I'm afraid I've misled everyone and thanks to a very amicable phone call from Brian Richards I need to eat humble pie!
Bill Swallow rode Brian's[/u] Petty Manx in 500cc form to finish second in the 1999 Singles TT. In that race he lapped at over 108 mph.
The same year he won the Manx Grand Prix on that bike.
In 2000 the bike was in 570 form (entered as a BRS) and broke down in the race with ignition trouble.
Brian says that actually it didn't go as well in 570cc form as it had as a 500.
I was going from memory and the original conversations when we first met Brian to collect the bike in 2000. It was then in 570 form and I guess I presumed it had always been used in that form for the Singles TT races. WRONG!
Serious apologies to Brian and everyone concerned with those fine results which remain very important.
Andy R.

(10-11-2009, 11:33 AM)an old man returns Wrote:

(10-11-2009, 11:23 AM)andyr Wrote: [/align][/b][align=left]

(10-11-2009, 10:59 AM)Will Loder Wrote: Alan's lap was following the Paton yes. He said that in lots of places Ryan was holding him up through the corners, but it did give him a tow down some of the straights. How much difference following the Paton made is tough to know, typically they're so much faster down the straights that it's impossible to slipstream them, so Alan must have been coming onto the straights a hell of a lot faster than the Paton to be anywhere near it.

Bill's TT bike was a 500, I believe Andy Reynolds can verify that as he used to ride it. Bob Heath played about with 650 G50 engines, alloy swingarms and more modern forks, but never really got it all working.

When we got the Petty that Bill rode it was 570cc and Brian Richards, the owner, told us that it was in that form that Bill rode it at the Singles TT, when he did the quick lap. When they cancelled the Singles TT the owner sold the 570 crank to the Summerfields and the bike is now in 500c form.
I tested it at Mallory Park in 570cc form and it didn't half pull!
I entered the 2000 Singles TT but we had the foot and mouth crisis and then the race was removed from the TT programme!
Brilliant bike though, even as a 500, 58bhp and perfect around the Island.

Befuddled or not the memory worked that time.

Will we see you return Andy? has Bill decided to call it a day too noticed his bike up for sale....thats a shame George will miss his chats with Bill

---

Larry, I have confession to make. I had the Aermacchi in blue as no one else had a blue 'macchi' and I wanted to be different. Most of my classic racing pals said it looked terrible and that I should have had it in traditional red!
Since than I've always had blue in the colour scheme of my race bikes and helmets and Don Wiiliamson (the Paton owner) even offered to have the Paton painted blue.
Fortunately I said 'No' it must be Paton green.
So no one has ever had to witness a blue Paton!!! Thank goodness.
Andy R.

(12-11-2009, 10:28 PM)larryd Wrote: I would have loved another go ( the weather could just be better next year?) but with disillusioned sponsors and a lack of family support I've had to stop. Maybe it was time anyway?
Andy R.


[b]Andy, you're a star.

I'll always remember the blue 'Macchi in '78!!

Good luck in whatever you do now.

Larry Devlin