion Chamber – £350 (Dyno Chart Brown line)

This has been fitted to my motor from day one and is the exhaust I’m most familiar with. Designed and built by Chiselspeed especially for the Quattrini, it delivers everything to be expected of an expansion chamber. Top of that list is noise. At a scooter rally or thrashing around country lanes it sounds beautiful, but over the past couple of years I’ve noticed a hardening attitude to exhaust noise. This is particularly true in Europe, and riding an expansion pipe through a quiet German town is guaranteed to earn disapproval.

The CST10, which is based on the well established CST 3 and 4, has been specifically developed as a rally/touring pipe for the Quattrini 210 smallblock kit.

The CST10 produces a maximum of 24.46bhp and 19.2 ft-lb of torque, BGM PRO

Ron Moss Avanti EX-Box

There’s no hiding an expansion pipe

peaking at around 6000rpm, but with a power and torque band running from around 4000 to 7500rpm.

On the road this translates into a very free-revving engine with a good delivery of power across a wide range of road speeds.

There’s a very definite ‘kick’ at around 4,500rpm, which never fails to put a smile on my face. There’s no doubt this is the pipe to choose if exploiting performance is the main priority.

Ron Moss Avanti Ex-Box – £TBC (Dyno Chart Green line)

It’s important to point out that this pipe was provided by Ron to use as a baseline.

He’s currently developing a Quattrini -specific pipe, but whilst the EX-Box works well on other kits, it’s not tuned for the Quattrini. We’ve included the results to show how performance can be affected by simply fitting an inappropriate exhaust.

The Ex-Box produces a maximum of 18.36bhp and 15.15ft-lb of torque; the power is delivered in a very flat curve that peaks between 6/7,000rpm.

In use this translates to a rather dull experience, best described as a well-setup standard 200. It pulled well in every gear, but took an age to get into 5th. Not only had every one of the Quattrini’s strengths been neutered, but also the Ex-Box wasn’t much quieter than the expansion pipe. It was a brave move of Ron to let us baseline on this pipe but, as the results show, it’s not for a Quattrini.

BGM PRO Clubman – £250 (Dyno Chart Red Line)

Balancing cost and performance is a BGM staple and their Clubman is certainly priced attractively. Interestingly, this is the only exhaust tested that uses a circular TS1 type manifold, as both the CST and Each exhaust was tested on the same Dyno on the same day

6 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

LEGAL Q&A This information is provided by Stephen Hattersley of WildWood Legal, a firm of solicitors specialising in claims for injured scooterists. Stephen, a qualified solicitor for 25 years, has been riding scooters for over 30 years, and has acted for injured riders across the UK. He knows the tricks and pitfalls that insurers use and pulls no punches in his dealings with them. He rides to work every day and understands the challenges you face out there.

Q. My solicitor wants to take 25% of any money I get from my accident compensation. Is that allowed? It doesn’t seem fair.

A. Yes, it is. Since 2013, solicitors have been allowed to take a ‘success fee’ from winning cases as they now get less from the

Defendant’s insurers towards their costs.

This is capped at 25% of the claim. It pays to shop around though – the vast majority of firms will always charge 25%, but some firms (us included) keep our overheads low so we can charge a reduced amount in certain cases. Some cases are riskier than others. We look at each case individually

Stan put each exhaust through its paces

and suggest what we think is a fair deduction for the particular circumstances.

If you need advice on a scooter-related legal question, email stephen@wildwoodlegal. co.uk. The best Q&A will be published in Scootering magazine in confidence.

SCOOTERBOYS 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Gareth Brown wrote the original Scooterboys book, first published in 1989, and it sold over 25,000 (that’s right, 25,000 and not 2,500 as suggested in last month’s typo!) copies over three decades.

Recently it’s had its final update, with some new additions for what will be its 10th reprint, and has just been released for sale.

Price: £14.99 Out: Now Order: www.mortonsbooks.co.uk

EX-Box have profiles that match the Quattrini’s oval port.

The BGM produces a maximum of 20.97bhp and 15.83 ft-lb of torque. Although power is delivered in a smooth curve, peak output isn’t achieved until around 7,000rpm.

