Popular Post In the jungle Posted October 31, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted October 31, 2014 Inspired by the thread about the 350LC Yamaha I thought I would record a few of my memories of club racing in the UK in the early 1980s. I got into club racing by attending the Geoff Crookbain racing school at Brands Hatch. It followed a familiar format. A classroom session then the students trundle around on identical bikes being observed by the instructors who write notes and give feedback. Then the students let rip for ten timed laps. At the end of the day certificates were awarded which showed lap times and instructors comments . I still have mine somewhere. I was fastest at the racing school and I was convinced that my future as a racing god was pretty much assured. So I went in search of a race bike. I settled on a Ducati 250 single. It was a Vic Camp bike which meant that the bodywork was a replica of the factory race bikes. It had some trick bits such as a twin plug head and straight cut primary drive. A powerhouse it was not but it handled well and could shine in the wet. Whereas today riders change their tyres more frequently than their underwear I would check the tyres (Dunlop KR124s) at the start of each season and pronounce them good if they had tread. Such an approach was not uncommon. One of the first outings for the 250 was an open practice day at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in January. It was snowing lightly but I thought I was setting a pretty reasonable pace. I was cranked over hard and on the limit through Graham Hill bend when Barry Sheene came past me on the outside literally inches away on the Akai Yamaha 500. I would guess the speed differential at 20 mph. It scared the crap out of me but as he exited the corner I could see Barry was relaxed and not anywhere near his limit. He only did a couple of laps due to the weather conditions so he did not pass me again. So the first race weekend came and I very quickly discovered that club racing was a big step up from being a race school hero. Racing with BMCRC (bemsee) there was no class in which a Ducati 250 was a likely winner. Many of the races I did were either novice races which meant hordes of the new Yamaha 250LC or 250cc single cylinder races where 250 Yamaha motocross engines in trick frames dominated. The pesky Yamahas would stomp all over the Ducati in a straight line. Generally I would finish in the lower half of the field but there were a few highlights. I did one novice race at Brands and finished third in heavy rain against the dreaded LCs. I had started in the lower half of the field and overtook nobody. All but two riders in front had fallen off! In another novice race at Brands I had been locked in a race long duel with a guy on an LC. Lap after lap he would simply drive away from me on the straight. By lap eight I had had enough of this so I decided that, come hell or high water, I would outbrake him into paddock hill bend using my powerful drum brake. Indeed I did, sort of, until the front end let go at the apex and I exited paddock hill on my backside. What I can say, from very close observation, is that the very best set up LCs with the best riders would buck and weave alarmingly through paddock hill bend. By contrast the 250 Ducati was pretty stable. I remember one young guy well from the paddock at Brands around that time. He had the latest TZ Yamaha. I cannot remember whether it was a 250 or a 350 but it was very well prepared and resourced. Gosh he even had spare parts and tyres. That guy was Damon Hill though I had no idea of his lineage at the time. I also did a few races with the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club (CRMC). These were gentlemen racers often riding bikes worth far more than my humble 250 Ducati. Having had the baptism of fire of battered LCs and duct tape I found that with most, but not all, of them you could get away with some pretty robust overtaking. I raced at Donington, Snetterton and finally at Cadwell Park which marked the end of my racing career. At my last race at Cadwell Park I had gone into the gooseneck too hot, ran wide onto the grass and dropped the bike whereupon it trampled all over me. As I lay on the grass there was an overwhelming pain from my groin. I was stretchered away and as they cut away what remained of my leathers the matronly Saint John’s ambulance lady said “Don’t worry. I’m a married woman!” I was lucky in that I had broken no bones but over the next week or so my nether regions went through a succession of alarming colours. I decided that my racing days were over and, after repairs, the Ducati was sold for two hundred and twenty pounds. If I could go back in time with the knowledge and experience I have now I could have been a much better racer. But I would never have been right at the front as I lacked the talent of the true front runners. I could also tell the story of my bevel drive 900ss Ducati road bike. A true 70s classic in black and gold. But if I told the sale price grown men would weep. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchbike Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Nice memories, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm jeff Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Damon was good enougth to go professional on bikes , but followed his dad into f1. Damon still rides today at the "Festival of speed" event .Great bloke.Nice story , thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now