Right, let’s get on with it…
As the Replay Racing Lambretta Group 4 Evo bike is unloaded and put on the bench in a very busy workshop at JG Scooters in Grantham Lincolnshire we knew there was a lot to do for it to be anywhere near ready for its next outing at Pembrey.
Then add in the fact that Paul White of Replay Racing was on a well-deserved holiday as he prepares to settle into his retirement and Jon Gilbert (who had kept his business open throughout the pandemic) was also away, it was all hands to the pump to have the bike stripped repaired and rebuilt ready for the dyno on Jon’s return. There was a strict no calls to Chalky or Jon on holiday rule. Not only was the rider (me) still battered and bruised (which I’m sure is age-related) the bike also needed sorting after my crash at the previous meeting at Three Sisters in Wigan. The bent forks had to be changed. Sourced by Jon Gilbert, a brand-new set of (new old stock) GP forks arrived from his contacts in Italy ready to have many years of preservative grease removed before they were blasted prepared and painted.
It wasn’t long before the old forks were stripped and the new set fully rebuilt with new internals and fitted into the scooter. A process that went extremely smoothly despite my endless technical questions on what fitted where, how and why. However, the builder in Jon’s absence was a long time served local scooterist, Rob Castle who as well as knowing his way around Lambrettas has also spent a long-time teaching specialist training to firefighters. He was more than happy to enlighten me on the technical side of things in a calm and relaxed way with minimal swearing! For someone who is strictly forbidden from normally touching anything mechanical let alone allowed to use Jon Gilbert’s Snap On toolbox it was interesting to not only help but learn at the same time. However, we did have the feeling that Jon was watching us on his internal CCTV direct from his phone which did give us plenty of chances to wind him up…
Luckily it was the forks and lever guard that had taken most of the impact which had been on grass. There appeared to be no major damage other than minor deformity to the footboards – they were straightened at the track. I had got off really quite lightly. So, with the new forks in it was time to strip the engine to see what, if any damage I had caused after the very busy Three Sisters meeting. Mechanically the scooter had performed faultlessly and proved to be reliable beyond my expectations, considering I had entered both Stock and Super events, which meant a total of 10 outings at Wigan with practice, qualifying and the actual races on the one day. The words of chalky echoing in my mind ‘preparation is key’ constantly in our thoughts as the engine was stripped and laid out for inspection. For a man who has killed three clutches in four meetings we were expecting to be greeted with a clutch requiring new innards and a stench of burnt metal, cork and oil. Surprisingly this wasn’t the case. Being a novice and being vastly inexperienced on track compared to most I had the tendency of slipping the clutch throughout the race to try and get drive, as I know one of my weaknesses and areas identified for improvement is corner speed – not only on entry but more importantly on exit. However, the advice I’d had from other BSSO riders had clearly been digested and it made a pleasant change to rebuild the clutch without the requirement to fit new internals. So, with a change of gearing ready for a track with long fast straights and no parts needing replacing the rebuild was complete and a final check over was conducted. On Jon’s return, a dyno run was completed and the scooter was given a final bill of health ready for its next outing. I really can’t thank Rob Castle and Paul Sanderson at the workshop enough for all the time they gave in getting the scooter ready as it wouldn’t have been ready otherwise.
Meanwhile, at the Stamford Scooter Centre, the proprietor Doug Edwards had also stripped, examined and rebuilt Harry Smith’s Production Class Vespa PK. before they took a trip up the A1 to get it on the JG Scooters dyno, where it was set up with minimal adjustments to the gearing.
The Friday came and with the race vans packed, myself and Replay race mechanic, Daniel Mears met up and set off for what was a trouble-free trip from the East Midlands to South Wales in just under five hours. Landing in Wales early afternoon we were met with a busy paddock but set in sunshine – which was a pleasant surprise. Within a short while, the gazebo was up and our team paddock set up with the bike on the bench and Dan going through his ritual of checking and double-checking, which as a rider gives you great confidence in the bike ahead of the weekend’s racing. With BSSO stalwart Phil York set up in the scrutineering bay, Dan took the bike in for examination whilst I was outside having my racing leathers, boots gloves and helmet checked and subsequently signed off and my race card obtaining the required signatures. Just noise testing and signing on and we were ready to get out on track early Saturday morning. Without the commitment and dedication of the marshals and other unpaid volunteers and those that organise the event racing wouldn’t go ahead – its as simple as that.
Pembrey really was going to be a real test, not only for myself but also Dan. There was no Chalky or Jon Gilbert in the paddock to offer those years of experience on the mechanical side of things but also no Darren or Steve Connelly to give that valuable insight on the track during the evening’s walk around and continued race track advice that I’ve been lucky to have received since I started my racing. Add to this it was yet again another new track that I’ve never ridden to try and learn.
