Looks like fun!
Love the frankenstein bikes.
Thanks to Zaeta's Paolo for the link.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Rattle-can Action
Been doin' a bit of rattle-can action on the flattracker lately...
Tank and seat primed...
...also did a couple of home-made brackets that were gettin' rusty...
... base coat is a pearl from a Benelli... done in nature's spraybooth (thanks Travis)...
... creating the blank canvas...
... stars and bars!
Then the tedious cutting... at this point I'm thinking that my vision is a little too ambitious and I shoulddda stuck to a solid color... oh well... in for a penny...
... in for a pound... next coat goes on...
... mask removed and it's starting to take shape. This is as far as I've got... need to get it finished for May 6th - First round of the Grand National at Oxford.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Flattrackin - Club Champs - Rye House
Last Sunday was the ShorttrackUK Club championship at Rye House...
There was a bumper turn out and the paddock was rammed, so I landed up setting up just off the entry road to the paddock
Great to see all the flattrackin guys after the winter hibernation
The Co-Built garage is growing bigger with cool (and competitive) bikes...
Pre-briefing - a great day to get out on the clay
A couple of bikes I haven't see before were out there... like this 600 KTM based on a 525 EXC
Some wicked graphics on Jamie Croyden's flattracker
Scene from my lunch break
The flattracker is lookin' damn fine... just a couple of things still to do to finish her off
After a slow start in the heats I started to get things going and picked up a second and a couple of fifths
(thanks to Steve Baldock and Kimmy for the pic)
I even managed to hold Boastie off for a lap or two on his vintage 70s Suzuki
(thanks to Steve Baldock and Kimmy for the pic)
Still not as fast as I know I can be but didn't make many mistakes and had good fun out there
(thanks to Steve Baldock and Kimmy for the pic)
(thanks to Steve Baldock and Kimmy for the pic)
Unfortunately due to a few incidents we ran out of time for the finals so a result was called from the points scoring heats. My objective for the day was to make the Thunderbike and Restricted finals. My points tally after the heats left me 11th in the Thundarbikes and 6th in the Restricted class. Whooo-hoo!
Brilliant results for the Co-Built stable with Geoff bagging a 2nd and a 3rd, Anthony a 4th and a 5th and Guy a 2nd and a 7th. RedMax Steve was on his new Norton (I'll post that soon) but was in the wars again and broke his collarbone - get well soon dood!
A great day on the clay!
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Mallory Park DD
It was beautiful, sun-shinin' morning to take the Wee Monster out for a spin. Warm-up all done, I got stuck into qualifying but it was cut short to only 5 laps because of an incident. No worries... I qualify 5th.
Race 1 - Red lights on.. revvs up... feel the clutch... lights off and we're away with a little wheelie. Stylin! I hold my start position and the race settles down quite quickly. It's a long 18 lap race and soon there's a white bike on my six - he stays there lap after lap. He finally makes a move and pushes through going into the super-fast turn 1 on about lap 13. I return the complement the next lap... game on!
We're lapping riders and going around the outside of a backmarker through the looooong turn 1 (Gerrard's) I cut it a bit fine as the slower bike drifts wide and clip his footpeg with my elbow. "Sorry..." I press on. Another backmarker and I get held up - the white bike's through again.
We go through plumes of white smoke into turn 1 and I back off - looking for the trail of oil. At the exit of the 180 degree turn, a backmarker's bike finally shat itself and spewed a 2 foot wide oil slick on the race line. Whooooah! I dodge the oil and the offending bike is sliding riderless across the grass. A small justice when a rider goes down on their own oil.
I lose touch with the white bike through this excitement and on the next lap another backmarker goes down on the oil in front of me - he was probably just ahead of the blown-up bike so had no idea what was there. Race red flagged and a result called. 6th.
Race 2 - Red lights on... revvs up... feel the clutch... hmmmm, a little too much feeling there. I roll forward a yard before the lights go out. Bollocks! Jump start. :-( No worries, I pile into turn 1 underneath the guy on pole who got a bad start... turn 2 and that white bike comes up my inside. On lap 2 the 2nd and 3rd place riders take a fast trip to the gravel in turn 1... I get there to see 2 bodies and 2 bikes tumbling through the dust. Restart.
Red lights on... revvs up... I fondle the clutch too much again and creep forward... lights out and I give her beans. The white bike gets a rocket start from 8th and is up my inside at turn 1... I in turn get up the inside of another and am in 3rd. Turn 2 and I outbrake that pesky white bike to get up his inside. I chase 1st. End of lap 2 and I'm still 3 bike lengths off 1st.
