Hat Trick! - Southern Classic - Broadford October 2007

Stuart Loly & No87
ready for battle.

Smells like....victory

Hat Trick for the Southern Classic. We need to win it one more time for it to be very difficult for anyone else to win the series again.

The 2007 season was not very successful except for the last few races. It's very difficult to pin point what the problems were, but hopefully we have now solved most of the issues and look forward to a trouble free 2008.

Ingrid and I took the month of September off and went to Bonneville to do a little research about running there. It doesn't seem out of the question so we will see what eventuates in the future.

We are also in the middle of building a new race bike. Based on the Corish Norvin using a JAP V twin motor. It will be around the same capacity 1297cc and using the same running gear as the Corish. Most of the components have been made or being produced.

Most of 2008 season will be taken up with sorting the JAP. The Corish will still be raced as much as we can but my health is not 100% so we have to be realistic with what we can achieve.

There is much we still want to do and I will endeavour to keep doing as much as I can.

I know, ring the Australian champion Stuart Loly to have a crack at the Southern Classic trophy for the second time. Only problem is he has never ridden a British bike let alone a Vincent powered racer with all the controls on the opposite side to his Period 5 Suzuki that he campaigns so successfully.

Friday practice was interesting as Stuart accustomed himself to the machine. I wasn't sure if it was the perfect match for a while there................

I shouldn't have been concerned. The coveted trophy was sitting in the pits ready to give to the victor of the weekend. I just handed it over to Stuart at the end of the weekend after he convincingly won the Southern Classic and the other races we entered.

He showed everyone what a true champion he is: After only two short practice runs on friday, he was able extract the bike's full potential for the entire weekend.

This weekend was the first time the engine performed as a package without trying to destroy itself and showed the true potential by taking 2 seconds off the lap times from previous years. We are now lapping mid 1.6s.

Roll on the Island. Haven't used the grinder for nearly a year now...............

We learnt some good lessons during the first two days - practice on Friday was full of surprises with the engine not behaving. Fixed all those and finally we now have a tachometer that actually works. Nice change! We won all the races on Saturday easily and thought the title was ours with three races to go on the Sunday.

Then the unbelievable happened. Second last race of the day and Clive came off his Suzuki at the end of the rear straight. High sided by a two stroke! Tumbled off, waiting for the bike to catch up and it must have landed on him. Leg broken in two places, ouch!

Battered and bruised off to hospital. That was the end of the weekend. Not all bad news though. We were lapping the fastest we have been racing at Broadford.

I have to mention that Clive is an exceptional rider with uncanny ability. He normally rides five different bikes, all different classes, capacities and all with different gearboxes
and idocyncracies in the same race meeting.

He rides
Post war, 250cc Jawa two stroke twin.
Pre war, rigid 500cc Ariel single.
Post war, 500cc Ariel single.
Post classic, 250 twin two stroke Suzuki.
Pre 1962, Period 3 unlimited Norvin

And the most unusual thing is he is always in the top three positions with all bikes. Always.
Let's hope he has a quick recovery and back to normal where he belongs. There is still much to do with the Norvin as we still haven't achieved what we set out to do.

But that's another story for later...............

Victorian Titles - Broadford March 2005

The front row.

Oooops

Few little dramas but were easily dealt with, like the sound meter which said we were over. Duuuuurh! Out with grinder again. Will it never be put away. That was the biggest drama all weekend. Next will be a new exhaust to give even more power and the new carburettors, which have arrived, and being modified as we speak.

I am relieved that all the grief has finally paid off and Clive has a trophy that won’t melt!

Clive piloting No87 to a win on Sunday

All set for the first race on pole position and then nothing! The rear wheel pulled the adjusters and the chain jumped the sprocket. DNF! Must be the power! Waited all day for the second race, which the organisers cancelled as there were many incidents due to the rain and they ran out of time to run the last events.

Sunday morning first race, pole position and Clive had a strong start and was able to run to the end for a win by 200 metres! Great.

Second race, same start but on the final lap at the start of the straight the belt broke and he rolled over the line for a 4th, still good as he didn't have to push it back!

After replacing and adjusting the belt we were ready for the 4th and final race.
Good start but Clive just couldn't catch the Harley of John Trease, which is awesome
when it holds together and had to be content with third.

Overall it was a constructive weekend. We are now running 5 lap races on the Island and considering our lap times, within reach of the lap record for unlimited Classics. We really haven't even started tuning the bike.

The lap times lowered every race, which indicates great potential for the future.
Next races should be in May. We need time to do some more development work on the fuel delivery system and a little tidy up!

Thanks again to Clive Harrop for showing the world what a Vincent can do!

Broadford Report September 2004

After a monumental engine blow up in practice at Winton in May 2004 and after a total rebuild of the motor, we were a little hesitant about the outcome of this meeting. We arrived Friday night and after the first practice the gearbox and clutch developed problems that were to plague us all weekend.

We couldn't make second practice and had to start the first race from pit lane after all the gridded riders were away. Clive did his best with the problematic clutch and won the race by about 200 metres. Incredible, as he had to adjust the clutch while racing! The clutch adjusting mechanism lost all movement and after investigation noticed the lock ring which held the adjuster mechanism was loose resulting in adjuster malfunction.

Second race and we were in the same position in pit lane and the same result but with more of a lead. This time about 300 metres. Clive had been racing with no clutch at all. The friction plates had been wearing prematurely and the clutch had overheated to the extent that the diaphragm spring had lost its tension.

I decided to drive back to Melbourne for a new set of friction plates and finished fitting them around midnight. Sunday was a new day but the troubles had not been fixed. As soon as the engine started the adjustment disappeared and worse was to follow.

The third race we were on pole position and that was the last the opposition saw of us. Clive won the race by 3/4 of a lap. The last race was the Southern Classic which we had come to win. But after starting from pole position, the gearbox refused to change gears and Clive was out of the race at the first corner.

All problematic but the weekend showed the potential of the rebuilt motor and with a little fettling will prove a force to be reckoned with in the forthcoming season.