Tim Langham

It is with a very heavy heart that we have had the sad news of the loss of our friend, and friend to so many…..Tim Langham.

An absolute gent, not a bad bone in his body, totally devoted to the sidecar community and the teams he joined and supported. Tim could answer virtually any question on sidecars, he’d help whenever he possibly could and was a true friend to many people. His race reports were legendary, knowledgeable on all the circuits and teams was first class. The life and soul of any party and loved to see everyone happy.

I don’t think he really knew how loved he was but there will be a massive hole in everyone’s hearts and in the sidecar paddock.

Rest in Peace Tim.

110 Draw Winners!

Huge congratulations to ……….

KEVIN AND ELAINE DAVIS of K-Tech Consulting

Absolutely made up for you both to receive our awesome prize and look forward to seeing you at one of our short circuit meetings during the FSRA British Championship or another of the meetings on our calendar. Obviously hope you both can make the Isle of Man TT again, where we’d love to welcome you to a bite and a beverage!

Moving forward

We’re now trying to sort out plans for 2024, which always comes around quicker than we expect! As usual, the team will be looking to do the roads…. the main event of the year for Real Racing is the TT, also the Southern 100, but we plan to contest the FSRA British Championship once again with Ben Binns in the chair for our third season together. We are hoping that Matthew Rostron will be on board for the roads again as he and Wayne have a great bond on the outfit and know what each needs to do to get great results at the TT, the Southern 100 and any other circuits the duo should want to enter. Matthew and Lisa have had an extremely exciting year, not only have they welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world, Reggie Rostron, but they have also got engaged!!! Such fantastic news and we wish you both all the love and best wishes for your future together!

There is quite a huge change for the outfit as we will be upgrading our engines, something we feel is essential to be more competitive. We have been using some of the oldest engines in the modern F2 paddock and although they have proved to be strong, (except for 2022!) we feel the later engines will be much more of a challenge for the podiums, but more so for the confidence to get back to a decent pace. We have a great engine builder on board and with TT rules possibly changing to standard next year, we have more options in place.

The end of the British Championship finished with the team in very solid 5th place, finishing all of the races we started, which is the total opposite to 2022 and we are so pleased to end on a positive! For those that don’t know what happened last season, the top and bottom of it was an electrical problem which was, in effect, discovered in a sub section of the whole electrical system that runs the bike. It’s quite complicated to find and sort out as you try everything and this was one area that wasn’t covered. We were totally beaten by it last year, and to be honest, we were so close to throwing the towel in, but thankfully we had so much support from so many people, which gave us the determination to continue.

Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone of our sponsors and supporters, friends and family……

Ted, Doc, John Fisher, Steve Caffyn, Boris, Horst, Dirty Weekender, Saunders Metals, Mike Guinness, Pete Ireland, Clive Wadey, Nitron, Pete Alton, all of the 110 CLUB…. I will be announcing the winner of the end of season prize before Christmas! To the many people behind the scenes, Phil, John, Helen, Nikki, Miley, Kieran, Lisa, Barry, Pauline, Trevor and all the Photographers, Neil Jones, Mike Yiend, Tracy, Brian, the mad leprechaun, Manx photos….. the list goes on……. You support so many teams and we thank you.

The FSRA awards evening was an absolute blast this year, Ben joined us from the Island, Phil came for the first time, he is also now voted in as the scruteneer for the championship 2024 as John Smith is retiring, although we all know he won’t be able to keep away, which we’re happy about! The paddock wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t show up!

Both Wayne and Ben both were awarded trophies for their achievements and dedication through the 2023 FSRA Season, very honoured and thank you to the committee for their vote, hard work and continuing support for all the teams. We look forward to another positive season.

KnockhiLl - the final

A long trek up to the Scottish circuit on the Thursday, arriving in the evening and there was already a few teams set up. We wouldn’t be seeing Ben, John and Helen until later on Friday but Phil was there and set up as he was helping with the scrutineering.

Testing on Friday with Louisa on board, she loving her role as team test passenger and is an absolute star at it too. Although Louisa doesn’t feel ready to compete in an actual race, her ability to go at a very tidy pace with Wayne, gives him the opportunity to test new components, or run and engine in. We’re really proud of her and can see her having a great future with the team. Thank you Louisa….. you’re ace!

