Black & White Racing

2011 & we're going racing!

2011-03-22T12:30:00.002Z

OK, so 2010 was a bit quiet on the racing front - we just managed to take part in 1 event and that was the Belchford Downhill Gravity Race.

2011 will be different! We are back on 2 wheels (with an engine too). Although we will be doing the Belchford Downhill again this year too.

So, B&W Racing will be competing on an Suzuki SV650 at a few different places. We were hoping to be able to do all the rounds of the BEMSEE / MRO Minitwins Championship but unfortunately we couldn't do the very first round at Brands Hatch and it looks like there will be a few other rounds that we will miss too. But, this is the first place we want to take the bike and so, if we can be there, we will.

The next round is at the all new Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk on 26th/27th March and this will be our first time out on the new bike (apart from a little bit of testing of course)

As normal, keep an eye on the website for details of how we get on.

Also, we will be entering a few rounds of the Derby Phoenix Mini Thunderbikes Championships - 2 at Cadwell Park and 1 at Anglesey. The bike is not the most competative in that class but we are out to have some fun!

As usual, Paul is in the 'hot' seat with Mick throwing spanners around and a few other people dropping by to help out when they can.

Also, B&W Bikes will have a presence in the paddock at ThundersportGB. We'll not be racing but we will be helping out Holbeach Motorcycle Tyres and also promoting our own Lightweight Racing Batteries.

2011 is going to be a very busy year!! Hope to see you soon.

Decisions, decisions….

2010-05-25T09:14:00.000+01:00

We’ve missed a few rounds of the Derby Phoenix season now and still don’t have a bike ready to race (or the budget!)

Its great that the new website for Black & White Bikes is now up and running – www.blackandwhitebikes.co.uk – but that has taken up all my time recently and the racing had to come 2nd while that was sorted.

So now its time to formulate a plan and I think we have one brewing!

Having watched the Minitwins at BSB recently I’m being swung along that route so we will be on the lookout for an SV650 to make into a race bike.

Of course it will race in full B&W colours looking every part the rolling advert for Black & White Bikes and hopefully we will be able to make it look pretty cool so that it will stand out amongst the other Minitwins.

So that’s the plan, we’ll try to build a bike in the next few months; we may even try to build 2 bikes and sell one on the B&W website as a race replica!

Finally, we would like to wish Jonty Dixon all the best for the coming year. Thinking that there would be no racing for him in 2010 he suddenly got drafted in to the TM72 team who are racing in the Hottrax Endurance championship. We’ve helped him out as much as we can and he therefore wears B&W stickers on his bike. We are very proud to support him and know he’ll fly the flag for us in a very professional manner.

Check him out at www.jontydixon.co.uk and www.tm72.com

2010?

2010-02-09T06:06:00.002Z

Hello, we're still here!

Its been a crazy winter with some changes having been forced onto us. Firstly, our 'trusty' Vauxhall Vivaro van decided to go 'bang' in a very bad way back in October. With it being only 3 years old we thought we'd be OK, but oh no! Just out of warranty and Vauxhall don't want to know - its been a disaster and we never want to use another Vauxhall product ever again.

That forced us into a bit of a money issue and the GSXR750K4 was sold off. Shame really as we were just getting to grips with it. But looking on the positive side, it was outclassed by more modern bikes in the Thunderbikes class at Derby Phoenix and we managed to get a very good price for it!

So now we really need to work out a plan for 2010!!

A few options:

We have a 2007 ZX10R that is nearly race ready - it should really be sold as it belongs to Black & White Bikes but I'm sure it can be sold to the race team for a decent price ;-)

There is a new class this year at DP - Junior Thunderbikes - and we've always fancied having a go on an SV650 Suzuki. So we are always on the look out for a good example of this funky little twin.

Or anything else really! We are always keeping an eye out for a good race bike that comes up for sale so the options are still all open.

We definitely wont be going to Croft for the first round in March this year, so we have until May to get things sorted out for the next meeting at Cadwell.

And it's very tempting to go to Scarborough this year to ride around Oliver's Mount. We went to watch the 'Cock O' the North' race last year and that place is incredible!

Keep looking at the website and blog for updates and we hope to see you trackside this year.

All over for another year

2009-09-22T12:07:00.002+01:00

Well we've all done with racing now for 2009. We've broken the downhill cart and finished the DP season in 6th place :-)

It was a great year, really enjoyable racing - a very dry and crash free year in fact, now there's a rare thing! Well apart from the cart hitting a straw bale that is!

A lot of thanks go out to some lovely people who have helped out and supported us all year long. Maybe with bits and pieces, sometimes with a bit of money or a helping hand but always with a smile. It has meant so much to have this support and it all make sit so worthwhile that we can only want to come back next year and try to get better results.

Thank you all - you know who you are ;-)

Mick all ready to go for his first run.

2009-09-13T11:19:00.001+01:00

The cart takes shape

2009-09-13T11:17:00.001+01:00

2009-08-03T10:45:00.002+01:00

Despite having a great time at Cadwell in July its not looking good for the next meeting at Anglesey in August. Money is too tight and so we will concentrate on the last 2 meetings, Cadwell on 19th/20th September and Donington on October 3rd/4th.

And that will be the last ever motorcycle race meeting on the current track layout at Donington before they dig it all up and make the new F1 layout. It will be quite historic to ride the circuit for the very last time and hopefully it will be cool way to finish the season. We've had good and bad times at Donny in the past, lifting trophies with big grins and rolling around in gravel traps after a small bout of over enthusiasm - but then that can happen to anyone, eh ;-) !!

