From the magazine... Magazine - July 2011

We'll be featuring an article from each edition of the club magazine, Il Leone Ruggisce. Don't forget, members can view previous issues of the magaine in the members area, and you can also see the previously featured articles.

Back in Paso's Wheel Tracks - Mike Schofield

So! There I was racing a Honda K4 for a couple of years and the moderns and the sidecars etc etc, when via my old Sponsor Pat Sproston I meet John South who's got a racing Benelli at Cadwell. Why don't you come and race a few rounds with us he says... Hmmm says I, I haven't used it for a couple of years since it won the championship.... Hmmm, do you know I don't really like the Honda... Hmmmmmm, let's do it!

So I dragged the old soldier out of the back of the workshop and took a look. Apart from tyres it was pretty much still ready to go. I chucked a bit of fuel in and he started up in 2 steps.. Now that's the race bike I remember! Ok, onto the bench then.. of course I couldn't leave it alone so when John offered a set of straight cut primary gears... in they went and then Phil Hitchcock mentioned that he had some racing pistons... yes please. Also we took another look at the porting and carved a little more out, so hopefully a little more horsepower will be available.

Next it was onto tyres, which were a little on the rock hard side after 2 years! Let's replace them then. So nearly 300 lighter we had new tyres. I don't know how they charge so much? To have a set of huge modern race tyres bought and fitted along with the fitting of the classic tyres was less than the classic tyres alone?? Still getting the old tyres off entertained the tyre man for a while.. some interesting language! Then a full chassis service and a brake service. Now were looking a bit fitter! All I need to do now is chuck a bit of polish on him and some numbers and we are ready to play.

I have to say that I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the Benelli. It's a great bike that has 12 years of racing memories riding with it. It will also be very nice to get back to some simple racing .. you know .. when it rains, you just ride a bit more careful! You don't have to run about changing tyres at a million miles an hour

So what's going to happen? Well, I've decided that due to work pressures (I'm climbing the ladder....slowly!) that 2011 will be my last year chasing championships. After this I'm just going to race where and when I fancy (itll be nice to have normal holidays again!). So I'll do my usual 3 sisters thing and also the VMCC Cadwell rounds so that I can race with John. I think that we may also take a trip to Aberdare again as we had a ball there and it was financially useful.

If you're interested we will also be running the F2 sidecar at Aintree again (we have a new faster one with 117 bhp on tap) and the FZR 400 and NSR250 in the modern classes. But first must comes the Stafford show to open the season, See you all there!