20/12/01
Merv is still making good progress with is recovery, and is due to have
some physio soon, to get him walking again.
If anybody has been trying to sign up to the mailing list I must apologise
as it is currently not working, I am currently looking for a new provider
for this service so it should be up and running soon!
A new section to the site is the message board, please feel free to use it
for adverts etc or general chit chat.
I would also like to wish all visitors to Stratford-Rudge a very Merry
Christmas and a happy new year!!
Roy
25/11/01
Not much to report on at the moment, Merv's recovery progress is still
slow but good. Mervyn would like to thank everybody for all the cards and
get well messages he has received.
Despite not competing in the final 2 VMCC meetings of the season, for
obvious reasons, Merv's final championship positions are confirmed as: 4th
in the unlimited to 1934 championship on 135 points, with 3rd going to Mike
Farrall (500cc Rudge) 155 points, 2nd Ian Bain (500cc Norton) 226 points and
1st Toby Smedley (640cc Sunbeam) 261 points. In the 250cc Championship
Mervyn finished 3rd on 198 points, with 11 wins from 12 starts, 2nd place
was Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) 215 points, and 1st was Stu Noble (BSA) 222
points.
As already mentioned previously Mervyn also finished third in the CRMC 250cc
Singles championship, with his Greeves. We will be attending the CRMC
dinner/presentation evening on 1st December, so Merv can collect his award.
Roy
07/11/01
Mervyn is making good progress with his recovery at present, but is
getting very bored with daytime TV! He is getting about ok on crutches, but
he will not be able to put any weight onto his left leg until after xmas.
Mervyn's target is to be fit enough to ride in next years Manx GP, but he is
also hoping to precede this with a few short circuit meetings.
Roy
08/10/01
Update on Merv!!!
Having Visited Mervyn in Manchester at the weekend I am pleased to report he
is making very good progress. He can now get about on crutches, and has
satisfied the physio' enough to come home. He will be coming home on
Wednesday (10th Oct), but he still has a long way to go before he will be
fully recovered and to full fitness.
Roy
01/10/01
As you may or may not know Mervyn had an accident at Three Sisters on
15th September, on the first lap of practice. Unfortunately this resulted in
Mervyn sustaining a broken pelvis. Having spent two weeks in Wigan Hospital,
Merv was transferred to Manchester on Friday (28th Sep), and had an
operation Today (Monday 1st Aug). I will update everyone on his progress
soon.
Roy
13/08/01
This weekend 11/12th August we were again at Lydden for the 5th round of
the VMCC championships, With the Rudges of course.
Mervyn's first race of the weekend was the first of the unlimited to 1934
races. This saw a win for Toby Smedley (640cc Sunbeam), 2nd Tim Johnson
(640cc Rudge), with Merv coming in third unable to match the speed of the
larger machines. The first 250cc race of the weekend saw Merv take a
convincing win, With classic rider peter Aston (Greeves) second, and Ray
Hemming (Royal Enfield) third. Stu Noble (BSA) retired. The second Unlimited
race saw Tim Johnson fall from the big Rudge on the first lap, leaving the
way clear for Toby Smedley to take the lead and go on to his second win. Ian
Bain (500cc Norton) was second and Merv was again Third. Saturday's second
250cc event was again another victory for Mervyn, With Stu Noble coming in
second this time.
Sunday's first race was the the Champion of Champions Handicap. Merv opted
to use the No 2 machine for this event. However Merv pulled out on the warm
up lap as the machine had stopped running, we later found the cause to be a
closed up Plug gap!
Next race was an unlimited to 1934 race. Tim Johnson took the win, Toby
Smedley 2nd, Ian Bain 3rd, and Merv finishing 4th. Merv took the win in both
250cc races, with Stu Noble 2nd, and Ray Hemming 3rd on both occasions.
Mervyn Now has a comfortable lead in the 250cc Championship with 198 points
to Stu Noble's 152. The final Unlimited to 1934 race of the day saw a fairly
depleted grid, with Toby Smedley also missing. The race got away with Ian
Bain hitting the front, with Merv in Hot pursuit, at the end of lap one Tim
Johnson Pulled out and left the battle between Bain and Stratford. The pair
swapped places all through the six laps. Bain's Norton had the power out of
the corners and down the straights, but Merv was all over him through the
corners. On the final lap Merv was as close as ever, and the pair were side
by side going up to the Hairpin for the final time, Bain's extra power got
him there first. Merv went for the outside line to ride around the outside
of Bain, only to fall on the exit, allowing Bain to take the win. Mervyn
said afterwards "I new I had a chance of riding round The outside of Bain at
the hairpin, but I put the power on a bit to early, and the bike through me
off". However Merv was uninjured, and the bike wasn't badly damaged.
Roy
31/07/01
Over the weekend 28th/29th, July Mervyn was out at Lydden for the
penultimate round of the CRMC championships, on his Water-cooled Greeves.
The weekend was blessed with glorious sunshine, which unfortunately seemed
to send everyone silly, judging by the amount of crashes, causing red flags.
In the first 250cc singles race Merv finished 7th having missed a few gears
during the course of the ten lap trophy race. The race was won by Nigel
Palmer (Ducati), with John Hynes (Ducati) 2nd. For the second race, the
championship race Mervyn opted to change the gearing and only use 1st to 4th
gear. This greatly improved things and he finished a credible 3rd behind
Palmer and Hynes.
Sunday saw similar results with Merv finishing 6th in the trophy race, and
3rd again in the championship race, behind Palmer & Hynes, with Charlie
Gardener (Ducati) 4th. The two 3rd places in the championship races has
secured Merv 3rd in the 250cc singles championship. Nigel Palmer is the new
champion with Charlie Gardener 2nd. The final round at Cadwell Park will
decide 4th Place and behind.
Full race results and championship positions should be available at
www.crmc.co.uk
we are again at Lydden on the 11/12th August with the Rudges.
Roy
11/07/01
Sunday 8th July full circuit Cadwell. Mervyn was out again with the
Rudges. The first 250cc race of the day saw Merv take the lead on the first
lap going into coppice, at the end of lap one he had extended his lead to
some 2 seconds, but on the exit from barn corner Merv felt the machine
starting to slow, causing him to pull out half way through lap 2. Ray
Hemming (Royal Enfield) went on to take the win. The cause of Mervyns
retirement was a strange one, the ceramic part of the Spark plug had moved
upwards out of its housing!!
Anyway a new plug was fitted before the unlimited to '34 race. This was a
win for Tim 'big end' Johnson (640cc Rudge), second was was Toby Smedley
(640cc Sunbeam) with Merv coming in third.
The second 250cc Race of the day was trouble free with Mervyn taking the win
by some 13 seconds from Ray Hemming, with Stu Noble (BSA) third. The second
unlimited race saw a repeat result of race 1.
The champion of champions handicap race was cancelled due to lack of time.
Next meeting is CRMC Lydden 28/29th July, Mervyn will be in action on his
Greeves Silverstone.
Roy