So at least the robins have all hatched and have vacated the bike (they were moved out to a cardboard box short term so we could prep the bike for cadwell).

And so now we need to concentrate on getting the Belchford Downhill cart ready for scrutineering at the end of this month - gulp! Better get the welder out.

There appears to be a new rider on the bike!

2009-07-09T17:48:00.001+01:00

Times are getting tough :-(

2009-06-09T18:58:00.003+01:00

Despite a great time at Anglesey and really feeling that I'm getting to grips with the bike its looking more and more like I wont be at the next round at Oulton Park.

Work is a little quiet (and has been for a while) so the racing budget is suffering and we simply don't have the money for the entry and tyres.

Its only a single day of racing so we shouldn't forfeit too many points in the championship and we'll be back at Cadwell Park on 25th and 26th July.

Seriously, although we are receiving some truly generous financial help with the racing this year any extra donations are very, very welcome so if you think you can help please get in touch.

In the meantime I'll be getting the motocross bike out to try to get a bit fitter ;-)

How bad is this!

2009-06-02T14:13:00.002+01:00

I need a right kick up the ar*e sometimes!!

The whole idea of this blog is that I can post pictures and stuff from my mobile phone while I'm at the track to give you all pretty much up to the minute info.

And I keep forgetting!! D'oh!!

Perhaps it was the excitement of getting a 4th place or maybe the anguish in breaking a chain but whatever it was I'll try to do better from now on.

So please dont give up on the blog, it will be filled with useful stuff from now on.

Honest!

What to wear in the rain?

2009-05-06T14:30:00.002+01:00

Probably not slicks as we found out to our cost at Cadwell this weekend. It caught many people out as the rain came down as we went to the grid for the second time on Sunday.

Oh well!

Change of plan!

2009-04-14T08:07:00.002+01:00

With Derby Phoenix being one of the last clubs to start racing in 2009 we've decided it's about time we rode the new bike for real and so we've entered the first round at Croft on the 18/19 April.

Not our favourite circuit by any means but it will just be good to get out on the new bike and give it a good thrashing!

We'll be there for the test day on Friday as well so we hope that we will be up to speed for the race days from the first lap.

The bike is awesome, all ready to race bar a few last minute graphics to add on including our new race number for 2009 - now we are number 28.

So to anyone who is reading this and will be at Croft - see you there; otherwise we'll up date the blog on our return.

Lets go racing!

:-)

An update.... never!

2009-02-04T00:21:00.003Z

This will probably come as a shock to those of you that read this on a regular basis. Nothing happens for 3 months and then we have an update....

And there will be more to come, honest! We start racing bikes and all kind of things happen then!

Briefly then, B&W Racing (we've changed the name slightly, did you notice?) has changed a lot for 2009.

With the current economic crisis, it seemed a good idea to go back to basics and so we are down to a bare minimum of team members to get us through the year.

We really hope that we will be able to ride out the financial pressures and come back in 2010 with some fantastics ideas to cary the team onwards.

But until then we will compete in the Thunderbikes class with Derby Pheonix MCC on a Suzuki GSXR750 K4. There's a K7 750 in the garage as a bit of a back up too.

We've got hold of a fantastic bike and with a bit of luck we have a rider that can still ride at the front of a club racing pack.

Erol is off to new pastures in the ThundersportGB paddock and we wish him well with that, but for now B&W will be a 1 rider team, just as we started 4 years ago.

But we want to do more... we want to learn about the engineering side of things as well. And to start that off we will be entering the Belchford Downhill Challenge. 4 wheels, no engine, a push start, 3 chicanes and a pub at the end. I think we'll do OK :-) But we better break out the welder soon to get a start on that one.

Unfortunately we wont be at the first round of the Derby Pheonix Championship at Croft in Yorkshire which will put us at a bit of a disadvantage for Cadwell on the 3rd and 4th of May. But its a long year and we will be at the front of the pack soon after.

The Black & White Race Team in 2009

2008-08-31T13:42:00.001+01:00

Looks like its Paul by a nose!

Erol's done it!

2008-07-31T16:32:00.002+01:00

It was pretty much a certainty that Erol would tie the championship up last weekend at Cadwell as he 'only' needed 55 points and on his current form that was a fairly easy ask.

Blimey, I nearly managed that many!!!

So well done to Erol, a second championship in a row and he was pushed hard all the way and kept his head.

The Team are very, very proud of his achievement.

Paul's Trophy

2008-07-31T16:31:00.001+01:00

Yes, he really has finally won one this year!

GO! GO! GO! Erol

2008-07-13T22:19:00.002+01:00

Big congratulations go to Erol this weekend at Donington.

He knows now that he only needs 2nds and 3rds for the rest of the year but still he pulls out an amazing win in the 2nd race at Donny.

No-one can touch him now, surely? 2 championships in a row for the Black & White Race Team?

We certainly hope so - you go for it Erol!

Ouch!

2008-06-26T15:43:00.002+01:00

I'll be updating the website with the latest race report from Snetterton soon - hopefully tomorrow (Friday) but in the meantime a few newsflashes!

Most will have heard by now but both Erol and Paul managed to crash at Snett over the weekend. Erol managed to avoid loosing any championship points by parting company with his bike on the practise day, going off to hospital and returning to win races the next day!

Paul however saved his crashing for the last corner of the last race of the weekend, basically trying too hard through the corners due to a lack of speed down the straight bits!

And now, after surviving all that, Paul went and fell off his motocross bike and has managed to break a rib!

