Official Newsletter of the Post Classic Racing Association

Official Newsletter of the Post Classic Racing Association
Pics by Rick K.
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE 2010 BARRY SHEENE FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Pics by The Editor
The last race meeting of the year is always the two day extravaganza at Wakefield Park.
A great track and an enjoyable weekend away with our fellow racers makes it a must do event for most
of us. Unfortunately this year it also coincided with the 6 Hour race at Oran Park and The Sydney Motorcycle Show at Homebush. Competitor numbers were not really down though as most of us would rather
GO racing than watch racing. A few members like Mr Easton and Mr Higgs were actually competing at
the 6 hour and did the club proud.
Suzii and I arrived at Wakefield Park during the Friday
practise session after suffering a flat tyre a few kilometres from the track. Would this be an omen for the
weekend I wondered…
The weekend was marred by some truly wild weather
which included extreme heat on Friday, slightly cooler
conditions on Saturday and heavy winds on Sunday
which made conditions very interesting. At around
lunchtime on Friday we also experienced a short monsoonal rain storm which caught everybody off guard as
it flooded the pit garages within minutes.
The weekend began in spectacular style for the Team
That hat. What was he thinking ???
Witness protection duo of Max Patterson and Chuck
Wade. After an initial run, Max decided to do some rejetting on his RD250LC. This is where it gets interesting. After reassembling the carbs and wheeling the bike on to the starting rollers, the bike fired up
and immediately ran to redline. This was caused by the carby slides not being refitted properly. While
hanging onto a screaming bike which was still in gear, Max called for help to kill the engine. The kill
switch failed to work and the then the clutch grabbed which launched the bike off the rollers and into the
history books.
With full throttle activated the bike wheelied across pit lane (which was luckily empty) and ploughed full
speed into the Armco railing throwing the helpless and lightly dressed Max over the pit wall and onto the
main straight! Again, it was pure luck that none of the bikes on the track were actually on the straight at
that instant. Could have been a very nasty outcome.
Max quickly jumped back to safety where his bike was still revving uncontrollably until Chuck pulled off
the plug leads. Very spectacular incident which would have looked great on film if somebody had captured it. Max was uninjured unlike his bike which now had very bent forks, bent triple tree and a damaged tank. Max was heartbroken and ready to pack up and drive back to Melbourne but Chuck was having none of this and set to work finding a solution. The first thing he did was ring me to see if I had a
spare set of LC forks, but all I had was RZ gear and I was already on my way down the M7 to Goulburn.
After being told the forks were beyond repair, Max
headed off to Canberra where a wrecker was found
who had some LC forks in stock.
Meanwhile, I was replacing a flat tyre on my tow
car in 40 degree heat only a few km from the track!
To cut a long story short, Max and Chuck fixed the
LC that day, had a cracker of a race weekend on it
and went on to win their 1 hour race.
Congrats guys, you had a weekend to remember.
2009 WAKEFIELD PARK 1 HOUR
Suzii and I did OK picking up a trophy in the one hour FE125 on the mighty N$W Highway Patrol Suzuki
GSX-R 125 RRX. All we had to do was finish and keep the little bike on the track during the strong
winds. At the rider change I threw a bit more engine oil into the GS and went out for a play. We made it.
Nothing beats the spectacle of a Le Mans start, anything can happen.
Rider changes were performed with grace and elegance.
This picture sums up what the
PCRA is all about. Happy times
with like minded people who just
want to have fun racing.
The after race presentations
and drinkies always signal the
end of another perfectly run race
meeting.
As usual we salute the flaggies
and officials for making it all
possible.
Since the last AGM which was a catalyst for unhappy people to let it be
known that the club was not being run according to the 'rules'.
It was pointed out by a member that we should not be trying to
run the club via a set of open meetings, but by a pre arranged set of
Committee Meetings (incl Exec).
The Open Meetings are a way of communicating with the club members
(listening and talking to), but are not the place for decision making.
i.e. to run the club we need more than open meetings, we need committee
meetings with all the committee there, exec meetings, and then open meetings
to hear views of the club.
The list below which is an extract from a set of meeting minutes, brings to
your attention the schedule of meetings.
Note members are invited attend only the Open Meetings
PCRA Committee
April 21, 2010 Executive Only Local
May 19, 2010 Open Meeting Gosford or Similar North venue
June 16, 2010 Executive plus Sub Committee at Dundas
July 21, 2010 Executive Only Local
August 18, 2010 Open Meeting Picton or Similar South venue
September 15, 2010 Executive plus Sub Committee at Dundas
October 20, 2010 Executive Only Local
November 17, 2010 Open Meeting Dundas
December 2010 No Meeting
Post Classic Racing Association of NSW (Inc NSW)
(Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984)
Membership Renewal/Application Form 2010
I, ________________________________
(Name of Applicant)
of ___________________________________________________________
(FULL Postal Address of Applicant)
Preferred Contact Number Ph: _________________
Email: ____________________________________________________
Hereby apply to
( ) Renew my current membership
( ) Become a full member
( ) Become an associate member
of the above named Association. In the event of my renewal/admission as a member I agree to be bound by the Rules of the
Association for the time being in force.
__________________________________________
(Signature of Applicant)
_______/________/________
(Date)
I,_________________________________________
Being a member of the Association nominate
The applicant for membership of the Association
(New members only).
I, ____________________________________
being a member of the Association second
the nomination of the applicant for membership
of the Association (new members only).
__________________________________________
(signature of proposer)
______________________________________
(signature of seconder)
Make, Model & Year of Machine/s?
______________________________________
Do you require an MNSW Licence Application?
Do you require a MNSW Licence Test?
Do you require a MNSW test booklet?
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
Forward completed application with:
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
$55.00 (add $11 late fee if after 31.01.10)
NEW RACING MEMBERSHIP
$55.00
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
$15.00 (all fees include 10% GST)
REQUIRE TAX INVOICE?
YES/NO
Direct Deposit to Bank Account No: 043 362 538 BSB No: 112-879 (ST GEORGE BANK)
Transaction/Receipt No: _______________ Transaction Date:
/
/20
-ORMail cheque/money order payable to PCRA NSW to
The Membership Secretary, PCRA NSW, 51 Polding St, Drummoyne
NSW 2047
IMPORTANT! Please remember to send a stamped self addressed envelope with your renewal/application form even if you pay by Direct Deposit so we can send you your membership card.
Visit www.postclassicracing.com.au
Pics by The Editor
Why Does the PCRA Need Its Constitution?
Or
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.
Reading the heading to this article you might think that it has nothing to do with motorcycling, octane rating,
crash guards or any related topic but it is about the politics of the PCRA (Club). Look up the word “politics”. It has
a very rich and broad meaning compared to its use in the media and whether you agree or not, having an opinion
about how we should be doing things draws you into this murky world.
We were informed last issue that the PCRA is “… democratically run according to the ‘Model Rules of Association…”. Now what does that mean? To me it means that representatives are elected from and by the Club membership to run the Club according to our constitution, which is the ‘Model Rules’. Simple enough, but why do we
need a constitution? There’s not that many of us and we all want the same things, don’t we? First and foremost the
Office of Fair Trading mandates it if we are to remain an incorporated association. In our case we have adopted
the Model Rules (with changes, see Note 1). In fact it also mandates that any constitution we use must conform to
a template as set out in the legislation, but I digress.
Being an incorporated association allows the Club the same legal recognition as an individual, i.e. it can sue or be
sued, enter into legally binding contracts etc… irrespective of any changes to its membership or officials. It also
offers some protection to the club officials and membership. This is a good and valuable thing to have.
So what other good is a constitution and do we really need to adhere to it? According to the Model Rules every
Club member is expected, at the very least, to not repeatedly and fragrantly disobey the rules. The penalty for doing so can be removal as a member from the Club. There is additional provision in the Legislation of Incorporated
Associations that specifically requires all Committee members to uphold these Rules. The penalties in this case are
less clear.
It is the Committee of Management (aka the Committee) that runs the Club and is ultimately responsible for all
good or bad decisions.
The Committee consists of the Office bearers (aka President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) and a minimum of 3(at the present 10) ordinary members (aka Membership Secretary, Race Administration, Trophies, Promotions & Sponsorship, Bucket Representative, New Era Representative, Barry Sheene Promotions, Three (3)
Motorcycle NSW Delegates).
For some things the Committee delegates to sub-Committees: for instance the “Executive” and the “Barry Sheene
Festival of Speed”.
The main thing the Model Rules gives the Club is a basic structure with which to make and review decisions.
