On Any Sunday

On Any Sunday
ISSUE
02
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The Newsletter of the Post Classic Racing Association of NSW
APRIL
2015
In this issue
Race dates 2015 P.1
The President looks at BSFoS P.1
BSFoS Wrap up from P Hall P.2
A Pre Modern View
P.3
Interview with Freddie Spencer P. 4
F2 Sidecar Championship
P.5
The period 5 Races in Brief P.6
Note from the Organisers P.6
GOOD NEWS FROM THE
RACE ADMINISTRATOR
Hanging out with Freddie P.7
Ist Time Competitors view P.8
Interview with Maria Costello P.9
Leg 2 Trans-Tasman Challenge P.9
Race Dates 2015
Club Championships
Round 2 : 30th May 2015
North Circuit. SMSP Eastern Creek
Round 3 : 13th June 2015
GP Circuit SMSP Eastern Creek
Round 4: 18th July 2015
South Circuit SMSP Eastern Creek
Round 5: 5th December 2015
Wakefield Park
**********
PCRA GP Races
Saturday 29th August 2015
One Hour Race
Sunday 30th August
Wakefield Park
***********
NSW Championships 11th-12th July
SMSP Eastern Creek
Australian Historic Championships
10th – 11th October, Mallala S.A.
Trans-Tasman Challenge Round 2
23rd – 25th October.
Hampton Downs. New Zealand
The President looks at the BSFoS
Thanks all and what a great meeting this year's
Barry Sheene turned out to be. There have been
accolades all around on what a great job the PCRA
did. We're building expectations of each year
getting bigger and better, so our challenge now is
how to top it next year!
Congratulations to all who achieved their goals, and to
place-getters and winners. The Top 50, Paul Dobbs, Ken
Lucas, Ken Wooton, Sidecars Australian Championship
and Freddie Spencer Challenges were all hotly contested.
And at the team level, Australia takes the Trans-Tasman
for the third time in a row! We are looking forward to
taking on the Kiwis on their home turf in October!
Kudos goes to Fast Freddie who endeared himself
to everyone with his easy-going style making time
to chat to all. There was a constant line in the back
of pit area to have photos taken with him. Similarly
Maria Costello is a great speaker and competitor,
and was very generous with her time. She also
challenges us to encourage women who want to
race. It was very special seeing Warren Willing
doing 3 parade laps. Sad to think these may be his
last laps at Eastern Creek.
None of this would be possible without our marshals,
officials and flaggies. Thanks to Lozza and the men and
women who worked with her for exemplary handling of
operations throughout the weekend. Those calls are
sometimes hard and need to be made fast, so we do not
underestimate the difficulties. And being out there on the
track all day, three days running for most, is fantastic. A
big thank you on behalf of each and every rider!
The meeting was not without incidents. One sidecar flipped at the end of the straight, and we had
too many red flags in the solos. Thankfully
everybody involved got away with non-lifethreatening injuries, it could have been so much
worse. A great job was done by the flaggies on the
radio, then Tim Sanford and Kristi Rothwell for
calling those red flags fast, and by the ambos and
recovery teams. Oh for a meeting with no red
flags... perhaps that should be our aim! It was a
good decision by Tim to drop one round of heats;
this enabled us to finish the meeting. His reality
check talk on Sunday morning also helped us focus
on the real meaning of racing: doing it well and not
just winning.
Also a special thanks to Peter MacMillan, and Ken Lindsay
for all their preparation, and for looking after our guests
Freddie, Maria and the NZ contingent. The replica 250 was
special to Freddie as was the VF750.
Rick Kwok.
P1
P2
BSFoS Wrap Up from
Phil Hall
Hot weather on Friday and patchy rain on
Sunday did not prevent the PCRA (Post
Classic Racing Association of NSW) from
completing another hugely successful Barry
Sheene Festival of Speed on the weekend at
SMP. In a meeting that was unfortunately
blighted by some serious accidents and
altogether too many race stoppages, the hardworking PCRA crew soldiered on and
delivered the good yet again.
Expecting mechanical reliability out of 30+
year old air cooled engines that have been hotrodded to within an inch of their lives is
always going to be an exercise in optimism
and the weekend showed again that P5 as we
know it has probably reached the limit of what
can be expected from these bikes. Add this to
the raised expectation of riders, desperate to
perform well in front of a good crowd, their
sponsors and their friends and the possibility
of accidents also increases.
That said, the racing was champagne stuff, as
it always is. Huge fields of combined class
races meant that there was entertainment all
through the pack with positions being fiercely
contested anywhere you would like to look.