Still, at least the insurance should pay out ;-)

More later.....

Dinner with the Black & White Race Team

2008-05-31T20:28:00.001+01:00

A bit colourful don't you think!

Oh yeah....the Blog!

2008-05-06T23:11:00.002+01:00

Far too much to try to keep on top of! Forgot to update the blog for ages. Race report for Cadwell will be on the website soon(ish!) Just so happy that the weekend was a great success. The Derby Phoenix paddock is a really wonderful place and the Team had an awesome time. Erol is well in the lead of the championship and riding supremely. I felt a lot happier on the R6 and feel like I'm getting to grips with it finally. Didn't quite get under 1.40 but still got some good points to put myself a couple of places up the table - I think I'm 8th now.

If the weather is going to be like last weekend for the rest of the year then we will need to pack the fleeces away and get some Team T-shirts :-)

Keep up the Shout Box comments everyone, always good to hear your comments.

Paul.

2008-02-09T22:06:00.001Z

2008-02-09T22:05:00.001Z

And the winner is...

2007-10-29T18:04:00.000Z

.... Erol :-)

He rode sensibly in horrible conditions at Mallory Park and got 2 3rd places.

Not quite sure of the actual points tally, but he beat Sean Hardwicke by a good few points to become the 2007 New Era SuperClub Hornet Champion.

Quite a long way back, in a safe 3rd place in the championship, was Paul.

An excellent result for the Team which hopefully will set us in good stead for 2008.

Come back soon to hear about our plans for next year.

But, for now, there are 2 race winning Hornets up for sale. There is a buyer in the wings for the #8 bike but the championship winning #23 bike is up for grabs.

Email paul@racebandw.co.uk if you are interested in this bike.

....and so.... the end is near......

2007-10-17T07:14:00.000+01:00

Firstly, apologies for not updating the website or the blog for so long. What with moving house and work, I have had very little time to sort the online stuff out.

But I am thinking that it's time for a big redesign on the website for 2008, maybe because there are big changes happening for the Team too ????? You'll just have to wait and see......

The B&W headquarters are now located just down the road from Cadwell Park and over winter we will be setting up a first class workshop, just perfect for prepping the bikes.

So lots of ideas for 2008, but we still have the small matter of 2007 to sort out. Well I am safely in 3rd position in the championship with a lot of work to do to get up to 2nd place. We'll give it our best shot, of course, but the Team is now looking to Erol for it's glory.

In his first season of Hornet racing, Erol has showed that consistency really pays dividends and now we go to Mallory Park with Erol 28 points in the lead. Fingers crossed that he shows all the skill and maturity that has got him to this position so that he wins the championship at the first time of asking.

And lets hope the commentator gets his name right too!

So please come along to Mallory Park on the 28th October to see the showdown of the Hornets in 2007 and feel free to come and have a chat with the Team......

.....we might even tell you some of the plans for 2008.....

.....let's just say, Bigger & Better than before!

Having Fun!

2007-07-09T19:15:00.000+01:00

With everything that has happened lately it was a great idea to pack the trailer up and head off to Donington Park to ride a fantastic track. Now it would probably have been fine to do a trackday but instead we entered a race with the Derby Phoenix Motorcycle Club. DP don't actually have a race specifically for the Honda Hornet but they do have one for steel framed bikes. So the weapon of choice would be a CBR600 of 1997 vintage (I think) and the grid was full of them. With full race fairings and engines knocking out well over 100bhp our poor little Hornet looked a bit strange in the paddock and was getting a few looks from passers by. To make matters even more interesting the Steel Frame bikes are mixed in with the 'Pre-injection 600's' (basically a whole load of 2002 Yamaha R6's with over 120bhp)

Because grid positions are handed out relevant to championship standings I was right at the back for Race 1 in 34th position and could hardly see the lights. But they obviously went out at some point and we hurtled into Redgate with a crowd of others. The early part of the race was a bit of a blur as I passed as many of the slower guys as possible but then, with only a couple of laps to go, it started to get trickier to overtake. And then when I did manage to get in front, these guys would use their extra power to drive back past on the straight. But the flag came out and we were chuffed to see we had gained 24 places and finished in 10th place overall, 5th steelie framed bike.

So now we were on the 3rd row and within view of the lights I felt the second race was going to be even more fun. The first time into Redgate and I had got passed 3 bikes and then spent the whole race battling with a bike that I thought was an R6. I overtook him twice but he came straight back at me on the straight and I finally had to concede defeat over the line. But it turned out that he was the leading Steelie and I had just come home in 7th overall but 2nd in class - result!!

Loads of fun and some great clean, close racing in the sunshine and we even drove home with a trophy on the dashboard. We might have to race with the DP guys again.

Wet Wet Wet (crap band and crap weather)

2007-06-04T18:26:00.000+01:00

Sorry 'bout that - managed to get a race report posted on the website but never got around to updating the blog, so here goes.

If you got this far then you probably know that both Erol and I had a pretty miserable time at Cadwell Park, both of us not enjoying the ridiculous conditions that we had to endure. We also managed to destroy a marquee too, so all in all, a tough time was had by all.

Still managed to get the wheels off the ground (but only just!) Thanks for standing around in the horrible weather, Maria.

What did turn out to be rather interesting was that my dry bike was 10bhp under the limit! It's good to know that it is safely inside what is allowable, but giving away a 10% power advantage seems a bit too generous of me. So maybe it's time I got round to changing the oil and plugs and maybe even treating the old girl to a new air filter; standard Honda parts, of course ;-)

And then we may be ready to go Hornet racing again and back up at the front of the pack.