This is needed in order to organise and conduct business in an orderly manner.
In an ideal world everyone is happy: the Club continues to grow and prosper and eventually takes control of Motorcycle Sport in Australia and has a few Senators elected to Federal Parliament holding the balance of power.
World domination is next.
In the meantime there are some club members with differing opinions on how things should be run. At the EGM
in 2009, referring to the issues with the previous AGM, someone stated that it’s only ever the minority in a Club
that ever complains. Maybe. I think everyone would agree it is only ever a minority of people that get involved
with the running of the Club so if anything it is a clash of the minorities, the vast majority are at best ambivalent
and would saunter off elsewhere looking for race time.
How can the PCRA resolve differences amongst it members? Interestingly the Model Rules contain a lot of rules
on the management of conflict and the disciplining of members.
If you have an opinion your options are:
•
•
Discuss with a Committee member. Spread the load around to all of them.
Raise the issue at a Committee (or sub-Committee) meeting: either by letter, in person or via a Committee
member.
• If urgent convince a quorum of Committee (or sub-Committee) members to meet and discuss.
• Force the Club to discuss by calling a special general meeting. [Requires at least 5% or about 15 members to
do so in writing]
• Get yourself elected onto the Committee at the AGM.
In extreme cases rely on the Community Justice Centre for mediation.
What could happen if the Club does not adequately follow its constitution?
Now we enter the realm of conjecture and guesswork. It would be safe to say in cases of severe internal disputes
the Club would find itself being dragged to the Community Justice Centre for mediation. This would take a lot of
time away from volunteers that otherwise should be devoted to running the Club.
But how else can one resolve a clash of opinions when an existing framework is not adequately followed? One
might also ask why would anyone bother? All members should be aware that the Club is doing well financially and
with its surplus funds can choose to do certain things. The Club has changed is objectives or strategy in the past,
see Note 2. Self destruction has happened to “successful” clubs in the past, success is by no means protection
against failure
So what else could happen is we get a bit lax about following our own constitution?
Consider a couple of imagined scenarios that illustrate how things can go wrong:
Case Study: Member crashes badly in a race and is unable to work for months. Due to a spike in the number of
accidents at Motorcross events (the Chad Reed effect) insurance assessors are much more vigilant, looking for any
loop hole to deny pay outs, illegal engine modifications, sub-standard protective gear etc…. The insurance company recently struck a very good deal with MA offering a discount for bigger and more professionally runs Clubs.
Maybe the actuaries think that professionalism filters down. The insurance assessors audit the Club and find that
the member was designated a “Life Member” and the financial accounts, its constitution and minutes failed to support the “financial” status of this member. The assessors argue this and deny any claims. The member is furious at
being mislead by the Club and sues it. Both cases take some time to work their way through the courts. Nobody is
happy.
Case Study: Two major sponsors each approach different members of the committee with very lucrative offers of
sponsorship for the BSFOS but the deal is only available if they sign a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on
the spot and work out the details later. Unknown to both members some very high profile riders have secretly
agreed to compete in Historic Races around the world on priceless museum pieces to farewell the recently deceased Giacomo Agostini. The sponsors are thinking they are each getting in first. Each committee member thinks
that they have signing authority and do so. Very soon the committee realises the pickle it is in and tries to mediate
with the sponsors, both are adamant that they want exclusive rights and will enforce the MOU. It ends up in court.
Nobody is happy.
HONDA are proud Sponsors of the 2010 Barry Sheene Festival of Speed.
Remember that both of these scenarios are hypothetical and both are very unlikely to occur.
In dealing with the real world when push comes to shove you need to have your own house in order otherwise you
will be put through the wringer. The more that is at stake the more i’s that need dotting and t’s crossing. It is only
onerous if you never get around to it.
Give the Model Rules a read sometime.
John Olip
Ordinary Member
MNSW Delegate
Note 1:
The Model Rules can be found here:
http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/About_us/Publications/ft119.pdf
A change to our Model Rules was submitted to the Office of Fair Trading in 2004 and I quote: “To change Rule
14(1)(b) from ‘3[sic] ordinary members’ to ‘a minimum of 3 ordinary members’ ” which increases the number of
ordinary members serving on the Committee.
Note 2: Interestingly in its application for incorporation in 1989 the PCRA listed as its proposed objects:
“The administration of post-classic motorcycle racing within the association and the promotion of the
sport in general.”
10 years later we are informed our “strategy” is:
“In particular the focus of the PCRA is on:
- P3 / P4 / P5 all classes rules as defined by MA
- New Era(soon to be P6) rules
- Pre Modern rules as defined by the PCRA
.. we also put on races for …
.
- Buckets(Superlites and Motolites) rules as defined by BRA”
YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY ???
This is your newsletter and your chance to tell the whole club something.
Don’t be shy.
Don’t worry if you’re not an award winning writer, or bad speller, it doesn’t matter.
Photos, or anything else of interest wanted.
Feel free to give your friendly editor a call on 0427 484 366 or
Email: [email protected]
A selection of shots from
the brilliant Rick K who
kindly allows us to use his
shots free of charge.
Round one was a great
weekend away, it rained
heavily but briefly and
everybody had a good
time.
Suzii came home with a
couple of trophies and it
only cost me 2 top end
rebuilds! (so far)
Ken Lindsay, Bucket Racing Association President asks the
question:
How come there are no bucket classes in this years Barry
Sheene Meeting?
To the PCRA Committee
Re: 2010 Barry Sheene Festival of Speed
Since the announcement that “Buckets” i.e.: Superlites & Motolites will not be included in the Program
at the 2010 BSFOS I have had numerous phone calls & emails from disappointed Superlite & Motolite
competitors (BRA members). In fact I received enough complaints to warrant a BRA meeting to discuss
this situation. I shall remind you the BRA is not an affiliated club as such, merely an association created
to administer, govern Superlite & Motolite (Bucket) rules & promote Bucket racing.
I remind the committee & probably more so the PCRA general membership we are all PCRA members
first & foremost who happen to race in a class called Bucket Racing (Superlite & Motolite), promoted by
the PCRA since 1988. Bucket Racing was formed in 1988 by a couple of members from the PCRA &
Eastern Suburbs Motorcycle Club. It was formed to provide a cheap form of racing, (again by PCRA &
ESMCC members).The BRA was formed in May 1992 to administer & govern rules as the PCRA or
ESMCC would not.
The BRA met on Wednesday the 9th of December 2009 & the following details were the outcome of that
meeting. We believe we understand the reasoning behind the “Superlite & Motolite” exclusion, “to promote a high profile Historic Race meeting”. However Modern Sidecars, Pre Modern & New Era are not
historic. Fair enough, New Era is more than likely going to become a recognised Historic category but
why should Superlite/Motolite be the ones singled out. If this was to be a true “Historic” Barry Sheene
Festival of Speed, it should be just that. “Historic” i.e.: Up to & including Period 5. Why not exclude the
sidecars for example? Why not Pre Modern? Why not still include all classes just shuffle some classes
around a bit.
Classes could have been shuffled to still include ALL classes.
The following could have been implemented:
(a) Motolites, Superlites, 125cc PC & FE.
(b) 250 & 350cc Classic, PC & FE.
(c) 500, 750 & Unlimited PC & FE
(d) New Era & Pre Modern Formula 1 & 2
(e) New Era & Pre Modern Formula 3
(f) 500, Unlimited Classic, Pre 1950 & Class C
(g) Sidecars
Unfortunately the BRA general membership feel there is some people on the PCRA committee
that are “anti-bucket” & all this is doing is driving a wedge between the PCRA & BRA. I will remind you
again there is no “us & them” we are all one club & all PCRA members first & foremost. There are many
Superlite & Motolite competitors who also race other bikes in various categories & with the Bucket Race
cut, have no intension to enter the BSFOS because they don’t see the value in only racing one bike &
therefore this decision has repercussions with other classes, i.e. various HISTORIC machines not being
entered.
We ask the PCRA committee to reply in some detailed as to why the Superlite & Motolite race
has been cut. We understand most bikes “can” enter other categories and sometimes do as an additional race, however they are generally not competitive in other categories & sometimes the speed differences are huge. We also believe the PCRA have claimed that Buckets will get to race at Eastern
Creek later in the year; however Bucket Racers wanted to compete at the BSFOS & be competitive, regardless of the circuit it is held at.
