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| TT Website Interviews -
Richard Britton
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Richard Britton from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland has
proved beyond any doubt that he is one of Irelands top current Road Racers. He
tasted success on the International stage last year when he beat Jim Moodie in
the Production Race at the North West 200.
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Now he is ready to prove himself at the TT after a
couple of 'nearly years'. We spoke to the thirty year old rider from his home
in Enniskillen.
Richard, last year was a
good one for you, were you pleased with how it went?
Yeah I was. We started off at Nutt's Corner where I had a
couple of good results, before dumping it in the last race. It wasn't really my
fault but I ended up dislocating my shoulder.
We had a couple of other
good results on the circuits before Cookstown came along. It was a wet old day
there, but I got a win in the Lambert and Butler race, a second in the Regal
and a second in the Grand Final a second or so behind Archie.
I was
looking forward to getting out on the big bike at the North West, but as soon
as I went out on it, she blew oil out everywhere. We changed a few things on it
but with no Thursday Practice, we only got time to try it on the warm up lap
for the race, and it did it again so we didn't ride it.
I enjoyed the
250 race. I was in a good wee scrap with Gary Dynes, Stephen Thompson and Neil
Richardson. My bike was a bit slower than theirs on the straights and I'm a wee
bit heavy for it anyway (laughs) but I was managing to hold onto them. It's
only a 94 bike but it was going well.
I won the Production Race of
course…
We'll talk about that in a
minute…
Yeah, and then in the 600 race I ended up eighth. The thing
was dog slow. I don't know what happened to it, I was revving the bollocks off
it and it was going nowhere.
After the TT you went
on to win the Regal 600 Championship and finish third in the Lambert and Butler
Championship. So a good season overall?
Yeah. I was pleased to finish third in the Lambert and Butler
Championship because I only had a big bike for two rounds at Bishopscourt and
the Mid Antrim and I was delighted to re-claim the Regal Championship. The big
thing I suppose was getting through the season without any serious
injury.
The North West 200 win was obviously the
high point. That win must have meant a lot to you personally and your
career?
Well after the first lap, when I was still up with them, I
thought 'We could be in here' because the bike was going good, so I thought a
finish on the rostrum could be on. I was looking round and I could see
Jefferies up my arse, then Duffus up my arse then Moodie and I was thinking
'What am I doing here' because to be up with these boys was something
else.
Then we were coming into the Metropole and I could see Duffus
getting out of shape and I could feel my own bike just starting to do it but
mine stopped. Dave started to tip it in and then bang, Duffus hit him and they
both gone and I was saying 'Thank you very much boys!' (laughs).
Up the
Coast Road, I knew that if Jim was going to pass me anywhere he would do it at
the first chicane and he did it on the second to last lap so I knew where I had
to hold him off. He was pulling a second or so on me round University and the
Roundabout, because I think their footrests were higher than mine and they had
good ground clearance. I was grinding the foot peg into the deck and I was
thinking' Shit!'
But then on the straights, the R1 was so quick I was
catching him up again. I out braked him into Magrabouhy and then into the
Juniper Hill Chicane I changed my line and kept into the left and braked really
late. If they were going to try and pass me there they would have taken me
out.
It was a real good tight race the whole way and I would say it was
the highlight of my whole career.
You had a
fairly good TT with the best result being the 4th place in the Production Race.
Were you happy with how the fortnight went?
Yeah it was all right. In the Formula One I would have like
to have been able to change the back tyre like Jefferies because by the end it
was knackered. I was dicing on time with Cap Davies and then I caught James
Courtney on the road, so I thought I would just follow him up the Mountain
because I get a bit lost up there and I know he was injured but he's been round
there at 122mph or something.
I came to Parliament Square on the last
lap, flicked in, and away she went. I couldn't believe it, he back tyre just
slid clean out. I wanted to then get up, but three medics came and grabbed me.
I was saying 'Get the f**K off me' because I wanted to get back on the
bike.
