The Sporting
MOTORCYCLIST News for social and sporting motorcycling
..published monthly
August 2022
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)
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 2022 VOL. 22 ISSUE 8 PUBLISHED ON THE 1ST OF EACH MONTH
Cover Photo: Andy Forward, 500 Morado Triumph. Taken at the Ramsgate Revival in 2015, but rider and bike will be back for Betteshanger.
FROM THE EDITOR'S CHAIR n By Andy Wood
The really warm weather that has been with us for the past few weeks no doubt caused a few extra headaches for those organising racing events. However they seemed to manage to control the dust enough to allow events to safely go ahead giving competitors a ride and spectators something to watch. There was a time when trials took a break during the summer months but that has changed and trials have been an all year round sport for some time now. With the dry weather grip is not a problem so other obstacles have to be found to test the riders skills; some feel this has taken away some of the subtle skills needed. The writer of these words aptly describes this saying, "Trials was traditionally a winter sport. This meant lots of mud and water, this resulted in a real test of throttle, clutch and bike control trying to find grip. This meant the sections did not need to be dangerous or have any big steps involved. A very simple bog or muddy camber could take marks from ANYONE". The writer of those above words was expressing concern about sidecar trials. There are very few trials that include a sidecar class nowadays. It was a little extra work on the part of an organiser to provide a suitable route in the sections to accommodate sidecars and in some cases for a poor response in terms of entries. This in turn led to fewer people riding sidecars and justifiably, organisers not including a class for sidecars in their events. How can this situation be changed? Introducing new riders to the pleasures and skills required working as a team and enjoying the social interaction between competitors will take time. From an organisers point of view, why not take the plunge, offer a sidecar class in your events, whatever the response don’t give up, just ask if you need help. A round of the Wessex Plant Hire Sidecar Championship takes place in Kent this month on Saturday the 13th. The organising OWLS Motor Club will be setting out an 18 section course in some pleasant woodland in Sevenoaks Weald and would welcome your offer to help with observing. Go along, find out for yourself what sidecars in trials have to offer. What started out in 2015 as "The Ramsgate Revival" a nostalgic revisit to the Western Undercliff, scene of the Sunbeam Sprints which last took place at the end of the 1960’s. The Heritage Sprint now takes place at Bettshanger Park near Deal CT14 0BF in deepest Kent. Over the weekend of the 13th and 14th of August, labelled "Kent’s Biggest Biking Event". the Heritage Sprint offers a weekend display of classic racers, custom and road bikes together with an added opportunity to see and hear sprinting machinery blasting down a course laid out in Betteshanger Park. Plenty of interest there for a full day’s outing. Also on offer on the Friday evening is a chance to hear Steve Parrish which you can enjoy included in the ticket price of £24 which includes a full buffet dinner. Riding, watching or helping there will be plenty to enjoy. 3
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Centre Officials
O N T E NTS
Digital and Subscription Options.
Chairmen 5
Brilliant Brooklands Motorcycle Day 3rd July 6 Random Drug Testing
8
Cover Caption Correction
8
Wycombe Trial
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ACU Southern Centre Minutes of Centre Board Meeting
13
Waterlooville Motorcycle Club-Racing
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Diary Dates
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ACU Wessex Plant Hire British Sidecar Championship 20 Waltham Chase Trials MCC - 50th Anniversary Party
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Kent Royals Speedway
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Lydd Speedway Upright Championship
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South Eastern: Steve Moore Tel: 01483 486320 Southern: Bob Hewson Tel: 023 9259 2919
Secretaries South Eastern: ACU Main Office Tel: 01788 566400 admin@acu.org.uk South Midland: Terry Golds Tel: 01582 455714 Mobile: 07747 855264 21 Buckingham Drive, Stopsley, Luton, Beds, LU2 9RA email: terrylgolds@ntlworld.com Southern: Mr M Wiseman Tel: 07533 741177 27 Foxhayes Lane, Mopley, Southampton, Hants, SO45 1XX email: acusoutherncentre@gmail.com
