The Sporting
T S I L C Y C R O T MO
..published monthly
orting motorcycling
News for social and sp
August 2020
Enduro, Grasstrack, Motocross, Road Racing, Speedway, Sprinting and Trials news
CONTAINS OFFICIAL EVENT ENTRY FORMS
The Sporting
MOTORCYCLIST
is published monthly and is available through your Clubs or by direct subscription
Editor
(ACU Southern Centre) John Bramall
16 Gifford Close, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6PJ T: 01329 823282 E: johnbramall246@btinternet.com
Editor
(ACU South Midland Centre) Bob Twigg
2 Harwood Close, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8 7SN E: bobtwigg@ntlworld.com
Editor & Advertising and Distribution
(ACU South Eastern Centre) Andy Wood 30 Westways, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6AA Tel/Fax 01732 865380
E: anmarprintingservices@gmail.com
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Anmar Printing Services, Edenbridge, Kent
AUGUST 2020 VOL. 20 ISSUE 8 PUBLISHED ON THE 1ST OF EACH MONTH
All material for TSM should reach the editor by the tenth day of the month preceding publication.
FROM THE EDITOR'S CHAIR n By Bob Twigg
Back at last! So, events can be staged again, it seems a long time ago that we could attend, ride or organise anything. Hope fully there will be no more limiting of entries, or too much "social distancing". The ACU's decision of no spectators would have been hard to implement. I can imagine a volunteer being asked to keep spectators away could have been a bit "hairy" for them, how would you do it ? There might have been some scary moments for whoever was asked to turn folk away. As for trials observers not being used (I know most of us are old) our centre sec' had a good thought when he said that if there were observers the cards (the waterproof ones) could be deposited in a bag at the finish and not touched for several days. I'm sure riders wouldn't mind waiting for the results if they were delayed. The cards could then be recorded, washed and disposed of, that one sounds good to me. Let's hope this horrid virus will be cured or at least made rare. Alternatively riders could observe each other perhaps in groups of two, but of course that could present problems with honesty, (what a thing to say)! I remember a top expert from our centre saying to me one day that at championship rounds every section must have an observer, otherwise he said there would be cheating! Interesting bit on the South Midland trials forum Facebook page the other day. A rider I thought was just another "wobbler" told everyone of his enduro exploits five years ago. It seems he finished a twelve hour enduro without a rest, eating while riding and only stopping for fuel. It goes to show that you never really know about folk and who has done what until they tell you, he wasn't just riding between coloured cards in trials he had done some really hard events, well done all you "hard nuts"! The trials forum brings up some good comments and photos. I particularly like the photos of riders some years ago with their long hair and moustaches, I'm sure that wearing a crash helmet every day for years contributed to my "spam head"! Enjoy your return to our wonderful sport, Bob.Â
Cover Photo: Robin Briers at the Brighton Speed Trials last year Photo by: Alan Turner
Contributions in this issue: Viv Brackett, Andy Withers, Alan Turner, Mike Wiseman, Nigel Cooper, Neil Emmott, Martin Jarvis, Mick Clarkson, Bob Twigg, Barham MCC Would you like to contribute? Please send to the editor, contact details on page 3.