Now, last year, we were only given 1 race at Donington park (yes it was quite a long one and due to a re-start it felt like 2 races, one straight after the other) but nobody liked it and we were sure that New Era would return to a 2 race format for this year.

Well, no they haven't and it's not really very good. £135 entry fee for a 12 lap race seems a bit poor really - not happy :-(

But we have 2 months off before then, plenty of time to moan at Jim Parker and see if we can get him to change his mind (and pigs might very well fly!!!)

More soon

The Ups and Downs of Snetterton

2007-05-08T18:01:00.000+01:00

Most people think Snetterton is quite flat but we had a real roller coaster of a weekend in Norfolk.

The race report will be on the website soon but here's the rub...

Bad stuff :-(
The weather was rubbish on Monday, Erol and I both had poor finishes in the wet.
I managed to crash in the dry on Sunday - not much damage and just a bruised ar$e!
I've been caught up in the championship points table

Good stuff :-)
The weather was pretty good on Sunday and we even squeezed a dry race in on Monday afternoon (although there were a few damp patches)
Paul got a fine win in the first race and got very close to the lap record, only 2/10ths outside.
Erol won 2 races, got Man of the Meeting and won a set of tyres.
Erol beat Sean by the smallest of margins - 1/1000th second
It's Erol right behind me in the table, just 1 point in it with a decent gap of 40 points to 3rd place.

So more good stuff than bad - we can be pretty happy with that weekend then!

Fair.....or unfair?

2007-05-03T12:30:00.000+01:00

Poverty in the 3rd world

Tax. Income tax, inheritance tax, road tax, council tax, value added tax.

The criminal justice system.

Estate agents and the house buying process. Gazumping.

Tesco make £2.2 Billion profit.

Pensions

Teachers' pay

Nurses' pay

Global warming

Rainforest destruction

Speed cameras

A wonderful woman, starting her retirement, has her life cut short due to a brain tumour.

Thanks Dunlop!

2007-05-01T05:01:00.000+01:00

Now as all the Hornets run on Bridgestone tyres perhaps it is a bit poor of me to thank Dunlop, but I did have a simply fantastic day on Monday at Rockingham Motor Speedway courtesy of the Brummie tyre manufactures.

Giffords motorcycles will soon become a Dunlop 'Race to Road' dealer and to promote their new tyres, Dunlop arranged a trackday and stuff for the dealers. Well, nobody from Giffords was able to attend and so I was offered the place.

It was an early start to the day as I departed for Rockingham at 6am but at least there were some bacon sarnies available when I arrived at 8.30. We were to get out on track 3 times over the course of the day to assess 3 different tyres - the Qualifier, Qualifier RR and the GP Racer.

I started off learning this tricky track on a GSXR600 on the Qualifier tyres and had 20 very enjoyable minutes thrashing somebody else's bike! Then I had a go on an Aprilia Tuano Factory on the RR tyres. Awesome bike and very good tyres too. Finally I finished the track riding with a go on a Ducati 1098S on the GP Racer tyres. Well, quite simply - WOW - what a bike and what great tyres. The bike lays on it side so easily and goes through corners better than any bike I have ever ridden, lean angles were staggering. I really didn't want the session to finish as I got to grips with he best suspension and mind blowing brakes, let alone an engine that just pulls out of corners with the front wheel gently picking it self up as the throttle is wound on.

If anyone wants to donate a Ducati 1098 to me I will be very, very grateful! :-)

Then, to round off the day perfectly, I had really good conversations with Leon Haslam (limping after his 175mph crash at Silverstone that weekend), Gregorio Lavilla, John Reynolds, Steve Parish and Barry Nuttly. Fan - bloody - tastic!

Even better, Dunlop may run the event again next year and I really hope I can get invited to that one too.

All that was shortly after we had returned from racing a one day meeting at Oulton Park. I'll try to get a race report up on the website very soon but for those of you who need to know the results....

Qualifying.
I managed to get pole position from Sean Hardwicke and the times were close enough to realize that this was going to be a closely fought race. Erol, however, had a trickier time and only managed 6th fastest Hornet and was placed 8th on the grid with 2 F400 bikes in there too.

Race 1.
I led for most of the race and then started to swap first place with Sean in the last couple of laps. On the last lap I met up with a backmarker in the middle of Foulstons chicane, choose to go the wrong way to get around him and ended up on the grass. Sean took full advantage and pulled a good gap that I tried to claw back but lost by 6 tenths of a second at the line.
Erol had a good start and managed to get a 3rd place, but he did go off track at Hizzys chicane which was judged as gaining an advantage so he was docked 10 seconds and he ended up in 6th place.

Race 2.
Pretty similar (except just a bit quicker) to race 1 with Sean and I up at the front swapping the lead after I led for the first 3 laps. This time we caught the backmarker at a much easier place and he was not a problem for Sean who was leading at the time. I worked out that I would need a better line through Druids for the last time to get a run on Sean into Lodge corner. It kinda worked as I came up alongside him into the last corner and outbraked him. But I couldn't hold the line and he came underneath me mid corner and got a better exit to finish just 2 tenths of a seconds ahead. Real close and exciting racing for the crowd to enjoy.
Erol also had a very close race with Graham and Ashley and all 3 crossed the line with only 4 tenths covering the 3 of them, Erol getting 3rd place with Graham and Ash following in close pursuit.

