Got me thinking now, it's 30 years last October that I raced it just for "one last time" after packing up 5 years earlier in 1987. Sears corner at Snetterton in '83. Notice the leathers and right boot patched up with duct tape as was the norm back in those days.
The last time (a couple of years ago) I had my Hyper at WOT was when I was chasing my mate. Realised that I'd stupidly put it in urban mode and was having to wring it's (electronically-limited) neck to keep up! So just pop it in low-power mode and go wide open... Yes, I know, I've been to the pub and felt the need to contribute
I’ve done that too, mate had just bought his 2022 Tuono to replace his 2021. I was ringing the neck of my KTM 790 struggling to keep up. I was thinking that newer Tuono is so much faster idly checked my screen at a fuel stop and was in Rain mode…….. I’ve not been to the pub and have no excuse.
old or bored. i'm one or tother. maybe both. i've been wrestling with the idea of selling everything i've got. a DR250, CRF 250, my quad suitable for 12yr olds to pension age and chopping in my Fugly 1100s and 848 and going for something more suitable for two up ridding with a fair bit of boom boom too. would you believe i've had thoughts of Diavles going through my head. but i fecking hate selling my stuff.
Bemsee, Racing 50/New Era which became Racing Clubmans, Newmarket, British Formula, Retford. Mostly rode at Brands (Club and GP) Snetterton, Mallory. Also did West Raynham, Donington and just the once on Silverstone GP in the Marlborough Clubmans Final meeting I think it was 1987 where we all got taken off the grid and given 15 mins to change over to wet tyres when the weather suddenly turned into a monsoon on the outlap, that was my first ever experience of riding on wets and out of 40+ starters I came home in 24th place and was the last person to do the full 10 lap race distance in horrendous conditions. Club racing back then was a real fun thing to do and the people who ran it were generally incredibly helpful - I often used to knock on the front door of Jean Maslin from Racing 50 2 or 3 days before a meeting with the request " can I get a ride this weekend" and she always somehow found space for me and usually my 2 mates as well, with Newmarket we used to just turn up at the meeting and go into race control, spoke to Ed Curtis and walk back out with 2 or three races entered. Bemsee was a different kettle of fish and if you didn't get your entry in by the closing date the you could plead with Barbara Bailey all you liked but would never get anywhere, as for Bill Rose well just don't go there. John Milligan at British formula could be bit grumpy but was usually pretty fair. Did it for 6 seasons and had a great time, most of the circuits have changed considerably now, the Melbourne loop at Donington was only just being built last time I was there, the bus stop at Mallory didn't exist, Silverstone GP was still in its original layout with Abbey curve flat out in top then straight down to Woodcote for which you only dropped one gear on a 350, Snetterton had the original Russells bend which was a flat out 3rd gear kink onto the start finish straight. Probably many other things different as well, I bet you don't get requests over the tanoy for "we have a sidecar driver needing a passenger please" I got 2 passenger rides that way, one at the Daily Mirror meeting at Donington and again at the Marlborough Clubmans round at Brands club circuit where it pissed down with rain again.
I completely agree - on my 2020 S1000RR it’s almost impossible to be WOT *and* in the power band, any road, anywhere. By definition once you’re at 8k revs in 2nd you’re already breaking the national speed limit and you’ve still got 5k revs left to go. You can go Billy big balls WOT it if you drop it into 6th at 30mph of course… To be honest even on the track it’s hard to go WOT (if you’re in the optimum gear) given accelerative savagery. So absolutely no chance on the road. Which is why there’s a very strong argument for the 22 year old 996S being a better road bike, if what you want out of your road riding is an analogue, tactile, sensory experience. And the ability to *maybe, just maybe* go WOT on an overtake or slip road somewhere
I used to race a solo, but the best nights out in the paddock was always with the sidecar lot, they were all bonkers How’d you get on with Jim Parker ?
Jim was ok, always seemed to be very pre occupied with things in race control but I do remember when I and my 2 mates made a one meeting comeback in 1992 he was really helpful with getting club membership confirmed so we could get our ACU license at quite short notice, all three of us turned up on his doorstep one evening and he got everything sorted while we waited, a bit like the old days. Sidecar racers were always good lads who could be relied on to weld up crash damage to get you out in the next race. My first passenger experience was with a guy called Tony Calvey who had lost one leg at the knee who my mate knew and persuaded him to give me a few laps round Snetterton on a Wednesday afternoon practice session, he took me round in a time that would have won at the weekend's meeting.
Just made myself feel even older. I dug out the programme for the Marlborough final at Silverstone, it was 1984 and there were 59 entrants in the 350 race. Wow, 39 years ago. Other names in the meeting include James Whitham, Carl Fogarty, Dave Madsen-Mygdal (he was in the pit garage next to us) .
It was donnington mid seventies, I ll see if I can dig out the whole programme, it’s here somewhere !!
