Hi Mr B!

A small world indeed!!

I do trust that YOUR spell of racing with North Glos was a little more
succesful than mine?

thewitch Wrote:Come on, now... you've started, so finish... tell us your story.. even if it doesn't include racing here!

Okay, here goes...I'd always been a race fan, from the first time I was taken to Mallory Park for the Race of the year in '67 (Hailwood on the Six, Ivy & Read on the V4 Yams, etc) but didn't have the opportunity to try it myself until I bought a nice new Montjuic in 1979. Used it on the road and for club proddy and fourstroke racing, got it into race winning fettle, capable of beating the 350LC brigade. Started the Marlboro series in '82, then foolishly got married and bike had to go. Met up with a guy called Graham Binnion who was building a "world beater" for fourstroke racing and needed a rider. It was 400/4 with a Yoshi 498 kit and a frame built from scratch by Graham to his own design with a beautifully made rising rate rear suspension machined from solid. What a brilliant bike that was, we won the North Glos championship on it, then next year went into F2 with a 550 Suzuki in another of Graham's frames. Worst memory of that season was turning up at the first round of the British championships at Thruxton and having to wait while they drove cars round to melt the ice on the racing line! The Suzuki was bored out to nearly 750cc (you could almost see through the liners, they were that thin!) and entered in the F1 race at the '84 British GP (you could do things like that in those days). The first and only time I ever got start money! What a fantastic experience to be lapped by Joey as he went past in a scrap for the lead with Roger Marshall, Mick Grant and Wayne Gardner!

Anyway all the dreams of doing the F2 race at the TT came to nothing when I had a BIG smash on the road, hit by a drunk driver. Injuries meant the end of my insignificant career, but it was fun while it lasted. Got to visit the IoM as spectator in 1971, '78, '79 and after a long break (I couldn't bear to watch) came back in 1992 and have been most years since.

If menory serves me right Joey also rode in the 250 race that day and got a point for 15th place.

I've tried to find pictures from the F1 one race that day but so far no luck.

You're right, Cargo. Joey rode a 250 that day, although he wasn't listed in the programme. He was also in the 500GP on a Honda RS. He finished 3rd in the F1, behind Gardner and Marshall.

If you do find any photos of the F1 race, I was no. 38.

Wonder if Tom has memories of this ride? His first top-10 TT finish.

is that last pic frank perris?

Steve Linsdell on Bray Hill (can't see the Witch!) during the 1983 Newcomers MGP on the incredible Royal Enfield Bullet.
I remember being with a group of Vintage Club members watching this race at Hillberry, all of us were (unfairly) pataying for Pellow's RG500 to expire!

Just to prove that the old girl is still going strong, here is Steve's youngest son David in action on the Bullet at Snetterton last season.

Rusty

Thanks for finding that picture Bill, It must be fairly well down the pile!
Its not 1983 newcomers though as I did it in 1981 and was number 15!
This must of been in one of the first classic races I think as I never rode it in a modern class again. I was on a Moriwaki Kawasaki in the senior in 1983 I think. If it was the classic race their's a whole storey about that ride about a missing condensor, a piece of fence wire and a grey Fergy tractor!

As a grey Fergie fan, I demand the whole story, Steve!

Yes, it was 1983 Classic Steve. We met briefly on the Steam Packet boat in 1982; you were going over to reccie the course on a Ducati prior to running the Pineways Ducati in the Manx.
I had got hold of the first VT250 that had been airfreighted into the UK before Honda UK bought them in. We had it registered as V250 Man. I remember Sir Norman taking a shine to it at a bike show, but by that time he was a BMW man (they used to sell bikes at a well-reduced rate to high profile customers, wonder if the practice still goes on?).

I was feeling sadness and nostalgia for the good old days on this forum and decided to read through some old threads. To our anonymous moderators who want to know what we want - just read this thread and you'll get a sense of how things used to be. The wealth of experience and knowledge on this website, when it was at its height, was unsurpassed. Full credit to Malcolm for having made it available free of charge for all these years and to Helen and Cargo for their superb moderation and management.

To follow the theme of this thread, I never raced myself. For a time I was a Yamaha, Norton, Triumph dealer in Canada in the '60s. I sponsored two riders and contributed support to others where and when I could. Before that I had been a marshal for a couple of years. I was a regular on this site before you had to register - probably in 1999 or early 2000. Over the years I have recommended this site to numerous people. I seldom post, but I visit often to enjoy the enthusiastic and friendly conversations. If you ever have a question about who rode what , when or where - the more challenging the better, you'd get your answer in record time. It will be given with a wealth of details and genuine appreciation that you care enough about our sport to ask. That was priceless !
Perhaps our anonymous moderators would like to tell us something about themselves. Harry

(12-07-2009, 07:32 PM)Harry Wrote: I was feeling sadness and nostalgia for the good old days on this forum and decided to read through some old threads. To our anonymous moderators who want to know what we want - just read this thread and you'll get a sense of how things used to be. The wealth of experience and knowledge on this website, when it was at its height, was unsurpassed. Full credit to Malcolm for having made it available free of charge for all these years and to Helen and Cargo for their superb moderation and management.

To follow the theme of this thread, I never raced myself. For a time I was a Yamaha, Norton, Triumph dealer in Canada in the '60s. I sponsored two riders and contributed support to others where and when I could. Before that I had been a marshal for a couple of years. I was a regular on this site before you had to register - probably in 1999 or early 2000. Over the years I have recommended this site to numerous people. I seldom post, but I visit often to enjoy the enthusiastic and friendly conversations. If you ever have a question about who rode what , when or where - the more challenging the better, you'd get your answer in record time. It will be given with a wealth of details and genuine appreciation that you care enough about our sport to ask. That was priceless !
Perhaps our anonymous moderators would like to tell us something about themselves. Harry

I raced the TT for 5 years 1963-1968 never finished once well did once but was disqualified for not obeying instructions re numbers at pit stop. Raced in Ireland a few times Ulster GP twice and NW 200 once and also did the Leinster 200 and the first meeting ever at Mondelo Park Thanks Danny Keaney RIP and Chris Goosen for the invite and help.