14/10/02

The final round of this years VMCC championships took place at the weekend on Cadwell Park's club circuit. It proved to be a pretty miserable day in terms of the weather, with drizzling rain and overcast skies for most of the day, so the track didn't really dry out.
Merv's first outing was in the unlimited to '34 race, where he was lying second in the championship. Ian Bain already having sewn up the winners spot in the championship some time ago, so second or third was on the cards for Merv, being only six points clear of Mike Farrall.
With the race underway it was Ian Bain (500cc Norton) who hit the front and have the lead on lap one, with Merv chasing in second spot. Lap one also saw Mike Farrall (500cc Rudge) bite the tarmac and loose his chances of second place in the championship. By lap 2 Ian Cramp (350cc Velocette) had got past the Stratford-Rudge and up into second, with Merv now dicing for 3rd with Graham Rhodes (360cc Velocette) and Pat Welch (500cc Cotton TT Rep). At the end of the 5 laps the result stood with a win for Bain followed by Cramp, Stratford, Rhodes and Welch. Terry Williams got his 500cc Cotton Python home in 6th, With Stu Towner on the big 642cc Rudge in 7th.
On to the first 250cc race of the day and a good finish for Merv would secure him the 2002 Championship, as the points stood with Merv on 204 and Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) on 178, although a mix up with the 'official' points did not show this. John Butcher did not get his Ducati fixed from Three sisters, so it was now 3rd place in the championship for him.
As this was an invited event for CRMC riders there were a few ineligible machines lining up on the grid. As they got away it was CRMC rider Dave Witt who hit the front on his 1972 Ducati. End of lap one and Witt was still at the front with Merv in 2nd although effectively first amongst the VMCC eligible machines. The order stayed through the race with Merv leaving Witt alone at the front, not wanting to risk it in the slippery conditions against the ineligible machinery. But this allowed Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) to close in on the last lap and nip past Merv at the Hairpin. However Merv drafted past Ray on the Park straight to get the place back for the flag. So Witt took the 'win', with Merv 2nd and taking the points for the win which secured him the 2002 championship. Ray Hemming took 2nd place points along with his 2nd place in the championship. Mark Capewell was the next of the VMCC eligible machines to take 3rd place points. Terry Williams took 6th on his 1932 Rudge, and Ian Whitehead was 10th on the 2 valve Stratford-Rudge owned by George Ewer.
The second outing for the unlimited to '34s was a similar result to race one. Bain (500cc Norton) again took the win, Mike Farrall (500cc Rudge) stayed upright this time for 2nd and Merv took third. Ian Cramp did not feature this time after a big blow up for the Velocette in the earlier pre '49 event. Graham Rhodes' Velo also expired this time out. Terry Williams (500cc Cotton Python) and Stu Towner (642cc Rudge) were 5th and 6th respectively.
The last 250cc race of the year and Merv's last of the year was next up. Merv didn't get off to a good start and got held up off the line allowing the front runners to get away. Witt (Ducati) was again at the front and looked to have it in the bag, but Ray Hemming got the bit between his teeth and was only .03 seconds behind Witt at the flag, to effectively take the win. Merv got back from 7th on lap one to effectively 2nd at the flag. Rudge mounted Terry Williams was 9th and Ian Whitehead 11th
So the Season ends with Merv as 250cc Champion and 2nd in the Unlimited to '34 Championship.