I was pleasantly surprised by the BGM’s road performance; after the Ex-Box it put the smile back on my face. It’s certainly an exhaust I could live with and, more importantly, so could my neighbours. The note is pleasing, but it’s also the quietest of the three exhausts on test.

The even power curve means that it works through the gears with ease, although 5th did feel more like an overdrive than a usable part of the gearbox. One thing I missed was the CST’s 4,500rpm ’kick’, which has disappeared in favour of a smooth build-up of power.

Overall, the BGM tames the Quattrini’s more insane tendencies.

Unfortunately, I think that in doing so it eliminates the reason for fitting a Quattrini in the first place.

Quattrini has an oval exhaust port The results of my Quattrini test will be coming soon, but I’m breaking no secrets by saying that it’s a high revving, high torque, high power unit that’s a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, it’s neither cheap to buy nor build. Our test shows that the consequences of fitting it with a Clubman are losing 3.5bhp and 3.3ft-lb of torque. There are much cheaper ways of building a 20bhp engine and if that were my aim I’d probably plump for something like a Mugello. But that’s just my opinion. Snog, Marry, Avoid? It’s a personal choice.

Thanks to: Chiselspeed, Ron Moss, BGM Words: Stan Images: Stan/Gary Chapman

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 7

KICKSTART

OLD BA**ARDS SCOOTER CLUB OBSC is still going strong, and tell us that membership is still £10 with a free member’s patch.

Gold ‘Still Going At 50’ patch is £3.50 for members only. See www.oldbastardssc.com for membership application and club shop, or email taff@scootlife.com for info.

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? With the latest edition to their range of seats, Scooter Centre Koln promise owners of large frame Vespas the perfect combination of style and comfort. Built on a powder coated metal frame, the seat has a supportive foam filling that’s wedge shaped, allowing taller riders to sit further back, whilst shorter riders benefit from a slightly lower front profile.

The cover has a slip-resistant, embossed quilted surface and waffled sides with grey piping. Unlike cheaper seats, the cover is not only glued, but also hooked into metal ‘noses’ in the frame.

The seat fits all Vespa large frame models from VBA to PX, including LML two-strokes and models with ‘tall tanks’, such as the Rally and SS180.

RRP: £203.81 www.scooter-center.com

BULL-IT TACTICAL HOODIE The Tactical Hoodie is the newest addition to the Bull-it jacket range. Building upon previous versions, the Tactical Hoodie comes packed with new features. They’ve boosted abrasive performance throughout the product, and additional key areas have been reinforced with Webtech abrasion protection.

Tested to the new CE standard (17092), the Tactical Hoodie delivers high-end performance, lightweight design and AA protection. CE level 2 shoulder, elbow and back protectors are fitted as standard.

8 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

In addition to high protective performance, the new Tactical Hoodie comes with taped zips and seams throughout, increasing protection from the elements. A zip-in, zip-out thermal liner has been installed for added comfort and year-round use. Belt loops and wrist restrains have been added to ensure maximum safety while riding. To finish, the outer shell has a shower-repellent coating.

Available in sizes S-4XL. RRP: £199 www.oxfordproducts.com

KICKSTART

TROJAN RECORDS PRESENTS: SKA JAM

U

nless some cheeky oik has nicked your copy, you lucky lot should have received a limited edition Trojan CD gift with your copy of Scootering this month. Our clever people at head office (they are not all suits ‘n’ briefcases) have got their heads together with the good folks at Trojan and come up with this excellent compilation of Trojan sounds. It’s a great blend of tracks, it’s a gift from us to you, so bang it in your CD player and please enjoy!

About Trojan Records Trojan Records is arguably the most influential British record company of all time.

It represents something very special to both our scene, and popular culture. We have all grown up with the records, whether we realise it or not, as Trojan Records has provided the soundtrack to our lives for the last 50 years. The sheer volume and quality of the music released on the label is utterly astounding. Trojan is more than just a record label, it is a legend, at the heart of a cultural revolution which unfolded in the council estates and shanty towns of the late 1960s and 1970s in two wildly different island cultures - Jamaica and the UK. Twenty

10 | SCOOTERING | NOV NOVEM VEMBER 2019

years after the Empire Windrush brought the first wave of West Indian migrants to the UK, racial tension began to simmer on the streets of Britain. But when Trojan was formed in 1968, it captured the sounds of an emerging post-colonial confidence in Jamaica in the form of ska, rock steady and reggae. These new sounds began to break out of West Indian communities and into the hearts and minds of the white working class.

