Hawkestone Park

Rummaging through my old photo albums

I came across some 80,s motocross action

from  Shropshires gem

-Hawkestone Park.

I think Hawkestone

is the BEST motocross track of all!

Built on the side of a hill

providing steep ascents and descents

flat out straights,

massive tabletops,

bombholes

and enormous jumps.

Graham Noyce gets "Big Air"

Who could ask for more!

The soil is very sandy and never really floods.

Spectators can get very close to the action

and most of the track is visible from the centre.

The hill is enormous!

Its extremely difficult to walk up

let alone ride up.

A series of huge bumps

saps the bikes momentum

BEFORE

you meet the near vertical section

half way up

How do I know?

I once took a Beta 125 enduro

to Hawkestone,

with a pal whose kids

had permission

to practise there.

I just didnt have the power

to crest the beast!

Ive been to GPs there in the past.

I even went to a round

of the world trials championship

held there in the woods

behind the track.

I did a multilap enduro

there on my Honda XR200.

The course was fast and grippy

The hill section and the bombhole were left out.

I was making terrific progress

(probably my best enduro performance ever)

when the inevitable happened……

the XR seized!

Thankyou and goodnight!

It was a common problem on the little Honda.

The single overhead camshaft

ran directly in the head

rather than in bearings.

Floppy camchains wore swarf

off the barrel,

the bits contaminated the oil,

the oil blocked the narrow oilways to the head

and the cam seized.

What is it with Honda and camchains?

How many models were plagued

with factory recalls?

VFs,CXs

-DOH!

Is hawkestone still in use?

I,ve been out of the UK motocross scene

for a long time

and have gotten out of touch.

Let me know

Great French biking roads

Just back from a few days

touring in the south of France.

Although we did the trip in a camping car,

the route chosen ,and the quality of the roads

would make a superb biking trip.

Let me give you our itinerary ,

it might inspire you.

Starting from Limoges

head south on the A20 to Cahors.

Follow the Lot valley to Figeac,

Stopping at St Cirque lapopie

(an amazing ancient village

that clings precariously to the valley side)

-a world heritage site .

from Figeac take the road to Villefranche;

a break at Villeneuve is recommended

-its a lovely Bastide town.

A couple of hours south

is the amazing town of Cordes sur Ciel .

Before you arrive there ,though,

take in Najac

its simply stunning!

After a few hours exploring old Cordes,

head off for Albi

and take the road to Millau.

This has to be one of the best biking roads in france.

It swoops up and town the Tarn Valley-fabulous open vistas,

an almost perfect road surface and NO TRAFFIC!

(except for a gaggle of BMW tourers)

60 odd miles of biking heaven

brings you right under

the amazing new Millau viaduct .

It really is a masterpiece of civil engineering.

From Millau follow the Gorges du Tarn

-50 miles of narrow canyon,

with narrow canyon roads to match .

(watch out for looney people carriers

towing racks of canoes)

Take a few hours to chill out.

The water is crystal clear and warm.

Florac to Mende,takes you up from the Gorges

onto the Lozere plateau .

Mende to Le Puy en Velay is another cracker

of a road.

Le puy features spectacular scenery

with 3 churches set atop volcanic plugs

dominating the skyline;

its wealth was built on lacemaking

and  the famous Puy(green)lentils.

Heading north towards Clermont Ferrand

you pass through volcano country

-a  10000 metre high plateau studded with

extint volcanic cones,

many with fairytale villages atop.

As you see the imressive Puy de Dome mountain group

on the horizon,

take a left and head for Mont Dore.

(thats it ,down there on the left..)

Here youll find a major winter ski resort

and Puy sancy,at Over 6000 ft;

the highest point in central France.

A quick motorway blast

through the Correze to Brive

and 1 hour nort up the A20

sees you back in Limoges.

A 4 or 5 day trip covering 1200kms

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

“just popping out dear……..”

Mrs Betabiker was dismayed!

No beef for Sunday!

CATASTROPHE!

“No problem dear,despite it being Sunday morning

and we live in the middle of rural France,

I feel I can find a solution to the problem”

I fuel up the 2 FZRs,

Find the rucksack,

and with son John on board the FZR400

me on the FZR600

head off for Brantome,40 miles south.

Fantastic, quiet,sinuous roads,

virtually no traffic

and a sunny warm day-25 degrees.

We play tag -never less than 70mph,

never more than 100mph.

The 600 FZR pulls like a train,

with no discernible powerband.

When needed,

a shot of acceleration is easily gained

by shifting down a gear.

It does have to be said that the 600 demands some input

in the handling dept.

Whilst very stable,

its 189 kgs bulk requires

an involved effort to hussle through the twistys.

I was aware that I was “counter steering”

(turning the wheel slightly

in the opposite direction

as the cornering move commences.

It is normally an operation done unconciously,

but once you know about it,

you notice when you are doing it!)