However, we were joined by team sponsor Josh Morris of Kyozen Mouldings Ltd who not only supply Replay with fibreglass panel work they also supply many of the BSSO teams with panel work and full group 6 bodywork. Josh who has assisted us at previous meetings also helps Dan with the DVSRC endurance racing bike, so he’s familiar with the goings-on within the paddock so was a great help. Harry and Doug arrived and the Stamford racing paddock was set up before dinner was had in the circuit canteen followed by a track walk to burn off the calories.
Saturday came and Phil York was back in the scrutineering bay and Carol Alison was in charge of the signing on and the distribution of transponders before we made it out on track for a joint-stock and super practice session. The transponder that Harry brought with him wasn’t compatible so he wasn’t able to set any initial times while I set a first lap of 1.44 which dropped to 1.40 by the end of the practice session, hardly setting the scooter world on fire. Qualifying took place for both groups with Harry setting a respectable 1.30 in both groups whilst I lagged behind on times of 1.34 and 1.35 respectively. Again, leaving me at the back of the starting grid but I was hoping that I would do what I’ve done at all my previous meetings and got more confident and quicker as I learn the track and work out where I can make up time. I was however having problems getting the scooter on pipe and found myself very quickly out of the power band thus making me having to drop down the gearbox. This surprised me as I was running the same gearing at Darley Moor which I didn’t have problems with.
The first race on the Stock scooter commenced and I was dogged with my poor start, leaving me stranded on the start line about 15 seconds behind the field on the first right-hand corner. It didn’t really get any better during the first race as my best time was only 1.34 and the field disappeared into the distance. Harry however was as consistent as ever putting in steady 1.30s and not being far off the pace of the far more experienced racers, Paul Fitzgerald and Shaun Nickells who were revisiting the track. The subsequent results were Harry Finishing in 15th with me behind in 17th. Due to delays, this was to be the only race on Saturday so we returned to the paddock where we considered changing the gearing but decided to persevere. Harry’s PK had the clutch rebuilt as he’s an ex-motocross racer and is rather brutal with the clutch but he has proven his starts are up there with the time served racers.
Saturday evening was a relaxed event where we were joined by fellow new racers James McNally from DTC Chiselspeed and Glen Swallow. A few civilised beers were consumed. Harry had disappeared and returned in his van about 10.30 pm and laid out on the workbench multiple parcels that we discovered were full of food from the chip shop. Apparently, Harry had got the munchies, nipped to the local chip shop at closing time and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse for all their remaining food – for the vast sum of £15.00! So having fed half the paddock, those who were drinking ventured to the SRP tent whilst the lightweights hit the sack.
Sunday arrived but the expected rain hadn’t so we stayed on race slicks and put the race wets to one side ready for Super Scooters race 1. The warm-up lap was a nightmare for Harry as the normally very reliable PK lost power at the bottom of the main straight and caused him to sit out the race with a flywheel issue. It had come loose and removed some of the fins but thankfully no serious damage. I had my usual poor start and finished in 13th place having had issues with gearing that I’d had the previous day so I was getting no quicker, recording lap times of 1.32 which was 6 seconds a lap behind the ever-constant Bob West and returning racer Simon Palmer on the immaculately presented Union Lambretta Production bike who again was fast all weekend and showing the consistency of lap times of 1.26s throughout the meeting. Paul Fitzgerald on the RFS GP 4 Evo bike was also showing a clean set of heals and at 2 seconds a lap quicker he was increasing the gap between us as the race progressed. Paul prefers the long fast tracks as opposed to the windy tracks like Wigan and Lydden and was showing a renewed confidence and enthusiasm as he battled ahead of me with fellow EVO racer Jer Crew and dropped his times race by race.
Lunch was called and after Dan received some, shall we call it ‘constructive feedback’ from Jon Gilbert back in Grantham regarding my riding so far, the decision was made to change the gearing and switch to what we had run at Three Sisters, which many may see as a bizarre decision. On the lunch break, I was speaking to Jon Chitoglou (affectionally known as the Greek) who was riding the Hornet Gp 4 Evo machine normally ridden by Danny Loder who informed me he was running the same gearing as me and was only using 2nd and 3rd gear, as he also had long gearing fitted. The difference being he could keep it on pipe with the throttle fully open at maximum lean angle without losing power, which enabled him throughout the meeting to be challenging at the front of every race with the established front runners and recording lap times of 1.18. This showed the difference of a novice and an experienced racer riding the same powered machine. The team was also joined and assisted again by Stuart Gentry the proprietor of SG Engineering in Diss who as a well-respected scooter builder also has a long history of being a motorcycle race mechanic before he moved to scooters. So, he brought with him a wealth of experience to the race paddock as well as extensive knowledge of Lambrettas and Vespas. Just in case Dan required any assistance.