Even the smaller and older bikes provided
great entertainment, something that is difficult
to do in the wide-open spaces of the Eastern
Creek layout. And, given that the majority of
the interesting parts of the track are not visible
to spectators (whose dumb idea was
THAT?) it speaks wonders for the
competitors that they kept us entertained as
they did.
I am not going to provide a race-by-race
report as I missed Saturday altogether due to
prior commitments so my report will instead
focus on some of the behind-the-scenes action
that, in some cases, was nearly as interesting
as the racing.
John Denver sang that some days are
diamonds and some days are stones and some
of the favourites this weekend certainly found
that out. The formidable TBR team of Giles,
Martin and Roberts had a very ordinary
weekend by their high standards with accident
and mechanical mishap blunting their attempt
to duplicate their Island Classic performance.
Robbie Phillis is starting to think that his new
Trident Suzuki is jinxed after another bad
weekend. A big crash on Saturday broke two
bones in Robbie’s right hand, aggravating a
previous injury as well as breaking the
scaphoid in his right wrist. Exit stage left one
of the crowd favourites.
It was left to fellow veteran, Malcolm
Campbell to step up to the plate and he
delivered. Riding Rex Wolfenden’s Honda,
the bike normally ridden by Michael Dibb,
“Wally” put in a vintage performance,
showing that he has lost nothing of his
legendary skill. He was harassed throughout
most of the races by his son, Scot, who
showed that the apple hasn’t fallen far from
the tree.
However, it was in the pits that spectators
were able to sample some history of the nonracing kind. Since a General Admission ticket
allows access to the pits, the paying public, as
at the Island Classic, get to see, up close and
personal, the mechanics of racing and the
many other aspects of the meeting that is
denied spectators at “normal” meetings.
Highlight of the meeting this year was the
attendance of three times World Champion,
American “Fast” Freddie Spencer. The first
and only man to have won the 500cc and
250cc championships in the one year, Spencer
was invited by the PCRA to be here in
Australia to commemorate and celebrate the
30th anniversary of that legendary feat. It was
tempting to think that the personal appearance
would be a little like some other similar
occasions recently with the star being
cocooned inside a media shell and only
brought out on a few occasions to say a few
words. Such was not the case. Spencer was in
attendance all three days. He attended a party
on the Saturday night where he spoke for over
an hour about himself, his racing and his
perceptions of racing today. He addressed the
officials on the steps of the control tower
before the day’s racing began and made
himself available for numerous autograph
signings over the weekend. He rode a
beautifully constructed replica of the 860 V4
Honda of Daytona fame in some
demonstration laps on both days and could be
seen all weekend, walking around the pits and
socialising with the punters. And, when he
wasn’t doing that, he could be found, sitting in
a deck chair in Pit 3, available for a short or a
long chat for anyone who wanted to plunk
themselves down in the chair next to him.
Charming, erudite, eloquent and what we
would love all our champions to be, Spencer
ticked all the boxes. As a 5th Generation
Australian, you would think that my all-time
racing hero would be an Aussie rider, but, no.
It is FFS and has been since 1976-77. They
say that it isn’t always a good idea to meet the
heroes of your youth as it can sometimes be a
disappointment. Spencer certainly proved that
saying wrong for me. I was privileged to
conduct a one hour interview with him and
what I saw was not a carefully constructed
media persona but the real deal. Yes, I am
biased, but my sentiments seem to have been
echoed by everyone else who had dealings
with the man over the weekend. The long
lines that formed each time an autograph
session was announced was testament to his
enduring popularity and the time he took to
not only sign autographs but connect with the
punters during those sessions was hugely
impressive.
Freddie keeping everyone amused
with his tales on Saturday night
The other special guest of the PCRA on the
weekend was the First Lady of Speed,
Britain’s Maria Costello. On her second visit
here, Maria was here to race and also be
available to meet and greet, and she fulfilled
both aspects of the brief beautifully. Maria is
quietly spoken, forever smiling and
passionately devoted to her racing and
particularly to mentoring other female riders
who wish to go road racing. As the selfappointed grandmother of a bevy of lady
racers, she is
forging a path
for others who
will hopefully
not have to do
it as tough as
she had to do.
Enthusiastic
about her
racing and her
role within it,
she is a real
gem and I am
sure that
everyone who
met her was
impressed as I
was with her passion and dedication.