The BRA have no choice but to gracefully accept the decision to cut out the “Bucket” Race,
however the general membership feel very poorly treated by a club (PCRA) who have been supported
by Buckets since 1988. Buckets have helped hold this club together in the past by propping up the
PCRA membership and numbers at race meetings. Regrettably, some Bucket Racers are not prepared
to assist in the organisation of the BSFOS who otherwise would have been very enthusiastic. The BRA
will encourage all Bucket Racers to help with this meeting. I shall still do all the jobs I usually do. I am
aware of other Bucket Racers who have indicated to offer their assistance as well. We intend to set up a
“Bucket Racing” Stand for the weekend.
People believe the PCRA purpose is to promote and run race meetings for PCRA members first
& foremost & with the “Bucket Race” cut from the BSFOS the PCRA committee have not fairly catered
to “ALL” PCRA members, which raised the question with many people, “What is the reason the PCRA
runs the BSFOS”? While many people wonder this, I can safely say my thoughts on the subject: it is a
high profile race meeting and used as a tool to promote the PCRA & Historic racing?
Last but not least, we feel the BRA could have been consulted on the subject prior to making
this decision either through the “Bucket” representative on the PCRA or the BRA committee. At the very
least, informed us of the intensions for the BSFOS and the reasons behind these intensions. There
would have been less tension and much less anger. The BRA general membership feel there is a distinct lack of communication from the PCRA committee, which will need to be addressed for all of the
PCRA membership not just “Buckets”.
We (BRA) thank the PCRA committee for your time & look forward to a reasonable response
and we remind you this is not intended to fire up emotions but help in the running of “OUR CLUB”, the
“Post Classic Racing Association of NSW”
Yours sincerely
Ken Lindsay
BRA President
PCRA Life Member
Reply to BRA letter
Dear Ken,
Thank you for presenting this letter on behalf of the BRA outlining the general feeling within your membership towards the announcement of the format for the BSFoS.
While we understand this may not have been taken well, it was expected and the
committee would like to point out once more the events leading up to the
announcement.
Firstly, we would like to state, there is NO ill feeling towards motlite/superlite/BRA
within the committee.
A number of factore were taken into consideration in the decision over classes to
run at the BSFoS 2010:
As you point out in your letter one of the primary objectives of Buckets racing is
to provide a ‘cheap’ form of racing. Due to circuit hire costs the BSFoS is no
longer a cheap event.. The club has listened to continual complaints within
the membership, predominantly bucket riders, of the continuing cost increase of the BSFoS over the past 3 years or so.
The focus this year is on returning to the historic roots of the event that was
originally organised by Bob Blythe, and was not a PCRA event. The PCRA was
fortunate enough to be given this event provided the format remained true.
In previous years this has been run as a club round to establish the event but
has failed year on to bring in the bikes that the event was originally intended
to showcase – the older classic classes. This was in part due to these
classes being squeezed out to make room for the PCRA championship
classes.
Canvassing the Classic, Post Classic and Forgotten Era riders at the recent National Championships at Morgan Park as well as at other events, highlighted
the areas that the direction of the event needed to progress in to return to a
successfully supported historic event of the status it deserved.
To accommodate the classes that need to be fully catered for, something had to
give.
Examination of the 2009 entry confirmed that approx 9 riders would be affected,
the majority being eligible for the ultra lightweight P4/P5 or NE/PM F3 class.
As the only class that can cross enter, the decision was taken that this was the
best option.
The format arrived at is the culmination of much time and effort of the BSFoS,
and was only finally decided prior to the October Open meeting. It was to be
announced at that meeting by the BSFoS rep in plenty of time (6 months notification). A report by the committee was prepared for the club magazine that
would reach all members explaining the situation.
However, events led to the BSFoS rep not being available at that meeting. This
was not seen as a problem in itself at this stage. The draft of the magazine
article was to be ratified at the November meeting and the BSFoS rep would
present the news at this meeting where the Bucket rep would be on hand to
be advised and discuss.
Unfortunately, neither the BSFoS Rep nor the Bucket reps were able to attend
the November meeting. The club magazine containing this information was
presented and ratified and deemed the best policy given the circumstances.
The committee has to make hard decisions from time to time, but this is done in
the best interests of the overall club. Sometimes those decisions will disappoint
some members. We try to avoid that when we can but it is not always possible. This
is one such decision.
Most of you will agree when I say obtaining sponsorship to race can be as difficult as finding
decent food at a racetrack. But Steve Butler has recently found some unique support for his
assault on the Pre-Modern F1 title.
For 2010, Steve’s Suzuki 750 will be sponsored by an adult lifestyle products company called
QUIVER LIFESTYLE PARTIES.
QUIVER specialise in Erotic Clothing, Lingerie, Sex Toys etc. They do this through at home party
plan and some interesting Hen’s nights etc.
“ It’s a daring move by this company to sponsor motorcycle racing and they are very
excited about with a view to expanding it further next year. I think attraction support from
outside the motorcycling industry has been a coup on my part.
I’m very excited about this and it shows if you put some effort into presentation, good
things may happen. You don’t have to win every race, just present yourself well and
people do take notice. I have to thank Mototech for their work on the Peter Jackson bike.
That was the talking point and attracted a huge amount of attention especially at the 6
Hour when Kevin Magee rode it in the ‘Parade of Champions’.
It’s not a huge deal but it will see me racing at all rounds this year, something which
would have been impossible due to the cost of the interstate round.
The first appearance of the bike will be at the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed.
Time to get busy removing the Lucky Strike logos from the bike and replacing them with
QUIVER LIFESTYLE PARTIES logos and motives. “
So there you have it. All businesses need to advertise and sometimes you can be in the right place
at the right time. Congratulations, Steve.
Bikers Classic July 2009 – Spa Francorchamps
by Jools
A chance comment at the 2009 Island Classic changed my
life. I had volunteered to help the Poms for the weekend,
made many new friends and was soon to embark on the ride
of a lifetime –a ride on a
Suzuki RG500 Mk8 around the famous Spa Francorchamp
circuit in Belgium. Or so I was led to believe.
RG Dave, the owner, was in the throes of a messy divorce.
Consequently all his bikes were sent out to the four corners
of the UK, as any clued up jack the lad would do.
I discovered this to my chagrin once I arrived in the UK.
“Not to worry,” said Graham “Dippo” Salter over the phone
“you’ll be right we’ll find something for you, see you at the Hotel Le Pomarde”
I hadn’t come all this way to fall at the last hurdle, in fact I hadn’t just gone for the Bikers Classic. I had
bought, sight unseen a brace of TZ350’s from Arild in Norway, so I figured I’d best go check them out.
Pleasantly surprised and happy with the deal we came to an arrangement on a pair of Astralite wheels
he had lying around, while sorting out the shipping arrangements. Lovely place Norway, I must go back.
Anyhow, I met up with RG Dave on the way down to Dover to get the ferry, shared a few beers and
listened to his probs like an agony aunt. Poor geezer, he was most apologetic.
Hopping on the early Ferry the next morning had a great ferry crossing to Calais, free way all the way
turning off into the Ardennes towards Francorchamp village. Fantastic Scenery, arrive just short of
1:30pm. I was the first to arrive and not sure of the rooming arrangements so hit the bar for a beer. I got
talking to some old geezer there, going on about the old circuit and how it was much easier now. The
more he went on the more familiar he got. The it dawned on me the cap he was wearing was a give
away – Phil Read !! I excused my ignorance, I hadn’t seen him since the 1975 post TT at Mallory Park –
he looked a bit weathered !
He made a move to the circuit to get his passes and the lads started to arrive. First up was Steve Sawyer with his Mk5 RG500. He shared a van with a Honda 250 replica built up from a CBR250. Dippo was
still a while away on his way back from Rijeka, where he had been riding his Spondon TZ350 in the
ICGP round. Unfortunately he broke a crank so we were going to do a quick engine swap in the pits
when he arrived.
I followed the guys down to the circuit to met
with almighty traffic jam on the approach
road. Steve told me this was part of the old
circuit. There were some modern bikes having a practice day and they weren’t letting us
in quick enough. Eventually we shot down
the outside of the traffic to find they were all
parked up at the front and everyone was
queuing behind !
A quick dash up to the registration area to
get our credentials and we were in. Bluffing
our way into the GP garages to dump all the
bikes and gear before Graham and Sal arrived and we unloaded their bikes and tools.
After a quick scrutineering session Graham had his Spondon on the bench and we managed to get the
engine swapped with a borrowed one from Lea Gourley that someone had bought over from the UK.
Roy, one of RG Daves cousins arrived with a pair of triumph twins and set up his nice little kitchen in
the corner of the garage – we were well set for the weekend. I gave Roy a hand to fit a neat little
camera to one of the Triumphs.
