Team Wildcard Racing Blog

CADWELL 24/25TH SEPT

2011-11-05T16:47:00.008Z

The last meeting of the season ! Chris Wickett couldn't make this one so it was down to me, Vern and Phil to carry the flag for team wildcard. A little damp first thing Sat. morning but dried out soon enough and stayed that way for the weekend. We swelled the ranks by first practice with Andy Checkly riding Phil's bantam Josie.

At the start of the weekend Phil was in third place in the championship and was hoping to hold that position. Lots of Bantams were on the grid as the chamionship was to be decided at this meeting, and the lap times were quick! Phil managed to fifths and two sixths which was enough to keep third place in the chamionship. Andy also finished all four races and was goiong well.

Trevor turned up, to everyones suprise, along with his brother Tony. Trevor had to go home on Saturday night as he was still a long way from fully recovered after his antics at Mallory, but came back on Sunday to catch more of the action.

I had my 250 Rudge but managed to rip the barrel off the casings in the first race so that was the end of that!

We had our usual seasons troubles with the outfit which still wasn't running properly despite all our best efforts. We decidied to take the mag off on Sat. night and replace it with electronic ignition kindly supplied by big Ben, who also stayed to help us fit it. ook the outfit out again on Sun. and guess what, no change, but at least we now know we don't have an ignition problem!

So, the season has ended and it is back to the unit and shed for winter re-builds etc. Phil has already started working on the Bantams, looking for a little extra from the LC for next season, which looks like it will be a tough year with a lot of fast riders looking for glory. Phil has also got a ride on a Triumph 350, thanks to Lenny, for next season which could prove interesting. I have given Lenny one of my Triumph engines to re-build and I am doing the other one. I am also finishing my Triton this winter so I can use it to test the engines on the road. Chris is doing a full re-build on his outfit Ming as well as building a spare engine. Both rudges need engine re-builds as well. Plenty to do! Roll on next season!

last three meetings!

2011-09-20T19:09:00.003+01:00

Sorry once again for being so rubbish at updating this blog, I will do better next season! I will say a few words about Cadwell on 25/26 June although I wasn't there due to work commitments. I will have to wait until I get an update from Chris but I have got a few notes from Phil which I will relate now. The first day started damp but there was a dry line and Phil finished third in the first race. A dry second race saw Phil in forth on the LC. On the Sunday Phil got another two forths leaving him third overall in the championship. Phil lent his other bantam to Andy Checkley for the weekend and he finished all four races in good style.

LYDDEN 30/31 JULY

We always look forward to this meeting as for the last five years it has been Tim's memorial meeting and we always have a few barrels of beer and a barbie for all the club on the Saturday night. This meeting was a while ago now and a lot of stuff happened but I will try and remember as much as possible. As you may have gathered by now my outfit has not really been working all season and this meeting was no exception. We couldn't get it working all of Saturday so in the end we took the engine out and fitted an untried spare on Sunday morning before racing started.
This engine fired up and seemed to be running well until just before the first race when it just died a death. Once again we decided to call it a day as far as the outfit was concerned. I gave the original engine to our good friend Lenny, along with the mag, and he is going to do a rebuild for me and hopefully we will get to the bottom of the engine problems once and for all.
Chris had a much better weekend on his outfit and finished all of his races well. His crowning glory was winning the champion of champion sidecar race and recieving a special Stan the Man trophy. Me and Chris had some great battles on the two Rudges over the weekend and were neck and neck most of the time. We ended the Saturday in the Stan Summers handicap race which I was lucky enough to win, so we both came home with a Stan the Man trophy!
Phil carried on doing well on the Lc bantam as he has all season and finished all his races and was still third overall in the championship.

MALLORY 4TH SEPT.

Mallory park started out wet but dried throughout the day. We managed to get the outfit running but it cut out before the first race. We traced this to the mag end cap which we replaced and finally got the outfit out for the second race of the day. It was a bit of a beast to ride with such a narrow power band but at least we finished a race! Chris had the outfit running well as usual and finished both races. Unfortunatly the Rudge seized in pratice so that was the end of the pre 34 races for Chris. I was having a great first race on my Rudge but ended up pushing it a bit too hard at Edwinas and came off.
Phil kept up the good work on the Lc bantam and finished all races and if I remember right got a second. All in all a good meeting with the only down side happening in the paddock. Trevor collapsed and was rushed to hospital where immidate surgery found a blood clot in his heart! He is recovering well now and our heartfelt thanks go out to the medics trackside and the hospital staff who kepthim with us to fight another day.

BACK AT LAST

2011-05-25T22:04:00.002+01:00

Hi all, sorry for the massive delay in posting, I lost the will to live regarding computers and have only just managed to make myself do this again!
Anyway, I have a lot to catch up on so I better get started. We were all busy rebuilding over the winter. I have put together a second engine for the BAT outfit, Phil has rebuilt the lc Bantam, and Chris has been tinkering with Ming. Werner is to co-pilot the outfit with me again this year whilst Phil concentrates on the Bantams. We all went to Mallory practice where I promptly holed a piston on the outfit. Chris's outfit was going well as were my two Rudges. Phil was having ongoing problems with the lc Bantam.
We had a couple of weeks before first race at Mallory so I took the opportunity to fit a morgo 750 top end to the outfit. Wasn't sure why the piston had holed but found the timing was out so put it down to that.
Race day came but my outfit never really ran right and we only managed to limp through one race. Phil's lc Bantam seized in practice so he did the day on the air cooled Bantam. Chris managed to rip the barrel off his outfit engine! Looks like we were going to be busy prior to pembrey!
Phil found that a main bearing had welded itself onto his crank. He contacted Tom Miller who took possession of the crank for a day and sorted it all out so Phil had the bike good and ready for Pembrey. I stripped the outfit engine but couldn't find anything wrong so put it all together again! Chris struggled to rebuild his outfit in time and decided not to come to pembrey.
Saturdat at Pembrey saw Phil out on both Bantams. The lc was going well and Phil managed a forth and then a second in the two championship races. Then came the rain and a bantam cup race. Phil shot into the lead near the start of the race and just kept flying until the end, finishing in first place a good 20 secs. ahead of the rest! Much beer was drunk that night.
I seized the outfit engine in the first race, so werner and I stripped the engine for a look. I finally sussed out what the ongoing problem was. The head was wharped and cracked and so the head gasket was failing and causing one side of the engine to run weak and hot. Tom Miller cleaned up the bore whilst Werner cleaned up the piston and rings and we put the engine back together and torqued the head down to about 40psi in the vain hope of running a race. Needless to say we only managed one lap before seizing again.
Phil had two more championship races on the lc and got a third and fifth.
Back home and I have stripped the top end again and fitted new pistons. The barrel is off getting honed and the head skimmed so hopefully we are on the way to sorted. I have started working on the triton again in the hopes of finishing it before the end of the season so that I will hyave a test bed for the outfit engines.
I will post some new pictures soon. We are intending to update the website soon. Bye for now.