P3
BSFoS by Phil Hall CONT:
On Sunday afternoon a very special event
took place in the pits that, for a little while,
seemed to make what was happening on the
track fade into the background. On display
was the Kawasaki Mach IV that had been
ridden by one of Australia’s greatest ever
riders, Warren Willing in the old Chesterfield
Superbike Series. Lovingly restored by his
brother, Glenn, the bike probably looked TOO
good to be a race bike but it isn’t going to
raced again, so who cares? On display with it
was the new Kawasaki superbike, the “R”
version, provided by Murray Sayle and
Kawasaki Australia. It certainly was an
interesting contrast, especially as Murray
started the H2R up from time to time and
cleared its lungs a little.
It was a gathering of the clan, so to speak as
the Willing family, who had organised the
event with some very close friends, had
invited a veritable who’s who of road racing
stars form the era to come and help celebrate
and commemorate. Names like Len Atlee,
Gary Coleman, Stu Avant, Alan Kay, Phil
Hitchcock, Jeffery Sayle, Iain Pero, Dave
Robbins and Big Bad Dennis Neill all
gathered to pay tribute to the bike but, more
importantly, to its rider.
Suffering very poor health these days, Warren
Willing looks a pale shadow of the virile
young man that he was when engaged in the
legendary duel with the late Gregg Hansford
at Bathurst in 1974. Walking with the aid of
two walking sticks, Warren was carefully
cosseted by the family, obviously aware of
how hard this first public appearance for
many years would be for him. Nevertheless,
he stayed for the rest of the afternoon, signing
autographs for a long line of the respectful
and chatted with anyone who wanted to pass
the time
It was great to see the two Adams brothers,
Warren’s original sponsors, there and it was
very emotional for me to meet him again after
all these years. I said, “Warren, you probably
won’t remember me, my name is Phil Hall.”
He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Of
course I remember you.”
In the lunch break, Glenn, dressed in
Warren’s old leathers, took the Mach IV out
onto the track for some demo laps. The crowd
around the bike broke out into spontaneous
applause as he left the pit garage in the
familiar cloud of two stroke smoke,
accompanied by the “cackle” of the three
cylinder engine that those of us who can
remember the glory days still love so much.
Warren and his daughter, Nicole followed in a
convertible and the pit wall and roof of the pit
garages cheered them on their way. It was a
hugely moving moment and one which I am
very privileged to have witnessed.
Do I recommend that the BSFoS be a
“compulsory” on every bike enthusiast’s
calendar? Too right I do. The PCRA puts on a
brilliant show and the attendances continue to
show that they are doing the right thing. Quite
how they are going to “top” the appearance of
Freddie Spencer this year at next year’s event
I have no idea, but you may be sure that they
will have a good shot at it.
A Pre Modern View:
Friday and Saturday had riders guessing at the track but the PM events seemed to just miss the showers, so it was damp in patches but dryer on the line.
The mix of riders from other states made for a grid of new and old talent for SMSP.
To balance the grids the 400s and smaller of PM F3 had to be relocated with P5 and P6 750s, so it was really two races, at least on paper! Some of the
smaller bikes held their ground, including some of the 400's that had been entered in P6 750 class. F3 winners Simon Hills (Yamaha 400) and Vincent
Bell (Honda 125) were pulling low 1.50's ahead of many of the big bikes, and third Richard Draper (Honda 400) was well up with high 1.50s. These
first and second place getters were consistently good and finished the weekend with scores of 90, well ahead of the rest.
In F2 Nathan Holt (Honda 600) was running high 1.40's, just that few seconds ahead of Andrew Perrin ( Yamaha 600) and Graham Percy (Yamaha
600) over the heats, enabling him to take 3 of the 4 top spots and the trophy for the weekend. Steve Dobson was the leading contender, with two wins
and a third but DNF'd the last race. If he'd placed he'd have won the series.
Meanwhile in F1 Victoria's Adrian Digiandomenic (Yamaha 750) was out front all the way with mid-high 1.30's and a perfect four wins to give him
100 points, ahead of NSW's Paul Grant-Mitchell (Kawasaki ZX7RR) in the low 1.40s and a total score of 80 from four seconds. Philip Bartush (Ducati
916) followed them into third. Adrian rode an old Shawn Giles factory bike and made a new F1 record.
A good weekend for all……
P3
P4
Interview with our Guest of Honour –
‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer
Over the Barry Sheene Weekend we spent some time with Freddie and asked him a couple of questions and this is an edited version of his reply:
What was it like to race with Barry Sheene?
