I thought some of you might be interested in this picture I took back in the late 1980's at the Bol D'Or endurance race in France. I've got tons of these prints, negatives and slides in my archive (the loft) but I pulled this one out because of the British connection. I used the power of Google and tracked down Mick Hemmings motorcycles, they don't have much of a website http://www.mickhemmings.com but it appears they are now Norton specialists. I was going to send them the A3 print I have as I thought they might appreciate it. Note the lack of mechanics uniforms, fast fillers, carbon discs and leather suits with airbags! They were more innocent times in those days. I was able to obtain a Photographers Press pass for the trackside and pits with just a flimsy letter from the marketing manager of the Photographic company I worked for at the time. We used to ride down on a Thursday and Friday to the South of France, camp, visit the supermarché to stock on food and food and embrace the madness that is French Endurance racing. We would generally leave on a monday morning and head back via the Alps over the next couple of days. Let me know if you would like to see any more of these and I'll dig a few more out.
Yes please, lovely looking bikes from that era, I was a paid up member of Team Bike supporters (still got the sticker and newsletters somewhere) Must get to this http://www.coupes-moto-legende.fr/inscription/la-nouvelle-piste/
ooh yes more please a good friend of mine (Mr R) used to spanner at event such as this Would be good to see pictures relating to the highly entertaining stories from him Good work chap Steve b
F*** Me, Heres a pic of my old girl on the Col D'Izoard on the way to the Bol in '89. GSX1100, Dymags, Lockheed calipers, 33mm smoothbores and a fairly rapid V+M motor - looks a bit like the one in the first picture. I thought the old girl was running rough on the way home, they must have borrowed it while I was pissed
I only went the once, in 1990 when it was at Paul Ricard; my first and still the best bike tour Chased a bunch of superbikes there on my trusty MZ... View attachment 10260 Get those photos loaded fella!
I'll find some more of the actual racing and scan them soon. In the meantime here is a pic of my heavily modified Kawasaki GPz1100 B1 that I took there on my own one year. This was in the Ardeche region. And this was at the campsite the first time I visited, on my Honda 704 four F1. The guy who rode the yellow Norton in the background changed his oil at the campsite.
Back in the mid seventies I worked at Whitemoor garage in Kenilworth, as a mechanic. Upstairs in the body shop worked Gary Green, at the time he rode for the French JapAuto team. He did become World Champion for 24 hour endurance racing. He succumbed to cancer aged 61. He was a slight personable guy, who to look at would not think he could do what he did on a motorcycle. RIP Gary.
Hi Steve, good to catch up with you again since Ducatisti, Dodgy Dave Degans, there's a name from the past. His road/cafe Tritons were pretty cool as I recall tho'.
Yes it was, it was on my Mate Steve's similar bike (in the shorts on the left). He also had the Rickman fairing.
Next we'll be reminiscing over Seeley & MotoMartin framed 80's Jap weapons. Yes, yes of course, the ubiquitous Rickmans & Harris' too Ahh, memories. Koni & S&W shocks Remember them...and effing Avon Road Runners.
...and what ever happened to the Suzi' GS1000E? I took one for a test ride in '79/'80 after just buying my first big bike-the GS750 (used, first model) and I loved it. The big silky smooth GS1000. Credit Union wouldn't extend the $1600. It had 400 ks on the clock. I can still remember that test ride on a hot summers afternoon in Sydney all those years ago. Christ I could weep. Again. Mind you that 750 taught me lessons that stay with me today. As a start, when I rode it home (ah yes it was 1979) from the dodgy dealers the bloody throttle return cable snapped..so I adapted to riding it roaring it's tits off and riding the clutch all the way home. Big lesson for an 18 year old on my first big bike. Oh yeah and I earnt about 2 pound 10 a week-actually $105AUD..and I was renting...so you can laugh and nod knowingly; maintenance was literally by wire, tape and blogging second hand tyres and a bobby-pin if i recall through the securing eye pin of the brake lever in lieu of a securing nut. Then there was the spark plug sump drain bolt replacement..but that's a tale for another day....it worked perfectly btw. God Almighty ) it's all coming back now.
£2_10 yer ad it cushty like!! jolly nice suzuk special there that man dymags n all bit hoity toity n posh lol great stuff Steve
Superb. Simply superb. Jesus check the rake on those Marzocchi's Mono shock too and that swing-arm. Tres exotique ;-)