CADWELL PARK SEPTEMBER 25/26

2010-10-05T10:26:00.003+01:00

Sorry for the delay in writing up this report, things have been a bit hectic for the last couple of weeks. This Cadwell park meeting was the last meeting of the season, and as usual was full of surprises! The first surprise was the cold! It was freezing at Cadwell when we arrived on Friday evening, and this carried on for the weekend.
Saturday started damp but dried out throughout the day. Me and Chris were first out on the Rudges. As usual Chris went well but I was having fuel problems due the my flooding carb and was lucky to finish the race. We all had a bit of a shock when Trevor collapsed in the assembly area moments before his race was due to start and was rushed to hospital. We were all fearing the worst and were very relieved when his brother Tony came back from hospital with the news that Trevor had suffered a burst eardrum while diving the day before, and this had lead to an inner ear infection which was the root cause of the problem. Trevor was back track side the next day looking tired but better than we had feared.
as Trevor was Chris's passenger on the outfit he missed the first outfit race. I was out with Werner and we had a good session, although the best we could finish was somewhere near the back. For the second outfit race Chris teamed up with Matt and we had a good race with Chris beating us by a good bit in the end, and we were still near the back of what was a large grid.
This was my first day out after my accident and I was coping quite well considering.
Phil was back out on the bantam for the first time after his accident. He had been working on the lc for several weeks beforehand and was running in a new piston but it nipped up half way through the race. At least he didn't fall off! Me and Chris were out again on the Rudges. I was lucky enough to have been lent a float bowl for my TT carb by our friend Alex Ruemmel. My fortune was his misfortune, as the only reason he had the float bowl was because he blew his bike up at the start of the day! I think Alex wins the prize for coming the furthest to a meeting as he came from Switzerland, which is even further than Cornwall. Anyway, my Rudge was going well again so I got ahead of Chris who was trying to retake me when it all went a bit pear shaped and he came off exiting the gooseneck. Luckily he was unhurt but the bike had to be retired from the rest of the meeting. Phil had the good sense to bring both bantams with him to Cadwell so he went out on Josie for the second race and had a good ride.
That was the end of the first days racing, so after Chris's partner Gina cooked us all a splendid meal, we retired to the bar for a couple of well earned beers and watched the band that had come down to play for the evening.
Sunday was not just cold but very wet as well. I was out in the first race of the day and it was a bit slippy but I managed to put in a good finish which meant I had secured a third place in the championship. by the end of the third race the track had got so bad that the racing was stopped while an attempt was made to clear the oil off the track. The rain carried on regardless, and it was a few hours before we could start racing again. The outfits were the first to go back out and for me this was the best race of the weekend. We both seemed to be doing much better in the pouring rain and after a good start we managed to overtake Chris and Matt. I could hear them behind me for a couple of laps and on the penultimate lap they took us again. it was all down to the last lap and we were following them closely through the gooseneck and down the hill into mansfield. Throwing caution to the winds I revved the nuts off the outfit coming up to the chicane and just managed to sneak ahead again on the way in. We went up the mountain and all through the woodlands section right on the edge and just managed to stay ahead of Chris and Matt over the line. I think we finished 5th and 6th, a lot lot better than the day before.
Phil had decided not to race on the Sunday as his hand was hurting and the weather was so bad that it would have been just too easy to fall off and hurt his hand again. He made the right call as we only got one race each that day anyway. At least he had proved to himself that his hand was healed enough to race again.
So that was about it really. We are getting together next week to make our team plans for next year and engine strips are on the go. I will add a few words here over the winter when I have got something interesting to say. Miki.

Lydden Specials over 500cc upto 1972 race 2010 [HQ]

2010-08-19T10:57:00.000+01:00

Lydden Specials over 500cc upto 1972 race 2010 [HQ]

This video from Ben shows the beginning of my crash on the last lap, last corner of the race at Lydden.

LYDDEN HILL JULY 2010

2010-08-10T12:51:00.007+01:00

Hello everybody, sorry for the delay in updating this blog, this has mainly been due to mw working away for the last couple of months. Just a quick mention of Cadwell in June, although I was not there the rest of our intrepid team were. Chris Wickett took his new outfit, Ming the merciless, for testing but ended up holing the piston only a lap in, so that was the end of that. Phil was there as was Trevor and Werner but I suppose it was a bit of a dissapointing day.

So on to Lydden Hill! This meeting was the last one dedicated to our great friend and mentor Tim Johnson, who was killed on the island in 2005. We had both outfits with us as well as both Rudges and Phil's air cooled bantam, Josie.

Trevor was in the chair with Wickett and Werner was in the chair with me. I was riding Tim's ex 250 rudge and Wickett was riding my 250 Rudge. I was also riding Phil's bantam, as Phil is still mending after his hand accident.

We arrived on Friday night and were pleased to see Lenny and Trevor's brother Tony in the camp. Jane turned up on Saturday, and Phil's friend Dave came with him, so we had a full camp for the weekend.

Saturday morning started damp and misty but spirits were high. I took out my outfit with Werner and we did a few practice laps and everything was feeling fine. Wickett had ignition problems which lasted for the whole of the day and meant they didn't get out that day on Ming, although not for want of trying! At the end of saturday Lenny came up with a spare mag and so they dumped the electronic ignition in favour of that with many fingers crossed for Sunday.

Meanwhile Phil was starting the Bantam ready for race two, as I was out on the Rudge in race one and needed to do a quick turn around. The front brake was snatching a bit and Phil dropped the bike in the paddock as it started. Next time I saw him he had plasters all over his good hand! There was also a throttle problem so Phil set aqbout fixing these things while I went out on the Rudge for the first race of the day.

What a good start to the day. The Rudge was going well and I had Alex Rimmel on his Rudge 500 special to race against so much fun was had. Wickett missed this race as he was busy trying to fix the outfit. I sat out the first Bantam race as Phil was still working on the bike. He needed to make sure it was 100% as the previous owner and namesake of the bike Josie Curtis was taking it out in a past masters parade before lunch.

Trevor should have been out on the Velo but he developed a gearbox problem and that was the Velo out of the picture for the rest of the meeting.

Next up was my first outing on the outfit and we had a great first race with the outfit going great and we both put in a good showing. Josie took the Bantam out before lunch and after a bit of a wobbly start had a good parade.

Saturday afternoon saw me out for another Rudge race, this time eith Wicket on my Rudge as well. I had to ride really hard throughout the race in order to stay ahead of Chris so once again it was a great battle. I then took the Bantam out straight afterwards, and after a poor start ( I had forgotton how hard two strokes are! ) I managed to make up quite a few places and had a good finish. Out again with Werner on my outfit, and once again a great and close race which left us both feeling excited and happy.

That was the end of the first day's racing, and Trevor and Wicket had sorted out a mag for the other outfit, so it was all down to the evening barbie which several of our racing mates do to make the Tim Johnson meeting even more special. As many burgers and dogs as you can manage, three barrells of ale, and about 50 litres of wine provided by some french riders who had come over for the meeting. In the end it was back to camp in the early hours of the morning for a couple more drinks and a poor attempt at singing! It is a good job the racing doesn't start until 12.30 on the Sunday.

Sunday started off with another Rudge race where once again I just managed to stay ahead of Wickett. This was followed by my Bantam race. Phil had changed the gearing at my request but it didn't seem as good as the day before, I suppose I should check the times to see. Then at last we were out together in the sidecar race. Wickett started at the front of the grid so we had to work hard at the beginning of the race in order to catch up. We managed to overtake after a couple of laps and just held on until the last lap, where Wickett and Trevor sneaked past again and finished the race about half a second ahead of us! What a great race that was.

