Wiscombe Park Hill Climb, Honiton, with video

The last two weeks have been frantic, after the 1200cc engine blew up at Scarborough. With no chance of getting another stroked crank sorted, and a 4-week minimum wait for big bore pistons, barrel plating and oversize valves, it looked like I’d be running an almost stock engine.

Luckily TTS had a pair of stock bore high comp pistons on the shelf, which were quickly dispatched next day. Then a friend who I’d sold a 1080 kit to on a TL forum got in touch to say that it was currently sat in his garage and would I like it loaned back? Of course, I accepted, and with a week remaining I had everything required to build a fresh 1080cc engine.

After burning the midnight oil, I had no time to get the engine remapped on a dyno for the smaller capacity, so I had to rely on guesswork. I was also a bit concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get a few miles on the bores before Wiscombe, as I normally run them in on the dyno to get them quickly under load and bed the rings in.

The engine was finished and fired up on the bike lift and brought up to temperature. Compared to the long stroke engine I’ve been running, it felt very fit and I was pretty excited to see how it would do. But first, it was straight into the van, ready for the five hour drive to Wiscombe the next day.

 

Arriving at Wiscombe Park:

Wiscombe Park is set in a valley, with the track on one side and paddock on the other. The track itself is mostly under tree cover, especially the technical parts.  I’ve never really liked it on previous visits and would say it’s my bogey track. Generally it’s not suited to the big bikes unless it’s bone dry, and because of the amount of track under the trees it rarely is !

Last year I managed to out brake myself after carrying the front wheel in the air after a crest too deep into the braking area resulting with a head on visit into a tyre wall and superman into the trees……

However a certain Ben Wilkins took the outright hill record there last year on his Aprilia Falco proving it was no longer a supermoto track !  Ben was between sabbaticals and had entered Wiscombe as a one off to show off his #1 plate, he something about been a bit rusty and would by happy with a top 5 result… I knew better than to believe that and he would be the man to beat. Me and Ben have had a great 2 years battling on the HGV’s and certainly opened a lot of eyes as to what the big bikes can do in the right hands.

I had a “site visit” with work and Ben is currently between jobs so we arranged to meet up Friday afternoon and get set up early for a change.  Neither of us were expecting to win or gain any useable Top 10 points on the Sunday, so it was more of a sociable and catch up weekend as we’ve only once seen each other since last year. So in true hillclimbing spirit we locked the bikes and vans up and went to the pub for a few ciders and a decent fill !

 

Wiscombe Park Saturday:

We had a lot of rain on Friday and by morning the track was still very wet under the trees. Although the start and first few corners were actually dry. Full wets were fitted and I lined up behind Ben for first practice,  secretly hoping 6 months off the bike would leave him a little rusty on his favourite track. How wrong, as he left the line like a scalded cat and threw it straight on its side round the first corner. Bugger, no chance of an easy class win then !

The morning practice sessions were led by Ben straight away, with me somewhere around 4^th overall. The wet sections under the trees proving a little risky and not worth pushing too hard on a non-championship day. Plus, I was trying my hardest to be as gentle on the new engine as I could for at least 2 runs ! The track started to dry out and the times dropped finishing with 4 of us within 8/10ths, Ben winning and me 4^th.

I tried a few different higher gearing combinations so I could use 1^st gear at three corners but didn’t like it, there was too much engine breaking and snatchiness getting on the power. But the 1080 engine was feeling very crisp and I was struggling to keep the front wheel down all the way up the final straight, so much so I think the 1200 may be on the back burner for a while…..

Then it was a quick wet wipe shower and we headed off to the little seaside town of Beer for………..nope, fish and chips actually ! Then back to the paddock for the beer !

The Saturday results had brought out the competitive side of Ben and myself. So we each made made our excuses and were early to bed after just a couple of ciders to be fresh for race day! The new addition of a eberspacher night heater in the van was toastie, I just hoped Ben’s tent was freezing !

 

The Sunday showdown:

After the compulsory Bacon and Egg sandwich Sunday morning started dry. The first practice times were within 2/10ths of the previous day straight off, then it rained…

Since the winter rebuild the TL has developed an annoying glitch just above tickover ,as though it’s suddenly chiming onto two cylinders. I normally run a 2k tickover, but one minute it would be ok, the next running at 3k and pushing me through the slow corners, so I’ve had to run a low tickover to be safe, not ideal and something I must sort soon, maybe coils or a mapping issue.

With an hour or so between runs the sun came back out and the lower section of the track was almost bone dry and we were hopeful the trees had kept the wooded sections pretty dry too.

Ben left the line before me in the usual number order and 30 seconds later it was my turn. Within 300 yards I was red flagged, meaning Ben had an issue somewhere in the trees. I returned to the paddock for my restart which was just as well, as I’d made a hash of that run up until that point. I got a great start and quickly headed up the tree section and it very quickly became apparent that the track was very wet with the rear struggling for grip through the esses’s section. Not wanting to be a hero in practice I backed out of it for a steady run, looking to see where Ben had come to grief…..

He’d dropped it in the hairpin with a simple low side, no damage to either bike or rider thankfully.

By lunchtime the cars were really starting to dry the track and it was looking good, until a Vauxhall Nova threw a rod out of the block and the driver tried to continue on 3 cylinders pouring oil up the track ! After treating the track racing resumed with the TVR’s – unfortunately the first two cars went off the track and into the tyre wall at the same point. Subsequent cars didn’t have a problem thankfully. A riders meeting was called for the bikes and we decided to continue with the meeting. As with most car oil spills the lines are central, which is right where we have to put our tyres in the wooded sections as the trees stop us using tight lines….

First timed run was to get a banker in for the Top10 qualification just in case it rained again, and to check out the oil lines. The areas under the trees were still damp so the times weren’t great but enough to put me 4^th overall.

Second timed runs we all went quickest of the weekend, supermoto’s 1^st and 3^rd, Ben and me 2^nd and 4^th covered by 6/10ths

To be qualifying 4^th was quite a shock to me at this track and especially so close on times. So I was quite excited about the Top10.

The sun was out and the track mostly dry, except one braking section under the trees, so it was time to give it a good crack. The run went pretty well, not taking too many risks and trying to keep it smooth over the crests and blind corners. With my hand and arm skimming the grass banking in the esses’s I knew it was pretty quick by the mid point.

The first of the slow hairpins was a little better than previously ,but the low tickover making it rather snatchy mid corner, with a little slide on the exit up to the banking it drove out well lifting the front wheel in 2^{nd. A} short shift to 3^rd did little to keep it down so I was feathering the throttle most of the way up the straight to the final hairpin corner, where many of the spectators and other riders are leaning over the fence watching. Hard on the brakes and back to 2^nd gear, with the rear end pivoting around the headstock left and right as the slipper clutch tries to bring the rear tyre into control, I dropped it into the final uphill banked hairpin. With the braking forces on my arms and bike moving around underneath me I didn’t get hung off the side of the bike as much as I should and dragged my toes round to the line just on the exit !

I quickly rode to over to try and hear the commentary. So far I was leading with just Ben and a supermoto remaining. Ben dropped in a 41.51 with the supermoto splitting us with a 41.58 and me a 41.69, just 18/100ths between us !

My time was a new personal best, and I was thrilled with a 3^rd place at a track I don’t go well on. Another 8 points in the bag, but as always the “what if” starts to creep in. With the wining margin so very close, I must improve those hairpins! So, until next time where I’m back at Gurston on the 22/23^rd June for 2 days, hoping to repeat my previous win.

 

Experience Wiscombe Park Hillclimb in onboard video: