Indholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2024 i Classic Racer

This is Flight Lieutenant Peter Evans sat on his brand-new Norton Commando in front of his Folland Gnat jet in 1969, when he was a part of the RAF’s Red Arrows aerobatic team. Peter joined the famous aerobatic outfit in 1966 – a year after they were formed – and 1969 would be his final year with the team. Interestingly, Peter would be involved in a few interesting racing escapades during his years with them. Back in the 1960s, the RAF didn’t wrap their Red Arrow pilots up in cotton wool: they often went off to do other things in the off-season, including car rallying and air races. As a result, Peter and two of his Arrows colleagues – Flight Lieutenants Terry Kingsley and Derek Bell took part in the…

The 2000 season saw Yamaha return to the head of the class in 500GP racing, a position it had forfeited for over half a decade of Mick Doohan-inspired Honda dominance. Not since 1992, and the last of Wayne Rainey’s hat-trick of world titles, had the Japanese company ruled the roost in Grand Prix racing’s premier class. But thanks to a succession of solid performances by Yamaha’s quartet of top 10 points scorers in 500GP racing’s penultimate season, it scooped the Manufacturers’ World Championship from Honda’s grasp in the final race of the season at Phillip Island. You could say Yamaha won the title by just 0.182 seconds – because that was Australian 500GP victor Max Biaggi’s race-winning margin over Loris Capirossi’s Honda on his YZR500, in the thrilling finale to…

The irony of this whole story is that I missed the actual race. I was broke, so could only afford to take the boat over for the Senior TT, as John Williams, a local racer I’d just interviewed for the Cheshire Observer, was one of the favourites. Even at the time, I was annoyed not seeing the other races, as while John managed 2nd place in the Senior he won the Classic, while another Cheshire local Charlie Williams did the double, winning the Junior and the 500cc Production event. I couldn’t really write much about those races, the Production race in particular, as it was a right can of worms; no one understood the ‘formula’. As such, for my regular column, I just used a photo of John Williams which…

If you’ve been even remotely interested in endurance racing over the past few decades you cannot have missed the giant-killing escapades of Phase One Endurance. Phase One was set up in 1985 by Russell Benney and Martin Prout and the team’s first steed was a Kawasaki GPz750 equipped with a Harris frame.The team’s first race was a rude awakening: they qualified in last position and finished in 42nd place overall. Better was to come and a new machine in the shape of a Yamaha FZ750.The team scored a number of top 15 placings over the next few seasons, before moving to the Honda VFR750RR RC30. By now the team had good support from Riders of Bridgwater bike dealership. The 1990s would see the team really come to prominence with a move to…

The 1958 TT will be remembered for MV Agusta’s dominance in winning all four solo classes, for John Surtees’ Junior/Senior ‘Double’ victory, and the appearance of a fact-finding mission from a then-unknown Japanese factory, the Honda Motor Company. It may also be remembered by some folk for the first sound recordings of the TT to be made commercially available. These were the Stanley Schofield LP ‘Sound Stories’, covering just the Senior TT – but there are recordings from the 1957 Golden Jubilee TT on a Stanley Schofield EP which were produced some years later using tapes of the original BBC radio broadcasts. The commentary on the 1958 Senior TT ‘Sound Stories’ LP was by the subject of this profile, Graham Walker who was born to Scots parents William and Jessie…

On reaching the age of 76 I’d spent most of my adult life involved with classic racing bikes, but age and a serious blood condition caught up with me in 2018, so I sold my 500cc Manx Norton and lovely 350cc Aermacchi… I had good use from the replica Manx, racing it in the Lansdowne Classic Series for 10 years and enjoying every minute of it – except for the odd trip to hospital. One of the certainties when involved with road racing, I guess? Now I had spare funds that I certainly didn’t want to share with my wife – for domestic purposes! I’d thoroughly enjoyed racing all over Europe and at the Manx GP and TT, so still had the ‘bug’. What to do now? I had no…

It’s 20 years since the youthful James Toseland became the youngest ever World Superbike champion at 23 years, 11 months and 29 days old. And, by the time he lifted the trophy at Magny Cours on October 3, 2004 he’d already been racing on Tarmac for nine years, and before that racing in off-road and moto-cross as a schoolboy. In 1995 James won the Junior Road Race Championship then became hot property by winning the 1997 Honda CB500 Cup and having some impressive one-off rides in that year’s British Supersport Championship. He was quickly signed by Castrol Honda to take part in the 1998 World Supersport series. Unfortunately, the Castrol Honda CBR600F wasn’t the most competitive machine to be on that year and he tragically lost his team-mate Michael Paquay…

It takes a good engine and handling package to win a race, yet most racers would trade anything to have an engine more powerful than their opponent. Besides the over-takes, having an abundance of power can be used to advantage in a number of other ways, too, such as placing less stress on the tyres during a race, or perhaps just to keep pace with the other riders. But the racers’ deal is, when you’ve got it – you’ll use it! The iconic Britten bikes were one such machine and while the motorcycle was a stunning piece of kit, the New Zealand-built engine was the life and soul of the bike. Just to see and hear one start up draws a huge crowd – it’s an event not to miss…

Well, that’s it for us this season with the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club – and what a successful season it’s been. And it’s left us hungry for more… Sadly, we are not able to attend the last CRMC meeting at Anglesey as both the riders have important family occasions they need to attend. So, we ended the year after a run of three of the best circuits in the UK: Cadwell Park, Donington Park and Oulton Park. Once more we’ll take each bike as a separate story and say – here – that we are still looking for sponsors for our BIG plans to race on into 2025, more of which we will talk about next issue. So, if you like what we’re doing, why not support us with some…

It almost never happened! The 1992 Senior TT was, for many race fans, one of the best ever races seen over the 37.75 mile mountain circuit. Agreed, it wasn’t the closest finish of a TT race, and individual opinion varies as to whether it was ‘the greatest’ or not. However, for those of us who were there that sunny Friday in June, there is no doubt. It was, and always will be remembered as the greatest TT race of all time! This was a duel in the sunshine: Steve Hislop riding the ABUS-backed 588 Rotary Norton verses Carl Fogarty on board the 750cc Loctite-backed Yamaha OW01. With Foggy carrying No.4 and Hizzy No.19, they would never see each other on the roads all race. Their battle for supremacy however, totally…