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career I had many different bikes but never one that really suited me. As I was a privateer and had no full time support, I needed a bike with a starter motor and a reliable engine. None of my friends were in to racing, I grew up amongst the other side of biking, so I would turn up to race meets on my own. But I made life long friendships as thankfully the Supermono class was more of a community; all the competitors would often offer and give help and advice whenever they could and it was gladly received. The biggest issue for me was Q  By Martin Jarvis a class called the singles twins getting the dam things started and triples on a very unreliable As a youngster I never really and then if you got held up on got in to racing and the bikes Yamaha SRX 600 and was the grid they would often over I built were custom bikes with T-Boned on lap 3 of my first race heat and that could be your race by another novice. off the shelf parts or parts over, unless a competitor with That first year was spent fabricated by others. Then one his starting trolley was available learning to ride, on the road I day I bought a Buell S1 and to get you started again. Big my riding and bike preference thought I was a fast rider and cc singles were temperamental changed almost over night. at the best of times especially My Tribsa low rider would carburettor models. In 2009 never be ridden again, the there were two small teams who thought of riding a bike with had made their own chassis and no rear suspension and crap they convinced me to do the brakes was utter madness. same. Throughout that season My racing career started when I researched chassis design and I was 40 years old and was spoke to anyone and everyone I kicked off by one of those lunch could, also what engine to use time conversations about things knew how to ride, but it was and by the end of the season I very apparent once I started we would like to do before we had a plan. racing that I was Captain Slow die. Mine was to have a go at I bought a KTM 690 smc for circuit racing. My colleague said and had a long way to go the engine and electrics, sold before I was ever going to win well why don't you? to that I the rest on EBAY, my 450 Honda a race, if ever. Being over 40 had no answer, so that night powered Mono was stripped was not the best time to start I applied for a race licence, down for the suspension and racing but I was not alone in joined a club and never looked wheels and the rest sold on back. I decided that I wanted to the age game, just lacked the EBAY, my Buell was also sold experience. race in the British Supermono along with every other bike After the first year I managed except for the cheap runaround, Championship and set off in to get rid of my novice licence search of a suitable bike. My the MZ Skorpion sport. and at the age of 41 joined the first year of racing was with Everything else was going British Supermono Association. the British Motorcycle Racing to be fabricated by myself. This time on a DR800 powered Club (BEMSEE) and I raced in Being a CNC Programmer and Harris. Through my 11 year
Designed in the Pub Made in the Shed
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not a fabricator I really did not know where to start. I had a lot to learn including buying a TIG welder and learning TIG welding, I had to design and make a chassis jig before I could even make a start on the bike. As the jig was taking longer than expected and as I was using the same engine as one of my competitors they offered to lend me their jig, an offer I gladly excepted. As I had done some gas welding in the past the welding went quite well, not as pretty as I would have liked it to be but the welds were strong. How do I know you ask, well I did some test welds and could not break them before the BST45 cold drawn chrome molly tubing gave way. My 20 x 8 ft shed consisted of a good selection of spanners and sockets etc. a small cheap pillar drill and a very small single phase lathe and now a brand new TIG welder. I spent the next
few months almost living in the shed. I would return home from work say hello to the drunk in the corner (otherwise known as my wife) and disappear to the shed. As well as using the lathe to machine the headstock and ends to the swinging arm I used it to notch the tubing by making a clamp to go on the tool post and put an end mill in the chuck. It didn't seem long before it started to look like a motorcycle but I was really wondering if I would ever finish it in time. Once the chassis and swing arm was finished I still had the rear sub frame and
petrol tank to make. Having never welded aluminium the tank was the hardest challenge of all. And during welding I found out I had been miss sold the TIG welder and it had no AC balance or frequency adjustment, but I got there in the end. The tank was not pretty but it was air tight and held more than enough fuel for a race. I managed to get the bike on the DYNO the week before the first race meeting of the season. Well I say ready I used an aerosol can to paint the chassis and swing arm, the tank was bare aluminium and ugly welds and the fairing was as it came plain white. As my team name was Red Wine Racing I named the bike
the RWR1 Designed in the Pub Made in the Shed. I arrived at Pembrey in Wales just in time for Qualifying with no time for any testing. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I had just spent the past 6 months doing something a year ago I never thought possible and I was now going to go out in qualifying to test it. Was I mad? Everyone in the paddock was very complimentary of my design and build which boosted my confidence, but were they just being polite? During the build my confidence had taken a serious knock as a renowned UK chassis designer had told me my tubing was too small and as I had failed to use the KTM lower rear mount my chassis would fail. I had sat there for nearly two days just looking at my design and thankfully chose to Continued overleaf
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The Sporting
MOTORCYCLIST
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AWSPORTSPHOTO - Still open for business Make use of the lockdown time - why not look at and order some photos! Photos from 2015 - 2020 - including those seen in The Sporting Motorcyclist, Classic Bike, Classic Trials Magazine, The Classic Motorcycle, Classic Dirtbike, Trials Magazine, Bike and TMX of trials, motocross, enduro etc are posted on awsportsphoto facebook or why not ask for the photos I have of you to be posted as a set, either on facebook or emailed to you. The photo labs remain open for prints and digital images can be sent by email prices are posted on facebook or feel free to message or email for information. Digital images, prints of many sizes including poster prints and canvases, photobooks etc all available - if you have won an event or a championship why not have a special print watermarked with your name and achievement. Contact can be made through email to awsportsphoto@gmail.com, by message on facebook awsportsphoto or by phone 07445251429.Â