Then it was out on the Rudges again, and by the last lap I was still ahead of Wickett and lining up for the last corner when I was hit from behind by a much faster Trident. With no chance to brake I was slammed into the armco barrier and then me and the bike turned a few cartwheels on the track before ending up in the kitty litter at paddock.

The Trident rider also came off and hit the barrier. After much prodding and poking at the hospital I finally left in the evening and spent the night on Trevors boat. I was very lucky to have come away with nothing worse than a cracked sternum and a few stitches. I think I will be missing Pembrey as a result but we will all be back riding at Cadwell, including Phil, so we intend to make Cadwell a special last meeting of the season.

Well, that is it for now, I will keep ther blog updated as to bike repairs and prep for Cadwell. Miki.

FRIDAY 11TH JUNE

2010-06-11T13:46:00.001+01:00

Hi there all. Another quick update before I go away to work for a few weeks. Chris wickett ( no H and two T's ) took his new outfit to Mallory on Wednesday for testing prior to the Cadwell meeting next week. Apart from a couple of minor electrical problems all seems well. Trevor went along to passanger, as did Werner, who has decided to come back to racing after a few years break and will be my passanger at Lydden. Lenny also went along to add his boundless talent to the afternoon.

Everyone will be at Cadwell next week except me, as I am working away. Phil will be going to add his support but will need to do a lot of work on the ailing hand in order to be race fit for September.

That's all for now, I will do a blog after Cadwell. Miki.

UPDATE

2010-05-27T17:01:00.002+01:00

Hi there. Quick update on Phil. He went back into hospital yesterday for another op and he is now minus one little finger! No more tea drinking in polite society. He is still in high spirits and just wants to get on with the physio and is still hoping to get out on the track before the end of the season. Got hold of a great photo showing the very moment Phil's hand got stuck in the wheel. http://www.bikepics.smugmug.com/

Whickett has picked up his new outfit and will be out at Cadwell with Trevor in the chair. Phil doesn't know if he will be going to watch or not, but I definitely won't be there because of work. Roll on Lydden.

THREE SISTERS 8TH 9TH MAY

2010-05-11T18:45:00.006+01:00

I hardly know where to start. What a full weekend we had, with real highs and lows. We managed to arrive in good time on Friday night and so we scrutineered the two bikes and the outfit and spent a very pleasant evening in the bar with Werner and all the rest of the gang. Saturday was dry and mostly bright and me and Phil went out for the first solo practice with no problems. I was looking forward to taking the outfit out in practice as I had just completed a rebore and fitted new pistons and rings, so I was keen to see the results of all my hard labour. I had also replaced a valve spring which I just happened to notice had lost it's spring! During practice however, the outfit started smoking again and back in the pits with the plugs removed it was clear that the chamber was once again oiling up. I drained the crank to find a litre of oil in there! We then tested the oil pump and discovered that the return side was not working, hence the oil in the crank. We stripped the oil pump and cleaned a speck of aluminium from the return ball ( a left over from the blown engine of 2009 ) and all was once again fine.

Meanwhile Phil had taken his air cooled Bantam Josie out in the first race. It still had a misfire even though we thought we had fixed it, but it cleared in the end and he managed a good forth place. Back in the pits he finally found the fault. The coil was rubbing on the frame and had rubbed off the insulation and caused an intermittent short. I was next out on the Rudge which was running well although the carb is still flooding. Then it was out on the outfit. With the oil problem fixed it soon cleared itself and was at last going really well. Suddenly we were black flagged! I came in but I was not happy, I had worked so hard to get out there. It turned out that the back wheel had come loose and was falling off so it was a good job I was called in!

Phil went out in the second Bantam race and put on a real show. The little Bantam was flying and Phil finished second and also put up the fastest lap of the race! My second Rudge race went off without a hitch although I am getting a bit fed up with racing in no mans land in the pre 34 class.

We were still working on the rear wheel of the outfit so didn't go out for the second race but got it all ready for the morning. Werner was helping us in the paddock all day and all three of us had a great time.

Sunday was also dry and bright, so much for the weather forecast! We both did our first solo race of the day but then Phil was approached by Matt and asked to passenger on his big wheeler for the day. The big wheeler races fell nicely in between our races so Phil jumped at the chance. Me and Werner watched the race which started well for Matt and Phil who were up in third and pushing for second. This is where it all went horribly wrong for Phil. Not knowing the outfit he went out for a hard left and missed his left handhold and got his hand caught in the sidecar wheel. Matt was unaware of the problem and still gunning it and Phil had to kick him hard until he went off the track and stopped. Matt looked down and saw Phil was still out for a left hander and was going to pull away again when Phil rolled off the platform and the problem became clear. It took about 10 mins to extract Phil's hand from the bike and the good news was he still had a hand although it was pretty messed up. We went off to A and E in Wigan where an xray showed multiple brakes, and the flesh damage was self evident. We managed to persuade the hospital to let me take Phil back down to Plymouth hospital and he had an op last night. I saw him today and he now has a hand with 21 pins and 5 metal plates in!

So Three Sisters turned out to be a full on meeting, the good news being we didn't brake any bikes! I will keep the blog updated with Phil's hand news for those who might be interested.

On a lighter note, Chris should be picking up his new Triumph outfit at the weekend, and it looks as if Trevor is going to go in the chair for a bit so that will be very exciting. That's all for today.

MALLORY RACE DAY, EASTER MONDAY 2010

2010-04-13T20:56:00.002+01:00

Finally found the time to write up the blog on our first race of the 2010 season. What a strange but non the less eventful day it was. I took the outfit up on Sunday evening minus a working mag. Tony Bannister lent me his bth mag but unfortunately it wouldn't fit with my engine plates but the evening was saved by John Lorrimar who lent me his spare Lucas mag which I fitted in the scrutineering bay that evening. Chris Wickett, our new team member, came along for his first outing on my Rudge, and Phil was there on his original air cooled Bantam, Josie. Trevor turned up with Lenny but he wasn't too well, still suffering from food poisoning. Vernon turned up on his bike and we also had six friends turn up from the West Country so our bit of the paddock was quite full!
Morning practice saw me and Phil out on the outfit which managed a few laps before missing so we came in. I have spent many evenings over the last few weeks trying to get the outfit running after the full winter rebuild and I am beginning to have serious doubts about using a mag. I might well convert to points. Chris had a good practice session on my Rudge while I took my other on out for a couple of laps and Phil went out on the Bantam.
During the day Chris had four races on the Rudge and was going really well, with his lap times creeping down throughout the day. Phil had his two Bantam races although the Bantam was missing at the start of the second race but seemed to clear as the race progressed. Trevor overcame his carb and fuel problems to also have a couple of races.
During the morning I once again took the mag off the outfit while Lenny stripped my two mags and managed to make one good one ( legend ) which I put on, but this meant we missed the first race. We were on the line for the second and last race when we were pulled off and not allowed to race due to the fact that a rocker cover inspection cap had come off! I was gutted. Apparently there was a comedy mud moment when poor Gerry Daine told me to move to the other side of the track once the grid had left and I caught him with a full frontal mud spin on the way! Sorry about that Gerry, but then again you did tell me to pull off onto the mud in the first place. At the end of the race we had to push the outfit back to the paddock in a hurry before the next race started and Trevor came out to help. Another comedy moment ensued when I fell over and was dragged along the start/finish straight after a failed bump start. We pushed and freewheeled the outfit back to the pits but thinking back I think Trevor was still pushing when I thought we were freewheeling! Sorry about that mate, what a slacker. Trevor had managed to blag the outfit to go out in the next race, a three wheeler race but not our class, so at last we actually got out in a race! The outfit ran well for the first few laps, all be it a bit lack lustre, but it started oiling up towards the end of the race and we only just managed to finish, not last I might add. A close inspection when I got home confirmed the need for a rebore and new pistons and rings, which is in hand as we speak.
Unfortunately I missed my last pre 34 race due to being out on the outfit so that was the end of a strange but very interesting day at the races. Roll on Three Sisters.