It's all go at the moment, we are off to Snetterton this coming Bank Holiday for another double day of racing where we hope to repeat the successes of rounds 1 & 2.

More Riders

2007-04-20T10:32:00.000+01:00

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

2007-04-11T10:21:00.000+01:00

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.

A clean sweep!

2007-03-19T15:52:00.000Z

What a start to the season with ALL the race wins taken by the Black & White Race Team - yup all of 'em!

We started off well with Paul in poll position and Erol right behind him in 2nd place after a great qualifying session.

I'll try to put up a full race report soon but in the meantime, Paul got 3 race wins and a 2nd place, Erol got a win, two 2nds and a 4th.

We are 1st and 2nd in the championship table.

And we got all the fastest laps too. In the second race of saturday, the one that Erol won, we recorded absolutely identical fastest lap times - 1min 18.57.

More soon!

Paul.

Blue...the new Black!

2007-03-13T13:44:00.000Z

I had the great idea of adding a blue pearl to the top coat laquer to give the bikes a shimmer effect for this year - that's if we are going to be lucky and get some sun for them to sparkle in!

The stuff looks great over the top of the white bits on the bike but has had a rather overpowering effect on the black. So much so that we may have to change the name of the team to the Blue & White Race Team.

I keep walking up to Hizzy (our Black & White cat, the Team mascot) with a spray can of blue paint but he keeps running away!

Still, whatever colour you want to call it, the bikes look great...

Erol and Paul in the pitlane of Snetterton at last sundays trackday.

Both bikes performed faultlessly and both riders we very happy with their pace. We were in the 1.19 bracket but still on some very worn tyres and not able to push through the long right hander of Corum Curve.

So with new tyres about to go on for next weeks opening rounds of the SuperClub Championship we'll be ready to ride at the front of the pack!

Come and see us at Snetterton, it's going to be a great weekend of racing

Paul.

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3...

2007-02-23T12:52:00.000Z

Or maybe that should be 1, 1, 9!

On the 19th February, Erol and I made our way up to Leicestershire to take the Hornets around Donington Park. It was a tricky start to the day with the track being very damp and both of us too lazy to swap to wets when we knew we'd be on dries the next session. So we slithered around for a few laps and tried to remember our way around this great track.

Someone had been a complete t**t and set about our bikes, loosening things here and there and making our first session a bit upsetting but once the bikes we sorted and the sun tried to come out we started to have some fun.

Even though we were in the ACU group we could still throw our Hornets around and keep up with 'faster' bikes - the look I got from a CBR600RR as he realized he was never going to shake off my Hornet was priceless!!

Erol was very impressive on his bike around a track that he did not know very well and managed to beat the time I set last year when I put my bike on pole position in Superclub. That was a 1.22 and set when the track temperature was much higher. With temperatures a lot lower we were well on the pace and finally my lap timer displayed an amazing time of 1.19.99 - a sub 1 minute 20 second lap (just!) Possibly one of the fastest ever times a Hornet has ever gone around Donington (totally unofficial timing, of course)

So that's it for now, the bikes will finally get painted soon and we will be testing at Snetterton on the 11th march a week before we go to our first race of the year, again at the Norfolk track.

We would also like to say a big 'Thank You' to Nick at Jester's Trick Bits (www.jesterstrickbits.co.uk) for making up this years stickers and race numbers.

Up and running....well sort of!

2007-01-24T11:14:00.001Z

The Black & White Race Team finally got back out on track on the 21st January 2007 at Brands Hatch. It was a day of mixed outcomes but all in all the consensus of opinion is that we will be ready for the new season and set to be at the front from the very start.

It was an early start on a Sunday morning in Kent and both Erol and I were eager to get back on a racing Hornet after a 4 month lay off for both of us. Erol's shoulder is all fixed and my leg has the occasional twinge but we are basically back to full strength. Maybe a few pounds from a mince pie excess could be lost, but that should be easy with a few sessions down the gym.

The track had a few damp patches visible once the sun finally rose up into the sky, but the temperatures never really got much over 5 or 6 degrees, so a steady day was expected. We both went out for our first session and it all felt so good. Erol probably had a warmer feeling than I did as, on our return to the pit garage, he was dripping oil and coolant all down his leg! It appeared that the new bike had blown its head gasket and the radiator cap was not a great fit either.

So not a great start but things were about to improve. The new bike was wheeled back into the trailer and we decided to share the remaining sessions on my main bike. So we each had 2 more sessions each and got down to putting in some decent laptimes. Erol has taken to Hornets like the proverbial 'duck to water' and came in just before lunch having got down to 55 second laps. Very impressive indeed and I felt the need to go out and show the lad I still had the ability myself. Sure enough, after lunch (heavily laden down with Brands Hatch burger!) I too managed a few 55 second laps.

So there we are. Both riders are straight back on the pace and we know where the last few seconds will come from. A very good start to the year.

So now we just have to get the new engine fixed and the bikes all painted. My wet bike still needs a bit of work doing to it but we should be in good shape for our next test session at Donnington Park on Monday 19th February.

Finally, I've just worked out how to show your comments on this blog, so time now to respond and let us know what you think. I do, of course, have the ability to edit or refuse comments so you won’t get away with any 'naughty stuff'!

And I may even be able to put pictures into the blog too at some stage, but look out for web site changes soon, too.

Santa's coming

2006-12-22T11:15:00.000Z

It's been a while, I know, so sorry if you've been looking at the blog every week to see nothing has been added.

