revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Cheers Dave, and I will do

(I'm in garage 17 right next to the Dan Cooper ones)

Will do buddy!

I'm very late in updating this thread , the Donington Park round was 31st Aug-1st Sept, but I've been pretty busy since then as I got married on 6th Sept , and went on (a fabulous) honeymoon for the two weeks following that, but I'm back now, so time for an update

As I Think I've also previously mentioned, although the Donington round was the penultimate round of the championship, it was effectively my last round, because I would still be out of the country for the final round at Anglsey, hence it was essential for me to come away from Donington with as many points as possible.
Going into it I'm leading the championship with 28 points over my nearest rival, but  with 25 points for a win, six races still to go in the championship, and me missing the last three races at Anglesey you can understand that I need to win all my races here if at all possible...

As I mentioned in a previous post, we had a garage booked for this event, soIsabella and I rolled up Thursday evening to set up before disappearing off to the Holiday Inn just up the road for the next three nights.

There were just three of us in the garage, I’d been teamed up with Lee Marks, who one or two  of you may know as main tech at Luigi Moto. He’s an ex-Banditeer of some merit, finishing 2nd or 3rd in the main championship last year, and a top geezer.
This year he switched to riding what he fixes in his day job, contesting the FP2 BoTT class ( 4 stroke twins up to 1,000cc) on a pair of Ducati 749Rs, and came into Donington leading by some margin.
So much so, that he’d be able to clinch the championship a round early by winning just one of his three races here, irrespective of where his nearest rival finished.
My other garage mate was a young guy called Dan Brooks who has been racing for Yamaha Spain this season on one of their R6s, albeit without a lot of success due to the bike/ team continually letting him down.
He’s mates with Charlie Nesbitt and shares a house with him when he’s in the UK, he's back at the moment and Steve Hicken (Hawk BSB team principal) had lent him Charlie’s stock 2023 Fireblade to have a play on this week-end with a view to him riding it in the BSB Superstock Donington round in September if he got on OK.
Although Steve came along with his family both race days to give advice and see how he was doing, Dan was there with his just a Halfords socket set, his Dad and a set of tyre warmers, proper basic back-of-the-van minimal , and came across as a very humble and unassuming sort of bloke- I really liked him and his Dad but more about them later.




So Friday morning came, a lovely sunny day and I went out for my first practice session



In common with pretty much every club race, this meeting was using the National circuit layout which I haven't ridden since 1988 ( don’t think the Melbourne loop even existed then!) but I have to say within a few laps, I was greatly preferring it to the full GP circuit, mainly for the omission of that awful Goddard's corner, it just seems to flow better without the loop.
What really did surprise me was just how smooth the surface now- as far as I can gather it's been resurfaced in the last year, and it is simply the smoothest surface I think I've ever ridden on, not a bump anywhere that I found, just absolutely lovely.
Friday was a good day, I had a nice steady day, not timing myself, just trying to get my eye in, and I also met up with @R1Dave R1Dave (hi Dave ), top bloke who was flying on his R1
I also met up with one of the PB Forum regulars who had entered the Sound of Thunder class on his gen3 1290 Superduke – unfortunately for Pete, he binned it at the old hairpin fairly early on Friday morning, doing a fair bit of damage to the bike , and bashing his old-man body about a bit which meant he decided to pack up early and go home on Friday, never got to ride a single race, a real shame as it was something he’s been planning and looking forward to for months, but, well, that’s racing sometimes eh!

As for me, the Bandit was running lovely, and although the tyres looked like they had plenty of life left in them, I thought as it was my last meeting of the season and I’d be missing the last round, I needed to qualify well and give myself as much chance of accumulating points as possible, so at the end of the day I popped the wheels out and treated the old girl to a new set of Sportsmarts, which makes it two whole sets this season

Saturday morning after a nice breakfast at the Holiday Inn, I gave the bike a check-over and got out for warm-up sessions to scrub the tyres in, everything was fine so it was just a matter of waiting for my qualifying session.
The Bandit races were fairly near towards the end of the program this meeting (again..) but eventually, it came around, and out I went.
I didn’t, unfortunately, get very far though- one lap into it I came flying down the back straight , hit the brakes for the Chicane and started to go down the gears and bang – the clutch lever came back to the bar and stayed there .