MALLORY PRACTICE DAY, MARCH 5TH

2010-03-07T19:13:00.004Z

Well, we made it to practice day, but without the outfit I'm afraid. For some reason I just can't seem to get it running at the moment. I have checked the valve timing and ignition timing dozens of times but no joy yet. It will be running for race day though, for sure. So me and Phil went to practice with our friend Chris Wickett ( two t's ). I took my two Rudges and Chris rode one of them while I rode the other. Phil took the air cooled Bantam ( Josie ). The weather was great, if a little cold to start with, and we had a great first outing. By mid afternoon we had had three sessions each with no real problems, so we decided to all go out together for our last session. We stuck together for the first three laps and then me and Phil took the Bantam and the Rudge for a head to head for the last three laps. It was neck to neck all the way, and only a very pushy entry into the bus stop saw the Rudge over the line first. What a fantastic day we had. Wickett was eyeing up an outfit for sale in the paddock, he has got the bug for sure.
We called in at the Rudge AGM the next morning on the way home, where I was lucky enough to pick up the Jack Lennon trophy. Just want to say a quick thanks to my brother John for re-vamping the team wildcard web site, it looks great. We will be adding some new pictures soon. Roll on Easter Monday, we will all be at Mallory, Chris will be racing the season with us this year and is a new member of team wildcard.

outfit rebuild

2010-02-16T17:35:00.002Z

Hi there. Just a quick note to say that I have finally got the engine back into the outfit today after a catalogue of mistakes or unknowns, all due to my lack of knowlege of Triumph twins. I was lucky enough to get a set of complete rocker boxes from big Ben's guru Gilbert, and Ben also sent me a set of shortened push rod tubes so after doing the valve timing again ( I noticed it was wrong when I was doing the clearances ) I dropped the engine back in the frame this afternoon. Fingers, legs, and everything else crossed for next monday when I fire the beast up!

2010-02-06T21:08:00.002Z

First of all, sorry for the delay in posting anything on the blog, I can't believe it is Feb 2010 already! So, what has been happening since October 2009 I wonder? Well, first things first, I ended up with a trashed Triumph 6T engine so another steep learning curve ahead as this is my first Triumph twin. I was lucky enough to get the crank cases welded up with only minimal distortion, nothing that a bit of brute force didn't sort. Had the crank ground down to +20, fitted new shells and a new scavenge pipe and mains, and the bottom end was back together. I was lucky enough to have a nine stud barrel, rods and pistons donated by a fellow racer so things were looking up! I got hold of a nine stud head on ebay and had a few alterations done and this is now ready to go on. All I am waiting for now is a pair of 9 stud rocker boxes and we should be cooking with gas. Just for practice, 5th March, I am going to borrow the rocker boxes from my new Triton ( 110 engine with 9 stud conversion ). Yes, you heard correctly, my new Triton! I have finally got hold of my dream bike, and even better that that it comes from our good friend and fellow racer Trevor Johnson and was built as a racer for the IOM TT in the late fifties, so it is the real deal. Anyway, I will have the outfit engine finished in a couple of weeks and back in the frame ready for practice. I have had a quick look at the Rudges and sorted out a couple of minor problems but I am not doing any major work to them until after practice. I have recently made contact with an old friend of ours, Chris Wicket, who used to race some years ago, and we have persuaded him ( it only took a whiff of R40 ) to come with us this season. He should be taking my Rudge out for practice.

Phil is still trying to get the leaks brazed up on his LC Bantam but at the moment it seems that every time he gets one leak fixed another one opens up! He has still got the air cooled Bantam ( Josie ) to use for practice if the LC isn't ready.

We went to the dinner/dance last weekend and both picked up a trophy. I got second place in the pre 34 championship and Phil got forth in the Bantam championship. We had a couple of drinks and did a lot of dancing! It turns out that I have won the Rudge championship this year as well so that will be another bit of tinware to add to the collection.

So this season we will be out on the outfit hopefully learning the art of slipping and sliding and I will be trying not to blow it up again. I will be keeping the blog updated from now on so watch this space!

HARTLAND QUAY HILLCLIMB 4th OCT.

2009-10-06T16:35:00.002+01:00

I decided to try another hill climb along with my friend Mike Woolley. He was riding his new Tenere, and I was on his KTM 940 so we thought we would see how they compared. I was riding on trail tyres but Mike had full knobblys on his, and both the bikes were wholly unsuitable for the sport of hill climbing but who cares, we had great fun and were warmly welcomed by all. As it happened our times were within a few tenths of each other, although much slower than all the pro's there. We even got thrashed by the guy who turned up on an old dommie with knobblys on. Fantastic place and I really liked the hill climbing, and I fully intend to do more of the same next year, as does Mike.

CADWELL PARK SEPT. 26th 27th

2009-10-06T16:24:00.003+01:00

This was the last meeting of the season and as luck would have it it turned out to be a dry one! This was one of the most relaxing meetings I have had in a long while, due to the fact that I only had the Rudges because the Ducati was still in bits as was my outfit. This meant I only had two races a day so I spent a lot of the time watching, which was very entertaining. The Rudges behaved well, needing no maintenance all weekend, and after four good races I have secured my second place in the pre 34 championship for this season. I enjoyed a couple of good battles with Alex on his Rudge before he fell off !
Phil also had a good weekend and after his four races he has finished forth in the Bantam championship.
With the off season now upon us I intend to build a new engine for the outfit so I will keep you informed of the progress.

HILLCLIMB WISCOMBE PARK 13/09/09

2009-09-28T10:15:00.002+01:00

So this was the first hillclimb I had attended and I managed to get lost and arrived really late, not a good start. I took my little Rudge and the outfit, and I met Mike Woolley there, who was riding his KTM 940 for the day as well as riding in the chair on my outfit. I was surprised at the level of interest in my outfit. A lot of people remembered it from days gone by, and quite a few had even ridden it. It turned out that the meeting was the 40th anniversary and my outfit had won the sidecar class in the first ever meeting at Wiscombe 40 years ago!
Mike had some good runs on the ktm throughout the day, with times improving with each run. I also enjoyed four runs on the Rudge without a mishap, also with improving times. The outfit did a couple of good runs in the morning, but on the first afternoon run a rod let go and destroyed the engine in a spectacular fashion. I still have a box of unidentified bits of metal on my workbench which came from the remains of the engine! All in all it was a very interesting day, and we are going to go to Hartland Quay for another go on 04/10/09, but that will be without the outfit, which I am still rebuilding!

