Hi all, I'm really pleased to post that we are going to set up an opportunity for forum members to take part in a unique crowd sourced sponsorship for Nicky Wilson in his Ducati 899 BSB TriOptions Cup this season. As part of the sponsorship, everyone that donates will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win the following: £50 Conquest Carbon voucher 2 passes to a BSB race Mug & Signed photo Your username on Nicky's bike for the race At Race 1 at Brands Nicky had a fall at Graham Hill bend and the bike sustained a fair amount of damage. Luckily Nicky managed to walk away pretty much unscathed. Nicky will be on the forum to post race updates, answer questions on the bike etc, and I know a lot of us will be interested in progress and the 899's performance. I had no idea's to the cost of racing but here's a basic breakdown of the cost. These guys pretty much spend every penny they have for their sport and I know get a lot of support from sponsors, but money can be very tight in racing (for 99% of riders). £19000 for the race prepped bike £3150 to register and race £1000's for tyres, oil etc £2000+ for engine refresh & transport ££££+ Crash damage! ££££ Leathers & race kit So here we have an opportunity to sponsor Nicky - If you'd like to get involved click the link below! http://ducatiforum.co.uk/forum/donate/ We have no idea if the monthly goal is just a dream, but let's put it out there to see what we can achieve. Thanks guys Rob.
Hi Everyone! First-off a big thank you to @Rob (Ducati Forum) and @Conquest Carbon for agreeing to support my 2014 season via this crowd sponsorship scheme. Also a huge thank you @Matt DWrecker and @arlechinno for being the first to donate! I hope to keep you all up-to-date with all the inside news and information throughout the year and I'd welcome any questions you guys might have about the 899, the BSB paddock, tips if you're interested in starting racing or just general chit-chat really! As you know racing is expensive and I'm sure that many of you would love to go racing or be involved somehow. I'm hoping that by donating through this scheme that you can feel as if you are genuinely part of the team - part of the NWR racing family. - It's people like you who make the difference! Nicky
@Nicky Wilson What kind of race prep do you do to the bike? You've got about £7k's worth of mods over the stock 899.
Well the series is designed to be a level playing field so a lot the parts I would like to fit to the bike are not within the regulations. Nor is engine tuning. However there are still a few bits you can change and these are of course not cheap. My bike was supplied by the superb bunch at W.M Snells in Alton, Hampshire. They supplied me with the standard road bike and with the help of a network of independent specialists (I've come to trust over the years) we've put together a good package. So the mod list includes: K-tech DDS fork kit and rear damper (supplied by Steve Jordan Motorcycles) K-tech steering damper (supplied by Steve Jordan Motorcycles) R&G crash protection (supplied by Snells) Hel performance brake lines (supplied by Hel) A Sigma slipper clutch (supplied by Snells) A 1199 magnesium RH engine cover for quick access to the clutch (supplied by Snells) Pro-fibre racing fairings (direct from Pro-fibre) Paint design and paint (supplied by Demon Designs UK) Termignoni end cans (supplied by Snells) Renthal Sprockets Ducabike clips-ons and kill switch (supplied by Conquest Carbon) Evotech levers (supplied by Conquest Carbon) HS Moto front subframe SBS brake pads Rizoma rear sets (supplied by Snells) And then there are few changes to make for compliance including lock wiring the sump plug, draining all anti-freeze and replacing with water, filling the tank with explosafe etc. You then have buy a second pair of wheels (as a minimum) for your wet tyres and a stock of spare parts such as lever, bars, rear sets and so-on.
The bike was supplied by W.M Snells who are supporting me as well this year. I can't speak highly of them enough - they're a really great bunch and their customer care is second to none!
Yep, they built my race bike and helped me out until I smashed myself into orbit lol Best of luck, some quick fellas in that series
Great guys etc at Snells, can't offer you any money but your welcome to use any thing I may have to offer in my workshop, I am often around 7 days a week, have a fair array of tools etc inc a M500 tyre machine, steel Tig and more, I am not far from Snells.. . Good luck this year.
As you will hopefully be following my antics throughout the year I thought I should tell you all a little bit more about myself. Getting into bike racing has been tough and I am still on a big learning curve. I grew up in Surrey and now live in West Sussex near Crawley. I'm not "independently wealthy" as they say, so to date all of my racing has been self-funded with the help of many good mates, my family and small companies helping me out here and there. Demon Designs UK and many friends who've helped out for nothing, given me discounts or freebies like my paddock scooter which was junk until it was given a makeover by my Dad to make it useable. I've always loved bikes but my parents pushed me towards karting and cars (bikes too dangerous) so it wasn't until my 20's that I got into bikes, unlike many of my rivals who have been riding since age 7. No biking dynasty in my family! I guess if you asked me to describe myself, I would say I was a striver. I’m not gifted with great skill or speed, I just work dam hard at everything I do and never give up. Whatever I've raced or ridden I've always ‘spannered’ it myself and I think it is really important to know how any machine works and be prepared to tackle problems including those sessions in the awning until 2am after a big problem or crash! Away from racing I studied engineering and now work as an Engineering Project Manager. Therefore, it is a challenge to juggle my time between racing, work and family. I got my road bike licence in 2008 and had a Honda Hornet briefly before deciding I wanted to get out on track after a go at the Ron Haslam Race School on a 600RR! My first race bike was a Suzuki GSX-R 600 in 2009, which I raced in the Suzuki GSX-R 600 Cup run by the ACU. In 2010 (on the same bike) I race in the BEMSEE clubman championship finishing 6th overall. 2011 was a big step up – moving onto a Triumph Daytona 675 in the one-make BSB support series. 2012 was the start of what I now call the ‘Ducati years’ – with my first season on a Ducati in the 848 Challenge. 2013 was again on the 848 but it was a torrid year of crashes and mechanical failures until I moved teams (and onto a more competitive bike) for the final two rounds. This brings me onto 2014. This will be my 3rd year on a Ducati and my 6th racing a bike. The 899 is my dream bike but I’m conscious that it will take some development and getting to grips with. Round 1 started off very positively with a really close qualifying session but a crash in race one in the appalling wet conditions caused a lot of damage that meant technical gremlins prevented me from finishing race two. We have now rebuilt the bike and I’m out on track later this week in preparation for round 2 as we support the World Superbikes at Donington Park.
Evening all! I'll be attending this California Superbike School Ducati only trackday on the 27th May (after the World Superbike round) : http://www.snellmotorcycles.com/events%201.htm Who's going?
