Real Racing are very excited to welcome on board this season CTL Motor Company near Cirencester. Check out the stunning array of quality bikes and cars currently for sale and on show. First class cafe on site too serving breakfasts, hot food and drinks throughout the day. Scan the QR code for a direct link to their website!
IMS Racing ltd
We’re very pleased and proud to announce that we have continued support from IMS Racing ltd, Stephen Caffyn….. who will also be the title sponsor for Race 2 at the TT. As a close friend of the extended team, we cannot thank you enough!
Mallory
Wondering if it was worth the one days racing, Ben, understandably, was nervous to travel with the great distance again knowing full well things weren’t 100%, however, we said…. ‘its up to you, we’ll give it our all and kick its ass!’…… so they all came and thank god they did! Going steady in the first race, Wayne wanted to make sure the handling to right, suspension was better and running a new engine in after the problems at Croft. A solid finish, no prizes but confidence gained. Race 2….. BETTER….. What a change and what a result…… 6th place. Much happier team, actually thought I saw Wayne smile at one point, and Ben was so pleased he was there, of course we were too! Massive turn around for the team and we have some substantial changes to make to the outfit over the next few weeks along side our friend and engineer, Gus!
Croft - round 1
A cold and sunny start to Saturdays events, Ben and family arrived Friday evening as did Matty, full team meeting! Qualifying for both saw Ben and Wayne in 11th and Matty and Wayne in 8th……. different teams to be up against so no pressure to beat each other boys!!
Wayne and Matthew had a DNS for their first race so we had work to do. 8th place in their second race was, at least the finish they needed. Ben and Wayne finished in a disappointing 13th with clutch problem that let the team down and that was more than frustrating as everything was running well. Hence they couldn’t get out in time for the second after Matty and Wayne had pushed hard to finish with the slipping clutch to get the signature on Sundays racing. Really tough mentally for everyone to start off on a sour note again but we will not give up! Round 2 at Mallory Park, 2 races in one day….. busy busy!
matty and wayne going out
Ben and Wayne out in FSRA race
2025...... New Season
Here we are again…. to do it all over again with the force and determination of a bulldog, and hopefully without the problems! We’re making a start to the season with another trip out to Mallory Park for a test day to get Matthew settled back in, as he’s kindly agreed to be our number 1 road man for a third season and we’re over the moon! With Ben joining us for his third season along side Wayne in the British Championship, we have our dedicated team back together. New leathers have been ordered from Scott Leathers, expensive job for 3 team members but we know we’ll have great quality and first class safety, not to mention I’ve designed them this time so hopefully they’ll look the mutts!
Made some radical changes to the suspension which didn’t work as Wayne found out travelling backwards, full tilt round Gerards then again coming out of the esses with a side flip and spin! well held by both Wayne and Matty but not for the faint hearted…… needless to say it need further adjustments in the opposite direction! Next outing was much better, control was back although the vibration is still with us! Just doesn’t want to go…… We’ve got the first of our FSRA British Championship rounds coming up next and need some resolve asap. Ben will join us for the championship race and Matty for the club race in preparation for the TT.
Mallory Park
EMRA were hosting the last round for 2024 and we’d like to finish the year on a positive! Initial set up change for different passenger first and additional suspension and tyre pressure alterations to see if it helps. Qualifying was better on the iconic short circuit and they had a 3rd place on the grid with a time of 59.298…. Race 1 finished with a better time of 57.591 in 3rd place.
Race 2….. 4th place with a 57.612…. a couple of close calls with a near coming together at Gerards meant they lost a place but no harm done and we’ve finished the day, the season and 2024…… finally…… its been a bit like that!
Many thanks to Matty, on the roads, and short circuits, all of his supporters, Lisa and Reggie, Barry and Pauline and everyone that has helped the team throughout the year. Truly grateful and sorry we did not achieve our potential but we all get to go home to our loved ones and race another year, so for that we are eternally grateful!
Southern 100
Probably one of Waynes’ favorite races of the year…. set down on the Billown course in Castletown, its a awesome circuit and very challenging for the sidecars! Set up in the paddock with Matthew on board.. hoping for good weather and better racing. The vibration issue seems to be slightly improved on the roads due to the nature of the surface of the track being pretty bumpy anyway, so its not quite such an issue, although Wayne and Matty are more than aware its still there. Practice sessions have gone ok, nothing to jump up and down about but fairly happy with it all. Had a bit of bad weather which halted play for the race so 2 races to be held in one day, tomorrow!
Race one……. 11/07/24……… 93.623 ….. 8th place
Race 2 ……..11/07/24……..95.240……..7th place
Not too shabby but no where near where the team should be….. glad to of had a safe and successful Southern 100 though! Again, so many thanks its impossible to remember everyone, but we truly are forever grateful for your support, and will always give it our best!
Next round is at Castle Coombe….. see you there!