ANGLESEA AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY

2009-09-02T18:54:00.002+01:00

First of all I have to mention the weather 'cos it was really bad all weekend. Rain and high winds, not unusual for this circuit as it happens. We arrived in separate vans and I got there first and met werner who arrived on his Aerial, very keen considering the weather. I must admit we had a bit of a session in the pub that night, only to keep our spirits up you understand! Me and Phil rigged up a tarp between our vans but it only lasted for one night and it was rocking the vans to the point of worry.
Sunday racing started at 10am and I took out the Ducati in race two but only managed a couple of laps before the bike died. That was the end of the Ducati for the weekend. When Gav got it home and stripped he found a big hole had been melted in the piston and the new big end had gone again! A lot of work for Gav before Cadwell but I have entered the bike anyway so fingers crossed. The race order for the weekend made it interesting for me and Phil as Phil was out on the Bantam in race four, we were out on the sidecar in race five and I was out on the Rudge in race six! A couple of times during the weekend I didn't think we were going to make it.
Phil had a first race on the LC Bantam and then took the 175 Josie out for the cup race where he finished third. Unfortunatly the LC developed an electrical fault and didn't get out again but Phil finished the rest of the weekend's racing on Josie. After finishing the last Bantam race Phil broke down on the far side of the track and had to push the bike at race speed back to the assembly area where I was trying to hold up the start of the sidecar race, wondering where he had got to. This was one of the times I wondered if we would make it but as luck would have it we finished all four of our sidecar races. Before we came to Anglesea I had fitted a rebuild comp. mag to the outfit in an effort to cure the misfire and I am glad to report that the bike worked perfectly all weekend! I had a steep learning curve over the four races, and soon realized that the old car tyres fitted to the outfit were not really up to the job of sticking the sidecar to the track. I had my first outing on the grass, first on one side of the track and then across to the grass on the other side doing several 180's in the process before finally getting back on the track. Needless to say the grin factor was huge and we did get faster as time went on. Looking forward to Cadwell now.
My little Rudge was great once again and I only got a dnf in one of the four races due to the primary chain coming off. I am now lying a strong second place in the championship with only Cadwell to go!
So there you have it, a great weekend was had and we are both really looking forward to Cadwell at the end of the month.

LYDDEN JULY 2009

2009-08-09T17:11:00.005+01:00

I won't dwell on the twelve hour journey me and my son Jedd endured to get to Lydden on Friday night, suffice to say we were glad to get there! Lydden is a special meeting for us as it is a memorial meeting for Tim Johnson, our great friend and mentor. We were all blessed with great weather for the weekend as it only rained during the evening and night on Saturday. Gav couldn't make it to this meeting so the Ducati was kindly brought down by team Tetley. The bike had undergone a lot of work since the last meeting where the big end went so I was looking forward to getting out on it. Unfortunatly when I went out for practice the bike wasn't running well and I ended up missing both races on the Saturday. Luckily Andy Farrer had a look at it on the Sunday morning and I took it out for a test run in the first Sunday race and all seemed OK so on the second race of the day I gave it a good thrashing and had a great race, finishing forth.
Meanwhile the Rudge had been going well on both days and I think I finished third in all four races. I was pleased to see that I was also entered in the champion of champions race at the end of the day, alongside Trevor Johnson, Tim's brother. Trevor led the race right up until the end, with me behind him, and Trevor finished in second place and I was around sixth. Trevor had the dubious honour of awarding himself a trophy on the finishing line, which he had to do again for the sidecar champion of champions!
Talking of sidecars, we had the outfit at Lydden and were looking forward to some good racing. Unfortunatly the bike was only firing on one cylinder and dispite the fact that every sidecar racer in the paddock came to help at one time or another, we never managed to get it running on two. Eventually we went out for a race anyway but retired a lap or so before the end. We did manage to overtake someone which wasn't bad on one cylinder!
Phil had a fast off on his first race but got away with a bruised leg. He worked hard for the rest of the morning and managed to get the Bantam back together in time for the second race, and also ran in both Bantam races on the Sunday finishing third or forth.
Saturday night is barbie night at Lydden, all part of the Tim Johnson thing, and we all had third helpings of burgers and hot dogs as well as several glasses of real ale, with the barrells of beer supplied by Trevor.
As far as we were concerned it turned out to be a fantastic meeting and we all had a lot of fun.I will be posting a couple of photos later on today.

FESTIVAL OF 1000 BIKES MALLORY 2009

2009-07-18T22:08:00.002+01:00

This was the big moment for team wildcard, a proper go on the new Triumph outfit to see if it would work. We arrived at the festival on Saturday evening and got set up and then when straight to the ace cafe tent and danced all night to the rock and roll band! What a great night. Sunday started dry and remained that way all day. We picked up a new team nickname, Torvil and Dean. A quick look over the outfit and then we were out for the first session. I was taking it easy as I had no idea what I was doing but it all went suprisingly well and the outfit felt good, nice and stable anyway. A quick look at the plugs when we got in showed it to be running lean, at least on one side. We will look into this more when we get home but for now we just upped the mains a tad. Met the guy, Dave Skinner, who owned the outfit for many years before us and knew all about it. I will be phoning him for more info on timing etc. when we get home but it was really interesting to talk to him about the history. Out for the second session and this time I turned it on a bit more and that was when it all just clicked into place. It felt fantastic, and I never gave an instance thought to Phil in the chair, so he must have been doing a great job. What a grin, we both loved it. In fact we loved it so much that we have entered the outfit for Lydden, our next race meeting, and that will be the final test for team wildcard's outfit caper. watch this space!

CADWELL PARK CLUB CIRCUIT JUNE 2009

2009-07-10T16:10:00.002+01:00

Another busy day was had a Cadwell this year. We arrived late saturday afternoon but still had time to watch the end of the stock endurance race that was still running. Two bikes and two riders over a three hour race, exciting stuff. All our bikes had to be noise tested for Cadwell. The Bantam and the Ducati were fine but the Rudge was on the limit even with the end can on. Anyway, Sunday started dry and stayed dry for the whole of the racing day so we were lucky in that respect. Phil was out in the first Bantam race and got a good forth place and kept with the leaders for the whole race. First thing in the afternoon he then went out in the Bantam cup race and finished second. This race was followed by the second Bantam race which Phil led for several laps until finally finishing a sound third place. A great days Bantam racing! Phil also went out several times on the outfit ridden by Dave Sykes but they never finished a race due to ongoing mecanical problems.
I took the Ducati out for the two championship races but it wasn't going quite as well as before and had started to smoke again. Gav reconed the rings had gone. I still had a couple of good races finishing sixth both times. We decided not to push our luck and so I dropped out of the two 350 special races, I didn't want to blow the bike up. Talking of blowing bikes up, I thrashed the little Rudge to within an inch of it's life in the first pre 34 race and it finally let go on the last lap so I didn't get to finish a race on it this time. I did have two major grass track moments during the day, one on the Ducati and one on the Rudge. I managed to knock down all the grid signs whilst taking an off road detour on the Rudge, and travelled the whole length of the back straight off road on the Ducati but at least I didn't fall off!
That was that for Cadwell but a lot of fun was had. We are off to Mallory Park next weekend for the festival of 1000 bikes, where we are taking the outfit out for a couple of sessions which I am really looking forward to. I will tell you all about it when we get back.