There’s no way I could set a half-decent time on this bike without the use of the clutch so I went off to the side of the track and discovered that the  clutch cable had snapped fairly close to the handlebar end, and that was the end of my qualifying session
Really annoying as I’d only logged one lap , a 1:24, that was 4 seconds off pole and put me way back in 22nd on the grid- arse!
My only saving grace was that my nearest championship rival had only qualified 2 rows in front of me with a 1:23, and realistically, he’s the only person I needed to beat, although obviously, the more people in between me and him the better, so I still had hope.

Back to the garage, I fitted a new clutch cable from the spares box and waited for my first race to come around towards the very end of the day.
 I got a fairly decent start,  but TBH I found it tough from that far down the grid.
I got bullied a fair bit, I was riding like shit and was all over the place- definitely not one of my better races, but disastrous it wasn’t as I managed to I make up a few places and pip Keith, my main Championship rival by 0.2s over the line, finishing 9th Bandit, 2nd Senior, and added another 4 points to my lead over him, so not as bad as I thought it was going to be

As for my garage mates, Lee won his race which meant he couldn’t be caught in the championship with 5 races still to go, and Dan, well, he’d qualified well and just cleared off at the front on Nesbitt’s old fairly shagged scrubs- it was only the second time he’d ridden a 1000 ( the first time being at Castle Combe a few weeks back ), let alone this actual bike- seriously impressive IMO, albeit I guess to be expected- he finished 3rd in last years Superstock 600 behind Max Cook so the boy can definitely ride.

Sunday came, perfect weather again, I managed to get myself a few places further up the grid, being honest, it was still tough but I got 7th and 1st Senior ( Keith was 3rd Senior) and 9th and 1st Senior again in the last race, so although I didn’t do the times I wanted and was expecting to, and was hoping to finish nearer the front at a track I love, realistically it was a decent result as I came away from Donington having extended my Championship lead to 46 points, done enough to not have to wear the wally-bib any more, and most importantly, won another “1st” cap
46 points is a decent lead, but as I wasn’t going to be able to be at the final round at Anglesey in September, and Keith definitely was, chances were that he’d pip me for the championship, which was a bit of a bummer, but being honest, when we set our Wedding and Honeymoon dates, I didn’t really believe I’d be in this position for it to matter, and at the end of the day, it’s only an old-duffers shopping bike championship so I was still very happy



Whether I would come 1st or 2nd in the championship was now in the lap of the gods, there was certainly nothing I could do about it, as when they would be fighting it out on track in Anglsey, I would be on a plane somewhere over Africa on my way back from Honeymoon…..

As for my garage mates, FWIW Lee won both his races on Sunday, and Dan just got faster and faster, lapping in the 1:08s on a bike with old tyres not set up for him.
What was particularly nice for me was that even though Dan’s last race was a good 90 mins or so before mine and they were all packed up, they stopped for my final race to cheer me on and took my warmers off / helped with the stands etc – top people and I’ll certainly be rooting for him if he does get a run out in the Stock1000s at this coming weekend's BSB meeting!

And as I write this on Monday 23rd Sept, the Anglesey round has just finished yesterday....

Keith, my main championship rival DNF’d in the first (Saturday) race, and with the 46 points gap between us, that meant that for him to win the championship, he had to win both races on Sunday…


In the first race he got 3rd, so yay! - that was it, I couldn’t be caught and it was all over

I haven’t had official confirmation yet, but it’s done- bit of a strange feeling TBH as it’s happened and I wasn’t there, so no real celebrations for me, but whether I’d finished first or not, I honestly don’t think it would have mattered too much to me, I’ve had so much fun doing it that I’ll definitely be back out next season on the Bandit, and in fact, as I’ve been missing being out there, I’ve even ( undoubtedly foolishly as it will obviously be seriously wet and fecking freezing) entered the end of season non-championship “ Prince of Pembrey” meeting which is on the last weekend of October- there isn’t a Bandit specific race there, but I’m entered in the Naked Streetbike and Newcomers classes, and it’s definitely going to piss down so I should hopefully have half a chance of a decent finish, or at least not getting lapped

The positives for me this season are that although I'm definitely still away of the guys at the very front, I've done better than I thought I would do, enjoyed it massively, and (importantly to me), haven't had a single off, or bike mechanical ( the Donington clutch cable doesn't count as it wasn't in a race, and annoyingly, it was a brand new venhil at the beginning of the season ) - I think I am one of very few if not the only one, in the class that can truthfully say that, and that's a decent result in my book

I am also seriously considering also buying another bike to contest the “Naked Street Bike” championship on next season - a Bandit is eligible, but realistically, no where near competitive in that class (the ones up the front are on 765RS Street Triples) but I fancy a left-field choice , and as twins up to 1,000cc are also eligible as long as they don’t make more than 132hp I reckon a Gen2 Tuono could be a decent bet, we shall see….