ANYWAY

together with the counter steering,

I needed to “push” the bike down in the corners

pressing down on the inside foot peg

and applying pressure with the bum cheek !

Arriving at a very crowded Brantome,

we had a quick beer at a shady bar

overlooking the river

bought the beef joint

( and some nice lamb)

Togged up and belted back.

great run,only marred slightly

by me getting stung on my neck

by a wasp caught up in my “Buff”

Was the beef good?

Bloody marvellous!

Jumbo run -French Style(tous en side)

Several months ago

Ann and I got roped into swelling the numbers

at a “Jumbo run”

being organised by a French neighbour,

himself handicapped.

The event was organised by “TOUS EN SIDE”,

a Limousin sidecar club

at Vaulrey,

a small town in the Monts de Blond

near St Junien

(stratobikers favourite VTT spot)

In true French style a 12oclock

start was ordered.

we arrived on time

-the rest arrived by 1;30 to 2pm

After a “caisse croute”(quick snack

interrupted by a hasty trip to the bakers

since  only 4 baguettes were available for over 50 punters!)

at 2,30 we set off in 3 teams to have a wander around

looking for set clues

-a Treasure Hunt,in fact.

crypic clues in French-dont ask me!

Sidecars suitably loaded up with handicapped guests

women children and dogs,

Bikes ditto

he travels everywhere-zipped into the tank bag!

10 outfits and 15 solos.

We set off

and 2 hours later

-we had stopped 4 times

Stop number Four-5 kms covered;Where are the refreshments?

including a refreshment break

Wot-no wine?

and had only covered 10kms!

Yamaha GTS and Sidebike-he owns a GTS solo too!

The pace picked up a bit and by 6 pm we returned to base

60kms covered.

I managed to get split from the group.

I went tearing off after one of the outfits

-turns out he was a travelling marshall!

Waiting for the rest of the group-time to pose!

It has to be said-the scenery was stunning.

Beautiful far reaching views

off the top of the Blond Mountains

and the most adorable,ancient, villages en route.

washday red hands,ladies?

We passed through Oradour sur Glane(the Martyrs village)

and the beautiful Mortemart.

yet another stop,but what a beautiful place.

The company was excellent-very,very friendly

and full of good humour.

We left for home about 6;30 pm

as the bikers were having aperitifs,

followed by a five course meal

followed by more booze,

followed by more food….…….

Its the French way!:P

SERIOUS trail riding in Lozere

Whilst visiting the Gorges du Tarn

we stopped at a campsite

at the northern end of the Gorges .

“Camping delron”

Talking to the owner-Hervé Firmin

it transpires he organises trail riding trips

in the Gorges du Tarn/Lozeres area .

No problems with the locals-

Lozere is the least populated department in France

14 people per sqare Km!

(Paris by comparison is 25000 per sq km!)

He puts packages together for trial/enduro/quad

or just“rando” groups of bikers.

Having got several chalets

and mobile homes on the site,

accomodation is never a problem.

You provide your own bike

-he provides the rest.

He is too busy with the campsite

in July and August,

and starts his tours again

from October 08.

His new tariffs are available then.

100 to 150 kms per day

ALL OFFROAD

is the norm.

You can contact him through his website

WWW.camping-delron.com

or telephone

0675237499

(he speaks no English,but his wife does a little)

Looks serious stuff to me!

(check out the use of trials irons!!

mountain goat country?)

If I try a tour with him,

I shall Definitely be on the Beta Alp

NOT an enduro bike!:P

Bol 76-a vintage year

Staffordshire to Le mans for the Bol d,or
2up,on a Honda 400 Four-hard work!
I did it two years running-76 and 77;
Seemed like a good idea at the time!
In 76 I rode with Roger Harvey as my pillion.
Roger was the guitarist,
I was the singer,
in a Funky band called Blue Moon.

We travelled with my pal Trevor Lyons
and his wife Vanessa
-they rode a Honda 550 four.

We got to le Mans at Lunchtime on Saturday lunchtime,
the race starting mid afternoon.

A pop festival sized crowd of 200,000 plus
watched the start and then basically
spent the rest of the 24 hour race getting bladdered.

The only time they regrouped
was to invade the the track
on the last lap on Sunday afternoon

(a bit like my nephew who paid £40
to watch the British motogp on a giant tv
in the bar at Donington!
Never saw the actual race!)

“the 76 goldwings are in out early thisyear… “
Trevors sister in law is a Tomkinson.
Her dad is half of Mead and Tomkinson.
They were campaigning the radical “Nessie” at the Bol.

A laverda engined(later Kawasaki Z1 equipped) hybrid,
with hub steering,
parallelogram rear supension,
underslung petrol tank
-it was a mobile test bed for ideas.

(check out the boots!)
More importantly “nessies” presence at le mans,
got us pit passes for the weekend!
(friends in high places-what!)

