I was at the Race Retro Show yesterday and was impressed by a thing or two. After my entry on the Ian Brown book, a bloke found me yesterday and gave me a book called Crashed and Burned. It’s an autobiography on a Formula 3 driver who was a bit of nutter and always spoke his mind. So that’s my next read. But what was proper impressive was the Ron Haslam 1124cc Honda. A real peice of kit. It had a Ron Williams frame with a Shraeder valve on it. The valve was to check for any cracks in the frame. Pump it up, leave it, check the pressure , if it’s dropped it’s cracked. Up there for thinking, down there for dancing. Oh and check out the length of the grips.
Archive for March, 2009
Spain news 2. Brown – Ian, not Gordon
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Now then, how’s it going? Well, still out in Spain for the thick end of this week. It’s a hard life, eh? Well after a few days of crap weather at Almeria circuit, we ended up getting a decent day on our last day. Nowt special, still a bit windy but loads better than it has been. I ended up getting loads of laps done and am starting to get a feel for how how me and the bikes are getting on.
So, we are a bit further north in Spain now at a track called Guadix not far from Granada. Harris, Easton and me got out at six tonight (Sunday) for an hour to get a feel for the track, it’ll do me. I’ve not ridden here before, it’s well suited to an English style of riding motorbikes, it’s a very stop and start track and not much over a minute long. So I’ll get stuck in over the next few days and get cracking. I’ll let you know how I get on.
In between the riding I’ve been getting well into my reading. I’m into autobiographies and this one will takes some beating. I’d put it in front of Mick Doohan’s Thunder from Down Under. I know they aren’t proper biog’s but you know what I mean. I’m well into the music of The Stone Roses and Ian Brown and to learn of everything that went on behind the scenes is an education. Any other recommendations?
News from Spain
Friday, March 6th, 2009
If I told you we’re off to Spain for a bit of testing, you’d be like me, getting your shorts out and the tea bags at the ready. Well it’s a good job I packed the tea bags, because you couldn’t make the weather up. On the first day, Wednesday, I did a good 60-odd laps trying to get a rid of some of the rust that had gathered up over the winter, but the weather wasn’t helping the job. Massive gusts of wind made it fairly hard to get a decent lap in. Then today [when Guy wrote this on Thursday, sorry for the delay], it’s dinner and we’ve not turned a wheel. Wind and a bit of sleet chucked in. Let’s hope it cheers up. I’ll get the kettle on, eh?
Two new bikes
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
Morning all, how’s it going?
Sorry I’ve been a bit slack on the blog front, I’ve been beavering away at work and getting a few miles in on the old push bike. I was up at Dolby Forest last Sunday morn. I even managed to drag the farmer’s daughter out of her bed at half five in the morn for a ride out. Anyway, it’s nearly the end of my hardcore push biking, except for the first NPS round at Rehola. It falls between the BSB rounds of Brands and Oulton.
MBUK mag have got me an entry in it to do an article along the lines of road racer becoming D/H mountain biker, or something. Then it’ll be off for the road racing.
That all starts next Wednesday. Testing motor bikes that is , I’ll tell you what, I can’t wait. We’re taking all of my bikes to Spain: Superbike , Superstock and 600. The plan is to spend the thick end of our six days on track concentrating on our 600. Wer’e at Almeria and Guadix. It’s been built with all the right bits, so with it being a new model for 09 we’ll need to get it suited to me and me to it.
This was a problem last year. Our 600 didn’t turn a wheel till the NW200. So for this year it’ll have been to the moon and back by the time we get to the big road races. Hopefully this will mean we’ve got all the hiccups out of the way. The team on my side over there will be Buckle and his mate Al who works on restoring old Bentleys, so I’ll take the kettle and tea bags and we should be sorted. If I can get an internet connection over there I’ll keep you informed.
I’ve just bought a Scott Ransom push bike for the Megavalanche downhill race on Alp d’Huez. This bike is one of the trickest things I’ve ever ridden. It’s a jack of all trades so should be well suited to the Mega. Ta very much to Neil at Hope Tech for giving the chance buy her. And big thanks to Red Torpedo for their continuing support.