For the first time, a new sound was uniting white and black youth and ‘Trojan Skinhead’ culture began to take root and flourish from this newly shared musical identity.

From its roots in the sound systems of post-colonial

Jamaica, through to the foundation of the label in London, and its eventual take-over of British youth culture soon after… it’s a journey that would lead us to better understand and appreciate how we arrived at the multi-cultural society many take for granted today.

The impact of Trojan Records is around us today for all to see. Jamaican and British culture have been fundamentally bonded by its influence. For us, the spirit of Trojan Records and everyone involved in its journey represents the unifying possibilities of music.

Laurence Cane-Honeysett @ Trojan Records

Insurance solutions* for classics and more.

Did you know with FJ+ you can tailor your policy from a range of cover options, including; breakdown, agreed value and salvage retention?

Call our friendly UK team for a quote.

0333 207 6017

or visit: footmanjames.co.uk *All cover is subject to insurer’s terms and conditions, which are available upon request. Footman James is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England No. 4043759. Registered Address: 1 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London, EC3R 7AA. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Telephone calls may be monitored or recorded. FP ADGE.1505.7.19.

Horses for courses

The scooter tuning market is big business. It seems the bragging rights have changed though, from speed… to simply how much power you have got!

I

pub talk in reality but more importantly have no doubt anyone who owned a bragging rights you left for others Lambretta back in the 1980s will to disprove. remember the build-up to the It didn’t take long for Vespa owners to launch of the TS1. Various snippets get in on the act either. With tuning for of news were carefully fed to the them becoming more and more prevalent scootering media before the launch of they too were just as keen to exaggerate such a ground-breaking kit, ready to how fast they were going. With the revolutionise Lambretta ownership, introduction of the T5 a whole new gaggle according to some reports. There was one of speed merchants happy to enter the phrase quoted just before its official fairy tale world of ridiculous claims. Even release and one that is still talked about this very magazine couldn't claim to be today. I’m sure many can remember it: innocent. Soon every custom scooter ‘The rider laying prone to the machine featured was asked by the owner how fast rocketed up to 92mph.’ Whether or not it the top speed was. Most times a figure it was a true statement didn’t matter and at seemed was simply plucked out of the sky the time wasn't even questioned. The thought of possibly being able to achieve such speed was all that mattered to most potential owners.

If anything that statement seemed to create a new fashion. All of a sudden the only thing that mattered was how fast your scooter could go.

If anyone dare have a tuned engine in their Lambretta, even if it was mild, there was only one question on people’s minds: ‘How fast does it go?’ It didn’t take long before speeds became greatly exaggerated. If someone said 75mph then the next said 80mph and so on, with claims of top speed continually rising. It Horses for courses... didn't take long before 90mph+ was the standard industry figure. After all, if AF Rayspeed were claiming it with just to fill the details in on the form, on their new kit, why couldn't anyone else the odd occasion, someone stumping up with an engine built by a local tuner? the courage to boldly go where no others It was a time devoid of speed cameras had gone before them, quoting 100mph. and any other type of measuring device to Just like any fashion, it all began to go a see how fast you were going. Therefore, if bit stale and no one seemed bothered how anyone made a monstrous claim who was fast a scooter was any more. So what if it going to doubt them and, more was quick? Being part of the scene was importantly, prove them wrong? The what mattered to most scooterists.

Lambretta speedometer, if by some Time moves on and so does technology, miracle it worked, was about as accurate not only allowing scooter tuning as holding your hand up in the air. Speed techniques to be more advanced, but also measurement back then came by the way the devices that can measure their of the Ford motor company. The standard performance. Things have changed how quote being, ‘My mate was following me people look at the measurements. No and he clocked me at 85mph.’ It was all

12 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

more does it seem to matter how fast you go, but simply how much power your engine has got. What it has done is started the whole scenario off once again, but this time the scooter in question doesn’t have to move one inch.

Dyno technology has come on in leaps and bounds, thanks to the computer revolution. Twenty years ago it seemed only the top tuning businesses had access to them, but today they are as common as the number 11 bus.