16/09/02

The penultimate round of the VMCC championships took place this weekend (14/15th September) at the tight and twisty Three Sisters circuit. This was Merv's return to the scene of his accident last year and a circuit at which he has not had much luck in general over recent years. So lets see what the weekend had in store.
The weather turned out to be good with plenty of sunshine for the weekends racing. The first outing of the weekend was for the unlimited to '34 boys, Merv was out in this one along with a grid of mainly Rudge powered machines. This turned out to be a battle between Merv (250cc Rudge), Ian Bain (500cc Norton) and Mike Farrell (500cc Rudge), with the end result after 7 laps being Bain, Stratford and Farrell. The 500cc Rudge of John McMahon expired on the first lap with pushrods bouncing down the track ! Terry Williams on his 500cc Cotton Python also never made the finish.
The first 250cc event of the weekend was next on the agenda for Merv. It was all to play for, with the top of the 250cc championship table hotting up. As the flag dropped, it was Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) which got his usual lightning start, pursued by John Butcher (Ducati). Merv got a reasonable start but had a big slide while chasing Butcher and had to take to the grass to save it, which cost him a few places. Mechanical trouble struck Butcher on the last lap gifting Hemming the win, Merv managed third place after getting held up a couple of times on the last lap with 2nd in his reach.
The final Unlimited to '34 event of the day saw a repeat finishing order of race one, but with Terry Williams (Cotton Python) and John Mac (Rudge) in 5th and 6th respectively.
With the 250's now out again Merv was keen to improve on his race one result, with championship rival butcher sidelined. However a back row start and the race reduced from 7 to 4 laps because of earlier delay did not help the cause, as Merv struggled to get through the pack once more. Ray Hemming was away at the front, and went on to take his 2nd win of the season, but only by 0.2 seconds from Ian Cramp (Ariel Leader). Merv got another third place, but with Butcher out that was enough to take the championship lead.
On to Sundays action, first out again was the Unlimited to '34s. This one proved to be a four way dice between Merv, Ian Bain, Mike Farrell, and Ian Cramp (350cc Velocette). At the end of the seven laps the result was Bain, Farrall, Cramp, Stratford, Williams, and McMahon. With the 250's on the grid again it looked as if Butcher had cured his problem from yesterday as he too lined up. As the pack got away Butcher had to park it once more but this time it was terminal. Ray Hemming was again at the front but Merv was closing in. One lap from the end Merv dived up the inside of Hemming at the bottom of cowards summit to take the lead and went on to his first win of the weekend. Hemming got second with cramp third.
The last of the weekends unlimited to '34 races saw again a repeat of the earlier race only this time John Mac's Rudge expired big time, with valves coming back through the carb !!. In the last 250 race Merv took another win to steer clear of Butcher at the top of the championship table, although he was chased all the way by Ian cramp. Hemming came home in third to extend his lead over Butcher with 2nd place in the championship.
The final deciding round will be at Cadwell Park on the 12th October. As the points stand the Title is between Merv and Ray, with Butcher only able to take 2nd at best.

Roy

08/08/02

As the VMCC Racing circus moves north to Elvington on 17th August, Merv will be lining up on the Grid at the Manx GP for the first practice session. He is entered in the Lightweight Classic event (No 108) on board his 1964/1966 Greeves Silverstone(s), and is once again sponsored by Premier Adhesive Systems Ltd. (But there is still space on the fairing !!!). You can keep up to date with Merv's progress, and other Greeves riders during practice week 'LIVE' at www.greeves-racing.co.uk followed by a full race report after the Junior/Lightweight MGP race. Another Rudge rider competing in this years MGP, along with a host of other VMCC regulars will be Tim 'big end' Johnson, who will be riding in the Senior and Junior Classic events on board the Velocettes and Nortons of Eddie Dudman and could be a good bet for a rostrum position in the Junior event.
So with some of the VMCC regulars missing the Elvington meeting, there will be chances to close the gaps in some of the championship tables. In the 250cc class the battle for the top honours will probably be between the Ducati of John Butcher, the BSA of Stu Noble, and Ray Hemming on Steve Cottrell's Enfield. With the circuit 'new' to many riders it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
In the unlimited to '35 class, the man to beat will be Ian Bain, but with Ian Cramp back from injury on the 350cc Velo he may not get it easy. Other contenders will be Terry Williams (Cotton Python), and Rudge mounted Mike Farrall, but will we see the Sunbeam power of the Smedleys who have been absent from recent meetings ??

Anyway good luck to those at the MGP and the same to those at Elvington.