Off late to the hotel for a feed and a few sherbets before hitting the sack. Friday dawned nice and
sunny so after a quick cooked brekky we headed back to the circuit. Graham and Steve took out their
RG500 and Harris TZ750 respectively. Soon it became apparent that Graham had a problem as he
trundled into pit lane having seized the Harris. Number 4 cylinder was shot so we rebuilt it with
standard chrome cylinder, lower comp heads and jetted up.
Then Graham took it out for a quick test and said I could have a ride on the Saturday if I felt up to
it………I spent the rest of the day studying footage from Roys bike with his commentary on the circuit.
I was going to need it.
To cut a long story short, Saturday arrived and I got to go out on a circuit I’ve never seen on a bike I’d
never consider ridding in my wildest dreams, talk about packing it, struggling to get my leathers and
boots on and stay calm.
He’s not really that nervous
it’s just that there were no
toothpicks to be found in pit
lane.
This would never happen at an
Australian track !
The other smiling gentleman is
Graham Salter
Eventually it was time to warm the Harris up and trundle out of pit lane. Steve was out on his RG and
told me to stick with him. Then proceeded to disappear through Au Rouge at warp speed. Au Rouge –
what can I say – a mega corner.
First impressions were that the bike had grunt low down and for the first lap I didn’t really take it over
8000. 2nd lap I had an idea where the circuit went and sped up. 3rd lap I had forgotten it wasn’t my
bike and started to give it some. Handling was odd so I kept the cornering speeds sane, after that I
actually got it to 11,000 in top on the straight after Au Rouge, man this thing was quick and smooth
and the pull from 8000 was phenomenal, but I left plenty in reserve for the braking markers.
Coming out of the tight chicane it would just lift the front on power and soon I was passing the bikes
that left me for dead in the first few laps. All too soon the checkered flag was out and I pootled back up
pit lane with a grin like a Cheshire cat. Absolutely awesome. I never saw Steve all session until that
point, pushing the RG back – seems he had a disc valve break up and wreck his weekend.
What a fantastic event, apart from the rain that came down about an hour after my session and stayed
around the rest of the weekend, particularly for the two leg endurance race. The ICGP race was great
to see with all the TZ250’s and 350’s out there. And I bumped into Wayne Gow in the pits who was
assisting one of the endurance teams.
And the parades and bikes of yesteryear on display and parade were fantastic. I bumped into Kork
Ballington and said Hi, also had a great chat with Stan Woods, top bloke.
It was an enjoyable but expensive experience and not just for the entry cost (300 Euro) and everything
else. More so that I now had a burning desire to own one of these magnificent bikes, and I know that in
a moment of weakness I might find one in my garage one day. Now how am I going to explain that one
away??
By Russell Campbell with pics by Graham Campbell
Round 1 Wakefield Park 2010 27th – 28th February
Pre-Modern Formula 2
This was to be my 1st go at racing. I entered the last two 1hour races with my son on my 1995 YZF600
in Pre Modern Formula 2 and loved it that much I thought I would do the whole season.
Well what a start to the season. Excited and all ready to race.
27th Morning
Graham had the bike and car all loaded the day before and all I needed to do was chuck my gear in, hook the trailer
up and relax while my son drove the 2.5hrs journey south to the great little track that is Wakefield Park. 4.45am
arrive at my sons house excited about the prospect of the weekends racing. 5am lock the keys in the car. Call the
NRMA after several attempts to open the car but new cars aren’t meant to have the keys locked in the car.
Actually come to think of it no car is! The NRMA took all of five minutes to get into the car, but now it was
6.30am and we had a 2.5hr drive to Wakefield.
A quick call to the PCRA staff at Wakefield explaining our situation and we were on our way. We set about with
our game plan to be coordinated when we arrived. Graham to take the bike to scrutineering and I go in and sign on
and be briefed and get ready for practice. It went like clock work when we arrived. Bike sorted, warmers on and 20
minutes before practice.
Practice
Practice went terrible. Cold tires and struggling to get my head into gear and get the bike going the
direction I needed…… Forward! Managed a 1:18.
Qualifying
Qualifying didn’t go much better. 1:16 and 37th on the grid. I had a lot of work ahead. Wasn’t what I was hoping,
but hey I am 57, I am just here to have fun and I had two days of racing ahead.
Remember someone has to come last to make all the quick riders look good.
Race 1
Well this is about were things started to go pear shape. I was to eager to leave the pits and get out there and
improve my position, I didn’t give my son enough time to remove his tyre warmers of the rear wheel and well…..
Sorry mate, I owe you a new rear warmer.
My 1st lap was a shocker, got flustered with all the bikes in front of me and just sat back being mister
nice guy for three laps until I got my head up to speed. Found myself braking early and picking crappy apexes.
Finished in 34th and with a time of 1:12.5160 on the last lap. Happy with the time but not the position.
Race 2
Wow, how good are the starts with 40 bikes all jostling for position at turns 1 & 2 Some like and some hate it. My
heart was beating like mad with adrenaline. Started good, managed to move my way through the pack early and
was gaining some places and having some great dices with some of the bigger more powerful bikes.
Later breaking, earlier on the gas and enjoying the race and I knew my position was improving lap by lap and
knew it would only get better from here. Famous last words!
Turn three, lap 4, I was chasing a GSXR750T and felt I had his measure and I was lining him up for the exit of
three. I decided the plan of attack was to turn in later, square the corner off and slip up the inside entering turn 4.
Well it didn’t quite go like I planned.
He covered his race line and I clipped his back wheel, which ran
us both of the track.
All I remember is leaning of the bike to the left ready
for the late turn in, then thinking oops, he’s covered his line.
The next I’m sliding right on the bike then landing
on my left shoulder, head, back and, Christ bloody everywhere.
Thank god for our safety gear.
I ended up with bruised ribs, suspected bruised lung and a
fractured shoulder blade.
Big thanks to the medical staff, they were terrific and eased my
pain straight away.
I would like to thank all the medical staff for the care and
professionalism they showed.
But must laugh at two of the questions that must be standard
questions.
Playing the magic whistle
1. How much does it hurt from a 1 to 10?
2. Do you want us to cut your leathers off?
My answers – NO! YES I am sure! YES I am
in a lot of pain! Yes it will be painful to
remove one piece leathers. NOT as much pain
as buying a new set leathers and on
the ears later. Love you dear.
As for the bike, it has heavy cosmetic damage,
fairings need some work, also I need a new
fuel tank, rear cowl, sub frame, rearsets, master
cylinder, custom tacho bracket, case cover,
windscreen, handle bars and a paint job.
I still don’t know if the other rider is ok. Hope
you are and your bike is ok mate and sorry
this wasn’t my plan.
Before shot
I was planning to race the BSFOS round, but needless to say that has been taken care of.
I am still aiming to race the May16 round at Wakefield but I need to spend a bit of time sorting the old girl out.
The wife isn’t too happy either, but then again they never are when it comes to motorbikes. Love you dear…
I still have kept my record intake to date. Still never being hurt while riding or racing a motorbike.
Because the only time I have been hurt is falling off.
I will keep you updated with the progress of the rebuild and catch you all at the track.
Russell Campbell #74 Rusty Old Fart
After shots.
There’s nothing quite as depressing as seeing your once pristine
bike reduced to something that
you’d see parked at a wreckers
yard.
Usually it’s the flaggies who get the
best view of these incidents and the
sound of a bike sliding and crashing along the track is really something else.
The first thing you want to see is
the rider up and on his feet, unhurt.
Hope your recovery was swift and
painless Russell and we’ll see you
back out there soon.
WANTED
Postie Bike.
Must be cheap. And Running.
Call Lyall.
Ph: 0435 585 269
What were you riding in 1988 ? Or even scarier, what were you wearing ?
Hope he’s wearing
A back protector !
The next time you
think your pit
crew
is not pulling it’s
weight, just remember:
It’sThursday evening. After watching the GP bike reviews from the 80's I'm convinced I'll set a personal
best at the Creek on Friday. So final check-over to make sure all is well. Check fuel. Check oil. Check
fasteners. Check lockwiring. Oh better redo the sump plug. Check brakes. All good. Ignition on, fuel tap
on then give it a kick. Nothing. Give it some choke son. Kick it again and she fires! God she sounds
good.
So I let the bike idle, blipping the throttle to bring it up to temp and run through the gears to make sure
sure all that's working well. After 15 minutes of running I'm satisfied. Bring on Friday.