Well I've been busy OK! :-)

Too busy to even do much work on the bikes. Except I did find time to put my dry bike back together (giving it a damn good clean while I was at it) and take it up to Peterborough for a magazine photoshoot. RIDE magazine are doing an article about Hornets and they wanted a race bike to be included and I managed to the Black & White machine to be that bike. So look out for my 15 minutes of fame in about a months time.

I met up with Nick (of www.jesterstrickbits.co.uk) while I was up there (you should see his awesome Hornet Special) and he has agreed to be the 2007 stickers and vinyl supplier - Thanks Nick.

We also are having our lovely Joe Rocket leathers clean at the moment by Damien at www.scrubbersleathers.co.uk and we'd like to thank him for that service very very much.

Leg update: first the good news, apart from a bit of a twinge here and there, I'm pretty much walking normally and I'm getting down the gym 3 times a week to build the muscles back up. But the bad news is that the bones may have mended at slightly the wrong angle and so, if it's as bad as it could be, then i will need to have a wedge cut out of the bone and replaced with a different sized wedge of titanium and plated either side. Hummm, can't wait! Time will tell, but I'll be racing the 2007 season with a wonky leg whatever happens.

And so, to all my family, friends, supporters and not least sponsors, I wish you a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

See you in 2007

Paul.

Don't call me 'Hop-a-long'

2006-11-21T08:38:00.000Z

I'm crutchless!!!!

Well, just about anyway. My leg is coming along really well (its now 9 weeks since I broke my knee and they said I wouldn't walk for 12 weeks, pah!) I can walk around with a bit of a limp quite well, except my knee starts to ache after an hour or so. And I can ride my road bike too - shame it's all wet, cold and greasy out there.

How about a rant all about the condition of the roads nowadays? Maybe another day eh! I know that you all just want to hear about the Team, so here's an update.

Preparation for next year is now in full flow. We are still looking for sponsorship, so if you know of anyone with a few grand to spare that would like to see their name on some winning bikes next year, just drop me a line. Our sponsorship document is now ready for printing and so Erol and I will be able to get out there and 'press the flesh' with anyone who wants to listen to our stories. The document outlines everything the Team is about and how sponsors can help. It really will be our biggest year so far in 2007 - we will be in it to win it - and financial assistance will be incredibly helpful.

Right, enough begging, on with the update.

A sponsorship success is that we have spoken to Uniform Solutions who have agreed to supply the Team with some snazzy new clothes - we will be the smartest looking team in the paddock next year.

All 3 bikes are being stripped (now that I can spend some time in the garage at last) and prepped. A few things need replacing, a set of brake pads here, a new clutch there and we hope to have all the mechanical side sorted by the end of the year.

Then its just a case of painting the bikes. More Black & White paint will be used but we have a new paint scheme which will look (hopefully) fabulous. I have bought a compressor and spray gun, so no more cans of paint from Halfords.

If anyone knows of a supplier of paint who might be able to donate some cans (preferably a pearlescent white - told you it was going to be fabulous!) and all the thinners etc, please let me know. It's these little things that cost £30-£50 which all add up when we have to buy them ourselves and there must be someone out there who has some spare paint (and advice on how to use it - but thats another story)

We are also looking for someone to supply our vinyl graphics this year. Decaldesign did a great job for us in our first 2 years, but Darren seems to have packed up shop now, so we are after a new supplier. Just a few vinyl cut letters and stuff, not too much to ask and we would be very, very grateful.

Whoops, that sounded like more begging!

So, hopefully, whether the bikes are painted or not, Erol and I will be out testing the bikes in the new year. There will be some cheap (read cold and wet) track days available and we'll be out there getting the practice in.

And in between times we'll both be down the gym, getting as fit as we possibly can, ready for some elbow bashing in March.

Speaking of which, the provisional calendar has been published on the New Era MCC web site and maybe I'll have a rant about that when it looks to be finalized.

Enough already, enjoy you winter and come back soon for another update.

Paul

The End of 2006 or the Start of 2007?

2006-10-31T16:23:00.000Z

So we made the trip up to Mallory Park to watch the last race of the season on Sunday 29th October. There was some great racing going on and I really felt that, despite still needing a bit of support from a crutch or 2, I could have been out there with the rest of the Hornets. But realistically I knew that if anything had gone wrong then I could have set back my recovery a long way. As it stands, my physiotherapy is going well and after 6 weeks I've had further x-rays to show the fracture is just about knitted together now. I can bear my weight onto the 'bad' leg so now all I need is a bit more muscle. So down the gym soon and back to race fitness as soon as possible. There is a need later on for some keyhole surgery to repair a damaged cartilage, but I'll not be worrying about that for a while.

So we stood and watched the racing and saw Ivan Lintin ride 2 great races to take my 2nd place from me in the Club championship, well done Mate. Ivan will be racing a GSXR600 in formula 600 next year and we wish him well, he really is one to watch. Colin Plumb also made a return to the racing and managed two 2nd places to also overtake me in the championship. We had some great races throughout the year, Colin and I, so I have no problem seeing him take the 3rd place (but next year will be different, ha ha!)

The main reason, however, for going to Mallory Park was to pick up another Hornet! The bikes we ran this year are fine and will be prepped over the winter for me to race again in 2007 - and boy I can't wait for that season to start (and its only November!)

Nope, 2007 will be another step forward for the Black & White Race Team as we take on another rider, Erol Ahmet. Erol raced in the CB500 championship in 2006 and had some very good results and some really poor luck. We hope that his bad luck has been left with his yellow CB as he takes on the challenge of a Black & White Hornet.