First I want to thank the club for the invitation to the event, and it's a privilege to be involved in something which honours not only an individual but
the tradition of motorcycle racing. Barry gave so much to the sport with his personality and his individuality, but also his sincerity with the sport and
with the fans. He was someone I respected both on and off the track.
My very first day outside the US was the Good Friday of 1980 for the Britain Transatlantic Trophy match races in Britain. That day Kenny Roberts
was there, and Barry, and Graeme Crosby, Mike Hailwood, all the GP riders, and I was able to beat both Barry and Kenny twice that day. Not to boast
but to say that Barry was one of the few to come over afterwards, and he put his arm around me and said 'good job'. That says a lot about him. On the
track he was a fierce competitor, and cut me no slack. I had great battles with him and Kenny both. Argentina in 1982 was one of the best battles ever.
He was in a good position to win that year but for his crash at Silverstone. He was lucky to survive, but it really ended his competitive career.
What developments with Honda does he look back on most fondly?
With Honda, I tested and raced the oval-cylindered four strokes NR500 in the early 80's; it was not that successful on the track but we pushed the
development of the small four cylinder engine, and of new materials. The oval cylinder concept died, but development went on with the NS500 V3
two stroke, on which we won the 1983 GP, and then the V4 NSR500 which Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan made so famous. With HRC in those
days we set the foundation for later developments for engines, frames and brakes, and the HRC engineers at that time went on to make some of the
best bikes of the later period, both on and off track. We also did some work with Michelin on radial tyres and you see that result every day.
Do you have any racing hints does he have for our members.
These events, racing these older machines, are great for involving the motorcycling community and people's families. More of these bikes are being
restored, raced and collected. They have narrower power bands, and even with modern suspension and tyres you have the challenge of riding the bike
by feel, with your hands, your feet, the seat of your pants; you're not dependent on electronics. You really have to pay attention to what the bike gives
you, and to being precise. The modern bikes are great with all their electronics, but with these bikes you really have to learn to feel the bike.
Freddie speaking to Warren Willing
P4
P5
F2 Sidecar Championship:
Thursday afternoon saw us unload and setup, then sit down and wait for Noel Beare, who is standing in for Steve. He arrived on the Clancy “biscuit” bus
at about 6.00. The Clancy’s had brought 3 bikes up. Chris had mortgaged the house at IGA and brought in large stocks of Earl Grey in anticipation of
Noel’s reputation! Sorry Noel.
A great roll up of interstate bikes, with Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland all fielding F2’s.
Friday Practice saw Noel and I wobble around, both learning about each other at the Creek. Nothing out of the ordinary or serious, just timing issues and
what each of us required of each other. The bike was running a little hot, again! So we tried a little richer mixture at full throttle and change the injectors
just in case. It seemed to work.
It was great to see the P3 bikes there, reminds me of going round on the
Norton! A BIG thank you to them and the other “slower” bikes for being
aware of the “fast” bikes coming through. You all did an amazing job
while you were putting on an excellent show.
Qualifying was a disaster; we went out near enough last hoping to get a
clear run, wrong! Then Bluey and Smiley had their incident on the straight,
and out came the red flag.
Most teams only managed to get one timed lap and some none. Glenn then
suggested that we change the first Tran Tasman to qualifying, so up we
went and saw Tim about the suggestion, who agreed.
This was to take place first thing Saturday due to all the incidents. Even if we lost a race we still had track time and it was fairer to all. All this was for
nought as the lap timers had problems, with some competitors recording 1 minute 10 second laps breaking the outright lap record by more than 20
seconds! So the Morgan boys came around with a rough grid, which seemed to work. In theP2
meantime Dags had taken out Wendy Campbell as a
passenger, her first ride after an absence of a few years.
Race one got underway with Ron passing Noel and I and then we got it back. At the end of first lap we saw Westy sitting by pit exit with a broken chain!
I heard a bike on our tail and knew it would be Eddie and Bronson. Sure enough they caught us down the straight; we pushed back in front at the old turn
9. Eddie had the legs down the straight taking the last lap board. I did a too late braking move at 2 and Eddie did the over and under. However coming out
2 to turn 3 Bronson missed her hand hold and did a very elegant exit stage left!
At this stage Eddie didn’t know that he was without Bronson! Turn 4 was OK, but 5 saw him out on the pit exit lane, looking back at me waving at him,
again turn 6/7 it was repeated! It was only at Corporate Hill that he finally pulled over! (Eddie later said he saw me waving, and couldn’t work out
why!!!!). Now down to turn 9 and suddenly Ron was there, however he had been an observer to all of Eddie ills and waved me on. A true sportsman!