The alarm goes off at 6am but I'm already up. The van is loaded and ready to go so let's get it happening. 7.15 and I pass through the gates. There's something about the smell of a track first thing in the
morning. The anticipation of machines aching to be started and run to max revs heightens my mood and
gives me a rush. Can there be any better way to spend a day than at a race track on a motorcycle?
With excitement I unload my bike and gear, enjoying the time it takes to set up my little corner in the
garage, savouring the moments. This is going to be a good day.
9.30am and the first session looms near so I put on my leathers remembering what the weight feels like
after 6 months. Wow, 6 months. Can it really be that long since the final Oran Park meeting last year?
That was a bad day. So scared on the bike after an off in July at Oran, I find it difficult to relax and enjoy
myself but today is different. The injuries have healed and my mind is clear. Though I won't be worrying
the front runners I will have a good time. Finally with helmet on I start the bike and let it run to get it up to
temp. As I blip I hear different shades of two-stroke shrieks up and down the pits. I would've loved to be
here in the 90's when the 500's were racing. The sound alone would be sheer bliss.
Once up to temp it's time to get her off the stand and zip off up pit lane. Into first and...she stalls. Shake
it off, back into neutral and kick her again. She fires easily so back into first and...she stalls. Damn
clutch. Off the bike and see what's what. After a few adjustments and checks I'm confident. Damn. Session's over. An hour and a half wait to second session. Off with the leathers and say hello to a few of the
boys.
11.00am and second session is up. Back on the bike after starting and damn it, she stalls again. I get
Woody, who's not practising, to see where I'm going wrong. He checks the lever, fine. Checks the adjuster in the casing and tries to make an adjustment. Won't budge. Bloody thing's seized. Not good.
Gear lever into first. John and Pat come over to help.
"Try spinning the back wheel". John tries
and it barely moves. Really not good.
"Clutch has seized Alex, better take the
side casing off." Damn. S**t. F@@k.
11.30am. Pissed off at missing two sessions Woody, John and his mate Pat all
help me to get the side casing off. To aviod
having to undo the sump plug to drain the
oil we elect to lay the bike on its side.
"Oh, hi sweetheart. So glad you came. And
your dad's here. Great. I'm a little busy right
now can you amuse yourselves for a while?
What's wrong? Just the clutch. I'll be with
you shortly..." All hands are on deck and I
can't help feeling flattered that they're all
pitching in to help me out.
12.00pm and finally the side casing comes off and it's a milkshake. Whistles and teeth-sucking all
round. Seal's gone. A $2 part. Son of a....
"Don't worry, I've got one." John Bartle, my savior. Religion has never been my thing but could this be
divine intervention?
1.00pm and the new seal's in, the casing fluched thatks to Julian, new oil added and water topped up.
If it doesn't work now then the day is done. Geez, I'm tired. The long work week has really caught up to
me.
I start the bike with Woody, John and Pat looking on and she runs fine as always. Into first and the rear
wheel spins. Great. I give it some revs then hit the rear brake to check. It stalls. I look to the boys
dejected.
"I'm going for a smoke." I walk off to have a smoke and see my fiancee and her father who've come out
to see me. I can't help feeling really down as John comes over to me.
"Don't worry, it's not over yet." I smile at his enthusiasm but I know my day is over.
Same thing happened last year. A blown seal but no spares. Goodnight Irene and thanks for coming so
my hopes aren't up. I hear my bike start and see John pumping the clutch as Woody works the rear
brake with the bike cutting in and out. Poor bastards, they just don't know when to give up.
2.00pm and the third session is coming up. As I smoke my third cigarette in 15 minutes I hear the bikes
running well, no spluttering. I look over at Woody who gives me the thumbs up. It couldn't be. I walk over
to the bike,
"It's working. Take it out and see what happens. Just take it easy." With that Maria helps me jump into
my gear and before I know it I'm on the bike and moving down pit lane. Jesus, what just happened? I'm
waved through and off I go out on track! I'm so excited I mess up turn two and consequently turns three
and four. I'm still so excited o be out at this point I completely forget the track layout and resign myself to
just cruising around. Revving the bike when I can and shifting up and down the bike feels good but still a
little sticky on the clutch. Just take it easy and it'll be fine.
Up the straight I rev it a little more but don't max it out for fear of a lock up and as always crap myself at
turn one and slow right down heading to two. Making sure I'm not in anyone's way I leisurely make my
way around the track and start to feel better about the bike and begin moving around on the bike more
but still going at my moderate pace (I won't be challenging Rossi anytime soon).
Heading into nine at a lean I feel something on my seat lift and think the seat's coming loose. Into the
pits for a quick check but all seems fine. Out again and coming into four I feel the same thing. Seat pad's
lifting. That's ok, this session's almost over and I'll tape it up for the next session.
Into the pits and I get off the bike. I've ridden like a learner but god it feels good to be out there. I strip
off my gear and exhaustion hits me like a wave. It's been a long week topped off by a big day. I enjoyed
my laps but know that I can't go out again. There's always round three tough...
A big thanks must go to Howard 'Woody' Wood, John Bartle and his friend Pat, Julian 'Jools' Hardy and
anyone else that lent a hand or advice to get me out on track. When I'd given up, the boys didn't and
they're the ones that got me out there. Without their help my day would've been lost. That's what the
PCRA is to me.
Alex Floros
Period 5, Forgotten Era
RD250LC #13.
Pics by Rick K. and The Editor. (Rick’s are the really great ones !)
Consistency wins the 2010 Barry Sheene
Festival of Speed
Once again the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed Easter race meeting at
Eastern Creek proved to be a big success. Organised by the Post Classic
Racing Association of NSW, the weekend proved some fantastic racing over a
range of classes.
Anticipation in the pits was high with twice World Endurance Champion
Warwick Nowland, getting set to take on “Mr Superbike” Robbie Phillis.
Warwick aboard the Keith Higgs P&M Kawasaki and Robbie on his mighty
Mick Hone/QBE Suzuki GSX1100. Both riders set very impressive lap times
during Saturday morning’s qualifying with Phillis taking a ½ second
advantage and drawing ‘first blood’.
With big prize money at stake in the ‘Barry Sheene Memorial’ feature races,
Robbie decided to preserve his bike in the first Forgotten Era Unlimited race
and Warwick had little trouble winning the heat. Craig Morris came in 2nd on
the Ray Berry Suzuki RG500 and Laurie Fyffe 3rd on his 1100 Suzuki.
Although Warwick suffered some mechanical problems on Sunday, he was
able to hold off the ever consistent Laurie Fyffe to win the Unlimited Class
ahead of Laurie and Leo Cash.
The first leg of the Barry Sheene Memorial feature race finally gave the crowd
what they had come to see. Warwick Nowland and Robbie Phillis showed
what a class act both riders are with an exciting race, which saw the lead
change a number of times before Warwick took the honours on the last lap.
Lap times came down to 1m39s, fast enough to be competitive with modern
day Superbikes. This proved to be the race of the weekend, as both riders
would later suffer from mechanical problems.
On Sunday, the second leg of the ‘Barry Sheene Memorial’ feature race ended
in controversy as problems with Warwick’s bike caused a change of bike on
the warm up lap. The race itself began with Phillis getting a good start with
Warwick down to 4th place and in hot pursuit on a bike he had never raced
before. Warwick quickly settled into the race and worked his way through the
field.
Unfortunately, after 4 laps Robbie suffered a mechanical problem with a
rapidly flattened battery & was caught on the line for second place by Laurie
Fyffe. Warwick, who had no idea what was happening behind him and raced
hard to take the chequered flag.
As the celebrations began in Warwick’s garage, it was announced that Warwick had
jumped the start giving him a 20 second penalty. A protest had also been lodged
about the late change of bike disqualifying Warwick from the results. So it was from
hero to zero in an instant.
The amended results would now show Laurie Fyffe first ahead of
Robbie Phillis with Leo Cash third.
The final rankings gave Laurie Fyffe top honours and the $5000 winners
cheque in the 2010 Barry Sheene Memorial with Robbie Phillis just one point
behind in second and Leo Cash in third place.
With more than 25 classes of bikes competing over the weekend, there was
something to please everyone with a number of close battles being fought on
the track. One such contest was Kiwi international racer, Paul Dobbs riding a
Norton Commando 750 and young Robert Young on the 1000cc Ducati.
These two riders constantly pushed each other to the limit throughout the
weekend often leaving large multi cylinder Japanese bikes in their wake. In
the end Paul Dobbs won the period 4 F750 ‘Unapproachable Norton
Challenge’ ahead of Steve Cutting (Norton 750) and young Sam Muldoon on a
750 XS Yamaha. Ron Young proved again that he has the combination of
rider and machinery to continue to dominate the period 4 Unlimited Class
with son Robert taking the overall honours ahead of Luke Johnson & Stephen
Wood.