The Jock Taylor Trophy meeting was the last round this season for us as a team, after what has been, a hugely enjoyable year with some awesome racing, fantastic results and great company. Saturday was a beaut of a day, dry all around and ready for qualifying….

Good track time, outfit running well, tyres weren’t too bad but we had Waltham Tyres in the paddock looking after all the teams. James and his gang have supported the FSRA championship all year and we would like to thank them for all of their dedication and hard work. Good luck with the new tyres and we’ll see you in the new year!

So we qualified mid pack but it was ok as Wayne and Ben wanted to enjoy this last round and not be under too much pressure for a top place but to just get a good finish in both races. So far we have finished every race we’ve started and that is a huge achievement as every race can present unexpected challenges and you never know if you’ll cross the finish line…… we’re as proud as push so far!

Race one was cut short due to an incident and as it was less than the championship rule laps amount, we weren’t sure if it would be called but it was. The boys were placed at 10th and it was another finish under our belts.

Sunday, again, great conditions…… last race for us and a last minute visor issuer for Ben left us a bit panicked to get out until Phil came to the rescue and fixed it just in time! Some fantastic racing out on circuit, close between the front 4/5 teams and Wayne and Ben having their own battle back in 10th place. A new back tyre gave the perfect grip after a problem with it in Saturdays race meant we needed to change it regardless of it being the last race. As they crossed the finish line we screamed and cheered as we had completed the full Championship with 15 starts and 15 finishes, one of only two teams to achieve this task and so a huge well done to Wayne and Ben, also Steve and Matty Ramsden for completing the full 15 too.

The team effort we have put in this year, as always, has been first class. From the short circuits to the roads, behind the scenes has ran smoothly with the help of Phil, John and Helen, Louisa, each and every one of our supporters and sponsors…….. we most definitely cannot achieve these results without you.

Cadwell Park the Battle of Britain

Back to Cadwell Park for the penultimate round of the British Championship, no test day so straight into qualifying for the the team on Saturday. With Ben and the family back in camp we got off to a pretty good start but stayed mid pack for and qualified 7th with a reasonable lap time of 1.42.310.

After a long afternoon we cracked on for what was going to be a full grid of competitive teams raring to go! Wayne and Ben had a good start and throughout the race they had a few exciting moments with some close racing they finished a solid 7th with a better lap time of 1.40.958, an impressive step up from the last lap time around Cadwell. Happy Team!

Sunday, was again, a long wait until the afternoon for the race but everything was ready for the green light. Some fast boys out there again and Wayne and Ben did and awesome job putting in great lap times and enjoying the race. Finishing in 7th , 1.40.700 lap time, a consistent and positive weekend. Well done to Pete and Jean for sealing the British super cup Championship and Brian and Arlo for nailing the British cup Championship. For Real Racing it means 13/13 races so far…. Not too shabby eh! The last round at one of favourites, Knockhill, a long way but an awesome circuit and well supported club, some sidecar royalty to be there too!

Cadwell Park sidecar revival

Arriving at the Lincolnshire circuit on the Thursday ready for testing on the Friday with Louisa in the chair. Wayne had worked hard to get the fresh number 2 TT engine in and we had a new set of tyres to scrub in before racing on Saturday with Ben. Louisa loves this circuit and is quietly confident as she settles in for the first couple of laps, Wayne always keeps an eye on her but he knows she is respectful of the speed and always learns the circuits before she goes out. Happy with the sessions and the engine, we had chief mechanical man Phil Bridge with us this weekend refuelling and helping with all the race preparations. Ben, John, Helen and Kieran arrived Friday evening after a long trip for the IOM again, great to see them, time to chill before a weekend of positive racing.

The weather wasn’t forecast to be to great so we were hoping it would blow over, however, we were dodging the showers which were getting heavier each hour!

After a vey messed up race day, delays and incidents, we were unable to start any of our races so they had to be postponed until Sunday which meant only the qualifying session took place and the team will start the race in 12th on the grid. A full grid of 21 outfits combined with poor track conditions, but we were just looking to get out there and get some great racing in.