Bronson had a sore hand, (haven’t heard any more since the weekend how it is) and decided that she was only going out on the P5.
Race 2 saw another red flag, luckily it was just broken chain on Simons that had jammed the wheel on the start line, making it impossible to move. On
the restart it was again us in the lead early on, then Glenn and Andrew passing us a couple of times making us earn the win
Race 3 was a repeat, with Glenn doing a late dive at 6/7 on the last lap, and us doing the over and under on the exit. I think he burnt some paint of mine
with the flames he was throwing out.
Race 4 was the only Trans-Tasman event for the F2’s, and the idea was to
allow Chrissy to come up and play. WELL! That’s not going to happen
again! We let her get the lead and the red mist must have come down!
Chrissy and Leanne set their PB again and took off! Nice one girls!
informed them that the sidecars had 3 championship races! This caused
After packing up, and unfortunately missing the presentation, we had a talk
to Dave Cameron (Road Race Timers) - no one had informed them that the
sidecars had 3 championship races! This caused all sorts of issues for them.
I would like to thank the PRCA and all the officials for managing to get
through a very full program under very trying conditions. Thanks also to
Noel for a great weekend, no better way to start the year than 3 wins in the
Championships! And the best Barry Sheene I’ve had in years!
Mick Alton
P5
P6
The Period 5 Races in brief:
Fridays Practice began with a damp, greasy track for the first few sessions but the track cleaned up and was good later in the morning for Qualifying and
the first races.
The 125cc race was an all Queensland affair taken out by James Barclay with 3 wins. Ron Carrick kept him honest with 4 bridesmaid finishes to take
second overall with Darren Tindale bringing it home for third spot on the dais. NSW’s Steve Kairl took the first race having run a blistering pace & he was
looking a shoe in for the overall win. Machine problems saw him limp out on the second lap of race 2 to end his chances on the smaller bikes.
The 250cc race was dominated by the mighty Armstrong of Stephen Ward with 4 wins from 4 and a fastest lap over the weekend of 1:48.7050 in the final
race on Sunday. Second overall was Tyler Bradford on a Yamaha TZ250 with 3 seconds and a third, followed by James Morris on another Yamaha to take
the last podium spot.
The 350cc event was a close run affair. Grant Boxhall taking the top step honours from Glenn Hindle who will be kicking himself with a DNS in race 1
followed by 3 wins. Tazzy boy Grant kept it together taking the race one win and following Glenn home in the other races to win by 10 points. Third
overall was Rob Nelson on his trusty LC350 Yamaha.
Combining the 500’s as they had for this race, provided one of the more diverse groups of
bikes in my mind. Brad Phelan took the first spot with his 400 Yamaha with 3 wins and a
second, holding out Bob Garners’ Ducati 500 by 17 points. Greg Dalsanto managed a win
in race 3 but could only finish in 3rd spot overall.
The 750cc race had no less than 6 TZ750’s listed with all but one of them finishing the
weekend intact. Victorian Craig Ditchburn on his impressive modified TZ750 took the
win, with the immaculately presented TZ750 of John Allen only losing out after failing to
finish race 2 but taking the other 3 wins in convincing style. His race 1 lap of 1:43.562
was a class record a full 2 seconds up on Craig’s fastest lap. He followed that up with a
1:42.067 before retiring on lap 4 of race 2, then an amazing 1:40.579 in the final race of
the day to prove that these old bikes still have it. Bob Garner took 3 rd overall only 3 points
behind John, riding his Ducati 750.
Finally, the unlimited class saw Derek Brown come out victor on his newly acquired Harris XR69 ahead of the Hondas of Vince Sharpe and Malcolm
Campbell. Wally’s omission from the final race let Dez in for the win and to sneak first overall, which was a good result bearing in mind he had been
suffering with brake issues for the early part of the event.
This class had a high attrition rate over the weekend and saw some of the big names sitting out the final races. Laurie Fyffe was fortunate to not be too
badly injured after crashing out and getting his foot caught in the rear wheel.
Hope you all enjoyed the weekend, roll on 2016.
Julian Hardy (PCRA P5 Rep.)
Note from the Organisers:
Well the 2015 QBE Barry Sheene Festival of Speed is now done & dusted
and yet again we had a fabulous weekend of racing.
