I started racing in 1962 in SoCal. Desert racing and trials and the occasional motocross. In 1967 I went to Ireland. My parents were Irish immigrants and Dad filled my head with stories of real road racing when i was growing up. I rode trials for a bit and went road racing. I love the pure roads as opposed to short circuits. Had a great time. The highlight being an Irish road racing championship in 1979. When I was in Ireland I put a Weslake 500 into my Norton. It was the result of a conversaiton with a long time friend in Ireland. I built it for short circuits nothing else. Worked fine until I got thrown out for burning alky instead of gas!
I didn't get around to LSR until 1997. I joined the Road Runners (the oldest club in the SCTA. founded in 1937) and went racing at El Mirage. The Norton, which I have owned since 1967, took a long time to get a class record. Finally in 2007 it ran 129.917 mph for a class record in 500 APS/PG. Also in 2007 I took it to Bonneville where it took the class record there at 111.859 mph. That record has subsequently been broken.
I retired the Norton to concentrate on the sidecar. Again powered by a later 500cc Weslake single. I must have done something right as right off the bat it ran a class record. The class record was 101 mph. It ran during the 2008 season a record in May of 107.395 mph, July another record of 112.590 mph and finally in Sept. another record of 122.245 mph. 2010 saw two more records in the fuel class. Running on a 110 record it ran 116.798 mph and later that year 120.157 mph. We went to Bonneville to attack the records there. We came home with two records. Tje gas record at 119.667 mph and the fuel record at 117.186 mph. The best run that year was 126 mph. 2011 saw two more records at Bonneville in the blown fuel and gas classes. 111.494 mph for the gass class and 112.717 mph in the fuel class.
Whats the future? The target all along has been 130 mph. Over the winter I have built a new body to try and be a bit more streamlined. And I will be building a 552cc Weslake to run in the 650cc class. We'll find out in August if it all comes together.. After that we'll see what happens. I have a few things in mind.
Hi Bill, We spoke a few years ago but lost your email. I live in Canada and was talking to you about doing something with my Godden engine, well can't race it in Vintage road racing so I want to run it at Bonneville. I have a Shorrocks C75b supercharger to stick on it and all I need is a frame.
ReplyDeleteEmail me and we can talk, Regards, Ray.