This has thrown up a new conundrum and one that recently seems to have intensified. Instead of huge claims about speed, this has been swapped for bhp.

Seemingly, all that matters is just how high it actually is. There is no regard for the fact that the transmission will quickly wear out or the brakes and chassis will struggle to cope.

A new cylinder kit for the Lambretta seems to be released at the rate of one a week these days, with the adverts simply based around their bhp figure, enhanced further by the lb/ft torque measurement, and claiming that if your Lambretta is fitted with one, the figures prove that you can accelerate like lightning or pull a caravan uphill without having to change down a gear.

For the majority it doesn't matter, but for some there seems to be a power war going on, even if none of it is proved on the road. Here lies the problem, though.

How accurate is one dyno to another? Just because it reads a certain figure on one, doesn't mean it will on the next. These machines are quite sensitive and readings can vary, opening up the argument about how true someone's actual claim is. While I'm all in favour of tuning and its development, it does sometimes get rather tedious listening to the bickering between rivals simply over how much power they have. Perhaps it should be all taken with a pinch of salt and the talking done out on the road or track. Or as one famous Lambretta tuner from Yorkshire once said: “It’s all dyno bollocks.”

ACCIDENT CLAIM SPECIALISTS

“

We don’t chase ambulances.

We chase idiots who knock people off scooters

“

!

Lots of firms will claim to be ‘specialists’ on bringing compensation claims for scooterists. s.

But are they?

!

I have recovered several million pounds in compensation for scooterists.

!

I am a scooterist who has been riding for 30 years and qualified as a lawyer for 25 years.

!

I ride a scooter to work every day. ld I have first-hand, real world e experience of what it’s like to be out on two wheels.

!

I’ve been involved with scooters for years, including setting up and running a scooter helmet business, Carnaby Designs

!

I will guide you through every aspect of your claim and get you the compensation to which you’re entitled.

01423 788728

Stephen Hattersley Principal Wildwood Legal info@wildwoodlegal.co.uk

DISCOUNTED SUCCESS FEES WHEN YOU MENTION www.wildwoodlegal.co.u uk

The Future is Bright – The Future is Endurance Teesside September 2019 – Did we witness the future of accessible UK scooter sport?

S

cooter racing in this day and age is fast and furious, and a very serious business. It needs to be that way in these health and safety conscious times, unfortunately. Years of legislation and risk management mean that circuitbased racing of any type of vehicle is neither cheap nor easy. Over the years scooters have developed into very fast race machines, and whilst small circuits were fine in the early 1980s, these days race scooters are at home at circuits like Cadwell Park and Anglesey. Back in 1987 when I decided to give racing a go I simply joined what was then the Federation of British Scooter Clubs, got my membership card, rocked up with a scooter and went racing with well over 100 other enthusiastic scooterists. It was easy to get going, health and safety was relatively slack and a race grid could be six or seven bikes wide. Fast-forward to today and first off you need a specific Race Licence, which will involve a particular eye test far more detailed than a normal sight test, and you need a doctor to sign you off as fit and healthy, both of which you may get charged for.

Then you have to do a classroom and track test to prove you can handle a motorbike or scooter at speed on a track.

The whole rigmarole is likely to cost you £100-200 and involve a day off work for the test. It’s easy to get put off, and it’s hardly something you can do on a whim or just to ‘see how you get on’. So there had to be something different to get that mixture of fun and speed in scooter racing, and it fell to scootering’s fastest

14 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

Endurance racing is a team affair pensioner, Keith Terry, to come up with something fun, accessible and relatively cheap. Inspired by European Endurance race events, which he has attended and competed in over the last few years, Keith set about looking into things. What he came up with was the six-hour event under the banner of British Scooter Endurance Club (BSEC) at the NorthEast Teesside circuit (formerly known as Langbaugh when it hosted scooters in the 90s). With the simplest of regulations there were classes open to both serious race machines, as well as groups of mates or scooter clubs. You don’t need a race licence. The circuit was fast enough to get a decent speed, but also relatively safe, with a lot of slow-speed bends. Endurance racing is very much a team affair. You and your buddies can club together for a scooter.