Permit Secretaries South Eastern: ACU Main Office Tel: 01788 566400 admin@acu.org.uk South Midland: Ian Reynolds Tel: 0208 9079856 Mobile: 07803766314 186 Regal Way, Harrow Middlesex, HA3 0SQ email: reynolds.russell@virgin.net Southern: Claire Ballard Tel: 0118 343 3346 26 Droxford Crescent, Tadley, Hampshire, RG26 3BA email: ballardclaire@hotmail.com
Benevolent Fund Representatives
1976 HKS Speedway Special Designed and Built For Japanese Autoracing
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South Midland: Dave Porter Tel: 01582 651189 22 Belper Road, Luton, Beds, LU4 8RG
The 2022 ACU British Grass Track Championships
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Southern: Terry Graves Tel: 02380 643503 13 Locksley Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 5DX South Eastern: Hazel Collins Tel: 01189 421534 14 Brookside, Calcot, West Berks, RG31 7PJ
Rights of Way Officers South Eastern (Sussex): Bevis Billingham Tel: 01243 585128 182 Elmer Road, Middleton on Sea, Bognor Regis, PO22 6JA
Regulations Trials
Alton, 7th August 9 Tenterden, 14th August 9 Double Five Kent, 17th August 12 Hillingdon & Uxbridge, 21st August 12 Waltham Chase, 28th August 16 Bexleyheath, 27th August 21 Bexleyheath, 28th August 21 West Middlesex Amateur, 4th Sept 24 Bexleyheath, 11th September 24 Oxford Ixion, 11th September 32 Tenterden, 25th September 32 Entry Form
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South Eastern (Kent): Steve Neville Tel: 01797 458939 26 Donsmead Drive, Northiam, TN31 6EQ South Midland: Chris Hurworth Tel: 01494 446198 23 Cambridge Crescent, Totteridge, High Wycombe, HP13 7NE Southern: Martin Down Tel: 01264 365084 18 Barcelona Close, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 1JQ. email: martin.down1@gmail.com
TSM Digital and Subscription Options.
Q By The Editor
Our Digital issues haven't proved as popular as we would have hoped. We initially tried it as an experiment and alternative during the height of the Covid pandemic. Providing readers that were concerned with receiving physical issues during this time. As mentioned many months ago the viability of these digital issues were under review. Our service renewal is coming up at the start of August. This August issue will be the LAST we provide digitally at this current time. Note: All past issues will still be available to purchase even after the start of August 2022
(issuu.com/thesportingmotorcyclist) If you bought a digital subscription and did not receive all 12 issues (after the upcoming August issue) and wish you get a partial refund please email us at: thesportingmotorcyclist@gmail.com. Thanks to those that did make use of this service. Our hardcopy magazine is not going anywhere and we have recently opened up our payment options to make use of online payments (see below for more details).
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Subscribe for a year and receive all 12 issues. Contributions in this issue: Alan Turner, Neil Emmott, Mike Wiseman, John Eckhart, John Sapsard, Roy Francis, John Bramall Would you like to contribute? Please send to the editor, contact details on page 3.
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Tom Plant
Wycombe Trial Q By John Eckhart Photos by Gary Dowzall The trial was organised by the Wycombe and District MCC at Great Wood near Hambledon. Apart from the second and eighth sections the sections were quite dry but still took marks on the loose surface on the cambered turns and climbs on the banks and hillside. The trial comprised 4 laps of ten sections marked out with four routes of varying severity. 10
Peter Haines
The experts lost most marks on section 8 in particular on the dry tight turn and climb over roots up the bank to the ends cards. Thomas Plant was best losing just 9 marks ahead of Scott Howlett on 27 and Thomas O'Sullivan on 33. The Intermediate contest on the orange route was won by Darren Haines losing 14 marks. Darren was the only Inter to clean the hardest sections 5 & 6 with 3 cleans on both. Paul Heron was second on 28 well
and he was just ahead of Adam Meader and Giulio Greco who both lost a single dab. Easy route loses were heaviest on the muddy section eight. Thanks to Phil Channer and his helpers for an enjoyable trial. Expert Thomas Plant (300 Gas Gas) 9 Intermediate Darren Haines (280 TRS)