Roy

25/06/02

The 4th meeting of the VMCC championships, over the 22/23 June were held at the Anglesey Race Circuit in Wales.
The weather turned out better than the forecast rain, with sunshine but a bit windy on both days.
Anyway on to the action. The first race of the weekend was for the 250's Merv got off to a good start and was in 3rd place by the end of lap one. At the end of lap 2 Merv had moved in to first place, and stayed there to take the win at the end of the ten laps by 1.05 seconds from John Butcher (Ducati). 3rd went to Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield). Tim 'big end' Johnson was out on his 2 valve Rudge for the first time in a while, but retired after five laps.
Merv's next race was in the Unlimited to 1934, which was immediately after the 250's and proved a bit hectic all weekend, as we had to do the 'splash and dash' to get to the grid, or use the no 2 machine, which he did on this occasion. This race saw a win for Ian Bain on the ultra quick 500cc Norton CS1, with Merv (250cc Rudge) coming home in second spot 1.19 seconds adrift of Bain. Mike Farrall took 3rd (500cc Rudge), Werner Eckel 6th (500cc Rudge) and John 'elbows' McMahon (500cc Rudge) 7th.
On to the second of the 250cc race's of the day. The end of the first lap saw Merv again in 3rd and then a lap later move into second spot. Merv then took the lead from John Butcher (Ducati) on lap 3, followed shortly with John's retirement after a dodgy coil put him out. Merv stayed out in front to again take the win, this time with Stu Noble (BSA) in 2nd and Ray Hemming (Enfield) again in third. 4th Place went to the improving novice Michael Smith on his Ducati. Tim Johnson (250 Rudge) again retired, this time after the rear chain had come adrift.
Next up was the 2nd Unlimited to '34 race, this time in a bid to beat Bain Merv opted to use the faster and better handling no 1 machine, so fresh from the 250 race it was a 'splash and dash' and off to the grid. At the end of lap 1 Merv was 2nd close behind Bain on the Norton, lap 2 and Merv made his move riding around the outside of Bain on the blind approach to 'Radar' and then blocking him on the exit, and keeping a tight line into the hairpin. The next couple of laps were just outside the lap record to keep Bain at bay, but Merv managed to stay in front to take the win by 1.4 seconds from Bain. Mike Farrall brought his 500cc Rudge home in 3rd, with Rudge mounted Werner Eckel and John McMahon in 5th and 7th respectively.
On to the Sunday and with the same race format as Saturday it was the 250's again out first. An extra rider for the 250's today was Mark Sharrock riding a Greeves, although not eligible would surely provide some extra competition for the front runners. Also out was Ralph Richardson on his 250cc Rudge. As the race got away Merv had a bad start from the back of the grid and was in 7th at the end of the first lap. By lap four he managed to claw back up to 4th but in the process some damage occurred to the valve gear, and robbed the Rudge of some power. However Merv managed to grab 3rd place from Stu Noble (BSA) at the hairpin on the last lap. The win went to Mark Sharrock (Greeves) with John Butcher (Ducati) 2nd. Rudge mounted Ralph Richardson finished 14th and Tim Johnson was again a retirement.
On to the unlimited to '34 race, and Merv went out on the no 2 machine, because of the problem with the other bike. The race was won by Ian Bain (500cc Norton), with Merv (250cc Rudge) 2nd, and Mike Farrall (500cc Rudge) 3rd. Other Rudge runners John McMahon and Werner Eckel battled it out for 6th and 7th.
During the lunch break Mervyn repaired his No 1 machine, and took it out for a lap of 'practice' in the champion of champions warm up lap, to check it was all ok. With the machine now fixed the final 250cc race now loomed. This time he was on the front row of the grid and took the lead on the opening lap, he was never headed as he went on to take the win lapping inside his own year old lap record in the process. However Stu Noble (BSA) lapped slightly faster to set the new 250cc lap record (56.56 seconds), whilst taking 2nd place. John Butcher (Ducati) was 3rd. Terry Williams had his 250cc 4 valve Rudge out for the first time in this event, and finished 10th after only firing the machine up for the first time the night before in his back garden. Johnson and Richardson were non starters.
Merv's final race of the weekend was the final unlimited to '34 race. This again saw Merv in a hard fought battle for the lead with Ian Bain, with them swapping places on many occasions and Merv upping the lap record to 56.36 seconds in the process. The final result was a win for Ian Bain (500cc Norton), 2nd Mervyn Stratford (250cc Rudge) and 3rd Mike Farrall (500cc Rudge) with the 500cc Rudge's of McMahon and Eckel in 5th and 6th.
That concludes another successful weekend of Rudge-Racing.