Within no time the engine was stripped down, gearing changed and everything checked over ready for the first race after lunch.
Just up the paddock, as part of the JU17 Race Team was Alex Vandyke. Now in his 12th year racing in the BSSO, Alex was again running in both classes with his two Gilera Runners. A 125 in Production Class, and in Group 6a a highly tuned Gilera 196 with an engine tuned by previous BSSO Champion Warren Wilkinson at Wilkinson Racing.
Alex has normally run on his own and been a one-man band, which often due to time constraints and mechanical maintenance on the scooters, can make things difficult, to say the least – especially running two machines. However, season after season he has turned up and consistently performed. With his best results coming in the 2019 season prior to lockdown, where he finished 3rd overall in class – a great achievement. This season brings Alex some greatly appreciated sponsorship from Alex’s employer TW Drainage in Kent who not only assist him with the many running expenses of scooter racing they also offer him the flexibility in his job to allow him the time to compete. Overall, it was a great weekend for Alex with him achieving 2 7th place finishes in the Production Class races with times consistently around 1.23, which is only just off the pace of the top riders. In group 6a a 5th and 6th place finish were achieved and he was even quicker, setting a personal best time of 1.16.42 which was a hair’s breadth behind the previous lap record holder DTC racer Nikitta Donoghue – who set a staggering 1.15.97. The only downside for Alex was he suffered a DNF where a carb fell off and he suffered a cracked engine case which only just took some of the gloss off a great weekend’s racing.
More auto riders needed
Alex assures me he will have both scooters ready for Cadwell Park at the end of September. He does also encourage others to take up scooter racing in the auto Production Racing class as he scores no points despite his great finishes as there aren’t enough riders for a full championship to run in tandem with the other BSSO classes.
So, with both scooters up and running we were out for race 2 in the Production Class. Despite another bad start I was now competing and no longer following up at the back of the grid. The difference in the scooter was night and day and although sacrificing some top speed I was able to greatly increase my corning through the twisty and difficult Honda complex section. I also made gains on the more experienced riders in front as I wasn’t up and down the box as before and could capitalise on my late braking. Having got past Harry who went off the start like a scolded cat I was now chasing down Jer Crew and Paul Fitzgerald for the first time this meeting. The subsequent result being a 15th place finish – one place in front of Harry and a new PB of 1:28, 6 seconds off my previous best lap time and 3 seconds a lap in front of Harry who again was his consistent self at 1.31.
Having previously had to wait in the paddock for up to 15 minutes the 2nd Super Scooter race was bizarre, the final call came and within seconds a handful of us made it out onto the track before the barrier was closed. We completed the warm-up lap where we were then joined by the rest of the field. Having a renewed confidence this was another better race for me where I was in close racing with Fitz and Jer Crew throughout the race with positions changing through each lap. which resulted in a 10th place finish and yet another new PB of 1.27. Harry finishing 13th – also setting a new PB of 1.28 on his PK. With him only losing out to the Lambrettas in the straights, whilst the PK held its own in the twisty parts of the track, Harry thinking he was back motocrossing!
The final two races were reduced to only 6 laps as the event organisers didn’t want any races not to run due to time running out. The final stock race was more of the same as again I battled with Harry Fitz and Jer Crew resulting in my finish being in 15th and Harry in 17th.
As the final race of the day ‘Super Scooters race 3’ set off on the warm-up lap the grid closed up at the first sharp right-hander due to a couple of riders having a spill. We subsequently found out that Ian Scutt’s EVO scooter had locked up in the bend causing him to crash right in front of Steve Wright, who collided with him and caused Steve to fall heavily to the floor. We returned to the start line where we had an extensive wait in roasting weather in full leathers whilst the track was cleared and ambulances cared for the injured. The message was received that both riders were okay and we lined up on the start line to be joined by the indestructible Steve Wright on the DSC RB260 ready to race. I don’t know how he does it as I was still aching and suffering from my spill at Wigan. Anyway, the lights changed and at last, I didn’t have a dreadful start I was in with the pack and was already making good progress. Throughout the next six laps it was cat and mouse with Fitz and Jer Crew. Fitz having the advantage on the two long straights and the sweeping right handers whilst Jer was making the most of the tricky complex. I was managing to overtake them both on the approach to the sharp hairpin and again the sharp right-hander prior to the straight. On the final lap, I had Fitz and Jer In front of me once more as we approached the last sharp right-hander I closed right up and was level on the corner exit and for once had good corner speed, overtaking Jer and was side by side as we accelerated through the box – just changing into fourth, flat out full throttle and Fitz left a slight gap so I nipped inside on the sweeping right-hander. One more corner to go before the finish and Fitz pulls the same move on me, overtaking me mid bend and we raced to the line, finishing with Fitz finishing three hundreds of a second In front of me. Most probably my most enjoyable race since I started racing and yet another PB, getting into the 1.26s.