We'll be testing the bikes throughout the winter so keep looking back at the website and blog for updates.

And if there is anybody interested in helping with our attempt to win the 2007 championship we will be really happy to talk to you.

At the moment we are hoping to get hold of

a 6m x 3m pop up marquee with walls
floor tiles, clip together type, enough to floor the marquee
someone who can paint 3 bikes in the new 2007 Black & White paint scheme
2 x pit boards with numbers and letters etc
a compressor and some air tools

and finally.....

a title sponsor with about 4 or 5 grand to help out with entry fees and tyres in 2007

Thanks very much

Paul.

Last SuperClub of 2006

2006-10-10T08:38:00.000+01:00

It was great to go up to Cadwell to watch the last SuperClub meeting but upsetting to see all the Hornets out there without me in there with 'em. Looks like I've dropped a couple of places in the championship too - oh well!
Many congratulations go to Mick (Snailpace Racing) who made a very galent retirement from CB 500 racing at the meeting. He looked to riding well, right to the bitter end and everyone is sad to see the end of an era. But we know we haven't lost him for good as he'll be back next year as a scroot!
Finally for now, a quick update on my injuries. Went to see a sports physiotherapist yesterday in Weybridge and he has really got me moving again. Boy is my leg sore from what he did but perhaps, after 3 weeks of sitting around doing nothing, I can start to see a faint glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel. I have a lot more movement in my leg and I can bear quite a lot of weight onto it as well which I need to do to get the bones to push back together apparently. All good stuff and he confirmed that there should be no reason why I shouldn't be back on a bike next year.
More team news soon so keep watching......

Knee Update

2006-10-01T14:30:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, apologies for some bad language in the last post but it was all looking a bit gloomy. And to be honest, it's not looking much better 2 weeks later.

My knee is very much broken, there is a fracture across the tibia plateau, but the good news is that, against expectation, I don't need to have surgery on it. So I've still yet to join the titanium club, thank the lord!

But there is still a lot of damage to the muscles from the arch of my foot to the top of my thigh. Judging by the various colours my leg is going through then there is plenty of repair work going on but it's masked quite well by the pain!

I'll be off to the physiotherapist soon to get things on the mend and hopefully I'll be up and about quicker than the 12 weeks the doctors have told me it will be before I'll be walking unaided.

So that's it then....a premature end to the racing season but its been a good one. Check the results and reports on the website soon for an end of year analysis.

And keep checking the blog for info over the winter months on how things are progressing for 2007.

Paying attention!

2006-09-18T10:41:00.000+01:00

Right, lets see if any of you lot out there in the real world actually read any of this. Its monday morning and I feel crap. I spent yesterday evening at an Austrian hospital with a busted knee.

B*llox!

So, could be then end of my season, or maybe not, we shall see what the doctors say. Flying home today and fingers crossewd for a speedy mend.

B*llox!
B*llox!
B*llox!

The hills are alive....

2006-09-16T15:23:00.000+01:00

So that's the worse bit of being out in Austria for the last 5 weeks over and done with. I sat, glum faced, not wanting to talk to anyone, as I knew that over in Leicestershire (at a certain 'friendly' circuit) there were Hornets racing.

And I wasn't there to join in the fun. Also it means I've lost my lead in the Club championship. Chris Carter even emailled me to ask why I wasn't there. Super-stardom here I come!!

I understand that the weather was good and the racing was even better, except for young Sean who had a pretty big tumble and we wish him a speedy and full recovery.

Have you ever been to Salzburg? It's pretty stunning really and I would recommend a long weekend but after your tenth 'MozartBall' (don't ask!) it really does get boring. Opera (strictly that Mozart chap only) and The Sound of Music on ever corner and then after that just a few amazing landscapes to look at......

.....until I found the local KTM shop - WOW!!!

I think I have found my next bike, the SuperDuke. I will have to hunt down the chap at New Era who has been running one of these in the Sound of Thunder class (and cleaning up quite well) and ask him what he thinks of it. I doubt anything bad will be muttered. But if anyone would be kind enough to let me know what they are like to ride, I would be very grateful.

Trouble is, with only 1 week to go, I'm now thinking about buying one and exporting it to the UK. But I'm not too sure on how to go about it and what the costs are. Any ideas?

Opened up the Black & White Race Team shop today as well, so hopefully I'll be rice soon on the proceeds of hundreds of t-shirts - yeah, right!

See you all soon

Chocolate Fudge Brownie, My Ar$e !!

2006-09-05T08:21:00.000+01:00

How come I feel I don't like Snetterton? That was simply a brilliant weekend of racing with the Black& White Race Team getting their 2nd 3rd place at a SuperClub meeting this year. And the first one was at Snett too so the place can't be that bad.

Got my 5th place in the championship back, yipee! Sorry Colin, I know you are hurting after your fall at Cadwell, so getting those points off you turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. Sincerely, I hope you get your fitness back soon and we can get back to having those battles that we started the year with. In the meantime it looks like all out war with Keith and now young Sean is definately up for it too. Sean is going to have a brilliant year in 2007 I think, and damned good luck to him; he has improved beyond expectation.

Things are developing within the Black & White Race Team and big things are going to be happening for next year - and I really can't wait.

And Mick? How could you even suggest that a chocolate based milk shake could even come close to knocking the peanut butter and banana off its podium position!

Snetterton soon....