MALLORY PARK 7th JUNE

2009-06-12T12:12:00.002+01:00

What a day we had! Once again we were so busy that I forgot to get the camera out. Maybe I should get somwone else to take photos! Well, where do I start. Arrived in the dry on Saturday night which was a blessing but woke up to steady rain in the morning. We both managed an early practice before the rain really came in. I was out on the rudge in the first race and we struggled to start the bike, me and Phil charging up and down the paddock. Just got going and on the track in time for the start. Finished the race after cutting out several times around the hairpin etc. All due to the damp conditions. Took the ducati out in very wet conditions which seemed to work in my favour as I got a good second place. Phil was in the chair again for a morning race and this time they got to the last lap before retiring. Things are getting better! The rest of our racing was after lunch, with the rain gone and the track drying out. Phil had two good forth places on the bantam, which seemed to be going well. It was hit and miss if the bantam would be ready for Mallory but Phil pulled out all the stops and the bike ran well for the day. He then went out in the chair once more on Phil Sykes outfit and this time, shock horror, they finished a race! Not only that but they came third! Result. I missed a couple of rudge races, one I came in after spotting a sudden oil leak, and the other was due to total destruction of the new alloy pushrods I had fitted for the meeting. Live and learn. My second ducati race got me a fifth place, it seems the gearing was better in the wet as I couldn't keep up in the dry! My last race on the rudge was exciting. There were two championships running at the same time with the faster bikes starting behind us. As the leader passed me at the bus stop I was forced off the track and launched into the air. I landed back on the track for the second rider to stuff me up the back wheel, and still they couldn't knock me off! The second and third riders did fall off so I hope they are OK. Needless to say I finished this race as well so had a couple of rudge races.
Suddenly it was the end of the meeting but we both had a great time. This week I have been working on the Triumph outfit, getting it ready for the festival of 1000 bikes, and today, Friday 12th June, I have just picked up a Triumph TT600 so I am off for a test ride now!

THREE SISTERS MAY 2009

2009-05-11T20:06:00.002+01:00

Well, where do I start. We had a very eventful weekend, one of the most enjoyable for a long while. Phil had spent many hours over the previous two weeks rebuilding the lc bantam and finished just in time. We both went up in my van for this meeting, with the bantam and my two rudges in the back. Sat. morning started dry and with all four bikes through scrutineering ( Gav had come with the ducati ) we were hot to trot. I wanted to go out for practice on the ducati, as Gav had done a lot of work on it and it had its proper barrel and piston back on with new rings, but we couldn't fire it up so I went out on a rudge and Phil took the bantam out. Three sisters is a very twisty circuit, basically a fast go cart track, and makes for some very tricky racing. I was out in race one on a rudge in the 250 championship and managed a 7th but Phil did a lot better in his first bantam race with a good third place. Phil was also out as a passanger on a big wheel outfit which ended up causing quite a stir throughout the weekend! The bike wasn't running well all weekend and never finished a race but did provide some exciting viewing during it's time on the grass and particularly in it's just failed attempt to mow down a nest of marshals.
I managed a couple of third places on my other rudge in the pre 34 race and my first time out on the ducati saw me in forth. The afternoon saw the rain come in and the track get slippy. Quite a few bikes went down, and I came a cropper on the rudge at luna, but come away undamaged as did the bike. Phil took another third on the bantam. My second race on the ducati didn't go so well as the bike was suffering from sudden and major clutch slip, so I backed off and nursed it home for a ninth place.
Sun. started out damp but dried throughout the day. I got another 7th in the 250 race but then retired both rudges due to major fuel leaks. Phil got two fifth places on the bantam which ran well all weekend. Gav had fitted another clutch in the duke and I got another forth place in a very tight race which had a few close calls. My last ducati race saw me in sixth place.
The weekend seemed to fly by with so much going on that I forgot to get the camera out so no photos this time. We are both looking forward to the next meeting at Mallory in a few weeks.

OUTFIT TESTING AT HAYNES TEST TRACK 15/04/09

2009-04-18T20:18:00.004+01:00

This was always going to be an interesting day, as neither me or Phil have had control of an outfit before, but the grin factor turned out to be even bigger than expected. Once again the forcast was rain and more rain but we ended up with a dry day apart from a drop of the wet stuff at lunchtime. Friends of ours Mike and Sarah came up as well, and Mike brought his big KTM for a blast around the track, which we all had a go on at some point. The test track at the Haynes motor museum was ideal for testing and we made good use of the full day. We had the track to ourselves which made for a very relaxing time. The good news is we all managed to get around without crashing, although I think I came the closest in that respect, lifting Phil a few feet off the ground on a tight left hander! The outfit basically ran fine although we did discover a few small problems throughout the day. Phil worked on the carbs to iron out a flooding problem, and we realized at the end of the day that the constant misfire at lower revs was caused by the fact that a carbon brush was missing from one of the magneto pick ups. It would only jump the gap and fire at higher revs, a problem we can easily sort out at home. What a laugh it was, we all had a go driving and in the chair but I think as far as me and Phil go it worked out best with Phil in the chair. Roll on festival of 1000 bikes at Mallory in July, where we will be taking the outfit out again for it's final test before racing.

EASTER MONDAY RACE DAY AT MALLORY

2009-04-18T19:35:00.003+01:00

Hi there. Well, the racing season got off to a good start at Mallory for both me and Phil. We were so lucky with the weather for despite the forcast it remained dry all day. Phil arrived with his bantam race ready after a series of disasters in the garage during the rebuild after practice. Needless to say the bike performed well and completed both the championship races with Phil getting a forth and fifth, a good result at the start of the season. I watched both his races and Phil and the bike were going well.
Trevor turned up with the Velo, but he has been working such long hours recently that the bike had had no prep at all! A couple of laps was all it took to go bang! A closer inspection in the paddock showed a collapsed piston, not a pretty sight.
Gav turned up with the Ducati which I took out for practice and then both championship races. Due to unforseen problems it was fitted with the spare, low compression top end but still seemed to be going well. I had a couple of good races, finishing fifth and sixth, not too bad for starters.
I took both the Rudges out as well. I dropped out of the pre 34 race with gearbox problems but managed an eighth in the 250 class before a slipping clutch got the better of me. Both Rudge engines were working fine which is the main thing.
So all in all a good first meeting for team wildcard.

