Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th June 2007 British Historic Motorcycle Race Meeting
CROFT ECHOES TO THE SOUND OF YESTERYEAR
The years will be rolled back when British Historic Racing (BHR) comes to Croft Circuit near Darlington next weekend (16/17 June) with an action packed 36 race programme.
BHR offers a hugely refreshing alternative to modern race meetings with their massed ranks of near identical bikes. There’s a wide variety of machinery from the 1920’s to the mid-70’s, and with methanol fuel permitted, the pace of these machines has to be seen to be believed, as has the competitive spirit among the riders. The club prides itself on its friendliness and positively encourages spectators to visit the paddock where they will find riders and their teams only too happy to talk about bikes and racing.
In the solo classes there’s everything from rigid frame Cottons, Rudges and Velocettes to BSA Bantams, Manx Nortons and Triumph Thunderbirds and just about anything else in between. For fans of three-wheeler racing BHR events provide more variety and action than any other club with three well subscribed classes that include Big Wheelers, Kneelers and Trikes (e.g. Berkeleys and Morgans). For those who want to enjoy good old-fashioned three-wheeler racing as it was meant to be, then this is the place to come.
A unique feature of BHR meetings is that as well as conventional mass start races they feature a number of handicap races, notably the Solo and Three-wheeler Champion of Champions events which, over the season, decide who will display the coveted No. 1 plates for the following year. These races often produce thrilling finishes as the “scratch” riders/drivers thrash their way through the field in hot pursuit of the earlier starting but slower machines.
This season’s Championship rivalries are starting to shape up nicely and one of these is in the Over 500cc Specials between 2006 title holder Rob Walker and Norman White. Rob will be on his methanol burning Velocette Seeley Venom 674cc single cylinder while Norman is entered on the famous 1972 John Player Norton 750cc twin.
For fans of girder forks and rigid frames the pre-49 and pre-35 classes are not to be missed. All season Ian Cramp (1929 KTT Velocette), Mike Farrall (1930 Rudge Ulster) and Ian Bain (1928 Norton CS1) have rarely been more than a few bikes’ lengths apart – the machines may be nearly 80 years old but the speeds and cornering angles that their riders achieve are amazing.
On the three-wheeler front there’s bit of everything this weekend including rounds of the Morgan Motor Co. Challenge, who will be mixing it with a strong field of 750cc sidecar outfits. One rivalry to look out for here is when Hamish Bibby takes over the wheel of Bill Tuer’s famous No. 34 Morgan (with Bill as passenger) and goes head to head with his father Greg and Paula Heaney. If previous rounds are anything to go by it should produce fireworks!
Saturday practice is scheduled for 09.30 hrs with racing due to start approximately one hour later. Sunday’s proceedings begin with practice at noon, followed by a 12.30 start to racing. Admission is £10 per day at the gate for adults, with free entry for accompanied children age 15 or under.
For further details BHR’s dedicated website can be found at www.vmcc-racing.co.uk