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!

Phase One at the Moto Giro d'Italia

Roy Hood, Phill Haynes, Russell and Lida head for Misano tomorrow for the start of the 100th Moto Giro. Roy and Russell have been talking about competing in the giro for years and at last it's come to fruition.

The event is run on a unique course of 1600 kms (1000miles), over 6 days and the eligible bikes are machines of 175cc or less, built up to 1957. Roy will compete on a 1957? 150cc Gilera and Russell on a 1955 175cc Morini tourismo.

Roy's machine is newly restored and will be competing in its first giro whereas Russell's bike has a couple of giros under its belt in the hands of well known veteran Harry Long.

This year's event starts near Misano on the Adriatic coast, strikes north west, almost to the French border and then returns south east, following the Mediteranian, almost to Pisa before going inland once more to return to Misano.

Phill and Lida will be in support, helping with any repairs or mechanical work and organising logistics.

In truth, it should be a good jolly with a lot of back ache.!!

More on Spa preparations later.

2nd at Mettet 4 hours, Belgium 17th/18th May

Cormac Conroy and Stéphane Mertens produced another marvellous rostrum position for the Team. The race was held in glorious conditions over 2 legs of 2 hours each, both in daylight.

The main competition came from current World Endurance Superstock champion Gregory Fastre, who was partnered by ex World Endurance Champion Richard Hubin, on the Team Force GSX 1100 Suzuki.

Team Force won both legs and the race overall, 3^rd place was achieved by Peter Coppens and Christian Govaert.

Sweatshop Phase One had a trouble free first leg finishing in 2^nd position, 70 secs behind Team Force. The Team chose a strategy of Mertens-Conroy-Mertens with approx. equal stints.

The second leg produced a hard stopping dice between Fastre and Mertens, all through the firsts stint. Mertens came out on top at the end of the rota and pitted with a 1 second lead. During the battle Stéphane Mertens broke his own record with a time of 1.11.4 seconds.

This rota was definitely the highlight of the meeting, involving three or four exchanges of the lead.

By the 80^th minute the Team had slipped behind Team Force by 20 seconds, with Cormac Conroy circulating steadily in the 1.15/16 second area.

At some point during the second leg the teams development alternator failed and during the final rota a misfire set in, eventually causing Mertens to stop to have the battery changed. 
Despite Mertens putting the hammer down he could only manage third place at the end of race 2.

This race was not part of the FIM European Classic Series, but proved again that the main competition for the title is coming from Team Force on the GSX 1100 Suzuki.

Spa is next on the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th of July and the Team will have to come up with something special to beat them.

The Team wishes to thank all its sponsors for their valuable support.

Results:

1. Hubin/Fastre        Morena Suzuki       187 laps

2. Mertens/Conroy    P&M Kawasaki    182 laps

3. Coppens/Govaert  Ducati TT1            181 laps

4  Senechal/Frerad    Suzuki GSX           179 laps

5. Ruiz/Atisy             Suzuki GSX           179 lap

6. Blain/Blain            Kawasaki Z1000   176 laps

7 .Morlon/Hernandez  BMW RS            172 laps

8. Unverzagt/Unverzagt     Suzuki GSX  167 laps

9. Walschaert/de Winter  Yamaha XS     164 lap

10.Rene/Rene            Martin Kawasaki   163 laps

Fastest lap: Gregory Fastre    1min.11.1secs

Photographs by Jacco Dijkhuizen

Simon Andrews

Today we received the news that Simon Andrews succumbed to the injuries he sustained from his NorthWest 200 crash last weekend.

Simon was involved with the Phase One Shell Endurance Academy Team in the early 2000s, and in more recent years Phase One team members have rubbed shoulders with him during his Honda TT Legends races.
Simon will be remembered for doing everything at 100%.

Our sympathies are extended to Simon's family and friends.