Sunday saw a much better day weather wise but there was still some wet patches around the circuit so a good start was needed. Wayne loves a good start and Cadwell is one of his favourite circuits, proving the duo with some excellent overtaking and tactical cornering with a solid 6th place with a lap time of 1.41.271. Still some time to make up but a great race.

With our race cancellations on Saturday, we had the challenge of 3 x 16 lap races on Sunday, not only hard on the outfit but very tiring for Wayne and Ben, a few energy drinks needed and plenty of water as the sun decided to beat down on everyone instead of rain!

Race 2 was just as exciting, a good start and pulled a couple of places up at the front, just losing a place on the last couple of laps seeing the team finish well in 6th place, lap time of 1.41.271. One race to go, last one of the day…. going to be a rush back to port for Ben and his family and hopefully we’ll have a last final push for some championship points. Topped up with fuel, outfit and team, they go out for their last race, the postponed race from Saturday…….. the team had a good start, hot and tired, pushed through as hard as they could, with some great competition from Conrad and Horsepole, Wayne and Ben managed to pull a place back up but had to settle for a 9th place finish.

Thank you to BEMSEE and Mike Dommet for hosting the event, medics, marshals, all the team for a cracking weekend full of great racing, even if it was pretty much crammed into one day! One of the hardest days racing this year!

See you back at Cadwell for round 6, The Battle of Britain.

Anglesey Round 4

FSRA round 4 was held at the North Wales circuit on Anglesey, hosted by the Wirral 100 club, without the chief cook and bottle washer, Lynda, but Louisa was on hand to help Helen with the behind the scenes jobs.

The team were ready to go after the lack of racing at the Southern 100 due to sad circumstances at the event, with the TT engine still in, Wayne and Ben were looking forward to some competitive racing. Weather was good, windy as usual for this challenging circuit, but sunny and dry. Qualifying classification saw the team on the grid at 7th place with a lap time of 1.16.636 and with refuelling done they were set for the first race. Again, great track conditions and they picked up a couple of places with a well driven team finishing their first race in 5th place with a lap time of 1.16.012. The tyres were a bit on the tired side but they’d be able to finish the second race on Sunday and push them to limit, saving a new set for the next round.

Sundays race was toward the end of the day, race 25, the team were ready and raring to go. They set off the grid in 7th as the first 6 were reversed as in the rules for this series. Some fast racing and exciting cornering by Wayne and Ben had them being mentioned by many as they pushed through worn tyres and an engine that was on its limit, giving the outfits in front and behind an even tougher race! After 16 laps the boys finished a strong 7th place with a lap time of 1.16.068, and despite not finishing higher, they had really enjoyed the race and were on great form when they came in. Very proud of the team, raced hard, enjoyed the weekend and picked up some more points for their championship challenge.

Many thanks to the host club, medics, Marshall’s and everyone behind the scenes who makes it all happen!

See you all at Cadwell Park for round 5.

Sothern 100 - 2023

We begin the journey to the Island at 02.15am, an unsociable hour but exciting as its always great to get back to our favourite place! With Matty and Lisa on board the same ferry, we all arrived at the same time which was great for setting up camp. Ben brought the awning down the next day, which Wayne was really pleased about….. Ha Ha! The camp was set and the only job to do on the bike was to fuel up and check everything. Sunday was the church service and memorial laps which has always been something that Wayne has liked to be a part of for many years, so when the vicar rang Ben and asked if he might get a lift to church with Wayne, how could he refuse! At 2.30pm, the vicar, John Coldwell was suited and booted ready to go! Ben and Matty were on pole position for the solo section on the Benelli, it really was a scene from a very popular comedy film!! Wayne and John led the way and with the vicar holding tight they completed the 2 laps at the church ready for the service. A lovely service to remember all the fallen riders, families, friends and give blessings to all who continue to enjoy 2 and 3 wheels.

It was with a very firm hand shake that the vicar passed on his appreciation to Wayne for the ‘experience of his life’ and ' im sure he will forever be a three wheeling fan!!