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Novice Steven Brown (200 Beta)
6
Clubman Simon Dowling (200 Beta)
2
Twinshock Peter Cook (175 Fantic) 10 (St) Youth B Jack Cox-Wootton (125 Vertigo) Sportsman (Hard) Pete Haines (250 Beta)
34 8
Brit Bike (Easy) Mick Clarkson (200 Triumph) 0 Sportsman (Easy) Ron Walters (250 Beta)
0
Peter Cook ahead of Mark George on 58. Section 5 with turns on the steep hillside took most marks on the middle (yellow) route. On this route Simon Brown lost 6 marks to win the Novice class ahead of Kai Morris on 17 and Jim Morris on 27. Three riders competed in the Twinshock class and finished very close on marks with Peter Cook (10) winning the class by the most cleans special test from Paul Meader with Glen Howard just behind on 12. Top Clubman on the middle route was Simon Dowling (2) ahead of Graham Hull on 8 and David
Hill just behind him on 9. Jack Cox-Wootton rode well in the Youth B class losing 34 marks. The Sportsman (Hard) class rode five middle sections and five easy sections and it was won by Pete Haines who lost 8 marks ahead of John Quigg on 17. Mick Clarkson was clean all day his Tiger Cub to take victory in the British Bike (Easy) class on the easy route just ahead of Nick James (1) on the DOT and Chris Pickup (7) on the Tiger Cub. Best Sportsman on the easy route was Ron Walters who also stayed clean
Steve Brown 11
Kent Royals Speedway
Q By Neil Emmott
The only meeting for the Kent Royals scheduled for June was an away trip to Leicester Lion Cubs. However this was postponed with the new date TBE. July 10 Berwick (H): Following over a month without racing the Kent Royals returned to their Iwade home to take on top of the table Berwick Bullets. The Bullets had won seven of their nine matches before visiting The Garden of England and their trip was not without an almost perfect trip south. The Royals were eight points up by heat four but the Bullets fired back with a couple of maximum heat advantages and by heat nine they were two points ahead. With heat advantages shared in heats ten to fourteen the Bullets still held a two point lead going into the final race. Royals' Alfie Bowtell and Ben Morley were the chosen pairing for heat 15 and were up against a tough Bullet pairing of Luke Crang and Jody Scott. The Royals were in no mood to allow the Bullets to leave Kent with maximum points and going down the back straight for the first time Bowtell and Morley were over five yards ahead, entering turn three Crang fell and Scott was forced to lay his bike down to avoid the stricken Crang. Crang remounted but Scott was unable to get up in time before the red lights came on. Crang was excluded and Scott could do nothing in the rerun to stop Bowtell and Morley taking maximum points and valuable league points off of the Bullets too. Final Score: Kent Royals 46 - Berwick Bullets 44. July 15 Armadale (A): The Kent Royals made the long trip north to the Armadale Devils (half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow). The Devils had failed to win any of their previous matches and the Royals were in a buoyant mood hoping to gain maximum points as reward for their long trip north. The Royals were indeed rewarded with Alfie Bowtell scoring 14 and Ben Morley 13. Team Manager John Sampford was happy to take the maximum 3 points for an away win and more pleased that new signing Connor King scored 8 in his first meeting in a Royals race jacket. The Royals suffered a small set back losing heat one 4-2, after that they 26
outscored the Devils in five more heats whereas the Devils could only gain a heat advantage in three heats of the remaining heats. Final Score: Armadale Devils 42 - Kent Royals 48. July 24 Oxford (H): The Kent Royals suffered their first home defeat at the hands of the Oxford Chargers. The Chargers stormed into an eight point lead in the first two heats with back-to-back 1-5 scores. In what turned out to be difficult conditions in the heat with the track staff struggling to keep the dust at bay, the Royals only outscored the Chargers in five of the fifteen heats, and three of those being the last three, by which time it was all in vane as the chargers went into those final heats with a fifteen point lead. It will be a day to forget for the Royals as they push for the play-offs and they have a difficult away fixtures at Mildenhall and Belle Vue next. It was also a day to forget for the Royals new signing Connor King, scoring just two points from his four outings with two falls thrown in for good measure. Final score Kent Royals 41 - Oxford Chargers 47. July 31 Mildenhall (A): Report in the September edition of TSM. National League (as of July 25, 2022) Team Matches Leicester Lion Cubs 10 Berwick Bandits 10 Belle Vue Colts 9 Oxford Chargers 9 Kent Royals 6 Mildenhall Fen Tigers 8 Plymouth Centurions 8 Armadale Devils 8 Forthcoming fixtures: Aug 5 - Belle Vue (A) National League Aug 21 - Mildenhall (H) National League Aug 28 - Plymouth (H) National League Sept 3 - Leicester (A) National League Sept 4 - Armadale (H) National League Sept 7 - Oxford (A) National League Sept 11 - Belle Vue (H) National League