2009-03-31T18:58:00.002+01:00

Hi there. So we went to Mallory for our practice day last friday (27/03/09 ) and we were lucky with the weather as it was dry and mostly sunny all day. I took Gav's 350 Ducati out for a couple of sessions, and apart from snapping off the exhaust everything went very well. I am really starting to enjoy riding it. Phil took the lc bantam out but it seized. He managed to get it back in and when we got home a bottom end strip showed the main bearing had failed. Should be ready for easter! Mark took the other bantam out but it wasn't running right so that needs to be looked at soon. I had my two rudges at practice. The first one is going really well, or at least it was until the main axle nut came off! No damage done and it is ready for easter. The second rudge was not running so well, and then a stuck push rod meant a bent exhaust and inlet valve. I have made a couple of new valves now and the engine is back together. I have got a feeling that the ignition timing might have been out but I have re-set it now so we shall have to wait until easter to find out if it is running any better.
As a pre-cursor to our sidecar racing, Phil went out as passenger on a big wheel triumph 6T owned by Dave Sykes, and weirdly seemed to enjoy it! That at least bodes well for our up and coming debut. To finish off the day I was offered the chance to take out the Henshaw's 350 enfield. Needless to say I took it out for two sessions and it was a great bike to ride and the offer was much appreciated. Roll on easter monday! Which reminds me, two days after easter monday race we are taking the outfit to the test track at Haynes motor museum for the day to find out if we can go round corners! We will let you know!

pre season 2009

2009-03-10T07:43:00.002Z

Hi all. Well it is the beginning of March already! This is a short update just to let you know what has been happening over the winter, and what to expect for the coming season. To start with, Phil has brought the lc bantam he was riding last season, and has already fixed the bike after the high speed crash at Cadwell last year. As we speak the bike is being race prepped and will have a brand new paint job for the season. We will be posting photos shortly. He also intends to have his other Bantam, Josie, ready for the season, and our friend Mark will be taking it in turns with Phil to ride it.
I have spent the winter rebuilding my second Rudge, so now I have two 250's again. Both have newly built engines in them so I expect to do a fair amount of testing to start with this season. More good news, I have been offered the chance to compete in the Ducati championship this season on the Andy Farrer 350, now owned by Gav Pearson. I had a lot of fun on this bike at Cadwell at the end of last season so I am really looking forward to a whole championship on it.
Even more news! I have just brought a 1954 racing outfit, powered by a triumph 650 6T engine with a Norton gearbox and a heavily modified Norton frame. This is an early kneeler and looks great! We have had it running already and will be prepping it soon. Neither of us has got any experience on outfits so this should be a laugh. I have just booked it in at the festival of a 1000 bikes in July this year, and this may well be the first outing for us and the outfit. Pictures to follow shortly.
So there you have it, we will be heading off for practice on 27th March with both the Bantams, the two Rudges and the Ducati so it should be a busy day! I will update the blog after that. Bye.

Cadwell Park - 27/28 September

2008-10-03T18:40:00.002+01:00

Well this turned out to be a very eventful meeting in many ways. I was having trouble with my vehicle so we put the Rudge into Phil's van along with the two Bantams, and all the tools and spares went into Mark's van. Phil lent Mark his Bantam ( josie ) for Cadwell. We arrived Friday late afternoon just as the Friday track day was winding up. It was a bit chaotic in the paddock for a while but we ended up in our usual spot. I had to wait until Saturday morning for the 350 Ducati to arrive so we scrutineered the bantams and the rudge and grabbed some food and an early night ( well I did anyway ! ). Next morning brought a blanket of mist which lasted until midday. I met Gav who arrived with the Ducati and I was lucky enough to take it out in the only practice of the morning. Racing finally started early afternoon and I managed a couple of laps on the Rudge before it snapped a valve and chewed it's way through the piston. Phil and Mark were next out with Phil getting a fifth and Mark finishing his first ever race! I took the Ducati out in the 350 special race and really enjoyed it, finishing fifth. Phil and Mark had another Bantam race with similar results and that was the end of the first days racing. We met James that morning and he was racing the C15 in the 250 races. We watched the first one and noticed his exhaust had come away from the engine in the first lap. He carried on, making much noise, until it finally dropped off on the last lap. Needless to say he carried on to finish the race!
We had a great barbecue that evening with Trevor and Lenny and Verner and two of my friends, Mike and John, who rode up from Cornwall that morning on Mike's KTM, a cold 350 mile trip. I took the opportunity to put the spare- spare engine in the Rudge.
Next day started well but the Rudge wasn't running right so I didn't take it out any more. I took the Ducati out and it wasn't going quite as well as before so Gav did a bit of work on it and the final time I took it out it was going fine and I managed a forth place. Mark had a few more races which ended up in the novice race where he finished forth as well! Phil's third place in the championship was still undecided as he started the last championship race. He flew off the line and up the hill and was in second place when he clipped a bike he was overtaking and had a spectacular off. He and the bike slid up the track for ages, with all the bikes behind taking avoiding action, some on the grass and Mike Powell even jumped clean over Phil's bike! That was the end of Phil's third place. He cut his hand quite badly and we did spent a while in A + E later that night while he had it stiched up, but Phil was in good spirits throughout.
And so to the end of the season, and what a full on way to end it. Phil will be fixing the Bantam which he has decided to buy and race next year. I will be fixing the Rudge, and hopefully I will get to ride the Ducati again next year, and Mark will no doubt be racing in the Bantam championship. I spoke to James who brought and raced my C15 and he says he will be out next season as well, so roll on next year!

Lydden 30 / 31 Aug.

2008-09-18T10:14:00.002+01:00

This is one of the meetings we look forward to the most. For the last three years it has also been the memorial meeting for our great friend and mentor Tim Johnston. There is always a full on barbecue on the saturday night and this year was no exception. Tim's brother Trevor supplied the three barrells of beer and the huge amount of food was cooked by Andy Hunt and Stu Noble with help from their friends, whilst their partners Steff and Yvonne were in charge of serving, with me and Phil willing helpers as was Jane . It was a great success, with the only dubious point being when me and Phil attempted to entertain the masses with our song about racing.
Anyway, with regards to the racing, lets start with Phil. Phil had two good days racing on the bantam with solid finishes up to forth and no mecanical issues. This has put him in third place in the championship with only Cadwell to go, which is going to be a very exciting meeting.
I also had a good weekend on the Rudge, actually I believe this is the first meeting of my season that I finished a race! The good news was I had eight races on the Rudge with no mecanical problems and I even managed a forth! Phil also lent me his bantam, josie, so I could enter a couple of cup races which was great. Trevor was having a good weekend on the velo until the last race when the oil tank collapsed and oil on the back tyre sent him off. Bth the bike and Trevor were battered and bruised but hopefully they will both be back for Cadwell.
Once again Jane handed out the Tim Johnston trophies on the start finish line to the winners of the champion of champions races.
We are now looking forward to Cadwell where Phil is hoping to keep his third place in the championship and I am looking forward to more time on the Rudge as well as the chance to ride a 350 Ducati, more an that later!

Anglesey 9/10 Aug.

2008-08-16T12:55:00.003+01:00

It's becoming a habit at the moment but Phil went to race at Anglesey this weekend on his own once again. I picked up another bantam rider on the way up ( Mick Potter ). Slow journey but not too bad, arriving at 9.30pm. Sat. race day started at 5am with the gazebo destroying itself against the side of the van! scrutineered at 8am to find out the the poor weather conditions, mainly high winds, meant that racing was cancelled for the morning. Things started moving after lunch but again no racing, just practice. I went out in the second session and after a few laps and an off in front of me, poor visibility due to the mist I decided to call it a day.
Sunday morning was much brighter. Started at the back of the grid for the first bantam race of the day and managed to fight my way up to forth place by the end of the race, despite filling ill due to a stomach bug. Second bantam race once again started at the back of the grid and got up to fifth by the end, which was enough to pull me up to fifth in the championship. went out in a later cup race and used it as an opportunity to try out a carb setting change. Had a good race and the bike seemed slightly crisper. All in all I had a good weekend with lap times dropping by over two seconds throughout the day. Can't wait to get to Lydden, and this time Miki will be there!