I get the 'Bus Stop' chicane slightly wrong and land up clipping the 2" high concrete domes that are used as a rumble strip. I must have hit it square - the poor monster takes a big hit and goes skywards. I'm bucked out of the seat and land back on with a mighty "Whump!".
Shit! I crack on the gas again... no time to lose. There goes second... and third... fourth... what the f... ? Fifth... sixth... I'm going nowhere... just coasting. Shit! Bollocks! My chain came off. Doh!
I coast into the pit and that's my race over. A bit disappointed - I was in the hunt. But... the objective of the day was a signature for the Manx GP. Done. Four down... two to go!
Race 1 - Red lights on.. revvs up... feel the clutch... lights off and we're away with a little wheelie. Stylin! I hold my start position and the race settles down quite quickly. It's a long 18 lap race and soon there's a white bike on my six - he stays there lap after lap. He finally makes a move and pushes through going into the super-fast turn 1 on about lap 13. I return the complement the next lap... game on!
Some feckin starlings have taken to the tree over my driveway... if they don't move on soon, they're gonna get it!
We're lapping riders and going around the outside of a backmarker through the looooong turn 1 (Gerrard's) I cut it a bit fine as the slower bike drifts wide and clip his footpeg with my elbow. "Sorry..." I press on. Another backmarker and I get held up - the white bike's through again.
We go through plumes of white smoke into turn 1 and I back off - looking for the trail of oil. At the exit of the 180 degree turn, a backmarker's bike finally shat itself and spewed a 2 foot wide oil slick on the race line. Whooooah! I dodge the oil and the offending bike is sliding riderless across the grass. A small justice when a rider goes down on their own oil.
I lose touch with the white bike through this excitement and on the next lap another backmarker goes down on the oil in front of me - he was probably just ahead of the blown-up bike so had no idea what was there. Race red flagged and a result called. 6th.
Race 2 - Red lights on... revvs up... feel the clutch... hmmmm, a little too much feeling there. I roll forward a yard before the lights go out. Bollocks! Jump start. :-( No worries, I pile into turn 1 underneath the guy on pole who got a bad start... turn 2 and that white bike comes up my inside. On lap 2 the 2nd and 3rd place riders take a fast trip to the gravel in turn 1... I get there to see 2 bodies and 2 bikes tumbling through the dust. Restart.
Red lights on... revvs up... I fondle the clutch too much again and creep forward... lights out and I give her beans. The white bike gets a rocket start from 8th and is up my inside at turn 1... I in turn get up the inside of another and am in 3rd. Turn 2 and I outbrake that pesky white bike to get up his inside. I chase 1st. End of lap 2 and I'm still 3 bike lengths off 1st.
I get the 'Bus Stop' chicane slightly wrong and land up clipping the 2" high concrete domes that are used as a rumble strip. I must have hit it square - the poor monster takes a big hit and goes skywards. I'm bucked out of the seat and land back on with a mighty "Whump!".
Ouch! No major damage though...
Shit! I crack on the gas again... no time to lose. There goes second... and third... fourth... what the f... ? Fifth... sixth... I'm going nowhere... just coasting. Shit! Bollocks! My chain came off. Doh!
I coast into the pit and that's my race over. A bit disappointed - I was in the hunt. But... the objective of the day was a signature for the Manx GP. Done. Four down... two to go!
Friday, 15 April 2011
Busy Weekend Ahead
All prepped and ready to for some Desmo Due road racing at Mallory Park tomorrow. Warm up, Qualifying and then 2 x 18 lap races. I haven't started the Wee Monster in a year so dusted her down, I put some new fuel in, connected the battery and she started up first time - "Doong-doong-doong-doong-doong..." She's soundin' sweet! My kinda bike!
On Sunday I head down to Rye House for my first flattrack races of the season. I missed the season opener a few weeks ago... but hope to make up for it.
On Sunday I head down to Rye House for my first flattrack races of the season. I missed the season opener a few weeks ago... but hope to make up for it.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
If You Don't Limp...
I was handed this cool-ass sticker at the Rye House practice a few weeks ago by a young lad (Gary - your son?)
Gary, Ben... that'd make an awesome tee-shirt!
Gary, Ben... that'd make an awesome tee-shirt!
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Creative Man
Saw a brilliant quote the other day:
A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.
- Ayn Rand
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Cool Caf racer
A pretty little Honda from the DoTheTon blog
This is what it started out as:
Bloody well done!
Check out the entire build. Inspirational!
Monday, 4 April 2011
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