They held me down and put a collar on me, and then I couldn't
breath (laughs) because they pulled it so tight. There was nothing wrong with
me. I was wiggling my left leg and then my right leg, and saying 'look there's
nothing wrong with me'. The only thing that was soar was my elbow. So anyway,
they let me get up and everyone was clapping and cheering (laughs) and they
then tried to put me in the Helicopter! I was saying 'I've only a bruised
elbow, what do I need to get in there for?' But I got in anyway and watched the
boys going over the Mountain. I've always wanted a spin in a helicopter but not
like that.
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But after that the week got a
bit better didn't it?
Yeah, I had a good fourth in the Proddy race. I had never
raced the TT in weather as bad as that. The back shock was too hard and was
sliding about a bit. I think Jefferies has a softer one in like, and we know
how well he was going.
I heard you being
interviewed on the radio about your 250 race. I believe that was a bit of an
adventure?
Oh it was an adventure alright (laughs). Derek Young prepared
the bike and it was 100% spot on. On the first lap at the top of Bray Hill I
couldn't see, and my visor was starting to get fogged up so I ripped off a tear
off. Then on the way into Brandish the same thing was happening and I was
thinking 'Jesus Christ, what's up with this thing?' so I pulled another tear
off. Then I noticed that there was petrol coming up from the fuel pipe,
swirling up straight into my visor. I had no tear offs left by this time, so I
had to do two laps with virtually no vision.
I got to the pits and
changed my visor and thought 'right, I'm really going to have a go at this
now'. So I was flat out the whole way up to Sulby. When I was sitting up on the
brakes for Sulby Bridge I glanced at the temperature gauge and it was up to 80
degrees. 'Shit, what's wrong now?' In through Ginger Hall, towards Ramsey and
it was up to 90 degrees. 'Jesus Christ, It's going to seize' (laughs). It's
only supposed to run at 54 degrees!
I got to Ramsey and it was still
going, and I knew I was going to need water. I thought the guys up in the
marshalling caravan on the Mountain would have water so the first one I came to
I pulled up. I actually overshot, and I was shouting to them 'water, water,
water' (laughs) and this lassie comes running over to me with one of those
gallons of water you get. She was lashing it in and I was looking down at it
and I could see one of the Jubilee Clips had broke at the bottom so it was
slowly letting the water out. She filled it up and away we went again.
I
reckon if we hadn't have had any problems, I would have ended up about eighth.
The bloody Jubilee Clip snapped in half! That's the thing with the TT; there is
always something that you can't account for happening.
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Just after the TT, you swapped
teams and joined Patsy O'Kane's outfit. Are you able to tell me why that came
about?
Well after the TT with the 400 thing with McMullan, which was
nothing to do with the team. Geoff had Gary Jess's 600 and Gary was my team
mate at the time, but Geoff said I'll run the 400 in your colours as well in
return for using your 600. Alan (Gregg) was happy enough with that, but when
the shit hit the fan with Geoff, Alan went underground, which he shouldn't have
and he knows that now. That pissed me off, because I didn't see him for two
days and we had other races coming up.
He always did the fuel for me but
because he wasn't there, we had this other guy in who had never done it before.
He didn't have a clue and he was so nervous. He was to do the visor, and he
sort of panicked a bit, but Archie had just been and gone, so Davy Wood ran
down and did mine and away we went.
Then Mr Beacon, who owned the
Production bike, wouldn't talk to me about riding the bike at Dundrod the
following weekend. He was saying 'there's a time and a place to talk about
this' but I was going home on the Sunday and practice for Dundrod was the
following Friday, so I needed to know, because it would have to be
prepared.
Then the following week, he rang and told Alan that he didn't
want my dad helping me on the bike, he wanted this guy Steven to do it who
lived about 110 miles away. All it needed was a new set of plugs in it, and we
could do it ourselves, but he didn't want to know.
So that was that, and
then Patsy came in with a 600 the following week and the R1 as well. Patsy
comes to the races, asks you how you are doing, if you need anything, and then
he's away off to watch the races. He's never getting under your feet and let's
you do what you want to do. He's great like that.