Another historic class that gave the fans some very close racing was the
Jones XL Classic 500 class. This class was hotly contested by three
exceptional riders who left nothing behind. In the end, consistency proved
the difference as Glen Kelleher on a Norton 500 finished ahead of young gun
Levi Day on a Honda 500 who missed the last heat due to a mechanical
problem. Kiwi rider, Sam Smith also a hard charger and riding a Norton ES2
500 suffered mechanical gremlins throughout the weekend.
As a result, third place was taken by the evergreen Laurie Turnbull on his
Norton 500.
In the Jones XL sponsored ‘Premier Classic 500’ feature race, Sam Smith got
his revenge over Glenn Kelleher and Laurie Turnbull to take the chequered
flag.
Winners of other classes over the weekend include: Victor Vassella (Classic
Unlimited), Martin Pearson (Ken Lucas Championship Challenge), Craig
Keenan (Classic 250), John Imrie (Classic 350), John Simms (Post Classic
250), Glen Hindle (Post Classic 350), Michael Murray (Post Classic 500),
Steven Kairl (Forgoten Era 125), Lech Budniak (Forgotten Era 250), Grant
Boxhall ( Forgotten Era 350), Mitchell Mulligan (Forgotten Era 500),
John Rickard (New Era F1), Jason Brett (New Era F2), Brett Cooper (New Era F3),
Paul Grant-Mitchell (Pre Modern F1), Steven Green (Pre Modern F2), Dave
Abbott (Pre Modern F3) Horner & Dinuzzo (Forgotten Era Sidecars), Morgan &
Morgan (Modern F2 Sidecars) & Souther & Rowe (Modern F1 Sidecars).
Barry Sheene Festival of Speed
3rd – 4th April, 2010
Race Results:
Barry Sheene Memorial Race
Sponsored by ‘The PCRA’
1st Laurie Fyffe Suzuki GSX1100
2nd Robbie Phillis Mick Hone/QBE Suzuki1100
3rd Leo Cash Suzuki GSX1100
Premier 500 Classic
Sponsored by Jones XL
1st Sam Smith Norton ES2 500
2nd Glenn Kellegher Norton 500
3rd Laurie Turnbull Norton 500
Ken Lucas Championship Challenge
Winners were grinners this year.
Sponsored by ‘MCRC’
1st Martin Pearson T-Rex Suzuki 500
2nd Laurie Turnbull Norton 500
3rd Stephen Wood Honda CB750
Pre 1950 Class C
1st Terry Kavney 1st Noel Carr
2nd Noel Carr 2nd Terry Kavney
3rd ----- 3rd ------
Pre 12/1962 250 Classic Pre 12/1963 350
Classic
Sponsored by Tasman Cooling Towers
1st Craig Keenan 1st John Imrie
2nd 2nd Bruce Marston
3rd ----- 3rd Phil Paton
500 Classic Unlimited Classic
Sponsored by Jones XL Sponsored by Web Enterprise Solutions
1st Glen Kelleher 1st Victor Vassella
2nd Levi Day 2nd Bob Sayer
3rd Laurie Turnbull 3rd Joe Ahern
Could he be the next big thing ?
125 Post Classic 250 Post Classic
Sponsored by ‘Handcraft Fibreglass’
1st David Miller 1st John Simms
2nd Lindsay Russell 2nd Allan Murray
3rd ----- 3rd Marcus de Caux
350 Post Classic 500 Post Classic
Sponsored by ‘Racestorations’ Sponsored by ‘Café Racer’
1st Glenn Hindle 1st Michael Murray
2nd Joe Ahern 2nd Allan Murray
3rd John Kelsey 3rd John Kelsey
750 Post Classic Unlimited Post Classic
‘Unapproachable F750 Challenge’ sponsored by ‘Motohansa’
1st Paul Dobbs 1st Robert Young
2nd Steve Cutting 2nd Luke Johnson
3rd Sam Muldoon 3rd Stephen Wood
125 Forgotten Era 250 Forgotten Era
Sponsored by ‘Draggin Jeans’
1st Steven Kairl 1st Lech Budniak
2nd Trevor Liversidge 2nd Grant Boxhall
3rd Bernie Summers 3rd Max Paterson (Vic)
Marcus gets an award for his
timeless service to the sport. And
not before time either. Russell
Fairbairn on his right and I didn't
get the other mans name.
350 Forgotten Era 500 Forgotten Era
‘Be a Man’ Prostate Cancer Foundation’ Sponsored by ‘Castle Hill Motorcycles’
1st Grant Boxhall 1st Mitchell Mulligan
2nd Julian Hardy 2nd Dennis Brown
3rd Lech Budniak 3rd Lyall Komura-Cairns
Unlimited Forgotten Era New Era: Formula 1
Sponsored by ‘The PCRA’ Sponsored by ‘Shock Treatment’
1st Warwick Nowland 1st John Rickard
2nd Laurie Fyffe 2nd Robert Cole
3rd Leo Cash 3rd Mark Brown
New Era: Formula 2 New Era: Formula 3
Sponosred by ‘Expert part & Accessories’ Sponsored by ‘Scott’s M/C &
Scooters’
1st Jason Brett 1st Brett Cooper
2nd Troy Galvin 2nd Paul Borg
3rd Dale Grandi 3rd Dimitri Benardos
I think I know how he feels !
Pre Modern: Formula 1
Pre Modern: Formula 2
Sponsored by ‘Shock Treatment’
Sponsored by ‘Whites Racing
Products’
1st Paul Grant-Mitchell 1st
Stephen Green
2nd Brett Clark 2nd Peter
Waldron
3rd James Spence 3rd Glen
Hindle
Pre Modern: Formula 3
Sponsored by ‘Goodridge’
1st Dave Abbott
2nd Harley Borkowski
3rd Michael Burgess
Forgotten Era Sidecars
Modern Sidecars: F1
Sponsored by ‘Ballistic Drag
Racing’ Sponsored by ‘Ballistic
Drag Racing’
& Chivo’s Motorcycle Tyres
1st Barry Horner/Chris Dinuzzo 1st Shane Souter/
Jeff Rowe
2nd Peter Selke/Christine Williams 2nd Paul
Jacobs/Steve Bonney
3rd Darryll Johnson/Corey Forde 3rd Andre
Bosman/Dave Kellett
Modern Sidecars: F2
Sponsored by ‘Ballistic Drag Racing
& Chivo’s Motorcycle Tyres
1st Barry Morgan/Dave Morgan
2nd Simon Reynolds/Nic McKirdy
3rd Darryl Rayner/Peter Cumming
When the fast guys go out to play it’s take no prisoners.
Add in some prize money and things really start to get serious.
PCRA Vice President Keith Higgs gives us the lowdown on the
HH Racing team’s efforts at this years Barry Sheene.
Wow what a weekend!!
For 2010, the PCRA had approached Warwick Nowland, twice winner of the World Endurance Championship, to
see if he was interested in riding at the BSFoS, as a 'name' to attract a crowd to the meeting. Warwick was very
happy to oblige, and Keith was asked if Warwick could ride one of the HH Racing P&M's. Of course!! No wukkin
forries!
Warwick aboard HH Racing #2 Bike
An initial taster for Warwick was set up at the very last track day at Oran Park, and the #2 bike was made available. Warwick went out, with a little trepidation, and when he came back in, was pleasantly surprised how good
the bike felt, it handled ok, changed direction without too much effort, had good ground clearance, pulled hard and
stopped ok!! He wanted more!! In fact he just wanted to go out again each time the sessions ended. And he was
clearly getting quicker as he got used to the bike. Keith happened to be out testing the #1 bike when Warwick
came by, sliding the tyres beautifully, then two bends later, disaster! The front brake master cylinder decided with
no warning, to stop working. With great consideration and presence of mind, Warwick waiting until he was in the
gravel trap before laying down, clearly carrying far too much speed to get round the corner. Minimal damage was
done, just embarrassment for Keith at the component failure. New seals had been fitted to the master cyl not too
long before hand, and all seemed fine for 20+ laps. Then between two corners, it stopped pumping.
Anyway, that behind us, another track day was arranged in March at Eastern Creek. This went very smoothly, and
Warwick was soon lapping in the low 1.41s, more than 1 sec under Robbie Phillis's fastest lap from 2009. He reckoned there was more to come. Amazing to see. Such smooth effortless riding.