Tricky wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 8:37 pm I am also seriously considering also buying another bike to contest the “Naked Street Bike” championship on next season - a Bandit is eligible, but realistically, no where near competitive in that class (the ones up the front are on 765RS Street Triples) but I fancy a left-field choice , and as twins up to 1,000cc are also eligible as long as they don’t make more than 132hp I reckon a Gen2 Tuono could be a decent bet, we shall see….

I've got a Falco that's listed in the classifieds section...? It's only got the Gen 1 motor but has plenty of performance enhancing bits on it...

Brilliant!! Well done @Tricky what another great write up, followed by a humble champions close. I've loved reading of your exploits.

mangocrazy wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 9:29 pm

Tricky wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 8:37 pm I am also seriously considering also buying another bike to contest the “Naked Street Bike” championship on next season - a Bandit is eligible, but realistically, no where near competitive in that class (the ones up the front are on 765RS Street Triples) but I fancy a left-field choice , and as twins up to 1,000cc are also eligible as long as they don’t make more than 132hp I reckon a Gen2 Tuono could be a decent bet, we shall see….

I've got a Falco that's listed in the classifieds section...? It's only got the Gen 1 motor but has plenty of performance enhancing bits on it...

And some custom bar risers IIRC?
Seriously though, it's a thought, but daft as it is, it wouldn't be eligible- this is a snip from the class tech regs


And TBH, even if it was eligible, pretty sure the Falco motors were a fair bit down on power than the Gen1 Millies - I'd want as close to the class bhp limit as poss to compensate for my lower skill and grrr levels

Buckaroo wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 11:06 pm Brilliant!! Well done @Tricky what another great write up, followed by a humble champions close. I've loved reading of your exploits.

Thanks, really appreciated


And just to finish it off, I had official confirmation last night, I got first place with a winning margin of 26 points over 2nd

COnsidering how much you liked the 675/765 i'm slightly surprised you've not gone down that path, although i guess they're a pile of change more than a Prila equivalent. But i'd expect even though the Prila has more power it comes at a weight penalty over the 765RS and how much of a factor would electronics play here too.... Mmmmmmm

Yup, Love the 765 and defo would defo be the most logical choice,decent tyres and race numbers is pretty much all you need on them - a big part of the reason I fancy the Tuono though is no one else is running one, I know them and reckon it should be able to be competitive, albeit with a little more fettling than you need with a 765 .

Whatever happens, I'll be doing the Bandit class again, would be nice to have some extra races in another class each day though, but I'd really want a bigger van if I do both, etc etc, so we will see

Tricky wrote: Tue Sep 24, 2024 7:51 am Yup, Love the 765 and defo would defo be the most logical choice,decent tyres and race numbers is pretty much all you need on them - a big part of the reason I fancy the Tuono though is no one else is running one, I know them and reckon it should be able to be competitive, albeit with a little more fettling than you need with a 765 .

Whatever happens, I'll be doing the Bandit class again, would be nice to have some extra races in another class each day though, but I'd really want a bigger van if I do both, etc etc, so we will see

Yeah it also brings in things like spare wheels for the Bandit and the Tuono, along with spares... 2nd set of warmers potentially, bigger van, possibly bigger Gennie... etc etc. Once you start down a rabbit hole it can quickly escalate as we all know.

Tricky wrote: Tue Sep 24, 2024 7:26 am

mangocrazy wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 9:29 pm

Tricky wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 8:37 pm I am also seriously considering also buying another bike to contest the “Naked Street Bike” championship on next season - a Bandit is eligible, but realistically, no where near competitive in that class (the ones up the front are on 765RS Street Triples) but I fancy a left-field choice , and as twins up to 1,000cc are also eligible as long as they don’t make more than 132hp I reckon a Gen2 Tuono could be a decent bet, we shall see….