Monday was first practice day for solos and sidecars, we are the last session usually so are always holding out for good weather during the earlier sessions. However, the sky had different ideas and decided to drop the wet stuff around the circuit, which caused a few issues for the solos and meant there was various incidents putting a delay on all the practice laps. To any of the solos involved in the incidents/red flag situations, we wish you well. Sidecars were in the holding area ready to go but the light was fading fast and they wernt going to be able to get our session out in time so the team brought the outfit back to the awning and waited for the next day.

Tuesdays weather was much better, a lovely day with all competitors enjoying the Manx sunshine at various places around the Island, all looking forward to tonights session. The newcomer sidecar teams went out for their laps and all was looking good for the rest of the grid to be out at 7.45pm for the revised schedule, meaning we could have 2 practice/timed qualifying sessions in one night.

Scruteneering completed, all ready in the holding area and they were let out… heading down to the holding lane to join the circuit when a huge crash happened on the start/finish line and it was chaos. Marshals running around everywhere, people upset and then a marshal ran past shouting ‘Red Flag!’

The sidecars were turned back to the holding bay as we waited for news. It was a very upsetting and tense time for many people, especially those on scene and witnesses. The news came to us that we would not be out as there was a heavy police and ambulance presence, sadly there were 2 fatalities. Our thoughts, strength and love go out to all involved. R.I.P

Wednesday was going to be race day but the road was still closed for ongoing investigations and a meeting with the Southern 100 Club and the riders/passengers saw the unfortunate but necessary decision to cancel the rest of the meeting. A very difficult and distressing decision for George, and his team, but we all understood.

Its a sport that brings us immense highs and for some, terrifying lows, but we love our sport….. 2 wheels or 3….. everyone knows the risks and sometimes, accidents do happen that no one can forsee. These heros of the roads would not want the sport they loved to be marred by their deaths, but for others to carry on and ride for them, watch for them and keep the road races alive with the noise they lived for.

I end this report with a big thank you to the Southern 100 club for all its hard work and dedication from its members. We will be back to support you.

Wayne taking the vicar, John Coldwell to church!

No pre lap nerves here!!

Wayne and John lead with Matty and Ben on the Benelli following close behind!

A beautiful day out in Port Erin.

The Binns clan and Louisa

Oulton Park ..... FRSA round 3

Back in the chair for Ben Binns at the third round of the FSRA British Championship at Oulton Park. A one day meeting so alot to fit in and we have Phil Bridge back in the camp for his team support, keeping the outfit up together, clean and fuelled! Very hot weekend, with temperatures up to late 20’s early 30’s so we’ve a job on our hands to keep the outfit cool and the driver and passenger.

Engine still strong from the TT so only the gearing needed changing then out for timed practice/qualifying. A good grid with plenty of competition, a little bit of a hold up before they started so temperatures under the lids was rising but then they went off. Keeping it steady for the first couple of laps then giving it some beans for as much as track time would allow. Qualified 11th which is a bit under where we wanted to be but we’d got time to make up and after having a look round the outfit we found an small issue which needed resolving, once Phil, Wayne and John had got that sorted, which was an easy fix, everything was spot on.

Out for the 1st race ….. again, small delay on the start line which meant that the heat was getting to everyone, but the lights went out and they were off. A strong start by Real Racing, navigating their way through the grid to complete 8 laps in 5th place with a very happy Bob and Binzy!

2nd race later in the afternoon, a reverse grid to start, which didn’t move our position so had no affect us, but a good start from the team. Heading into Druids, Wayne was pushing hard and the breaking point crept up on him a bit quicker than expected, the heat was so intense he was burning his hands with the heat from the discs, resulting in a trip into the kitty litter! A very lucky recovery for the boys, managing to keep the outfit going and getting back out on circuit, despite it being a close shave!! A finish under their belt in 11th place, certainly not the position we were aiming for but its was a finish!

Huge thanks to Ben, Helen and John for their dedication to the team, travelling from the Isle of Man for each round, many thanks to Phil for his team support and much needed hands on help, thank you too Kev Jones for the recent support you bring to the team, pleasure to have you on board.

The next outing for the team will be back on the Isle of Man for the Southern 100 with Matty Rostron back in the chair. We’ll look forward to seeing you all there.