The Honda team of Phil Read and Tony Rutter were in the next garage;

Spare engines in crates,
luxury accomodation for the riders
-M and T team cooked on a 2 burner camping stove
and slept in a sleeping bag on a pile of tyres!
We stayed in the pits till the early hours then crashed out.
Sunday morning dawned cold and damp.

Back in the pits,
Nessie was out-mechanical failure;
In fact there werent many teams still circulating.
Rain during the night took its toll.
I dont remember the winners
-no doubt a French crew on a big Kawasaki

-it usually panned out that way.

just look at that skinny tyre-a TT100?
One team broke down/crashed(I cant remember which)
just outside the pits
and the rules stated that the rider,
unaided,
must complete the lap and return to the pits.

Imagine pushing your bike all the way round the course
after riding for about 12hours!
It takes a certain kind of rider to ride endurance races.
Great atmosphere,great racing
the boldor at Le mans was a biking institution.
After its move to Paul Ricard
and then the crappy Magny Cours circuit
-the bol dor has never been the same for many people.
Trevor went to the bol at magny Cours ,
a couple of years ago
and was very disappointed.
Aggressive crowd behaviour,
a poor circuit
and characterless racing
-sounds Familiar?

A Beta day out

Just back from a lovely day out on the trail.

4 hours in the saddle.

Braving clouds of insects,

python sized  brambles tearing at your flesh

30 degree C,

strength sapping heat

Its a world far removed

from the safety of your office seat

-but someone has to do it!

Lovely new trails around home

-in the Rochechouart area.

As usual-never saw a soul.:P

Powys enduro 1980

I found some pictures of the 1980 Powys for you.

I rode the clubman class on my PE400 Suzuki.

Heres the start

at the Laura Ashley factory carpark at Carno.

A very sturdy bike that required a “firm hand”

ie-You had to thrash it like a 125!

I recall the event was very sunny and pleasant,

quite dry

except for the “killer bog”

near the finish at Carno .

I think I was more or less on schedule up to that point

and then lost 10 or 15 minutes

(plus the equivalent weight in sweat)

extricating myself from the gloop!

Beautiful scenery and a well run event

-is it still going?

Welsh 2 day trial 1980?

Again,I found these photos in my gunny sack!

Since I was on my PE400 Suzuki,

I presume the year must be around 1980?

I remember being a marshall(official)

and being VERY impressed by Geraint Jones

a perfect gentleman

-no heirs and graces,

always ready to give advice to the mere mortals

rather than his God-like crew!

The other revelation was the Legendary

Arthur Browning

and his titanic struggle on board a sponsored Yamaha TT600

-”Boys Own” stuff indeed!

A “Classic” event

fantastic “savage” scenery

-traditionally a 3 day “Trial”

the Welsh always attracts a multinational entry.

The large scale loops

-60, miles plus

-are an increasingly rare commodity

as the PC brigade continues to deny motorcyclists

(or any other group

that doesnt conform to to the “Sunday Times”

stereotypical lifestyle group)

the right to exercise their legal rights……….

DONT GET ME GOING……..

ANYWAY

Its a great celebration of Enduro folk past and present

and long may it continue!:P

oldies ride out

MMM,

Steady drizzle,freezing cold

-the perfect sunday morning in early June;

“must go on a bike ride

in the mist shrouded hills above Limoges

with a load of ancient bikes”

The event was a meeting

of the” Limousin amicable des motos anciennes”

A 90km ride around the hills of Ambazac

punctuated by the usual( frequent) stops for refuelling

(of the lard type-pate, cheese,sausage,red wine

the usual French “light” snack.)

The inevetible breakdowns occurred

and the accompanying car/trailer combinations were put to use.

Nonetheless it was a great ride,

and when we got back to base

-the sun came out!

More wine and hearty food followed

and we all admired the assembled bikes;

Heres a lovely little Monet Goyen

LOOK -the motor is a villiers!

One of the more modern bikes

Bob and his Norton Dominator

FOR THE ANORAKS-

the motor is a replacement 600 twin

not the original 500

and the front brake is from a Triumph

There were lots of Motobecanes

Proud owner

check out the ancient lid and safety footwear!

Now thats a beauty-a 500 twin portt single

and what a stylish mudguard!

Lots of strange marques

some nice BMWs

But the star prize goes

to the pilot of this 1925 Gnome Rhone

NO SUSPENSION

NO FRONT BRAKE

500 SIDEVALVE SINGLE

The owner sported period gear,

breeches, brown leather cavalry boots,

woolly jumper and cork pudding basin.

But BOY

could he ride?

He was overtaking(and undertaking)everything

including a 1970s V7 Moto Guzzi

being ridden “enthusiastically,”shall we say …….

TRULY AMAZING

the highlight of the day !

A good meeting and so refreshing

to see bikes not overrestored

and actually being RIDDEN as intended