Sunday 6 July 2014

3rd at Spa Francorchamps
















The Team Force entry of Greg Fastre and Richard Hubin dominated the race with a text book performance from start to finish, winning the race from the MotoBel Guzzi and Sweatshop Phase One, all finishing on the same lap. John Neate and family's plucky performance gave them a well deserved and popular 4th place.









Peter Linden, Hugh Brasher and Cormac Conroy's measured performance in extremely difficult conditions gave the team a well deserved 3rd place in the race and solidified the team's 2nd position in the 2014 ECS championship. Despite sunny warm conditions during Friday qualifying, the race day weather was appalling; the race started damp, went wet and got wetter!

The conditions were not improved by a pretty thorough layer of oil being deposited in the classic races and parades that proceeded the main event. An early casualty of the conditions was Alf's Bob Collins who fell after about 40 mins, taking the Alf's P&M Kawasaki that he shared with Mick Godfrey, out of the race. Another of the 64 starters, Team Bolliger also went out after just 5 laps. Steve Boam and Steve Clark retired the SCERT Suzuki after alternator failure. It really was one of those very tricky races which rewarded those that took a steady and measured approach; the oil, the wet and the dark, all presenting separate challenges.






Sweatshop Phase One's rider line up and pit crew did exactly what was necessary, without error, to secure second in the championship, pulling on third but losing out to the Team Force Bakker Suzuki which increased its leading margin.

The Sweatshop Phase One team will work hard in the next month to get its new P&M GSX1100 Suzuki ready for testing at Donington Park over the weekend classic festival of 10th August, with a view to taking the fight to Team Force at Nurburgring on the 5th September.











Thanks to all our sponsors, team members and supporters for your continued backing.


Pictures by Jacco Dijkhuizen and ECS



Tuesday 1 July 2014

Spa













The Team travel tomorrow to Spa for the second round of the FIM European Classic Series, to be held on Saturday, from 20.00 hrs to midnight.













Peter Linden, Hugh Brasher and Cormac Conroy need to build on the Team's 2nd place at Paul Ricard to stay in the hunt for this year's championship, in the face of the strong performance by Team Force at round 1, and at Mettet.












The Team will test at Spa on Thursday the 3rd of July to be prepared for Friday's practice and qualifying.


For those that don't know, Spa is only 3 hours from Calais.

See you there!


Also, have a look on the ECS website: http://www.europeanclassicseries.eu/en/node/133

Motogiro d'Italia Centenary














Team members Roy Hood and Russell Benney, supported by Phill Haynes and Lida van Ham completed the 100th edition of the Motogiro d'Italia last week.













The 1000 mile event started at Misano Circuit, and circumnavigated Imola, Alba, Genova, Florence, Bologna and returned to Misano.











Despite the  range of conditions, from 38 degr. C to torrential rain, Russell completed the event on his 1956 175cc Moto Morini in equal 10th place, and Roy finished 35th on his 1955 Gilera 150cc, after suffering a failed generator and broken clutch cable.













The organisation was, let's say typically Italian, but despite this everybody enjoyed themselves.













The scenery (particularly the Mediterranean coast and Apennine Mountains) was fantastic.












The people were very friendly and the hospitality offered by the villages that the Giro passed through was overwhelming.














To be recommended!