You don’t have to go crazy. You need reliability, a race strategy, some planning and a ‘can do’ attitude, as well as a sense of fun. You’re racing for six hours so you are swapping riders and planning fuel stops. If you fall off trying too hard you can lose a lot of time, especially if you break the scooter and you have to fix things. Keith had pretty much covered everything to maximise track time. Even if you destroyed an engine you could swap it and still get track time in (although with time penalties, forget winning). Even stormy weather, which made the track slippy in places, added to

the challenge and spectacle as riders slid down the track and then limped back in shame as their and mechanics patched things up and got the bikes back out.

Teams helped each other in a fabulous spirit and whatever your talent or machine speed, there was someone out there to race with and have fun with.

Next year’s event(s) are almost certainly going to be over-subscribed, and there has been nothing but praise for the event. Keith may have created a monster! A word of caution. Having spent 30 years with people racing for plastic trophies, it can get super-competitive with everyone wanting to ‘win’. No one wants someone else to have better tyres or gain some advantage. You’ll hear talk of level playing fields. Knowing young Keith as I do, he has spent long enough around racing to be the benevolent dictator. You won’t pull the wool over his eyes… you will find him firm and fair, I am sure. His vision and drive to get this version of scooter sport off the ground has to be applauded and respected. He has given us all an accessible and relatively cheap way to race our scooters against other like-minded people. We don’t have to have the fastest machine in the world and we don’t have to be super talented. Pretty much everyone can get out there and give it a go. It’s fun, you can do it, and your mates can join in.

And when you’re done and you’ve patched up the damage, you can ride that scooter to the next rally. People did exactly that. Welcome to the future, courtesy of the fastest pensioner scooterist around.

Vespa Twin:

Doing the Boxer Beat When images appeared of Motorino Diavolo’s Vespa twin they were dismissed as photoshopped nonsense but, as Stan discovered, it’s real and this Boxer packs a punch.

16 | SCOOTERING | NOVEMBER 2019

ENJOYED THIS PREVIEW? THE BEST ACTION IN TRIALS AND MOTOCROSS

DIRTb bike ke

VELO MAC MA S SPECIAL PECIAL NORTON RT RTON INTER AJS SCEPTRE SCEP E SPORTS! SCEPTR SPORTS POR !

PORTS

CLASSIC

#48

ISSUE

Forty-eight Autumn 2018

OCTOBER 2018

No. 330 October 2018 £4.30 UK Off-sale date 31/10/2018

MOTO MEMORIES // TECH TALK // MONTESA COTA 200 // BULTACO MATADOR

3.60

Running, Riding & Rebuilding Running, Rebuilding Real RealClassi RealC Classic C lassi Motorcycles

BOXER CKS TRIC

HOW THE LEGEEND BEGAN

SUPERMAC’S TRIUMPH DRAYTON

PRINTED IN THE UK

PLUS MOTO MEMORIES TECH TALK MONTESA COTA 200 BULTACO MATADOR AN HOUR WITH: GERRIT WOLSINK

£3.60 US$9.99 C$10.99 Aus$8.50 NZ$9.99 PRINTED IN THE UK

HOME, JAMES!

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE

#48

001 Cover_OCT.indd 1

AT THE CASTLE

DRUMLANRIG 2018 D 20

WINNER

SUPER PROFILE: ARIEL’S HT3

GREEVES ESSEX TWIN BUYING GUIDE // STRIP YOUR TWOSTROKE // BSA B31 RESTORATION // MALLE MILE // CAFE RACER CUP // SHETLAND CLASSIC // THE CLASSIC TT // MIKE HAILWOOD REPLICA

CLASSICS

65 PRE65 PRE

PRINTED IN THE UK

R 2018 ISSUE 174 OCTOBER

N48 2018 US$15.99 Aus$14.99 NZ$18.99 UK£5.50 UK Off-sale date 15/11/18

BUY  SELL  RIDE  RESTORE

13/09/2018 10:34:50

001 CDB Cover_048.indd 1

02/08/2018 14:53:55

001 Cover_174.indd 1

03/09/2018 10:18:26

•SINGLE ISSUES •SUBSCRIPTIONS

CLICK HERE

www.classicmagazines.co.uk

ENDOFPREVI EW

I fy oul i k ewhaty ou’ v e r eads of ar ,whynot s ubs c r i be,ort r ya s i ngl ei s s uef r om:

www. c l as s i c magaz i nes . c o. uk