Each year we look at improving on the year before and this year the PCRA,
I believe, got the mix right with the Race Programme. We had an increase
in competitors and machine numbers to the extent that many races were
oversubscribed and after some serious crashes on Saturday with a bit of
tweaking we were still able to get through the entire event programme
(albeit a little shorter). To any competitors who were affected by the
shortened races our apologies but to all the riders, pit crews and officials
thank you for your support & understanding.
To all our sponsors QBE in particular who have showed their faith in our
meeting for a number of years and Honda who assisted us this year in
being able to bring ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer to the event, thank you.
owners and the bike clubs for once again giving the event the festival
feel that we have all come to expect. It wouldn’t be the same without
you all.
To our Kiwi friends who made the trip across the ditch… thank you and
we’re sorry that you went home empty handed……see you in October!!!
Our special guest, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his double World
championship wins Freddie Spencer proved to be a huge hit with
competitors & spectators alike and we also thank him and our other
international guest Maria Costello for being part of the event and making
themselves so accessible to everyone.
Work has already started on the planning for 2016….we will let you
know our guest as soon as confirmation as been received but for now the
dates for 2016 are 17th – 20th March so mark it in your calendar.
Thanks again & see you all again next year.
Peter MacMillan
More thanks and accolades to all the volunteers & officials, trade stand
P6
P7
Hanging out with Freddie – Ken Lindsay
y introduction to Freddie Spencer came
Wednesday evening 18th of March at a
'Welcome to Sydney' harbour cruise with Linda,
Freddie & his partner Alexandra, Maria Costello,
Peter & Janet MacMillan, Marcus de Caux,
Glenn Hindle, a couple of gents from QBE &
MCA. Peter in his jovial little way introduced me
to Freddie as “The Stalker we warned you
about”. Obviously Freddie was far more
intelligent than that & we shook hands & in his
own humorous way basically dismissed it with
“I’ll take that as a compliment”. The cruise was a
fairly laid back event then afterwards we all had
a couple of drinks & went our separate ways.
Freddie was to be riding my ‘Rothmans’ Honda
RS250 over the weekend, which had done the
rounds of various Bike and Accessory shops
promoting the Festival in the months leading up
to the event. The bike is a lighter shade of blue
than the dark blue that graced the works
Rothmans Honda’s of the day, but as the photo
shows, it is the same colouring as Freddie's
superb Alpine Star Leathers... need I say more!
Race day arrived and Freddie was in high
demand, with autograph signing session, photos,
interviews etc, so he would wander in & out of
my garage during the day at different times for
coffee, lunch and to just hang out for a little
while. On these occasions I found myself having
conversation about racing & motorbikes, but also
just general stuff. He really is an easy going
bloke, I witnessed him talking to people who
were shy in approaching him, but he would soon
have them at ease, openly talking & signing
autographs for the many fans that visited.
For those of you who attended the Saturday
evening function, it was a night to remember.
Mark Bracks interviewed Maria Costello and of
course Freddie, who had the whole room
mesmerised with his wonderful stories. There
was a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate
Freddie’s 30th Anniversary of his famous 1985
250cc & 500cc double World Championships.
Unfortunately, due to the on-off weather, he was
unable to ride the RS250 on Saturday as planned,
but we did have a backup HRC860 VF750
Superbike (or Interceptor as Freddie referred to
it) supplied by Wayne Fox which was fitted with
treaded tyres for him to lead the Honda Parade
Laps…. so all turned out fine.
On Sunday, Freddie was finally able to ride the
RS250. I explained that the bike had not had
enough set up time and it was jetted a little rich
(typical two stroke talk!). Freddie’s response was
very casual “it’s no problem, I’m just gonna cruise
around a bit.” Yeah well, on a bike he had never
ridden, one sighting lap, cold tyres (he said not to
bother with tyre warmers) and then one flying lap
he was clocked at 1:51.24. Sure it’s not a lap
record, but hey! It was certainly one of the
highlights of my weekend, having one of the
greatest riders of all time (in my opinion) ride my
bike alone on the track. If you are a two stroke GP
bike fan, the sight and sound of Freddie coming on
to the straight cranked way over with the throttle to
the stop and the two stroke howl as he changed
through the gears…..what can I say…..absolutely
awesome!
There is so much to remember and I could
write so much more but as far as I’m
concerned, this has been the best Barry Sheene
Festival of Speed of all time.
Freddie returned to the pits, a smile a mile wide
under the helmet, rolling to a stop with people
quickly gathering. Bracksy was waiting for a few
quick words... “Yeah, the bike is pretty good,
another lap or so & we could have started to go
quick”. On talking to him later, he agreed it was a
little rich, but only a little, “one cylinder sounds
fine, the other maybe one jet size”. And he can
hear this… That’s just one of the many reasons
why these guys are so good. That evening at dinner
we spoke a little more about the bike, it is really
easy to listen to what he has to say.
