It was back to our local track for the second round of 2013. Since the Snett winter weekend last month I would like to say we have spent hours preparing Ben’s TZR. However we haven’t, nothing needed doing. So his time was spent getting his TZ250 finished after a complete rebuild since buying it last summer. Not 100% ready we packed it in the van along with his TZR250 and my ’93 TZ250. I headed over to Brands Thursday evening to set up our home for the weekend.
Friday came and the paddock was filling up quickly. Ben and Andy had arrived late Thursday evening, bringing the rain with them. So we woke up to a damp and horrible track. Ben couldn’t see the point of tip toeing around in the wet. One thing I should point out now, most classes of racing run wets in the rain. Even the classes who like YPM’s have to use road legal rubber. Not us, we like to keep things interesting. Wets are not allowed, even the new breed of road legal wets are banned. So when it rains you hold on tight. Being a budget class this is the reason they are not allowed. If you allow wets, then everyone needs another set of wheels and tyres. Costs soon mount up. Much cheaper to crash and fix your bike every time it rains
Saturday arrived, as did the sun again. Ben was out on the TZR in YPM’s first and this round the class was sharing the track with the National Junior Cup or as we like to refer to them now as “those bloody green bikes”. The NJC is the new Superteens, but on Kawasaki 300cc Ninjas. Not the most exciting bike in the world, but a good starting ground for teenagers to learn their race craft. But for Ben this didn’t work, he was stuck in traffic most of the 15 minute qualifying and only got 5th fastest time. Next Ben was out on the TZ for the Two Stroke GP class first (TSGP). Don’t you love all these acronyms? His first ride on the TZ and all went well. The bike was great and he felt comfortable on her. The TSGP rules are quite relaxed, as long as it is a two-stroke there is a class for it somewhere. So you can use the TZR250 if needed and a lot of the YPM guys do to get extra track time. But he was happy with the TZ, so he would race it.
Morning was all good and dry. Lunch break was called and I took to the track myself. Bemsee run a few parades throughout the season and this gives me a chance to get out on track. Rewind back to Thursday and you will remember I packed my ’93 TZ250 in the van. This bike I’ve owned for 10 years now and until a couple of years ago it sat in a glass cabinet in our workshop. But much arm twisting and an engine refresh I let Ben race it in the TSGP in 2011. He loved it and went on to buy his TZ. Last year I started riding it at events and it is so much fun to ride. Sadly it was taken out at the last Brands meeting in 2012 (Ben would like to point out he wasn’t riding it). A stupid little crash, which was not the riders fault at all, just a pesky MZ crashed into it. So it has a bit of a makeover this winter and freshly painted it was time to get it back out on track. I had my 15 minutes of fun, but the rain started to drop over lunch.
So the afternoons racing was going to be wet. YPM’s first race was called, a good start for Ben and he settled into a comfortable 4th position on track. The sensation of the race was a young rookie, Matt Barber and an old hand at YPM’s, Andy Wheeler. Both had webbed feet I’m sure, as they lapped up the rain. Title favourite for this year Dean Stimpson was doing his best to stay with them. Ben was slowly catching them, but with a couple of laps to go he seemed to slow and on the last lap was caught by the two chasing riders behind him to give him 6th place. Only when he returned we learnt Ben had actually “fallen off”. He went into the Surtees bend losing the front end and then the rear end, somehow running his foot over in the process. However with lady luck on his side, his boot had much more grip than the wet tarmac and it pushed him back up and on course for the corner. So he thanked the good lord and was happy with 6th rather than a DNF. 
Next up was the TSGP race. Now pouring down, the decision was taken to leave the TZ in the awning and put a set of wets onto the TZR to race. Now as I said earlier YPM’s don’t allow wets. However TSGP is a different set of rules and wets are allowed. So Ben took to the grid knowing he had some grip this time. Lights on and away he went, straight the front of the race. Only one problem, Dean Stimpson had the same idea and his TZR shod with wets was too much for Ben to keep with. The pair of them cleared off to take the top two spots.
With the rain slowing all races down, time was getting tight to run the other races in both classes. The TSGP race was held over to Sunday morning and we was all hoping the YPM race would be too. But at 6.15pm they were called to the line. Soaking wet and light dimming I don’t think anyone wanted to line up on that grid. Flag dropped and away they go. Ben settled into another steady 4th and was doing his best to stay on board. Ahead Dean Stimpson and Doug Edmondson were battling for the lead, with our web footed rookie Matt Barber in 3rd. Then it all went wrong for Dean, he high sided coming out of Druids and down he went. Thankfully he was unhurt, but his bike was in the middle of the track and the red flag had to come out. Race finished and with Dean crashing out, 3rd was handed over to Ben. So not a bad result for Ben in the end.
Sunday and with the TSGP race held over from the day before, Ben had 5 races to ride in today. He lined up on the grid for his first race start on the TZ250. Having ridden so well in the wet Saturday race he was 2nd on the grid. Great, but not if you have never tried to pull away on a highly strung two-stroke race bike. Bog it down too much and he will have 20 bikes front tyres embossed in his arse. Lights went out and he grabbed a handful of throttle, not too bad, he survived and was mid pack for the first corner. He made up ground and got to around 7th before the TZ died. It didn’t go out all guns blazing; instead it was more of a gentle halt. The electrics died and it lost its spark. We checked it all over back in the paddock, but we couldn’t get it to respond. What it needed more than anything was a good dose of cash! These TZ’s love to eat money and never give up wanting more. Game over for this weekend.
So it was back to the TZR for the rest of the day. First YPM race of the day and Ben took to the grid. He got a brilliant start (well after that TZ, the TZR is so easy) and he got into a race long battle with several riders. Den Stimpson cleared off at the front, leaving this battle of 5 riders to fight over the 2nd place trophy. Everyone managed to stay upright and Ben came home in 2nd. A great result and he beat some very good riders to get this place.
The next race was the TSGP for Ben, but as he lined up for the grid his throttle stuck open. A frantic hit of the kill switch and he returned to the paddock without starting the race. It was just too dangerous to try and race with the treat of the throttle jamming open. Back in the paddock we could see the problem; the throttle cable had pulled out of the housing. So some lock wire fitted and she was ready to go again.
Then back to the grid for the last YPM race of the weekend. Ben took his place on the grid, only one problem now, how was he going to catch Dean Stimpson? Lights go out and away they go. Ben is passed by last year’s champion Graham Higlett. Now Graham although coming from Norfolk doesn’t have webbed feet. Ben finally finished 4th, but overall this was a successful start to the season. Ben is now sitting third in the championship.
Next round Pembury and the return of Andy Davies to the grid. Pembury is his favourite track and he always goes well there. Maybe time for team orders………………….
Leave a Reply