European Classic Championship – Round 2 Spa Francorchamps 4 hours. 6th /7th July

This weekend the team head for Spa, with one of the best line-ups ever – Linden, Brasher and Conroy.
The team returned fresh from their Mettet 4 hrs. win in June determined to better the 2nd place achieved in the first round of the ECC at Imola. The main competition is likely to come from the Moto-Bel Guzzi, Haquin Kawasaki and Kaiser/Kaiser, all top three runners at Spa last year. Back at Mettet, Stephane Mertens told us that Dholda Honda, winner in the last two races, would not compete this time due to lack of funds; a real shame if that turns out to be the case. More competition should come also from the Glam team of James Clark and Bob Collins, who failed to find form at Imola, but surely will be at the top again at this one.

Since Mettet the team have moved forward in several areas; there is a new pit perch in the pit lane, new posters, new team clothing and some bike improvements as well. New strengthened tacho brackets have been brought into service since early season failures of the originals, plus improved cross over gear linkages, following a failure at Imola.

So, its back on with the lights for the first night race of the year. see you Saturday night. The race starts at 8.00 PM and runs to 00.00.AM

Mertens – 100th career win at Mettet!

Peter Linden and Stéphane Mertens won last weekend’s 4 hours of Liege, the Classic Endurance event held at Mettet, notching Merten’s 100^th win.

The Sweatshop Phase One Kawasaki was put on pole by Mertens with a blistering lap of 1.12.3 secs, with Mettet first timer, Peter Linden also topping his group with a 1.13.9 second lap.

The Richard Hubin Harris Suzuki qualified second and the British Steve Boam/Steve Clarke Harris Suzuki was third.

The full grid (33 are allowed) contained no less than four world endurance champions and exotica abounded! Moto Martins, Harris’s, P&M’s, through to TTF1 900 Ducati twins. One team even tried their luck on a TR 750 Suzuki two stroke. There really were some very serious entries – but regrettably arch rivals, the MotoBel Guzzi team was not there.

The race was held in two, 2 hour legs, one on the Saturday afternoon and the other on Sunday. Mertens and Linden won them both. The second leg was a real highlight with Mertens dicing with Richard Hubin, swopping the lead for the first 25 minutes. Hubin eventually faded but finished the leg in 2^nd.

Peter Linden’s 2013 performance continues to be impressive. Second fastest of the weekend and that despite being new to Mettet. At this one he played the support rider for a change, and who could want a better partner. For the reunited pair, racing again for the first time in 13 years, it really was a dream weekend.

Steve Boam and Steve Clark, on their Harris Suzuki, saw off opposition from the Roger Ruiz and Richard Hubin Teams to snatch 2^ndplace on aggregate by a mere 9 seconds .

Thank you to Sweatshop, Continental and our other sponsors for your continued support.

Results

1^st Mertens/Linden Sweatshop Phase One P&M Kawasaki 180 laps

2^nd Boam /Clark SCERT Harris Suzuki 176 laps

3^rd Ruiz/Ruiz Suzuki GSXR 176 laps

4^th Blain/Blain Kawasaki 1000J 172 laps

5^th DeVos/Steenhaut Ducati TT 900 172 laps 6^th Senechal/Frerad Suzuki GSXR 170 laps

With thanks to the photographers, Jacco Dijkhuizen and Pascal Kinds

Stephane Mertens joins Peter Linden for the Mettet 4 hrs.

The 2000 World Endurance Championship winning team of Peter Linden and Stephene Mertens reforms for next weekend’s 2 x 2hrs race at Mettet. The event runs over the weekend of 1st/2nd June, with an afternoon race on each day,on the recently revamped Ardennes circuit in southern Belgium.

In 2000, these two, with Warwick Nowland, stamped their authority on a fiercely competitive season. After seeing off the factory entries, the main competition, as expected was the superfast and reliable Kawasaki of GMT 94. Despite Phase One Endurance scoring podium places at 3 of the 6 races, it was GMT that pushed them to a down to the wire battle at the Bol d’Or. And what a battle; both teams fought for 15 hrs for the podium on one of those dank misty Magny Cours weekends. As the advantage went from one team to another the night fight was first broken by Linden, and not in a good way!.Whilst pushing hard to close the gap between 3rd and 4th he fell, not badly but badly enough to drop two places after repairs. With such a competitive field it looked like the team would struggle to make up, with only 9 hrs remaining; but with luck swinging evenly, it was now GMT’s turn and this time it was certainly big trouble. It was mechanical.They got it back to the box and to the uninitiated (not that there were many of those at 06.00 on a Sunday morning) it looked minor, but to those who looked closely, the rod sticking out of the front told the real story. Game over;its endurance after all. ! Six out of six for Phase One – what a season.