2006-08-27T16:55:00.000+01:00

I'm stuck out in Salzburg at the moment on a long (and fairly boring) event. But I'm flying home on Thursday night to be ready to travel to Norfolk on Friday and do the track evening to get some practise in.
Snetterton has never been a great circuit for me but my pace has improved considerably this year and so I'm hoping to up at the front again and get enough points to get me back to 5th place in SuperClub.
But just getting back on the track will make me a happy man at the moment.

.....and of course, I'll be praying that the rain stays well away from the east of the country this weekend.

Unfortunately, I then have to return to Salzburg on Monday morning and carry on with this job that will mean I will miss the Club round on September 10th at Mallory Park. And therefore loose my 1st place in that championship - bummer!

I got pole position!!!!!

2006-08-15T15:51:00.000+01:00

I got pole!
I got pole!
I got pole!
I got pole!

That'll be my first ever SuperClub pole position and I'm chuffed to pieces.

Unfortunately the rain came down and I could only make 5th in the race, but even so......

I got pole!
I got pole!
I got pole!
I got pole!

And lets get back to 2 races per day please, I really didn't like waiting that long between qualifying and the race and then getting home so damned late.

Donington Park

2006-08-07T18:50:00.000+01:00

So........

Is it Donnington Park or Donington park?

So many people spell it with 2 N's but in actual fact this gives it away

http://www.donington-park.co.uk/

but what the hell, we are going there to race this coming Sunday and I can't wait. After such a good set of races at Cadwell a couple of weeks ago, I'm on a high and feel I should be up at the front again.

HOWEVER........

I'm a bit pi$$ed off 'cos the format for Donington has changed. For many reasons (mainly due to too many classes being at the meeting) we will only have 1 race on Sunday.
After I missed Oulton Parks races (2 of 'em) I've only got 1 race to try to claw back some points on the 2 guys who overtook me in the championship while I was absent.
Not alot I can do about it now, but I will have a good winge to the club about it afterwards.

Although, on the plus side, it will be a 12 lap race and I'm rather looking forward to something that is more than just a 6 lap dash!

Well that was a hoot!

2006-07-31T12:58:00.000+01:00

What a great weekend, the sun shone and the racing was just as hot.
I took 3 seconds off my personal best around Cadwell Park. The guest riders were no problem as it turned out and it was a pleasure to see Skelly charge round the track and show us how its done - still jumped the start though!!

And guess what - not only have I defended my 2nd place but I'm up to 1st - yipee!!

Hard luck goes to Colin Plumb who crashed out pretty hard at Chris Curve and thus lost the chance to save his championship winning position - get well soon Col.

So..... back to work :-(

Getting ready for Cadwell Park

2006-07-25T14:40:00.000+01:00

OK, so I finally get to race my Hornet again after what seems like ages. Off to Cadwell Park on Thursday so that we are ready for the ACU testday on Friday and racing on Saturday and Sunday.

Now, here's a moot point - I've heard that a couple of people will be racing Hornets that they are hiring for the weekend. So they are not regular participants in the championship and they could well be a bit tasty. So there's a chance of me losing out to these guys and thus missing out on some points.

Now if the MotoGP had a few weeks off but Rossi fancied a bit of a blast and Rob Mac was up for it, could the same happen in BSB? A spare R1 is found knocking around the Virgin garage and Rossi puts it on pole and wins by a country mile. There would be a few guys down the points table that could be seriously affected by this.

I suppose I'll just have to get my finger out and defend my 2nd place in the Club Championship as best I can. And if these guys are really quick maybe I'll let their tyres down between races.

;-)

But just being back at Cadwell will make me happy - the best track in the UK; Oulton Park is a close 2nd and Donington is right up with them, but Cadwell is the best.

So there!

opinions!

2006-07-19T16:33:00.000+01:00

'The next time I want your opionion, I'll give it to you'

One of my favourite quotations, and on that subject its about time this blog had something meaningfull to say rather than just a drab diary of a bloke that thinks he can ride a motorbike pretty quick.

Some of the opionions I might start handing out in the future will be about the following:-

Motorcycle club racing in general (in the UK)
The way that the New Era MCC is run and the way they run their meetings
The bitchy in fighting that happens all over club racing
Cheats in club racing
The attitude of winners (oooohh, I think I might like that one!)
The best milkshake flavours in the world

If this blog ever turns out to become only slightly less important than the internet itself (unlikely) and runs away with itself then I reserve the right to fall back on this one statement

Overall, despite the moans and groans that runs through it (just like any group of likeminded individuals will have), motorcycle club racing is bloody brilliant and I'm having a great time, thanks!

More opionions soon, just have to go and jump on an aeroplane now, going home from a whistlestop visit to Tenerife.

after the weekend

2006-07-17T19:04:00.000+01:00

That MotoGP!!!!!

WOW, blimmin, WOW

and then the BSB from Knockhill - fantastic racing

2 tracks I've never ridden but would love to have a go. Both a bit of a trip to get to but there is definately a risk that next year New Era could go up to Scotland for a round of Club or Superclub. Germany is a bit far though!

Mind you, with Bemsee racing at Croix in France this year the map of 'England' is looking a bit wierd at the moment, so anything could happen.

To celebrate I took the GSX1100 Katana out for a ride to Boxhill

What a perfect weekend

Black & White

2006-07-13T20:02:00.000+01:00

OK, 1st blog

Read it and weep!

This blog will be about.......

....well, all kinds of stuff really, but mainly bikes

thats motorbikes, motorcycles or whatever you want to call them

and mainly race bikes and then mostly my racing.

So here you will find out all about the day to day life of a club racer

.....and peanut butter and banana milkshakes, you gotta have a weakness!