Last week the Team returned from a 5 day test at Aragon with a new unofficial lap record!

Both Ian Simpson and Peter Linden got into the 2 mins 7 bracket, but on the penultimate afternoon Linden pushed that little bit harder to achieve a 2 mins. 6.9 lap, giving the Team a fillip after Linden’s very heavy crash the previous day.
The record lap was a full 0.9 sec faster than the best lap at the 2014 race, set by reigning World Superstock Endurance champion, Gregory Fastre.

That was the good bit!

The bad bit was that last year’s Suzuki was comprehensively wrecked. That word is used in all its accuracy…. there were four or five undamaged components and all of these were minor. Even the needle inside the tachometer was bent!

Fortunately, the way forward was swiftly illuminated by Hugh Brasher, who, without hesitation agreed to make an immediate and very significant contribution towards a speedy rebuilt, That couples with similarly speedy responses by Richard Peckett (who has already started the new frame and has straightened the swinging arm), Dymag, who will deliver the new wheels in two weeks, Bill Simpson (BSR), who is working on the new tanks, Ragged Edge who have already made the new bodywork, etc etc. Thanks to them all!!

I predict that the new bike will be ready in very early May or even late April, but certainly in time for Mettet.

So, the test achieved all of its objectives; Stephane and Ian tested, Hugh given plenty of tracktime, geometry and carburetion developed further and Peter sent into his wrist operation with the knowledge that he can still ride fast and crash well (he was completely unhurt).

The Team leave for Paul Ricard (race 3rd/4th April) on Tuesday. It’s round one of the European Classic Series and it ill be tough with just one bike… maybe we should put Bernie Toleman’s old Kawasaki, frame no 17, in the truck as well!!!

See you there.. you won’t be alone, 10.000 made it to the “new” Bol d’Or last year!

RB

Tonight the Team head for Spain with the new P&M Suzuki. As well as refreshing the riders, there is a host of work to be done, nothing unusual, but just an awful lot of it – hence the 5 days test.

We shall be taking both the 2014 bike (the bike that won at Nurburgring and broke a crank at Aragon last year), which is currently fitted with a road engine for rolling chassis testing, and the new bike for carburation and rolling chassis work.

The new frame (146) has been revised in several areas compared with our original bike, but most notably with a steeper steering head angle, lowered swinging arm pivot and with more vertical downtubes above the swinging arm pivot. The engine has been revised to use an original crankshaft rather than a modified item, in an effort to improver reliability. Bill Simpsons new tanks will also be fitted.

Hugh Brasher, Ian Simpson and Peter Linden will be the main team this year, and we are very pleased that Stephane Mertens will stand in for Peter during his period of recovery from his wrist operation in late March. So Stephane will be with us for Paul Ricard and Mettet. All riders will be present for the tests.

Confirmed dates for the team are:

Paul Ricard      4/5th April
Mugello           2/3rd May  TBC
Mettet              30/31st May
Spa                  4/5th July
Classic Bol      18th/19th September
Snetterton        10/11th October TBC
Aragon             30/31st October

We will report back later……. RB

PS: It’s a great time to join the team in the workshop….. The racing is second to none and so are the pies and pints on the workshop weekends…. Come on, do it!

Once again, Sweatshop have grabbed title sponsorship, now for the sixth year running. !! In that period Sweatshop have allowed the team to develop massively, from its modest start with a single uncompetitive P&M Kawasaki and a modified 900 cc engine, up to winning the FIM ECS series in 2013, with a pair of the most competitive Kawasakis in the pit lane. Our sincere thanks to Hugh Brasher for making this happen. Lets hope we can build things even further in the future!

Ray Marchant

In 2013, Ray Marchant said to us ‘ I am impressed with the way you guys work and I want to be involved’.  Ray’s business was engineering and he immediately saw the benefits of association. So, for 2014 and now again in 2015, the input from Ray and Lee Marchant and all at Marchant Engineering Services (MES) has helped the Team to increase its competitiveness, particularly by building not one, but two GSX1100 P&M Suzukis. And, not only has MES helped the budget, Ray was last seen under a pile of swarf as he mastered the team’s milling machine.!!