You must be looking forward to the season ahead. Which events
are you planning to take in at present?
There is talk about us doing a couple of British Production
class races, but we will only be able to do three I think because they all
clash with something at home. I'm going to send the forms off, so then if I
want to do some I can.
Other than that I'll be doing the TT, North West
and Ulster, and all the Irish Road Races and Short Circuits.
And
can you tell me about any of the machinery that you will have to use this
season?
I have an R1 Production bike, a big R1 for the Lambert and
Butler Championship and then I have a tuned 600 and a Regal 600. I would also
like a good 400 for the TT but I don't know if I will. I would like a Yamaha
however I could get a Honda in the morning if I wanted which is legal!
(laughs).
Changing the subject slightly I would
like to ask you your views on the TT. The event has been in for a lot of
criticism lately regarding the quality of the entry etc. What are your views on
the subject?
The only thing I hate about the TT is getting there and
getting back with the boats. We have to go from Larne to Stranrare then to
Heysham and over that way.
I could travel to Holland and back for
cheaper than it costs to get to the TT. And then if you don't get away on the
Sunday you are stuck then till half way through the following week.
You
can't wait to get to the TT but at the end you just want to get back, that's
why we call it Devil's Island (laughs). That's what me and Scratch (Adrian
Archibald) call it.
Road Racing in general is also
having problems, after the awful events of last year. What are your views on
the future of Road Racing?
I would say it would probably carry on, but I don't know. The
tobacco company have put a lot of money in again this year and I can never see
anything like the North West ever disappearing.
I would say it will go
on for a few years yet like, and I would say I would always be there unless
something better happens.
Joey's passing was
obviously hard to take in for everyone. As someone that knew him and raced with
him, what effect did it have on you?
I was just dumbfounded when I found out. He was the last
person that I ever thought would get killed. Someone rang me and told me and I
told them to stop talking rubbish and that saying something like that wasn't
funny. So I rang Archie and he told me that it was right.
I was only
just getting to know him after last year when he borrowed my tuned engine
whilst I was injured. At the TT after the prize giving I went over to him and
there was a load of us there. He went and ordered six double brandy's, so I
said 'where's the mixer?' and he gives it 'there's no mixer'. I said 'what is
it?' and he says 'Brandy' 'But I don't drink Brandy' I say to him but he goes
your drinking it.
I sat for about ten minutes looking at it. I was hung
over from the night before still and I didn't need any more drink. Joey had to
leave but he wouldn't go until I'd drunk it, so I heaved it back and on his way
he went laughing.
He was a character on his own all right. I think he'll
be missed at the TT for sure.
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Talking of relationships with
other riders, you and Adrian Archibald are archrivals on the track but seem
very good friends off the track as well. Is that the case?
Oh it's100%. We get on great. He laughs if I win, and I laugh
if he wins and we know and trust each other so well. I know he's not going to
do something stupid on the track and Melanie (Adrian's wife) knows when she
sees us out there that there won't be any problems but if someone else is in
amongst us she gets worried.
Off the bike we have a great laugh. In 1998
at the TT when it was always raining, when we knew it was off I would say to
him 'come on then Dave, let's go down to the Beer shop' (laughs).
Why do you call him Dave?
(laughs) I can't really remember. I think it might have
started when we went over to John Harris or something, we would be like
'Alright Dave' and he calls me Steve and he would say 'Yeah alright Steve ya
cheating bastard' (in a cockney accent).
Next time you speak to him tell
him Steve was asking after him (laughs). I'll have to ask him why we started
it. It's just a bit of craic.
What are your
long-term ambitions and can we expect to see you returning to the TT in the
future?
Well, I would like to have a crack at a British Championship,
but you would have to give up your job and you would have to live over there.
It would be nice but it probably won't happen.
I would like to do a Bol
Dor or something and I'll be over at Macau at some stage I hope. I'll be back
at the TT and I would love to win of course but I would be happy with a
rostrum.
Well it was great speaking to you
Richard. Best of luck for the season and I'll speak to you soon?
Aye no problem. Thanks a lot.
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