Heading out for practice

Wayne and Ben

TT 2023

Arrived on the island early morning…. Set up in the bottom paddock next to Mark Parrot and Robbie Silvester, Helen and Mack! 🐾 The weather forecast was looking promising and we were looking forward to some fast, safe and exciting racing! A number of teams, mainly solos, we’re missing from the paddock due to incidents in previous races and we wish them all well on their recovery.

Matty arrived with Lisa and the lads went to signing on, The sidecar grid was probably one of its lowest for many years and we really need to get it back up to some decent numbers.

Mondays practice was all set off ok and then we had the news that the engine had let go leaving Snugborough, heading for Union Mills in top at full chat! Television footage showed the smoke pouring out of the bike but Wayne managed to pull it in at the Railway without any oil being lost anywhere! So gutted as this is not the news we expected! The lads got back to the paddock and the outfit returned later on the recovery vehicle.

Very deflated, we got on the phone to Mike Cash, our main man with the engines, to give his verdict….. a piston had gone but Mike was sure he could fix it on site and was heading to the Island on the next ferry! Wayne changed the engine and we missed Tuesdays practice, however, when Mike arrived, he and Wayne got onto the data and discovered that there was still a problem. After a long phone call to Pete Alton, the map was changed and the motor was running as smooth and sweet as ever. Wednesday nights practice went ahead and under perfect conditions, Wayne and Matty had a lap under their belt!

Practice

Catching up with the Binns, Noel Beare, Helen, John, Patrick Farrance and the rest of the clan, we had a lush evening of BBQ, beverages and bonfire!

Dan, Ben and Bens hero… Patrick Farance!

Noel Beare and Nikki-Leigh

Qualifying 3, The team went off ok but the news came in that they had retired at Rhencullen! What now?!!! After an arduous wait, we found out that it was only the lanyard which had come out and Wayne was able to fix it without any outside assistance! they asked the marshal if they could continue at race pace, not coasting, but the message came back as a ‘NO’!

At the end of the session, Wayne was told to follow the course car back and keep up, so he did, although the journey back became a little confusing and very frustrating, eventually the team got back to the paddock.

Qualifying 4 ….. Up to scuteneering, all looking spot on then they found a fuel leak!!! Back down to the awning and fixed that only to fid that the engine was flooded, then to top it all, the battery was flat!! if you was superstitious, you probably wouldnt of gone out at this point, but with Mike, Ben, Wayne and Matty doing absolutly everything to resolve the problems, they got the bike back through scruteneering just before the session lane was about to close!

We wouldnt of done all of this work so quickly and calmly without the mega support from Ben and Mike! Huge thank you boys!

Dirty Weekender Campervan Conversions… Jonny and Katie

Saturday, Race day

Starting #16, two places in front from our initial #18…….25 on the start line… Race delayed due to an incident on the mountain.

Off the start line and away down Bray Hill…. Wayne and Matty were looking to do a steady first lap, 2nd flying lap and the 3rd to bring her home with a good pace. After a slight hold up behind a couple of outfits, Wayne managed to over take and find open road to get on. They were putting in some excellent lap times, 108, 110 and an average for the race of a 107.069.

After the full 3 laps, the team came back with a very solid and creditable 7th place. Absolutely excellent. The outfit seemed to be running very well and Wayne and Matty were made up to of done the 110 again, though a first fastest time for Matty!!

Photo credit to Neil Jones, Crovan Images

We also had the 4th fastest time through the speed trap! Some going that team!

4th fastest through the speed trap!

We also had the honour of James Hillier taking the drivers seat although from his reaction I think he prefers 2 wheels!! Thank you James, apparently Ben was a bit happy to be your passenger!

Huge weldone to Wayne and Matthew, They deserved this for all the hard work and dedication of working as a team. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Ben for helping out so much, Mike for dropping everything and getting to us to fix things, and the rest of the team for your unwavering support. We cant do it without any of you……

At the awards ceremony, Team boss, Miley, decided she would make a star appearance to help the lads collect their replicas and she seemed very comfortable up on stage!!