Firstly to The PCRA represented by Peter
MacMillan and Ken Lindsay ... Thank you
for the invitation and honour of being the
Guest of Honour of the 10th anniversary of
the QBE Barry Sheene Festival of Speed!
So bring on 2016, it is after all, the 40th
Anniversary of the Great Barry Sheene’s first
World Championship.
Ken Lindsay.
A note received
from Freddie:
"I wanted to express my sincere gratitude
and appreciation to all who made our trip
to Australia so special!
I appreciated the passion that was shared
at the event! I look forward to coming back
again.
I also want to express my thanks to all the
great Team at Honda Australia for their
passion and professionalism.
Thank you to all the fans who helped to
make my trip so great"
Freddie Spencer.
Ken Lindsay
Freddie getting ready to set the pace on
the Honda
P8
A 1st time Competitors view:
Having been invited to compete in New Zealand in October 2015, we, my
brother Robert (Buck) and I, had to compete in the Barry Sheene FOS 2015
to qualify.
Nu
Being sidecar nuts, and never missing an opportunity to race (and have a
ball) we entered the event early. Unfortunately, due to some unpredicted
surgery, my brother was unable to attend, so a new passenger was hastily
arranged. Yet again, due to injury, the new passenger fell by the way side,
was this an omen of things to come?
The time came around, preparations were completed, the trailer and bus
stocked up with 3 sidecars, food, hydrating fluids, and all of our gear, and
we were off. After a 9 hour drive from Kilmore in Victoria, we arrived at
Sydney Motorsport Park around 6.00 pm on Thursday 19/03/15. Gear and
bikes were unpacked, Gazebo’s erected, food and fluids ingested, ahead of
a restless night in anticipation.
It was my first ever experience at this track, and I was still to find out if I
had a passenger for the weekend. After successfully passing scrutineering,
Friday morning introduced me to my new passenger Damian, and his
admission that he had never swung on a front exit P4 outfit before! Rather,
he usually kept the balance on an F1 long bike, Oh Shite!
However, after a short introduction to the outfit, the one and only “Pink
Pig” Damian caught on fast and was developing a degree of comfort in
what is required on a front exit outfit, mind you he hadn’t been out on the
track yet!
First time out in the practice was a shaky start for both of us. Never having
seen this track before, let alone raced on it with a new passenger had me
sweating (or was it the humidity? Sure Sydney weather is always better
than Melbourne, ha ha!), taking a bit of time to learn the circuit. It’s a bit
technical you know.
Next the first qualifier, achieving the not so fast 2.26 in this session, called
to an early halt due to a major off by an outfit immediately ahead of us on
the main straight. It looked bad from our vantage point, and had the
obvious effect on our nerves! Pleased to say that the guys are doing fine,
with not so serious injuries after all. Our last event for the day was called
off due to significant delays.
Saturday morning and what was to have been our second race, was
reclassified as a qualifier. After a good night’s sleep, Damian and I had
gathered ourselves and put in a better time of 2.21. Still not fast by some
standards but not too bad for a couple of first timers on an “old” P4 outfit.
Damian’s main complaint, apart from me going too slow, was the muscle
pain he was developing from all of the moving around that he had to do.
Ha, young blokes (he’s 27 and I’m 57) just can’t take it like we could!
Saturday afternoon, last event for the day and we’re racing. We both had
the circuit mapped out in our minds, and had another bike to chase, and
pass, which did wonders for our confidence and times, as it turned out.
Now down to 2.17!
Apart from a broken drive chain, and a quick change in drive sprocket, we
were ready for the last days racing. Oh, and having an absolute ball on this
magnificent circuit. Pffft Phillip Island, I now love Eastern Creek!
Unfortunately for Damian, and Wes, the F1 driver, they had terminal engine
failure and so were out of the meeting. Bad luck for them, but good for me
as Damian now concentrated on the “Pig” for the rest of the races.
First race on Sunday was an 8 lapper. I was a bit worried about fuel capacity
as the outfit only carries about 12 litres, and suffers with fuel surge when
down low on fuel. Not giving up now though. Same story again, brilliant
start (if I do say so myself) gathering up the two rows ahead of me! Not for
long though as F2’s and P5’s tend to be just a bit quicker that the Pig.