Knockhill
A lovely drive up to this beautiful part of the world! The air is so clean and fresh…. I love it! Its turning out to be one of Waynes’ favorite short circuits and Louisa is enjoying testing here too. The last round of the FSRA 2024…. its been a season of many ups and downs….again!
Wayne knows that there’s a possibility of this being a bit of a wasted journey due to the problems we’re having, but both him and Ben have committed to the championship and each other and will not let either down.
Race 1 was pretty mid range with a 3 second loss on time from the leaders…. however, they had a finish despite ongoing issues. over the next few hours, the team had lots of ‘advice’ from other teams, experts, and professionals, all of which were still left scratching their heads at not being able to help fix the problem!
We didn’t get out for race 2 on Sunday…. to be fair, there’s no point in wearing an engine out when the prize was unobtainable! Wayne and Ben have tried absolutely everything to get the problem of front end vibration sorted, but no further forward!
Real Racing still has a meeting to go at Mallory Park with Matty to aim for TT 2025…… but we would like to say a huge thank you to Ben and his family, Helen and John for all the support, travelling, commitment throughout the season, Nikki-Leigh for letting Ben come to race with us…. and all of the Manx supporters that have helped Ben and the team through this very trying year!
Donnington
Litrally a week after Croft and we’re at Donnington! Ben, Nikki and Miley, hot off the plane and with John and Helen here to get them all sorted, we’ve got to pull a better result out this weekend!
Qualifying was disappointing, still some vibration issues but the boys did their best to get 11th ready for the race grid. No change in the race position either…. an 11th place finish. You cannot begin to imagine how disheartening this is for us all, least of all Wayne who works tirelessly on the outfit to fix and solve issues, and for Ben and his family who travel so far for what has become a mid range ride!
Race 2 on Sunday wasn’t meant to be and they didn’t get out on the grid due to the extremity of the problem, we have to put safety first! Thank you to everyone for your help and understanding!
Croft
Matty joined us for this round as Ben was dragged off on a sunny holiday with his girls!! We know he’s enjoying it and he’s certainly earned it! A change of passenger settings on the outfit and we’re ready for the off…. Having a good race but getting held up by a clever blocking technique by another team, always very annoying, however, got past on second to last lap to take a finish in 9th place….. 4 seconds off the leaders…. still vibration problems but driving on!
Race 2, Sunday….. absolutely awful finish…. way down in 10th…… handling, blocking….. and generally disappointing overall….. sorry team…. we can only do so much!! A huge thank you to Matty for stepping in…. it can only get better!!
Cadwell Sidecar Revival
Always a great weekend run by BEMSEE, lots of track time and a full paddock…. F1’s, F2’s, Classics, pre injection, Bears…. alsorts out on track…. a great weekends racing! Louisa on board friday test day, needless to say she absolutely nailed it and loved it!
With Ben on board, the boys went out for qualifying and prepped for their first race of the weekend. Still not 100% happy with the handling when hard braking but its something Wayne and Ben decide to deal with and cope with safely….. Race 7 of the day but our 1st, a 7th place but down on time due to the issues, 1.42.640……
Sunday was a little better with a race finish of 6th place an a slight improvement in time to a 1.41.533…. Its more than frustrating as the team are so much better than these times and places…. we are desperately trying to resolve this! We have literally replaced every component on the front of the outfit but its still not 100%! Madness!
Castle Coombe
Our local circuit for Wayne but a million miles away for Ben and the gang, luckily the weather is on our side! A full paddock at the Wiltshire circuit and lots to get done ready for practice. After the relatively good Southern, Wayne and Ben are still having the vibration issues after practice, so need to change a component before the first race, however, the timetable doesn’t allow enough time and frustratingly they miss getting out onto the grid, even more annoying it means they have to start from the back of the grid for the second race on Sunday! Not happy!!
Its bad enough having mechanical issues without timetables not sitting right within the boundries of adequate time allowences. However, they got out for the second race and managed to finish in 10th, albeit well down, they didn’t have a great start position!
Anglesey
With the warm sun beating down, who wouldn’t want to be at a race track by the sea!! 2 weeks home from the TT and we’re off again, FSRA round 2 with Ben and Wayne contesting the championship. Got some bad vibration on the front end which is proving to be a problem especially when braking… its an uncomfortable ride! After having to change a bearing and a brake disc at the TT, they thought that would cure it but it hasn’t! Numerous suggestions from many other people havn’t solved it and its proving to be a real issue. Ben and John are all over it trying different ideas, Wayne trying set up changes, but its not improving.
Qualifying in 8th place was not where they wanted to be but they couldn’t resolve the issue in time. Quite a battle of a race and the team took a 6th place finish despite the handling issues.
Sundays race was a similar experience for the boys with another 6th place finish and unfortunately 4 seconds off the leaders pace. Got to get this sorted but its proving to be a mystery! Onwards to the Southern 100, needs to be right for the roads!