Thanks to Lee and Ray Marchant for their unstinting support.

Maurice Waldock

We first met Maurice Waldock in a restaurant in Alcaniz, just before the Aragon race at the end of last year. It was a nice meal and it soon became apparent that he was also a nice guy.! Like Ray, Maurice was impressed with what he saw, but particularly by the effort put in by team members in order to overcome every obstacle. Despite ill health, he vows to be at Paul Ricard for round 1 of the 2015 championship. Thanks to Maurice for his contribution.

Hugh Brasher, Lee Marchant and Graham Matcham

For the fifth year, and having achieved a full house of 2014 race wins, Continental Tyres are on board once again. We are very pleased to continue our association with Graham Matcham of importers Cambrian tyres and sincerely thank him and Continental for coming up with what is definitely the most competitive tyres in the pit lane.

As well as these, the biggest contributors, the team is fortunately blessed with the backing of many product suppliers, without whose help we could not exist. Our sincere thanks go to Etienne Bocard of Beringer, Phil Woodall of Competition Fasteners, Spike at Ragged Edge, Allan Ostli at SBS, Nik Western at Hel Performance, Max at Venhill, Frank Wrathal, Phil Jessopp for the dyno time, Richard Peckett and all our other loyal contributors.  

Hidden, are these behind the scenes heroes, who make it all happen. Without their generosity we would not be on the grid. And if that was the case, then who else would keep the Union Jack flying.?

Thanks to the best sponsor team in the sport. !!

More soon.   RB  

Well,
the Team is working hard on stripping, cleaning, blasting Suzuki engines.
Richard Peckett (P&M) has made a new frame to house the engine and Bill Simpson (BSR) is developing new tanks.
The frame has since been coated with 5 layers of paint, Russell is assembling engines to fit in and everyone else has started the built of the bike.
We’re going testing in Aragon half March, so the pressure is on.

Mark Gerrard

Nev Hall, Chris’ brother

New team member, Dan Wynn.

Brakes fitted

It’s taking shape

Welcome back.!

Picture taken at the Nurburgring by Guido Bongen

The team’s first test of year will be back at Aragon in only 9 weeks and the workshop is already in frenzy. There are six engines in various states of dis-assembly (we have needed to buy six so far to get enough good bits to build two), bikes apart, bikes for sale and boxes everywhere.

There is already lots of news, Too much for one session, so I will give you a few highlights and the general plan for now and fill you in on the detail sometime later.

The race calendar looks like this so far……

Paul Ricard   4 hrs 3/5th April   (ECS)
Mettet    2 x 2hrs 30/31st May
Spa  4 hrs 3/5th July  (ECS)
TBA  TBA   TBA   (ECS)
Classic Bol d’Or, Paul Ricard 2 x 2 hrs 18/19th Sept
Aragon 4 hrs 30/31st Oct

There are also 4 very interesting Italian Endurance races at Vallelunga, Mugello, Imola and Misano….if only we had the staff….

The team will be racing  P&M Suzuki 1230s, similar to the machine raced by the team at Nurburgring and Aragon 2014.

The second bike will be built during the next 8 weeks after delivery of the new P&M frame this week. (Number 146)

Peckett & McNab Frame no 146

The rider line-up will be Hugh Brasher, Peter Linden and Ian Simpson, who joins the team for all the ECS races, the classic Bol and maybe more. A big welcome to Ian.!

Sponsorship commitments have already been made by Sweatshop, Marchant Engineering Services and Maurice (our newest recruit, who joined us at Aragon ’14).

As for the team….All the good old guys and girls are back for more ( in one shape or another) but, we always need more good hands, whatever their skills. Come on join in.

More soon. RB