A day off to enjoy Laxey beach with Louisa, Taylor, Nikki-Leigh, Miley, Dean and Vicky and the kids….. oh, and Deans film crew!! Just one of the best places on the island for me.

We had a one lap dash before the second race, to get any outfit adjustments done, if needed, and to set us up for the second race. No problems for us and we were ready for the big day, Race 2.

My long time mate Woody, came to the island to watch the racing and I was over the moon when he said he’d be able to come to the start line for the race. It was a lovely tribute to an old friend and an exciting day for Woody to be a part of.

Setting off down Bray Hill for Race 2, sponsored by Nitron Suspension, in #16 place again, which was not the right place for the team, considering they’d had a faster lap time than some of the teams placed in front of them, but Wayne and Matty did everything they could to keep it on the noise and pass others where possibly. Times picked up and the team achieved another two 110 mph laps and finally managed to get a strong 9th place finish with an average time of 108.988, a little under what Wayne wanted but a solid and safe race. Huge congratulations to all the finishers and all who took part, even if it didn’t quite give you the result you wanted. Karl Schofield and Dave Quirk, wishing you a very speedy recovery from your little incident.

Lets get the sidecar grid back to its healthy numbers… we need more three wheels out there on the TT circuit, Southern 100 and all races. Support the sidecars.

We had one of the worst TT’s last year and one of our best this year…… we couldn’t of wished for better weather, fantastic racing and an incredible team, held together by some amazing supporters and sponsors.

W.M.B Logistics, Dirty Weekender Campervans, Nitron Suspension, Dorn Hill Machinery, TED, John Fisher, Kev Packer Body Shop, CSC Racing, Marin Motorsport, Paxford Garage, Jacko, Chris Beauman and all the Three Wheeling Media Team, all of the 110 Club members and every single one who supports us from near or far.

Thank you…….

James Hillier with Binzy in the chair!

What a team!!

Three Wheeling’s Chris and Hayley presenting the team with their replicas.

Now that’s what you call a dream team!

Woody…… my good friend, with Wayne just after race 2.

The team in action.

Thanks to WMB Logistics for your support.

Love this.

DONNINGTON Park

Great weekend at the East Midlands circuit, Ben, Miley, John and Helen over from the Island with Phil helping the team with prep work. Practice was steady away, the bike wasn’t quite up to speed but Wayne was staying out of the main group as we’ve got the TT only a couple of weeks away. Qualifying time was down the pack, a little disappointing but we had some progress to make up.

Race 1 saw the team taking a cautious approach and keep a steady lap time to hold onto mid pack position. Moving through the grid they had a solid finish and needed to tweak the fuel and change a tyre.

Sundays race was early again which is great for Ben and his family as they can get back to the ferry on time. A breather problem was resolved on Sunday morning, Phil, Wayne and John made a new tank and the engine seemed to respond much better, the proof would be in the race!

A better race with an improved position but still not where we’d like to be. However, we have to make some more small adjustments to the electrical system and prepare for the Isle of Man, so the coming weeks are going to prove really eventful and hopefully rewarding.

Thanks so much to all of our supporters, big, small, old and new….. we will be giving it our all as we usually do and will be be back for Oulton Park for the next round on the 24th June.

TT review will be added as we go and the team hope to have a fast, safe and successful trip to the island for TT 2023!

Charming!!!! 🤣

Lovely to see Marion there too, the paddock is not the same without you!!!

110 Club NEW members!

Big shout out to our new members of the fantastic 110 Club!

Margies Munchies… Jacko

Home Run Pizza …. Isle of Man

Andy Smith

Francis and Janice Johnson

Huge thank you to all our supporters, old and new! Glad to have you on board and look forward to seeing you at one of the meetings! Don’t forget the end of season draw for a goodie bag, tickets to a short circuit meeting of your choice within our race calendar and a surprise in the post!!

33 days until the TT 2023 and Donnington Park for the next round of the British Championship on 13/14th May. Keep checking in on the website for updates and follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.

Get well soon John!!