And so, to the BSFoS itself.
Friday Practice
Friday was practice day, and Warwick had TV commitments in Melbourne, which was handy as it gave Keith a
chance to concentrate on practice and his errant #1 bike. After 12 months of problems, coming in after the first
session to find the outside of the engine all oil free was a SUCH a relief!! We had to check there WAS oil in the
sump.......!! The bike had run ok on the dyno the previous week, bar some blow by coming out of the new breather.
Then last minute advice from Graham Salter at Diptune, world authority on Kawasaki Z1000 air cooled race motors, was to remove the extra breather as it was not needed, which meant we were running an untried configuration.
BUT, it worked. But there is another but......but but but......it felt flat as a witches tit. No real rush of power like it
had previously. Hmmmm. Knowing the cam timing was right, we checked the ignition timing. Statically it looked
ok, so we decided to try the strobe, connected it up, and that's funny, it was not working on #4 outer plug...hmmm
strobe must be broken.
Lets try #4 inner plug....oooh strobe flashing now!! Errrrr hold on...back on #4 outer plug...nothing. OK, so only 4
of the 8 plugs were firing, which meant a coil pack was not working. Sure enough, checking the resistance across
the low tension side showed the circuit was open. That certainly would account for the deflated tit!
Luckily, Rob Cassar of Ballistic, the HH tuning parts supplied, was on his way to the creek, and had 3 spare coils,
2 of which were already allocated for HHRacing for the Harris. Slotting one of those on fixed the problem...strobe
flashing on all 8 plugs now! And the bike sounded much happier. And for the first half a lap, it felt really strong
again. But then went off....back to witches tit syndrome.
Back in the pits, after much head scratching, we found the main power supply plug from the battery to the dyna
was only connected on the +ve terminal. Connecting that properly got it back to firing on all 8 again. But it was too
late to test again, all the sessions were over.
Saturday Races
The forecast was for a few showers, but sunshine and 24 degs. Well, the rain never came, but just in case, a new
set of michelin wets were acquired.
The day consisted of 10 mins Qualifying, followed by two 6 lap P5 unlimited races, and an 8 lap Barry Sheene
Memorial race.
In qualifying, Keith was a little tentative, still worrying about the bike, unnecessarily as it turned out!! A rather
limp 1.49 put him in 12th on the grid. Warwick meanwhile, straight off the plane from Melbourne, qualified 2nd a
fraction behind Robbie...the contest was ON!
In the first P5 race, Warwick and Robbie locked horns and battle commenced. After several changes of lead and
checking of each other's capabilities, Warwick came home winner. Keith got a crap start and battled through to 6th
or 7th, starting to blow out the cobwebs and getting back to riding on his limit after several difficult meetings.
In the second P5 race, Warwick again came home in front, and Keith improved his lap times down to a more respectable 1.47.
Warwick and Robbie at the start
So to the first leg of the BS Memorial Race. Top 40 pre 1980 machines from all classes. A great start saw Warwick
and Robbie away, with Keith, Laurie Fyffe, Rex Wolfenden, Richard Easton, Craig Morris, Paul Dobbs and Rob
Young all bashing handlebars for the next few places. It frantic stuff, but it must have been entertaining to watch.
After about 5 laps, when in 5th, Keith's bike cut out on the start finish straight, then cut in, then out, it was doing
the bloody hokie cokie!! It made it to turn 2, then cut out again, so Keith pulled off. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, Warwick and Robbie were hard at it. And there was little to chose between them. In the end, Warwick
came home first and in doing so, lowered the P5 Unlimited lap record to 1.39.9......unbelievable !!!!!!!
Warwick leads Robbie round Turn 8
Back in the pits, the #2 bike had come in with the brake lever coming back to the bars, so that needed some fresh
fluid. The #1 bike had a fuel leak from one tap, and we knew we had gone out with the battery not fully charged
(not made it to the green light on the charger as there was little time between the 2nd P5 race and the BS leg).
Nothing else could be uncovered, so the fuel leak was fixed and the battery put on charge, and the beers was
opened!!!
Sunday Races
Race 1 on Sunday was a P5 Unlimited heat, to be followed by leg 2 of the feature Barry Sheene Memorial Race.
Finally, one last heat of the P5 Unlimited was scheduled for the afternoon.
For Race 1, we were all set. Battery on #1 was fully charged, brakes on #2 were bled. There were no warm up laps
so it was straight out to race complete with sleep in the eyes. The out lap was a bit of a wake up call, but not as
much as the first couple of laps!! Warwick was away in the lead and Keith got a good start, was in the top 5 but
while still asleep, lost a couple of places to Rex and Laurie. Over the next few laps, Keith finally arose from his
slumbers, the bike was running good and strong, and he got back past both Rex and Laurie and had a good little
tussle with Rob Young on the big Ducati.
Arriving back in the garage after the race, happiness with the #1 bike working fine was soon overcome as there
was a serious problem with #2. Warwick had limped it home with lots of oil over the top of the engine and some
ominous noises from the top end. Having removed the rocker cover, the problem was clear. The jockey wheel that
sits between the cams had failed, was split half and the cam chain had pushed it up into the top of the rocker cover,
grinding itself a small hole and hence the oil leak. The needle roller bearing had disappeared too. It was a minor
miracle that the engine had managed to keep running. On closer examination, the damage appeared to be limited to
the rocker cover and the jockey wheel. We had a spare jockey wheel, and Roger's Moriwaki had a rocker cover
that would fit......so with due haste, these were bolted into place and everything seemed ok. The bike fired up and
sounded good. Phew.
We can fix it.......
Not long after, we headed out for leg 2 of the Barry Sheene Memorial race. On the out lap, all seemed ok, then
Warwick pulled alongside Keith and clearly something was up. #2 bike was not working as it should. A hasty decision was made, we would swap bikes!! We knew it would not fit with the rules, but the spectators had paid to see
Warwick race against Robbie, and the only way that was now going to happen was if he rode Keith's #1 bike. We
pulled over into pit lane entrance...all the other bikes were heading down to the grid and we hastily swapped transponders, and away went Warwick. He had not ridden the #1 bike ever before, and although it looks the same, it
rides differently. The engine is much smoother, it has a close ratio box and a slipper clutch. The brakes feel different courtesy of an AP master cylinder, and the Maxton rear shock feels different too. So it was no surprise to see
Warwick down in 5th place on lap 1 and Robbie streaking away at the front. What was a surprise was to see him
gradually work his way forward, picking off Rex, Laurie, Leo Cash and then hunt down Robbie!! Then, he took
Robbie and gradually pulled away and eventually took the chequered flag to win!!! Fantastic and what an achievement! Sadly Robbie's battery failed towards the end of the race, and on the run to the line Laurie Fyffe pipped him
for second after a huge battle with Leo Cash.
Warwick on the #1 Bike catches Robbie
Back in the pit garage, the elation was
short lived. The illegal bike swap had
been noticed and a protest had been
made. We were called before the clerk
of the course and told off. What naughty
boys we were and how we should know
better. In fact, we explained the position
and the officials understood, but of
course they had to stand by the rule
book, mainly because the $5k prize
money means there was more than a
plastic trophy riding on the result. The
outcome was predictable, officially
Warwick was excluded from race 2 so
his win was not recorded. The final result was a win for Laurie Fyffe, second
Robbie Phillis and third went to Leo
Cash.
But that was the official result. The REAL result was a WIN for WARWICK NOWLAND! He crossed the line
first in both races and deservedly so.
In all the mayhem and confusion, no one remembered to prepare the #1 bike for the final race. Warwick was keen
to ride the #1 bike again, this time with the blessing of the officials. The battery was put on charge, but with only
minutes to go, it was not going to get too many electrons energised! Roger Quinlan offered his Z1R to Keith, so
that was hastily prepared too. Off we both went to the start. On the out lap the Z1R made it to turn 4 and the engine
died, and despite frantic pushing and bump starting efforts, the old girl would not fire.
In our haste we had forgotten to turn the friggin fuel on!! D'oh.
Warwick meanwhile was away at the front, getting the feel for the #1 bike. He set a new lap record of 1.39.4 before the battery started to run short of power. He somehow nursed the bike home in last place, which proved to be
enough to get him the overall P5 Unlimited first place trophy.
So an eventful, fun packed controversial weekend was had by HH Racing.....
It is great to see the full potential of both HH Racing P&M's extracted by a world class rider, and that is what Warwick did. He understood the limitations of the suspension, adapted his riding accordingly, and got the best out the
bikes. He beat Robbie fair and square and broke a lap record that had stood for many years. This is on bikes he had
ridden for a matter of minutes, rather than years. A true professional and is has been a total pleasure to have him in
the team.