Points 25 23 18 17 13 12 3 0
From the Sunny Side of the Solent Sunday 26 June British Two Stroke Club brought an interesting Run for Members - a Replication (so far as possible) of the first Event held by the BTSC after it was founded in the Spring of 1929 by Tommy Meeton, was the Goddard Trophy Coast Trial. The Run started at the Goddard Garage in the Goddard Road, Norwood. It was Run with Trials Sections 79 miles down to the Marine Hotel in Worthing. The Hotel was demolished in the 1950s during a Worthing Sea Front Development. At the time, there were no roads that crossed over the North and South Downs apart from the A23 and A22. The other way of crossing them was by Dirt/Farm tracks, known as Byways, or as "Motor Cycle Weekly" described them, "Colonial Roads." It was on these sections that the observed trial took place. One of the "Observed Sections" took place on the long on the long steep hill when you leave Steyning (a dirt road then). When arriving at the Marine Hotel, the riders were asked to have Lunch and maybe a "Dip" in the briny before the return journey before the return journey via Findon, Lodsworth and Cranleigh to finish at Buckland. In 1929 the event attracted 41 entrants Unfortunately, there are no trophies remaining within the BTSC Club relating to the Event. Trophies were
handed out a week later after all the results had been double checked. Once again, BTSC have no information on who the individual Winners were. With high Summer with us, the Helter Skelter rush towards Computerisation to High Tech wherever possible, seems to be a cross we have to bear. Alas I find IT quite difficult, and I had quite a heady day getting the 125 Yamaha to the Isle of Wight and back, to get to Round 2 of Wightlink Warriors Shale Track Racing Clubs Island Masters Event on 21 July. 24 Races filled the action packed programme, a very good evening. The highest speeds of the top runners was quite remarkable, and all was safely concluded by 9.30. As for myself, I had various problems obtaining an OAP/Motorcycle return ticket from Portsmouth and back, with one overnight stay. Thanks to various passers by I was able to obtain a return Wightlink Return Ticket, although there were various validity problem and passages of chaos involving various refunds and repayments but all was eventually well. Come returning to Portsmouth the next day, heavy traffiic and roadworks made getting to the Ferry Terminal quite difficult, but I had a lucky moment when it only seemed to be essential that my name was known and the Yamaha Registration Number too. Also the time of sailing, so the fact
n By John Bramall that I was able to arrive back home seemed to be due mainly to good fortune than good planning. So the question is shall I persist with cracking on with solving the IT problems, or should I concentrate on something simpler, such as the County Cricket programme, which I partly understand? Or the world of grasstrack/moto cross , where things seem not to be quite so complicated? I managed to get along to the Grass Track Banter Trophy Promotion at Whaddon Farm, Owslebury Promotion, near Winchester on 24 July. The Bumper Promotion of 52 Races included four classes of Sidecar, and Solos ranging from Auto Cadet up to 500 Solos. High Speed Racing and hot Sunshine was the order of the day, apart from the odd spill and apart from the odd bruise everyone appeared none the worse for wear and in good spirits. Main Class Winners were: GT 140 Mark Headling; Pre 75 Solo Dave Hammond: Auto Cadet Esme Theobald: Junior Solo Thomas Vining: Intermediate Solo Ashton Vale; 250 Solo Chris Still; 350 Solo Cameron Taylor; 500 Solo James Wright; Upright Solo Jason Prynne; 500 Sidecar Jordan Smith/Joe Page. Old & New Sidecar Mark Courtney/ Leon Torres; Right Hand Sidecar B Final No. 51: A Final Mark Cossar/ Gareth Williams.
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