A message for our great friend John Fisher…… get well soon lovely….. we need you in the paddock in May and beyond! If you need anything that we can help with, just call one of us, mainland or on the island and we will try our hardest to sort it. We love you lots and look forward to seeing you soon. xx

Croft round 1 FSRA BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday night long haul trip to Darlington to set up for the first round of the British F2 Championship. Arrived at 10pm to find an already 1/3 full paddock, got a spot for us all, ready for Friday testing.

Louisa on for the day, not too nervous though the track was a little wet in places so Wayne just took it steady. The British F2 race engine was put in on Wednesday, Dyno on Thursday with our Ben and ready for running in Friday. That’s some weeks work Wayne put in to get to the circuit! He gets 90% of this done on his own so all credit to him for his dedication to this sport!

First test session….. all good, Louisa’s enjoyed it and ready to go again, engine sound, refuel and away they go. Pace up a little but track still slightly damp in places, plenty out on circuit, a lot on quite a fast pace so Wayne stays out the way. It’s only testing!! Last session, cut short. Its all complete for the engine to be ran in properly, both driver and passenger happy.

Awning up ready for Ben, John and Helen and Phil to arrive later.

Saturday first out for warm up, Ben and Wayne out for the first time since not finishing hardly any races last year together! A nerve racking time but she sounds good and the boys look strong together, getting a feel for it again at a proper pace. Qualifying next, not at full tilt yet so setting off near the back which is fine as there’s alot of over keen folks out there! Race 1…. 2nd to last on the grid, race away…. Good times coming through, outfit running strong….. finishing at 14th with 1.34.095 on a damp track.

A steady start and the time isn’t that far off but the team will pull up a gear for the next race on Sunday.

Sunday was a bit better weather, beautiful sunshine but a chilly wind, warm up for the FSRA was first and because we needed to qualify Matty for the open race, Ben sat this practice out and let Matty go out instead. What a team !!! Thanks Ben!

Open race out first for our Sunday race schedule…… a good solid race, plenty of outfits up there and Wayne and Matty smashed it together with a 6th place . Weldone boys, TT signatures complete!

Pictures below are Louisa and Wayne!

Second FSRA race with Ben…. Pulled it up a notch and the boys were making their way through the grid. Riding well together and making up for list time in the last 12 months! Some good battles and some close shaves but al in all a cracking race….. coming in at 12th with an improved time of 1.32.542.

Weldone to all who took part, Pete Founds who smashed the lap record, a huge huge shout out to Jake Lowther who sustained a back injury after an incident in the second open race. Mend soon young man.

I can’t leave this weekend report without an enormously sad heart for a very tiny special little lady….. Freya. Matthew’s neice who was born a week ago, suffered complications during birth and was very poorly in hospital. We all felt a huge and overwhelmingly sense of love for this beautiful baby, but for all our prayers, she was called to heaven and left a huge hole in many hearts. Our thoughts are with Matthew’s sister and partner, and all the family.

For the other happier side of life…… here’s a finishing photo.

Thank so much again, and as always to John and Helen, Ben, Matty and Phil….. Louisa, Taylor and Kay. All of our sponsors and supporters….. thank you!

Next round, Donnington Park, round 2 FSRA. Get your butts there and support us!!

Darley Moor

Arrived at the circuit just before dark, it’s not far from Mallory Park so not too bad of a journey. Matty and Lisa were in their way and Phil was following us up later. Wet and windy on a Saturday for practice and it seemed wet we’re doomed again with a problem with some tapping noise in the engine….. on the phone to our man Mike Cash who diagnosed it down the phone and came to the rescue!! Absolute legend….

New cam chain sensor fitted, new chain and a clutch change and we were ready for the race on Sunday!

After hanging around in the rain and muddy paddock on Saturday, we needed a dry track for Sunday to get the signature completed. Luckily, the sun dance worked and it all seemed to dry up a treat!

A full grid with plenty of good competition, saw Wayne and Matty start from near the back after a slower qualifying lap, and they worked their way up to a strong 7th place finish. Weekend complete and to top it all, Matty was out on his solo as well for the weekend and he finished a very fine 2nd place….. beating brother in law Mark after a hold up in the paddock corner forced him off grid!