Anyway, we had someone to dice with, and the eventual result was a further
drop in time to 2.16. Oh, and we suffered what we thought was a lack of
fuel, coasting across the line in lap 5, the embarrassment, the shame! I
forgot to say that the race was shortened to 6 laps and we got lapped.
The exhilaration of the race was short lived, because news travels fast in the
pits and I was subjected to much ribbing, shy acting, mirth and general
targeting for the fuel failure. Having to agree that it was my shout for the
slab. Gotta love these sidecar guys, they’re just like family!
Last race and last event for the meeting. Tried to start the bike, but no go!
Shite! An observant pusher noticed that the fuel pump wasn’t working.
Checks carried out and it was discovered that we had a faulty kill switch,
not a fuel issue after all. More shame and embarrassment! Quick jiggles of
the kill switch plug, and away we went. Warm up lap complete, onto the
grid, and off again with a perfect start, gathering up the three rows ahead
this time. Oh No! Kill switch problems. One hand steering and one jiggling
the switch kept her moving, to what was to be a great last race and another
2.17 to finish up.
To the PCRA, Sydney Motorsport Park, all of the officials and track
Marshal’s I say thank you for what was my most enjoyable race meeting
ever! You should be justifiably proud and satisfied for what you have
achieved!
To my sidecar colleagues/family, thanks to all of you for your good humour,
encouragement, and maintaining a unique sport for the enjoyment of so
many enthusiasts.
And Damian Hoare, what a passenger!! Without your help mate it would
not have been half the fun, cause that’s what it’s about ultimately. Thanks
mate!
Oh, and Buck never mind little brother, there’s New Zealand to come, and
next year back at the Barry Sheene FOS!
Lastly, we were asked at our last Riders briefing to consider if what we
were all doing “was really worth it”, when considering our age, capability,
and life in general? You bet your sweet bicky it bloody well is!!
Bring on 2016!
Tony Peters (Peen) P4 Sidecar #20, “The Pink Pig”. HMRAV.
P9
Interview with Guest Maria Costello
MBE
Maria is a professional motorcycle racer from the UK, and has been racing both modern and post-classic bikes since 1997. She has competed in 9 Isle
of Man TTs, numerous UK races, and in the US, Europe and South Africa. She can be found at costelloracing.com
We caught up with her between signing, meeting people and races at the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed 2015
-----This is the second Barry Sheene you've come to, and we're delighted you've been able to come, so what do you like about it?
A lot of it is the people, I've made some great friends and it's great to come back. The women in the office are great people, and I get to ride in the sunshine
(mostly!) Unfortunately I can only be here for the week but it's great to be here.
What are you riding?
We've got Rob Francis's VFR400, which I've ridden before, both here and we took it to New Zealand. And Mick Neeson provided an XR69 (early '80s 1 litre
Suzuki) but unfortunately it blew up in qualifying. And I went out to race on Laurie Turnbull's Norton, a model I'm familiar with. But I quickly found I
couldn't really work with the brake handle setting, so it was a wonderful opportunity to ride his bike rather than a race.
So what's your favourite bike?
I don't have a favourite; I ride so many different ones. I'm very fortunate and I love them all! Not just older bikes but modern ones as well, as long as it’s Road
Racing.
So how do you find the Barry Sheene and any advice to our members?
It's a relaxed style of meeting, perhaps that's the Aussie style. I'd keep it that way!
And tell us about your involvement in promoting women in racing?
There is a lot happening around the world. Internationally we have the world governing body, FIM, Federation Internationale Motorcycliste, based in
Switzerland. It includes A Women in Motorcycling Commission which promotes women in the sport, and I am one of its members. We do promotion,
mentoring and training. This year we have the FIM Europe Women's European Cup, and there are other events around the world. At home we have WOAM,
Women on a Motorcycle, to promote women in racing and motorcycling generally. I personally do women only track days in the UK which I'm going to bring
to Australia in 2016.
Thanks Maria and we look forward to seeing you back.
I'd look forward to coming back.
Maria signing autographs and
meeting fans
Leg 2 Trans-Tasman Challenge
Leg 2 of the Trans-Tasman Challenge will be held this year at Hampton Downs Raceway (south of Auckland) over the weekend of 24th, 25th & 26th
October, 2015. The 24th being a private practice day for competitors.
If you competed at the BSFoS in March and would like to be a part of the Oz Team travelling to New Zealand please register your interest by
sending an email to : festivalofspeed2015@gmail.com with your name, contact address and telephone number , machine details and the number of
people likely to be in your party a.s.a.p. as positions are limited.
P9