Festival of 1000 bikes 12 13 July

2008-07-28T21:18:00.002+01:00

Hi, I am back at last after allowing work to interfere with my racing ( poor show ). Having blown up my new Rudge engine at Donington I had to put a spare engine together for Angelsea and this seemed like a good place to test it. Set off 2.30am on Sun. morning and arrived at Mallory just after 6. Straight in and scrutineered and signed on and was sitting down to a full cooked breakfast by eight oclock, well I wasn't out on the track until the afternoon. I spent the rest of the morning looking around the festival and watching the bikes out on the track. The weather was great! Took the Rudge out for two sessions in the afternoon and the bike went with no problems at all. If only it would do that on race days!I will be putting another spare engine together to take to Angelsea as I won't have the good one finished in time. Saw Robbie Brown there and he had his leg all caged up with loads of pins in all over the place!

Mallory Park Sun. 22nd June

2008-07-28T20:57:00.002+01:00

Miki was busy working away so I ( Phil ) went to Mallory on my own, taking Ted's Lc bantam and my bantam Josie. No problems on the way up and met Trevor Johnston in the paddock so had a good evening with him and Lenny and got an earlyish night! Mick Potter and Ted Smith turned up in the morning so we teamed up in the paddock.
First race I started at the back but got a much better start than previously( made a few changes before Mallory). Bike was going well and felt my confidence growing. Finished forth, not too bad from the back of the grid. Next was the 250 race on Josie. Started near the back again, next to the great Rudge racer Mervin Stratford. Josie did us proud again and after a brilliant battle with Sam Rhodes on his Velo I finished ninth.
I was well fired up now so charged off from the front row in the second bantam race and held position for four laps. Had a good battle with Mike Powell until I did two stoppies going into the hairpin before hitting Powell and taking us both out. Whoops! I came away with a couple of cracked ribs and Mike was unhurt but not too happy with me. After a trip to the medical centre and scrutineering I went out on the bantam in the bsa/velo challange. Was doing OK after a slowish start ( my ribs were hurting ) and was moving up the pack but then Robbie Brown came off hard at Edwinas and badly broke his leg. Of course the race was stopped. I am now looking forward to Angelsea.

C15 sale

2008-05-18T22:07:00.002+01:00

Just to let everyone know that our first attempt to encourage people into the wonderful world of British Historic Racing seems to have been a success. My fantastic C15 has been brought by someone looking to get back into racing after a long break, and they will be joining Team Wildcard at Cadwell Park at the end of this season. We are all looking forward to this , and all our other meetings to come this year.
We will be offering two people the chance to come with us free of charge to a race meeting soon, so keep checking this site for details. Miki.

Three Sisters Wigan

2008-05-16T20:25:00.002+01:00

Phil did this meeting on his own as I couldn't make it. This is his account of the weekend.
Left Friday 9th May, lunchtime, M6 usual nightmare, arrived at 6.30pm, just in time to miss scrutineering! Joined the bantam boys in the paddock and got an early night in readiness for the weekends' racing. I entered the 125 in the bantam class, and my 175 in the 250 class, and I took the 125 out for practice. Bantams out in race one, I soon remembered how hard it is to overtake at three sisters, having had a bad start. Fought my way up to a fifth place finish. The first 250 race ended in a dnf after the bike fired its' spark plug at the opposition in an attempt to dismount a passing rider. Whoops! must remember to tighten the plug properly next time. Changed the 125 gearing at lunchtime, slightly lower, afternoon times were slower but the bike felt better to ride. Spent the best part of the race trying to pass the very experienced Pete Tibbets who held me to another fifth place finish. Second 250 race began with a misfire which cleared through the race, I finished mid field.
Sun was as bright and dry as Saturday. Bantams out first again, after another bad start I started reeling in Robbie Brown until the bike once again started firing bits of itself at other riders, this time the silencer, slowing me down and leading to another fifth place. First 250 race and josie was still misfiring but finished the race midfield. Last bantam race brought my best times of the weekend, once again behind Mr. Tibbets having momentarily passed him. Last 250 race, after fitting a new plug and bypassing the kill switch, the bike went well. Had a good race with the mixed 250 field, good practice for overtaking. Finished fifth.
All in all a good weekend on the new bike. Realized I need to work on my starts and overtaking. Josie was her usual reliable self, apart from my mistake with the plug! Looking forward to Mallory when I should be out on both bikes again.

Donington Park 27/04/08

2008-05-03T22:49:00.002+01:00

We arrived at Donington Sat. evening got scrutineered and went to the pub! Forcast was rain for Sunday but the day started bright and clear. Picked up my new starter rollers on the way up but didn't get a chance to set them up. Went out for practice on the C15 . Great track, fast. Racing was slow to start but I got my first race before lunch which is more than Phil did. I managed to go offroading three times on my first lap, a new record for me. Then the clutch started slipping and I ended up in the kitty litter. Whoops! Phil took the new Bantam out after lunch and I took a break from fitting the spare engine in the Rudge to go and watch. Phil pulled himself up into forth place and then one or two mistakes meant that he couldn't quite make third or second, finishing less than a second behind them. I went out on the C15 for the second time and things were going much better until lap two, i went to change into forth and look, no gear lever! Glanced down to see the lever and linkage trailing along by the rear wheel. I was a little concerned it might dig in and have me off but what the hell, so I finished the race stuck in third gear all the way. Lucky for me the bike has a rev limiter. Next it was out on the Rudge to be welcomed by the long promised rain. After the sighting lap we were all on the grid and ready to go when they cancelled the rest of the meeting due to the weather. Never mind, we still had a good day. Note thet Phil's Bantam carries the number 141. This is because he lent it to another rider for the day.

Mallory test day and Mallory race Easter Sunday

2008-03-26T22:27:00.001Z

So we got all four bikes up and ready for the test day on Friday 14th march and we were very lucky with the weather. I had the 250 rudge and the C15, and Phil had the new bantam and his green one. Both my bikes tested well although the rudge developed a fuel leak from a split tank and the tappets went wildly out of adjustment. I retired the C15 from testing when it developed gearbox trouble. Both bantams tested fine. Back home I fixed the fuel tank and stripped the C15 gearbox to find an easy to fix problem with the selector fork.
Drove back up to Mallory on Sat. 22nd March ready for the Sun. race meeting. Got up at six thirty to find a good inch of snow cover everywhere! It did clear quickly and we got out for practice about 10 am. Unfortunatly one of the three wheelers dropped it's oil on last practice and despite the efforts of the track and marshalls it was not possible to clear and at 2pm the meeting was finally cancelled. We were gutted.
Back home and we have four weeks before Donnington so I have decided to build the new rudge engine and test it there.

Team Wildcard Racing Blog

2008-03-26T12:30:00.001Z

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