Louisa’s bruises starting to colour up and the aching kicks in but still not put off and she’s ready for testing at Croft next week! 💪🏻👊🏻

Next round is 1/2 April, Croft with Binzy for the 1st round of the FSRA British Championship and an open club race for Matty on the Sunday.

Great to seen Barry, Louis for being pit bitch for Matty, Phil for his continued support, Mike for dropping everything to come and repair the motor….. everyone else who’s supporting us too. Thank you

Dates so far

We’ve got some short circuits booked in and Waynes getting ready for a dyno visit very soon. Dates are so far:-

Mallory Park testing with Louisa on the 24th March

Darley Moor with Matty for his TT signature 25/26th March

Croft with Ben FSRA F2 Championship 1/2nd April, Matty 1 club race for TT signature and Louisa for her 1st club race.

Croft is going to be very challenging and exciting, hopefully we have good weather, safe racing and a successful trip.

Looking forward to getting going and we’re really happy to be back for another year after the disappointment of all of the engine failures in 2022. As a team we are stronger than ever, we do need financial support to help to get this year off to a great start and to continue throughout the season. Our 110 club is always an easy way to show your support, just contact the team

Mallory Park Testing & DarLey Moor

Test day on the Friday was exciting in many ways, firstly it was just fantastic to be back in the paddock and seeing all the crews again, but also, it was Louisa’s first time out as an official, novice passenger, helping Wayne out for testing and set up! A very proud moment, even if I was slightly nervous, it’s something she’s grown up with and has been determined to give it a go!

The weather was changeable but they managed to get out in the dry for the first session. Phil Bridge was on hand to look after the outfit along side Wayne and Taylor Oldroyd was there to support Louisa! Kay kept me company and kept me calm…. Thank you !!

The engine had been set up on the dyno the day before and our Motec man joined Wayne to set up a new map and get all the gremlins out that prevented us from having any kind of success last year!!

Session 2 was better, a little faster on the straight sections and teaching Louisa how to move with the outfit in the corners. It was clear that the pace was up but she was managing it very well……. Right up to the last lap of the session! Coming through the bus stop, there was a slower outfit in front and Wayne had to change the race line briefly to avoid any closeness, Louisa didn’t pre empt this and missed her handle, taking a tumble on the exit! Although she was narrowly missed by following machines, she jumped up and got off the track, seemingly unhurt and shrugged it off!

Wayne got back to the pits and waited for news, the session stopped as medics needed to get on track to check her out. Back at the med centre, all checks complete, Louisa was bruised up, but quite adamant that she was fine, so much so that she was keen to go back out after a couple of hours rest! Some girl that!! Wayne was concerned that the shower of rain had made the track to greasy and didn’t want to risk going out again as it would almost definitely slip and potentially shake Louisa up after the last episode! A wise choice to call it a day and be very thankful that no major harm was done and Louisa’s confidence as well as health, was still in tact!

Great to see Horst and Bertie…… I’m sure they can’t quite believe Louisa’s brave enough to get out there!

Time to pack up and head off to Darley Moor to get a TT signature with Matty Rostron.

Louisa’s passed!

WOW! What can I say?! Louisa’s only gone and passed her ACU license test so she can now passenger at novice club level!!! There’s a huge part of me that is so excited and so proud of her, a little bit that’s a bit on the nervous side!! I know she has the ability, the right teachers around her in the team and a very race conscious attitude! She’s going to be great!! Good luck my beauty…… 🥰🏁🫣

110 club winner

Well done to Wayne and Carol on winning the 110 club end of season draw!! Absolutely made up for you and we look forward to seeing you at one if our short circuit meetings!

Thanks so much for your support.

Engine Man Mike

Big shout out to the guy who has been looking after our motors and getting just as frustrated as us about what kept blowing them up! Luckily, we’re finally on the right track and have resolved the issue, only 7 engines too late!! Mike Cash, you’ve been amazing an we’re so grateful that you’ve had faith in us and stood by us all year. Looking forward to working with you for another season! Thank you so much Mike! (and Eric!)

Horst…… We haven’t forgotten to mention our lovely friend and engine man Horst, who is recovering well from his medical issues and hopes to be doing ‘a little bit’ of light engine work in the future, haircut permitting!!