TT 2024
Always an exciting and anxious time but we’re looking forward to getting back to the Island! I’m not going to bore everyone too much with the day to day goings on of the team as we have so much that we get up to, getting things set up, fuel delivery, stickering up the fairing, laps of the course, data checking, tyre fitting….. the list is endless. The weather is always a worry on the Island during the TT, its makes or breaks it, and no ones in control of that! We’ve had some heavy showers which has put a spanner in the works for some of the practice sessions and the paddock suffers from water and wind damage , but with the sun drying it all up we can get out for some laps and set up ready for Race 1.
Race 1….. #16 but have a qualifying time to take us up to #13…… Wayne and Matthew get a good start off down Bray Hill, following on the radio and timing as best as I can….. then I lose them on timing app….. they’ve broken down at Glen Lach campsite, leaving Union Mills, not sure what the problem is but i’m sure it’ll become evident when they get back! That’s the end of our race but both are ok and we will see them later!!
Engine change and run in on the sidecar shakedown session….. lets get Race 2 done…..
Race 2…….. come on team! Its a quiet grid for the sidecars, we’d like to see double the amount out there….. teams… get your outfits ready and entered for 2025!!
Away they go, steady lap before the full on lap…. making good times and back through the grandstand at great pace….. team heading for a top 10 finish …… across the line in a solid 8th place, absolutely brilliant….. 109.665 with another 110 mph average lap done too! A silver replica to be proud of!
Weldone to Wayne, Matty and the whole team for another 100% dedicated and committed TT, one to be proud of, home safe and time to relax for an evening!
Huge thank you to absolutely everyone who helped us get there, supported us throughout the fortnight and beyond! We cannot do it without you all, the vast orange army, medics, organisers and everyone behind the scenes, thank you!
Croft FSRA and club race
Team back together, Ben and Matty with Wayne in the driving seat. This is the first round of the FSRA British Championship and we have our legendary Ben Binns in the chair for our 3rd season together, along with Matthew Rostron doing the club race for signatures towards our 2024 TT preparation! Mathew did the test day on the friday and Ben cracked on with the qualifying for the FSRA qualifying, finishing the session in 10th place, slippy track in the corners. Qualifying for Wayne and Matty in the club race saw them in 10th as well…… not our usual higher places but we’ll push on!
NEMCRC race 3/first race for us…… Started from 10th and finished in 7th, a respectable finish but the times still a little bit down.
Race 6 with Wayne and Ben, a good grid and challenging race. Speeds are still down, some issues we have to deal with but a solid 7th place result and a happyish team!!
Second race of the weekend for Wayne and Ben with FSRA saw the teams time remain at an even keel, never without its problems but at least we remain positive and focused to get the finish. Front runners have picked up slightly which meant the team falls back to 9th unfortunately, however, 1st round done and we make changes, improvements and move forward.
Many thanks to all the marshals, medics and organisers at the circuit. Thank you to Ben and his family for their commitment yet again, great to see you all and have the team back together….. and Matty for making it to the track for the much need time in the seat!!
Brands Hatch
First race of the year took us to Brands Hatch with BEMSEE and passenger Matthew Rostron in the chair for a signature to go towards the TT. We had arrived on the Thursday to set up and booked in for testing on Friday , Louisa in the chair for testing and it was her first time around the Kent circuit! Very excited to test out our new engine, we’re on the later Honda 600rr now so a considerable upgrade for us and potentially more horse power to come. Testing went well and needless to say, Louisa absolutely loved the track, her favorite so far and she did a very professional job in the chair giving Wayne a good idea of the set up of the outfit ready for race day on Saturday with Matty.
The weather took a turn on Saturday and we had the usual challenge of a wet circuit, but also, we are testing the new Hoosier tyres which we are having to use as Avons are no longer in production and this is the only option at the moment. The main challenge with this is getting the set up of the outfit right to compensate the change in tyres, so the suspension, ride height, and tyre pressures all have to be altered to make the use of the Hoosier work with the outfit. It does take alot of trial and testing, and we really must get this 100% before we attempt to go down Bray Hill on them!
. Wayne is more than happy to set off mid pack and with Matty on board, they felt the engine was working well but a slight electrical problem meant that Wayne wasn’t able to bring it up to full speed, however, a first race finish in 9th and a signature under our belts means we can check a couple of things and crack on with the second race, finishing that one in 10th and ready to prep for Sundays race.
Still with a glitch in the electrics, Wayne and Matty opted to do the one race in the morning and finish the weekends racing with a bit of time free to go and collect the new fairing from Jed. The race went well and the team brought back another 10th place to secure the second signature. Huge thanks to Mike and all the team at BEMSEE for another well run meeting, massive shout out to the orange army…. Thank you! Huge thanks to our one and only Phil Bridge for looking after the outfit, and making the long journey down to be with us. Thank you to Matty, Lisa and the gorgeous Reggie for being with us and to Louisa for doing an awesome job testing!
Next meeting is the first of the FSRA British Championship round at Croft with the legendary Ben Binns in the chair and hopefully the weather will behave itself too!
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.