13/05/02

The third round of the VMCC championships over the 11/12 May were held at Cadwell Park. Saturday saw action on the Woodlands circuit with the short hairpin.
The first race of the day was the unlimited to 1934 race. This saw a win for Ian Bain (500cc Norton), 2nd was Roger Moss (640cc Scott) with Mervyn (250cc Rudge) taking 3rd place by two tenths of a second from Terry Williams (500cc Cotton Python). Ralph Richardson finished 8th with his 350cc Rudge.
Merv's second race of the day was in the 250cc championship race. This was a win for John Butcher (Ducati), 2nd went to Nigel Lines (Velocette) and Mervyn taking 3rd spot. Ralph Richardson got his 250cc Rudge home in 11th.
With the weather now improving from the rather gloomy start, the second of the unlimited to '34 race's got underway. Again Ian Bain (500cc Norton) took the win, but only by half a second from the flying Terry Williams (500cc Cotton Python) who lapped some two seconds a lap faster than anyone else ! Merv again took another third place in this one ahead of Pat Welch (500cc Cotton TT Rep). Other Rudge
placings were 6th Werner Eckel (500cc Rudge Ulster) and 10th Ralph Richardson on his 350.
In the final 250cc race of the day Merv got a bad start from the 6th row of the grid, and got stuck behind the pack into the hairpin. Meanwhile John Butcher (Ducati) and Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) got away at the front. By the end of the 7 laps Merv managed to claw his way back to 3rd, with Butcher taking the win and Hemming 2nd. Ralph Richardson (Rudge) finished 9th.
On to Sunday and the full circuit was in use, together with some sunshine ! First race again was the unlimited to '34. This saw a close battle between Merv and Ian Bain for the win. Merv eventually lost out to the Norton power and took 2nd, 1.06 seconds down on Bain. 3rd went to Mike Farrall (500cc Rudge). Werner Eckel (500cc Rudge) took 7th, and Ralph Richardson (350cc Rudge) was 10th.
Onto the first 250cc Race of the day. In the holding area before the race Merv was a bit concerned something was wrong with the Rudge as there seemed to be a lot of mechanical noise, however he proceeded out to form on the grid. The flag dropped and they were away, Merv and Ray Hemming (Royal Enfield) got the whole shot and powered away up around coppice. By the end of lap one Merv had the lead closely followed by John Butcher (Ducati), John took the lead at the end of the start/finish straight. Merv took the lead again going in to Park corner, but he knew something was wrong with the Rudge as it was 300 Revs down on Park straight. He held off Butcher until he re-took the lead going into Hall bends on lap two. Butcher took the win with Merv 1.04 seconds behind in 2nd and Ray Hemming 3rd. On returning to the paddock Merv found that the drive side main bearing had broken up in the Rudge.
With the No 1 machine now shelved to prevent further damage, Merv took out the No 2 bike in the 2nd Unlimited to '34 race but pulled out on the end of lap 1 with magneto problems. However Bain again took the win, 2nd was Mike Farrall keeping the Rudge flag flying, and Roger Moss (640cc Scott) rounded out the top 3. Werner Eckel (500cc Rudge) took 6th, but Ralph Richardson (350cc Rudge) was also a retirement.
So with a few repairs to make the next meeting is at Anglesey Racing Circuit 22/23 June

Should be a Snetterton report here but it has gone !! - Roy

23/02/02

Mervyn is hoping to be able to ride at the VMCC meeting at Snetterton in April subject to fitness! The last month has seen him covering many racing miles, but that's on the exercise bike not a Rudge!!
We we will be attending the dinner/presentation this coming weekend (2/02/02) so we hope to see everybody then.
As I have mentioned before if there are any of you other Rudge racers out there who would like a feature on this site just let me know + it will give me something else to write about!!

Roy

15/01/02

Not Much Rudge yet to report until the new season gets underway! Anyway another update on Merv's progress. He is now making good headway, and has abandoned the crutches for most of the time. He has now been regularly attending the pyhsio' so he is getting plenty of exercise!!
Anyway that's all for the moment, but take a quick trip to the links page and check out the new Greeves Racing site.

Roy