More Riders

Just to finish off the run down of Hornet Riders this year....

Sam Read - Sam came from CB500 (as a few have) and seems to have got up to speed this year. He is leading the Club championship after some fine rides at Mallory Park and Cadwell. Apart from his crash at Cadwell that is, after putting in some very impressive lap times. Despite attending the Nigel Slater school of body shape, he really can ride a Hornet quickly. Perhaps a few extra kgs can help with traction, whatever it is our 'larger' racers can both keep up with their lighter competitors, no problem. Although 'red' is quite a popular colour for a hornet, Sam takes this to new levels - just wait unit the Bridgestone tyres are available in red!

Sam Parry - Also a CB500 runner, he has moved up this year to Hornets on a BSD prepped bike. A few gremlins in the first 2 rounds didn't really allow Sam to show his talent to the full. Be prepared to see Sam come up through the table over the season as he gets to grips with his bike. Quite young and quiet, I haven't yet had much time to chat to Sam but hopefully I'll get to know him a bit better over the course of the year.

Phil Creaser - Phil is a lovely bloke who does appear to spend his time towards the latter part of the pack but still has a whole heap of fun on his Hornet. In 2006 he rode an Aprilia RSV mille in Sound of Thunder, but has returned to the camaraderie of Hornets for 2007 - welcome back Phil.

John 'Tibbo' Tibbetts - John has been racing Hornets all the time I've been there and is a 'comfort' to see in the paddock - just a damn nice fella! Not quite up with the leaders but still rides hard and provides spectators with good battles further down the field.

Paul Davies - This is Pauls 2nd year and he is definitely improving all the time. Always has a big grin on his face (and a fag on the go!) Well prepped and bright yellow his Hornets are moving up the field and always adding to the spectacle.

Phil Page - Phil is ridding Chaz Beales old bike and obviously found the 'turbo' button that Chaz had fitted !! Just kidding, except Phil really is settling into Hornets quickly. He has recently managed to loose his novice bib and is working his way to the front. Another yellow hornet adds to the colour on the grid - or was he just too lazy to repaint it after buying the bike from Chaz! :-)

Gawaine Clark - I haven't really had much chance to meet Gawaine over the last few years, he doesn't get to that many meetings, but when he does he makes his presence felt. Maybe a bit more racing would bring him right up to the front but at the moment Gawaine normally settles in the mid pack.

Richard Clark, Martin Stainer, Mark Morris and Lee Hardy - all new guys this year and so I haven't managed to meet them yet (apart from on the grid). If you guys are reading this, please come and say hello whenever you can and have a chat/cuppa/beer. Newcomers to the Hornet grid are always welcome and help to keep the series alive and a favourite with the spectators.

Finally, three more racers who may make it to the grids this year

Stu Machin - Stu got married last year to the lovely Jo and has since not got out on his Hornet so much (is there a link Stu? ha, ha) Seriously, we wish their marrage all the best and hope that Stu can get his bikes rebuilt this year and have him back in a race. Until then, we still are lucky enough to see the both of them trackside, Jo watching and Stu marshaling (which is why Stu's bikes are Orange)

Matt Ryan - very quick but fortunately (for us) not able to get to every meeting. And when he does turn up he can choose to ride a GSXR600, a Hornet or a CB500. A party animal that loves to dress up in womens clothing but all that will stop now that he is engaged to be married - or will it?

Steve Long - another fast but infrequent visitor to the track. Long in name and in height, Steve looks nearly as gangly on a Hornet as Sean Hardwicke but carries it off well. We look forward to seeing Steve back in a race in 2007. His blog is at http://sandmteam.blogspot.com/index.html and well worth a read.

All that's left is a couple of riders called Erol Ahmet and Paul Fryer, but you know all about them - don't you?!!

Paul.

Easter Bunnies

Here is a rare moment when I have updated the race reports before I've put a comment on the blog - so you may well know a bit about what happened at Cadwell park over the Easter weekend.

Basically, I managed to win 3 out of 4 races, got a couple of fastest laps and came home with a big smile. Erol stayed at home as it was 'just' a club round and he wants to concentrate on Superclub.

But let's talk about some of the other Hornet riders for a change - for the benefit of those of you who read the blog but don't get to come to see us at the track very often.

Tom Bracken - 'Mr Responsible'. Not because he has a particulaly responsible head on his shoulders (he does infact!) but because he was the bloke I met at Brands in 2004 and told me to go Hornet racing. He then sold me my first Hornet (now my wet bike). You can be sure that Tom will be up at the front somewhere, ready to pounce.

Colin 'the plumber' Plumb. Yes, he really is a plumber! Great bloke and very fast on a Hornet. Had the nicest looking Hornet on the grid until a big crash meant a cheaper respray was required. Another big crash at the start of the year will affect his season but we saw him at Cadwell and he is on the mend and should be back soon.

Nigel Slater - 'The Hornet Boss'. Runs 'Slaters Bikes' and sells just about everything to do with Hornets and all other bikes too. Spends his life on race tracks too as he is an instructor for Hottrax trackdays. A bit on the large side so how he manages to get his Hornet to go that quick shows the fella has talent.

Keith Savine - 'Stealth mode'. Deceptively quick is our Keith. Never looks like he is trying and yet can hussle a Hornet faster than most. Totally nice bloke (as all Hornet riders are, it's a requirement) but takes being nice to new levels but still manages to be aggressive on track.

Ashley 'are those the keys to your Hornet in that field?' Joice - The joker of the pack but still an amazing ability to ride very fast. He either is a liar or he really doen't suffer hangovers! Drinks more than humanly possible.

Sean 'Scary' Hardwicke. Our self proclaiming Superclub champion for 2007 (maybe a bit early to announce that one Sean!) His head is in the clouds, mainly due to him being about 7'8" tall and his feet are just too big to fit on the footrests. He has come on in 2 years to become a serious contender but could still do with removing 'crashing' from his repoitoire.

John Hardwicke 'the older'. An elder statesman for the Hornets and has been increasing his pace over the last couple of years to a very respectable level. Sean's Dad and so spends a lot of time helping get his boy back on track after the lastest 'off'. Another 'Top Bloke'.

Brian Gamble. Not enough info on him to give him a nickname yet but be warned, the fella is quick and certainly appears have taken to Hornets from CB500's very well.

Graham 'point five' Allen. When you put Graham next to Sean you wonder how the 2 of them can ride the same type of bike - there is about a 4 foot difference in height! Rides the Holbeach Motorcycle Team bike and rides it quick. As usual with Hornets (this is getting boring) he's a 'totally nice bloke'.

That's all for now, it's an introduction to some of the front runners in the Superclub championship. Sorry to all the others that I didn't mention but I need to get back to doing some work. I'll add the others in at a later date.