I've got a Falco that's listed in the classifieds section...? It's only got the Gen 1 motor but has plenty of performance enhancing bits on it...

And some custom bar risers IIRC?
Seriously though, it's a thought, but daft as it is, it wouldn't be eligible- this is a snip from the class tech regs

And TBH, even if it was eligible, pretty sure the Falco motors were a fair bit down on power than the Gen1 Millies - I'd want as close to the class bhp limit as poss to compensate for my lower skill and grrr levels

And just to finish it off, I had official confirmation last night, I got first place with a winning margin of 26 points over 2nd

Ah yes - very good points! You would want the fastestest motor and the Falco doesn't have it. Didn't know there was an 'unfaired' rule. The 'Easy Rider' Falco is the one I'm keeping, the one I'm selling is a mate's.

But anyway, well done you and what a fantastic result! We have a champion in our midst... It's been brilliant reading your round-by-round reports - look forward to next year's...

Congrats Tricky, what a result in your first season

Double congrats on getting married

Just a thought - your main championship rival wasn't Keith Becker was it? I've known (that) Keith for 15 years or so and he's definitely a bit slippery on track...

mangocrazy wrote: Wed Sep 25, 2024 8:36 am Just a thought - your main championship rival wasn't Keith Becker was it? I've known (that) Keith for 15 years or so and he's definitely a bit slippery on track...

Nope, not Becker- "my" Keith is a Chambers

What a cracking result! Proper well done , and adding my thanks for all the race report write-ups, it's been great being able to follow along

A brilliant job Tricky. I too have much enjoyed reading of your exploits and for those to come.

Congratulations Tricky, top bombing indeed


And on top of landing Isabella on a fixed contract you won a bike championship as well

Been excellent reading the updates over the season and sorry i didnt make it to a round to cheer on/provide abuse etc but as you are now hooked i am sure i can look at dates for next season

Top winning,mate. A wife and a championship, excellent

In with the big boys next year then,

crust wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2024 5:42 pm Top winning,mate. A wife and a championship, excellent

In with the big boys next year then,

Cheers old boy, and yup, next year I'm definitely going to have to up my name a bit if I want to keep collecting pots and get anywhere in the championship, as (a bit daft as it seems to me), you can only win the Seniors championship once, irrespective of your age...
I've just done a little tot up of my points from what number Bandit I was over the line ( rather than what number Senior Bandit) finishes this year, and if I wasn't a Senior, it would have given me 7th in the overall championship- I'm reasonably sure I can do better than that next year, as I ( sort of) know what I am doing now, and definitely got a bit better as this season progressed- I guess time will tell eh, but at the start this year, I was finishing 10-15th overall, but improved throughout, with Pembrey (2 x 4ths overall and 1 x 3rd) and Brands (2 x 4ths) being my best overall finishes .
As a sort of aside, ahead of the final (non-championship) end of October Prince of Pembrey meeting that as a complete masochist Ifelt just had to enter, I thought I'd pull the plugs on the old girl and do a a little check-over as although there's no visible smoke on the overrun, she does use a little (200-300ml) oil over each 3-day race weekend.



From plug colour, All looks pretty good-this is the first time they've been out since installed in Feb this year.
I was expecting them to look a bit darker as on the dyno at the beginning of the year, the AFR was running at between 11/1 and 12/1 from 9k to 11.5k (where you are most of the time on these) , which is perhaps slightly on the rich side for maximum power, but looking at those plugs, I think I'll probably leave the jetting where it currently is.
There's no real evidence of any oil burning on any cylinder from either the plugs or sticking a camera down the bore, which is good, and compression was exactly the same as I measured it at the start o the season, at ~155-ish PSI with no more than 2 or 3 psi variance between cylinders, so although it hasn't been on the dyno since the Pembrey round at the end of May, all still looks good



Having said all that, after the Prince of Pembrey (entry fees were 60% of all the previous rounds and there are cash prizes at this one ) meeting at the end of this month, over the winter I'll have the head and barrels off ( cool thing on these is that you don't need to remove the motor to do that), and at the very minimum, inspect, clean and re-lap in the valves , treat her to new valve stem seals, and likely piston rings too, as I am almost certain all those components currently in there are at least 20 years old, and us old feckers need all the help we can get- within the rules of course!

You know that you're going to have to post detailed write ups of the entire process!