Bemsee early 1980s proddie racers

Apparently we had an airfield called Bournemouth (Hurn) airport close by but we never used to mix it 50/50 with pump petrol !!

Edited by mba21, 25 January 2010 - 21:41.

Edited by kerrowmoar, 25 January 2010 - 22:49.

Hands up all those who never used Avgas

There was a story going around the paddock that a certain 250 LC rider used to tap novice's on the shoulder when going around coram curve.....

Edited by MickJones, 25 January 2010 - 23:16.

lollypop sticks holding airboxes open on quick release pieces of string(for the run down laps apparantly)

tz cranks?

i remember being blitzed on the revett straight by a junker of an lc whilst on my state of the art TZR250.............explain that one Mr *********

Hi Brendon Bailey is only 6 *s!

Edited by kerrowmoar, 26 January 2010 - 10:50.

Wotcha Nige

You mean there was more than one questionable LC????????????????????????????

Well i never,at least someone could have told me

Never mind we still had plenty of fun stuffing the open class boys (joke,before i get an earfull )

Apparantly your allowed to use the electric start once you give the open boys a three pace headstart(especially when your on the inside at brands trying to push up that bloody hill)

(Spose id better admit i bought a 96 TZ250 last week and i absolutely love it.......sounds and smells just like a racebike should.)

Edited by mba21, 26 January 2010 - 11:22.

www

Surprised nobody got these two 11 is Gary Thrush 64 is Andy Green

Melen has it over the furthest though,nice style

where is it ?

thats what i thought

dont recognize the big bank in the backround though

headbutted a few in my time,maybe thats why

Lake esses by the look of it !!

It is Mallory Lake esses 84

I was there for the Marlboro Clubmans Round.....Which this is not....A New Era meeting i think ?

Edited by SADBATCCM, 27 January 2010 - 07:27.

Yep i believe it, i'm not being a kill joy but there is a time and a place for messing about and the track isn't it. I witnessed it first hand in 81 and it led to the death of Mike Downes. Hope i havn't put a dampener on the convo but it happened right in front of me and could have easily been avoided with a little common sense. Sorry.

BRANDS 82

Howard Selby & Eric McFarlane !!

Sorry Mick I was there to and i had no intention of bring back old memories....and i won't bring the subject up again....

Hi Vtwinmad, I did a bit of Production racing in 1980/81 on a Ducati 900SS that my employers (Three Cross Motorcycles) let me use.The starts then were at the flagdrop and everyone (except me !) pressing their start buttons.The Ducati was kickstart only and if you timed it right you could swing on the kickstart and almost simultaneously bang it into first.If you got it right then you could get away with the leaders, get it wrong and you would be stuck on the line, desperatley trying to find neutral and Compression !
Mind you , when I was racing the Open Class on my P&M Suzuki, they were all push starts and above the eerie silence that was a second after the flag fell and everyone was pushing, it was amazing how many starter motors you could hear from the proddie bikes alongside !

I remember Roger Marchant (unless age is catching up with me); turned up at Brands one day for a free day of clubby racing, and Roger was running in the open class on the 'straight bar' Kwaka Z1000, a basically standard Z with wide, flat bars just so he could hang on to the thing.

Watched him wrestle with this 'all power, no handling' monster for lap after lap, and stood there with my mouth hanging open, watching him hanging on for dear life while the bike bucked, kicked and weaved through Paddock was awe inspiring; for the next race, I got into the pits and stood in the back paddock to watch him go through the left/right Surtees to McLarens, the bike getting more out of shape with every lap.

I'm pretty sure he won both races outright, but he certainly did beat the Katanas, no mean feat considering the Suzuki handled much better.

Now someone will tell me it wasn't Roger Marchant at all, but I certainly remember that bike, sponsored by Boyers of Bromley, local Kwaka dealers.

Ah, yes, I remember watching Mark Plato racing, and his brother. I don't think Mark's brother was named Julian, but I could be wrong. I saw them only as they 'flew' round the track. I may have some old programmes from Brands or Snetterton in the loft. Haven't looked for years, but I used to collect them, noting my son's progress as he started with the orange jacket and eventually won some 1300 Proddy races. Mark Linscott, if still around, would remember him.

anyone out there remember these names from the time?
Graham Marchant
Roger Marchant (no relation)
Steve (Smooth) Burrows
Mark Plato

remember it as a very well contested era,lots of different machinery
Suzuki Katanas
Suzuki GSX1100
Kawasaki GPZ900
Kawasaki GPZ1100
Honda CB900
Honda CB1100R

Edited by rickymcmillan, 15 November 2010 - 18:44.

There was a guy racing an ex Honda Britain (Wayne Gardner IIRC) CB1100RC,he had won a years loan of it by finishing well in a championship the previuos season.
I seem to recall he might have been a policeman from Aylesbury .....
I remember it being handed back a little worse for wear

The name Andy key brings back memories, I remember having a right old ding dong with him at Cadwell Park in about 82, he was on a CB1100R and i was on a TZ350, neither of us was going to give in, he was quicker than me around Chris curve and I had the advantage on the brakes into the hairpin.

I eventually rammed him going into the hairpin on the last lap when he closed the door on me to stop me nipping down the inside, we both stayed on but another guy nipped through and won it.

I went to apologise after the race but he was laughing about it and said it was the most enjoyable race he'd had that day.

Ah Andy Key he has written of more bikes than Dave Croxford CB1100r,s GPZ,s he didn,t care he just got his sponsor to buy a new one!!!!!!!

this one is at the bombhole at snett!!!!!!

Lol, yeah Ricky, Andy was a bit of a lad wasn't he. How you feeling mate?

I am ok Mick getting bored of sitting around .Itried to post a picture on the last post but it did not work so i will try again or maybe get a 6 year old to do it for me !.The leg is healing ok its just going to take time i get the fixator off in April and then i can start to try and walk properly .

The name Andy key brings back memories, I remember having a right old ding dong with him at Cadwell Park in about 82, he was on a CB1100R and i was on a TZ350, neither of us was going to give in, he was quicker than me around Chris curve and I had the advantage on the brakes into the hairpin.

I eventually rammed him going into the hairpin on the last lap when he closed the door on me to stop me nipping down the inside, we both stayed on but another guy nipped through and won it.

I went to apologise after the race but he was laughing about it and said it was the most enjoyable race he'd had that day.

kkkk


Yes I remember him, he got the bike for "Winning" the Brands Hatch Racing school, I came 3rd that day. I took up Proddy Racing on a Stan Stephens Yamaha LC350.

Look closely at the marshal in the background on the top pic above, this could make an interesting caption competition

Ministry of Silly Walks?

Look closely at the marshal in the background on the top pic above, this could make an interesting caption competition