So, Mertens and Linden back in Belgium together after all these years, what an exciting prospect…they were 2nd at the Spa 24hrs last time and Mertens won for Phase One at Mettet last year. Who knows what next weekend will deliver – in addition to lots of fun of course.

Mettet is 3hrs from Calais, you really have no excuses. !!

Sweatshop Phase One -2nd at Imola.

Peter Linden and Cormac Conroy took a fantastic pole position at last weekend Imola 4hrs, the first round of the European Classic Championship (ECC). The pair qualified first, in mixed conditions, but because of the ‘no pushers ‘rule started from 45^th position, with the other no-starter motor entries.

The 54 starters all got away cleanly in the mid- 20Cs, but overcast conditions, at 15.20, for what was to be a fantastic race. !

Team no 111, the German Classic Endurance Team (Frank Heidger and Christian Ganter) took an early lead closely followed by Taurus and Hampe, with Christian Haquin at the helm. On lap 3, still with only moderately warm tyres, Haquin slid off whilst pushing for the lead, handing the challenge to the MotoBel Guzzi and Team Taurus. Meanwhile Linden had set fastest lap whilst carving through the traffic to pass Motobel on lap 6 and to take the lead on lap 9. It was truly a performance to be proud of.

Linden pushed hard at 2 min 08/09 pace pulling a 21.6 second lead over MotoBel by stop 1 at 42 minutes. Conroy, an able and successful BSA Rocket 3 racer delivered a fast and measured performance to deliver an increased lead of 26 seconds over MotoBel, with Italian Team Fusco trailing them by stop 2.

The field was slowed during rota 3 by light rain, which most teams successfully negotiated; one however fell, necessitating 4 pace car laps. This was timed awkwardly for the team as it has to pit under the pace car (to avoid violating the max. 45 minutes stint rule) which cost the team nearly 4 minutes. This dropped the Team to 4^th – and with the field being so competitive, it would be impossible to retake the lead, which had been gifted to MotoBel, with Alf (Mick Godfry and Patrick Banfield) second and Team Glam (James Clark and Bob Collins) in third.

Now the fight was really on – but Conroy’s progress was hampered by a failing plug cap and a failing gearlink crossover mechanism. Both were changed at stop 4 and, whilst at 5^th . Linden once again took the helm and was told to pull the pin, which he duly did, delivering another fastest lap (a low 2 min 08secs) whilst chasing Alf and Glam . The drama wasn’t over yet though, Mick Godfrey had got the signal to defend hard and in doing so, took a new and final fastest lap of 2 min 07.5 secs to hold second at the final stop.

Any worries that the new soft compound Conti front would not last the distance were dispelled when Cormac set his fastest lap (2 min 10.3) during the Team’s last rota to retake second place from Alfs P&M Kawasaki ten laps before the flag.

To close; what a fantastic performance by the riders, pit crew and sponsors – without any part the result just could not have happened – the tyres were great, the riding outstanding and the pit crew 1^st class. Second after round one is a tremendous position to be in, and with a fastest lap a full 3 seconds ahead of the round 1 winners, and tyres lasting the full 4hrs, we are perfectly set for the season.

Mettet is on the weekend of 31^st May/1^st June, when Peter Linden will join Stephane Mertens on the Sweatshop Phase One bike for the 2 x 2hrs event.

TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP

During the race Sweatshop Phase One chose to stop under the pacecar( which was lapping unpredictably slowly) to avoid violating the 45 min riding time rule and thus handed the lead to MotoBel. MotoBel did not make a similar stop and (I believe) mistakenly, went for a 48 mins.

This, if the race director had spotted, it would have resulted in a stop and go. Now this is the good bit – because the director didn’t see it, the MotoBel team boss agreed to Russell’s request to hold the bike for a self imposed 30 second penalty at their next pitstop – which they duly did. OK, they still took the overall advantage, but it was sporting nevertheless.!!