Roll on next year......!!! Possibly more of the same!
FOR SALE
1985 FZ 750
Selling my wife's beautiful old FZ 750 with
rego until October 2010, 20,000kms.
Original bike in great condition. Staintune
pipes, good tyres. Nothing to spend on this
bike just ride it away or you could easily
turn it into a New Era race bike.
The bike is at Camden in Sydney and more
photos are available.
Phone Wayne Gow on 0425 796 313 or
Email: [email protected]
$ 3250 ono
We asked “the man in the street” what he thought of the parade lap for spectators.
Dear Jim,
On behalf of the PCRA Committee I would like to thank you for participating in the inaugural Spectator Parade Lap event at the
Barry Sheene Festival of Speed.
We trust that you enjoyed the event as much as we enjoyed presenting it. We would greatly appreciate your feedback on this event,
either positive or negative, also if would you consider participating again in the future or recommend it to others.
Kind Regards
Peter MacMillan.
Treasurer
PCRA.
Hi Peter,
I thoroughly enjoyed the parade laps as did all of the people who participated (judging by the smiles on their faces).
It is an excellent idea and gives enthusiasts a chance to see what the business side of the fence feels and looks like,
it's not all like it's perceived from TV or watching as a spectator. It was organised perfectly and all went well but another full lap would have been nice. I will be recommending it to more riders if it is on next year.
Best Regards
Jim Murphy.
ANOTHER HAPPY CUSTOMER !
Hi Peter,
This is a short email to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed the Barry Sheene festival of speed weekend as
the schedule of racing for the weekend was enjoyable there was amble time between races for any work to be
carried out on the bikes. The format with longer races give you time to come through the field so the lap times
over the weekend over all came down. I only have one suggestion that the fest be moved from the Easter long
weekend as I feel that potential spectators have gone on holidays for the long weekend or are taking kids to
the Eastershow.
Thanks again for a great weekend.
Laurie Turnbull
Damian Turnbull
I thought this was a great activity and enjoyed it enormously. The only problem was it was over too quick.
I will be back next year and will be telling everyone about it. Some people I spoke said they would have joined
in if they had of known about it.
Well done and thanks for the chance to ride on the Eastern Creek raceway on my 37 year old motorcycle, something I never thought I would do.
Rod Hill
Thank You Peter, yes my Wife and I had a great time, between commentating the Barry Sheene for the first time
and the spectator ride made for a fantastic weekend.
Yours in Motorcycling Bob and Jenni Johnston
"participating again in the future or recommend it to others"
You betcha. Magic time and gee we had fun even just for the one quick run down the straight.
Bring back memories from the Amaroo historics. Thanks for the opportunity.
Regards
Phil
Hi Peter,
I just want to say thank you so much for a great weekend. It was so exciting to get a chance to be a part of the
Parade Lap on the Sunday to honour a great sportsman such as Barry Sheene.
If I can make a suggestion for next years festival. It would have been great to get a chance to purchase a track
photo of us wannabe racers riding the track. It would of been a fantastic souvenir to remember the day.
Overall great time.
Thank you again, and count me in for next year.
Gavin Boyle
BARRY SHEENE FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2010
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A NEW ERA IS BORN 2
Hello All,
Again I would like to bother you all with my NE report. Not much racing going on, so you may have time to put your thinking caps
on.
Today I have attached the draft rules I tabled at the Historic Forum that took place in Sydney mid last year. Please have a read
and by all means let me know what you think. I have deleted the side car rules, because I had no comment on those back then
and don’t have any now. Who is looking at the side car situation?
Re-thinking (work in progress) it over the last ½ year since the forum, 3 things could be changed:
I believe there may need to be some restrictions on certain bikes so that the new class/period doesn’t become dominated by one
machine. For example: Kawasaki ZX10, Honda CBR1000F, Yamaha FZR1000 and Bimota YB6 must run original carburettors and
airbox? We wouldn’t want people to leave their RC30’s and 851’s standing on the bar, because they can’t compete with tarted up
“road” bikes!
Are there others in F2 and F3? Is the 600cc limit for 4 strokes in F2 too high for 250GP’s? Is the 250cc 2-stroke limit in F3 too
high for 125GP’s? Do we want tuned RGV’s and NSR’s to dominate 125GP’s?
With the number of 125 GP bikes entering our meetings it may be justifiable for them to have their own class.
Too many questions. How will they be answered? It is important to get this right.
Happy racing
Robert
As presented at Forum:
DRAFT RULE SET FOR (PERIOD 6) NEW ERA
Explanatory Notes
When drafting these rules I have predominately based them on the current rules for New Era as run by the PCRA of NSW. I have
also tried to replicate the classes that were competing in the period.
These classes (Australian Championship) to my knowledge were:
125cc GP 2 stroke
250cc GP 2 stroke
350cc GP 2 stroke
500cc GP 2 stroke
1000cc production
In these formula based rules for period 6 my main criteria is: True GP bikes should at least be competitive if not superior to production motorcycles within the same class. This does not seem to be the case with the current unlimited rules in both PC and FE.
Therefore I propose to limit capacity to 1000cc as was the case during the period to be represented.
There is also a safety issue (large capacity, heavy motorcycle not built for racing ridden and prepared by club riders) that I believe
will become more and more important in the coming years.
These rules are not supposed to cater for every motorcycle produced within the period. They have been drafted to encourage
people with true period racing motorcycles to compete and still be competitive.
In the following draft rules, changes and additions to the current rules for Historic Road Racing concerning Period 6 (New Era)
are highlighted in red.
( I have extracted only those parts that have changed to save space—Ed.)
I am a current competitor in the New Era and Post Classic classes within the PCRA of NSW. I am on the New Era and Pre
Modern sub-committee of the PCRA of NSW looking after the class rules for both.
Regards
Robert Seiler
Period 6 New Era 1st January 1981 to 31st December 1989.
Period 6 F1
631cc – 1000 cc Production 4 Stroke Machines
421cc – 500 cc Production 2 Stroke Machines
263 cc – 500 cc GP 2 Stroke Machines
421 cc – 750 cc GP 4 Stroke Machines
Period 6 F2
263cc – 600cc Production 4 Stroke Machines
263cc – 400cc Production 2 Stroke Machines
131cc - 250cc GP 2 Stroke Machines
200cc – 400cc GP 4 Stroke Machine
Period 6 F3
240 cc - 250cc Production 4 Stroke Machines
175cc - 250cc Production 2 Stroke Machines
80cc - 125cc GP 2 Stroke Race Machines
Period 6 New Era is a formula based race series according to the following definitions:
‘Production machines’ are motorcycles designed by the manufacturer for road use.
‘GP’ machines are pure racing machines prohibited from normal road use and registration, as supplied by the manufacturer.
Period 6 - Production Based Machines
A production machine must meet minimum FIM requirements in terms of homologation numbers (dependant on the size
of manufacturer) = minimum 200 machines produced, to be classed as a ‘production machine’ i.e. no limited number
specials.
Parts that must remain standard to the model to comply with production classification:
Frame (frame may be braced; brackets for road-going equipment may be removed).
Petrol tank (fillers & taps may be removed/replaced. Fuel capacity may be reduced or enlarged as long as general appearance and dimensions are not changed).
Engine castings.
Fairing (silhouette). Changes for catch tray, suitable area for numbering are allowed.
Production machines that fail to comply with the production definition due to modifications will be permitted to compete
as GP bikes in the appropriate class.
16.5.5 Period 6
16.5.5.1 Period forks:
a) Conventional forks of a type manufactured in the period.
b) Conventional forks which replicate the type manufactured in the period.
See 16.6.6.5 for exception.
16.5.4.3 Rectangular number plates.
16.5.4.4 Front and rear brakes:
a) Manufactured in the period, or
b) Which replicate those manufactured in the period.
16.6.6.1 Radial brakes are excluded.
16.6.6.2 Carbon fibre discs are excluded.
16.6.6.3 Carbon fibre wheels are excluded.
16.6.6.4 Replica fork sliders, calipers and anti-dive
must be visually indistinguishable from
factory original.
16.6.6.5 Inverted forks are excluded unless originally fitted to the motorcycle represented. Only original inverted forks
may be used.
16.6.6.6 The use of carbon fibre and Kevlar
materials, and other materials
presented as having the appearance of
carbon fibre.
16.6.6.8 Superchargers and Turbochargers are excluded.
Pic by Rick K.