Photograpy by Dave Martin

Mettet 4 hrs , 17/18th May

Cormac Conroy will be joined by Stéphane Mertens for next weekend's pair of Mettet scratch races. The event is split into two, two hour races. Race one is on Saturday afternoon at 15.30, followed by race two on the Sunday afternoon.
The Team have been fortunate to have won this event in both 2012 and 2013, each time with Stéphane aboard, but the task will not come easily this year!. Main opposition is expected from the Team Force pairing of Fastre and Hubin, who won the ECS first round at Paul Ricard last month.

Other opposition will undoubtedly come from the Roger Ruiz team who have featured strongly in the last two years and also the ever present Clark/Boam combination on their Suzuki.

Since Paul Ricard the team have been working hard on both development and maintenance. The biggest change for the Mettet event is the introduction of a new alternator/starter arrangement which will allow a starter motor to be used for the first time.

SBS, HEL and Beringer have been working hard to provide the very best braking set-up for the team and we are hoping to take full advantage of this, at what is quite a short tight little circuit. With the Conti tyres again at lap record pace this year, we are all set to go.........

Mettet is 3 hrs from Calais, see you there   RB

Paul Ricard on the movies

See this link:
http://www.motorlive.tv/345/events-sunday-ride-classic-2014

2nd at Paul Ricard

Peter Linden and Cormac Conroy scored a superb 2nd position to lay the foundation stones for retaining the FIM ECS Endurance Championship. After a race long battle, the race was won by  the new pairing of Richard Hubin and  Gregory Fastre on a 'Team Force' GSX 1100 Suzuki, with only 12 seconds separated the teams at the completion of this 4 hours race.
In 3rd place, was Alf's Motorcycle's Patrick Banfield, Mick Godfrey and new recruit Bob Collins, some 3 minutes in arrears on their P&M Kawasaki












The race was held in dry warm conditions at temperatures around 25 degrees C.

Spectator numbers exceeded 10.000, a number which should guarantee the long term future of this event.

As well as spectator numbers being above expectations, the grid was also full, with 44 starters and the overall standard higher than ever. Gregory Fastre, as 2013 FIM world endurance super stock champion being evidence of that!

The Team Force machine had a relatively trouble free run, save for a fuel calculation error which forced a premature second stop. Sweatshop Phase One ran a five stop race; Linden-Conroy-Linden-Conroy-Linden-Linden in an effort to keep the pressure on the Belgians right to the end , but it was to no avail. Linden closed from a 17 second deficit at stop 5, to 12 seconds at the flag, but there was always a feeling that Team Force had just that little bit in reserve. Considering Peter's duff wrist, it was a pretty good effort.










Cormac Conroy put in an extremely businesslike performance all weekend, qualifying in third position in the rider 2 group with a time of 2 mins.31.35 secs and matching that in the race.

Pole was set by Gregory Fastre with a 2 mins 25.599 secs lap with Linden 2nd with a 2 mins 26.03 sec performance. Mick Godfrey was third with 2 mins 28.6 secs, with Hubin and Langlois also in the 28s.










Steve Boam and Steve Clark finished 16th after a trouble free run and John Neate finished 32nd after mechanical trouble.

The Bolliger Team failed to recover from a warm up crash and they abandoned after 29 laps.

Fastest race lap was scored by Gregory Fastre at 2 min. 25.5 secs.

Final Results

1  Team Force,                 Hubin/Fastre,                      Suzuki                       93 laps
2  Sweatshop Phase One, Linden/Conroy,       P&M Kawasaki  93 laps - 12.68 secs
3 Alfs Kawasaki,       Banfield/Collins/Godfrey, P&M Kawasaki 93 laps - 184.8 secs
4 Team Taurus,                Cantalupo/Sardi,                 Suzuki                      92 laps
5 Hampe Racing Team,    Haquin/De Dieuleveult      Kawasaki                92 laps
6 Roadrunner                   Brand/Van de Mark             Bakker Suzuki         90 laps
7 ACR1 Wobker             Wobker/Matthies/Paulsen Rau Kawasaki         90 laps
8 Scuderia Toscan           Belluci/Qiueti/Zaccare       Segoni Special        89 laps
9 Les Melting Potes         Langlois/Frattini                 Kawasaki                 88 laps
10  Braghi Corse             Rossi/Damiani                       Ducati                       87 laps