An 11th place finish with Harry finishing just behind in 12th. The Bionic Steve Wright, despite his spill on the warm up lap taking a gallant 1st place yet again for team DSC.
So, to finish – big thanks to all those at the BSSO for all the time and effort in making the event happen, particularly as Wales was still in semi-lockdown. Phil York and Carol Alison for the scrutineering and all the administration which makes things possible. For myself, I can’t thank Daniel Mears enough as team mechanic, without his expertise, commitment and enthusiasm I wouldn’t be able to race it’s as simple as that. Again, Stuart Gentry from SG Engineering for the continued support along with Josh Morris.
The scooter will be back at JG Scooters for a check over ready for the BSSO’s first ever scooter only track day at Blyton Park on the 17th of August. We’re also looking forward to Cadwell as it will be the first track I’ve ridden before, so hoping we will see huge improvements on last year’s racing which was my first ever outing.
Words: Phil Hallam JG Scooters/Replay Racing #50
You can flick through a small selection of Lee Hollick’s race photos in the gallery above. Loads more race photos can be found on Lee Hollick’s website by clicking this link. Lee tirelessly supports the BSSO and BSEC events (as well as many other motor sports). Go to his website, view his photos and maybe buy your favourites.
Now I’m sat down for a late lunch I can give you a taste of the weekend.. The boss, Darren Scott, wasn’t going to make the Pembrey weekend so we all had to sort ourselves out (well me anyway! As normally I just make my way to a race meeting and Scotty sorts everything out! This time I had to go to his & pick the bikes up (Steve’s Proddy bike, my #1 4e bike & my Group 6 RB252) and all the spares to go with it all. So I picked all this up on Thursday evening. Saturday morning we set off for Pembrey, meeting up with Daz Westgarth and Stephen Hamilton at Scotch Corner at 10 am and arriving at the circuit at 7 pm! A long ole slog!
We met up with the others and made camp & had a few beers… Saturday morning I went to sign on, had bikes and clothing tested and first practice was around 9:30 am. Qualifying was around 11 am where I qualified pole on the Stock grid on my Lambretta DSC-AF-RB 4e machine and also managed to get a pole on my Group 6 “Aero” lime green AF-RB252. Both motors were built by Scotty.
After lunch, we had the first Stock race – the weather was fantastic on Saturday and we all had a pile of wets to put on! But they never got used over the whole weekend, both days were great. During the first Stock race I had an electrical problem and finished 3rd in my class.
There wasn’t another race on Saturday so the Group 6 race had to be run first thing on Sunday. Saturday after the racing we all had a few drinks and the girls (Annie & Jo) made all the team food to keep us going, we had a visit from JB & crew and they helped out with Daz’s Group 4 bike which wasn’t playing ball (neither were the other Group 4 machines!) they all had problems around this track as it’s mostly flat out and with the Group 4 bikes being highly strung and with nine laps they weren’t going to last long…
I won the first Group 6 race, Steve Wright – my teammate, came second. There were two more races to be had on the Stock bikes and I won both of them, with Graham Tatton winning all the Production Class races…
There were two more Group 6 races, the first one I won and the second one I came 3rd in my class due to a high side. I actually saved it but then ended up going onto the grass and over the ‘mole mounds’ which was quite bumpy! Then on the same lap, my end can came off! On the slowing down lap I picked it up…
You can see all my onboard videos on my YouTube channel here. All in all, a great weekend yet again with the team and I finally got back home Sunday night at midnight!
Justin Price
Blyton Park scooter only track day
If you’re at a loose end on Thursday 12th August and want to see some scooter action head over to Blyton Park near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire (postcode DN21 3PE) for the first BSSO scooter only track day. We did a preview on SLUK last week – you can read that here. It’s free to get in and spectate and there are around 50 scooters already entered – from complete track novices to seasoned BSSO/BSEC racers. If you fancy a go on track, you only need a full bike licence and leathers to enter. Full details on the link.
