30/9/09

The final round of the VMCC British Historic Racing's season took place at Cadwell Park's full circuit at the weekend (26th/27th September). This was Merv's first outing on the Rudges since the July Cadwell meeting, and followed successful meetings on the Greeves. The first of which was the Manx Grand Prix, where he finished 9th with a silver replica in the Lightweight classic, a race postponed twice, then cancelled, and then reinstated! The next outing was also on the Greeves at the CRMC Snetterton meeting, where he racked up three wins and a second in the 250cc singles races.

Back to Cadwell, and the Rudges were in good tune following the 'No 1' machine's engine rebuild after the last Cadwell meeting. The weekend itself was a good one with excellent racing and good weather. Merv's races in the pre '34 and 250cc classes had been programmed back to back yet again, but instead of the well practiced holding area 'pit stop' for refuelling, we decided to use the 'no 2' bike for the pre '34 and the 'no 1' for the 250 races.

The first pre '34 race saw less on the grid than the entry. Rudge man Mike Farrall was missing from the meeting again and Keith Prime had trouble with his special in the holding area. Merv had a steady ride to second place with Ian Cramp taking the win on his 500cc Velocette. Roger Moss (Scott) took third. Miki Sprosen came home 5th on his 250cc 2-valver, whilst Alex Rummel making the trip over from Switzerland retired on his 500cc Leigh Rudge with a loose breather pipe. The first of the weekend's 250cc races followed and saw the first red flag of the weekend on lap one, after an incident in the concurrent unlimited class event. At the restart, Merv was away at the front and cruised to an eleven second victory over Stu Noble (Ducati), with Nigel Lines (Velocette) third. Ian Whitehead took 14th place on his 2 Valver.

Saturday's second pre '34 race saw a similar result for Merv, taking second behind cramp but this time with Pat Welch on his 500 Cotton taking third. Miki again finished in 5th, and Alex got to the finish line this time with 7th place, after apparently some exciting trips onto the grass! Merv took a convincing win in the final 250 race of the day with a 19 second victory over Nigel Lines and Ian Henshaw (Royal Enfield). Noble went out on lap one with mechanical problems, and Rudge mounted Ian Whitehead took 13th position.

Sunday saw another good day of action with an earlier start to the racing due to only having practice for the Sunday only riders. The earlier start also saw a few damp patches under the trees, so caution was needed in the first races of the day. The pre '34 was the first race, and Merv settled in to fourth place with Cramp at the front followed by Welch and Richard Moss on the Scott. The last lap saw the damp patches at the hairpin catch out Pat Welch and he went down whilst being chased by Moss. This elevated Merv to third at the flag followed by Alex and Miki in 4th and 5th respectively. A quick switch to the no 1 bike and Merv was out in the 250cc race where he took another win ahead of Stu Noble who having fixed his problems from Saturday. Classic Guest Adrian Armson took third on his Cotton Telstar.

For the final pre '34 race we decided to use the no 1 bike and then do the familiar pit stop before the 250. This Proved a good choice as Merv was right with Ian Cramp at the end of lap one, only for Cramp to go out on lap 2 with a bent valve handing the lead and win to Merv. Richard Moss took second and Miki third. Alex was missing from this one after crashing from his machine at Barn corner when it unexpectedly locked up in the pre '49 race. The final 250 race saw a repeat result of race one, with Merv taking the win from Noble and Armson.

Well that just about concludes another season of Rudge race action! Winter projects here we come!

Roy

7/7/09

VMCC British Historic Racing returned to Cadwell Park's club circuit on 5th of July after an absence of a few years. With the ACU allowing the circuit to be used without the unpopular chicane, the club circuit could once again be used 'properly' apart from the start being moved to after the hairpin on safety grounds. The weather was in our favour too with mainly sunshine all day apart from some overcast skies at times. Merv was in action in the Pre '34 unlimited and 250cc classes as usual, however for the second BHR meeting in a row these were programmed one after the other, so swift 'pit stop' action was the order of the day between the two races to get to the grid.

First race was the Pre '34 but despite a healthy looking entry numbers were down due to some riders not turning up these including regular front men Ian Bain (Norton) and Mike Farrall (Rudge). The class did see a welcome return for Kiwi Paul Dobbs on Roger Moss' Scott.  The race turned out to be a benefit for Ian Cramp (500 Velocette) with Dobsy (640 Scott) taking second. Merv brought the Rudge home in 3rd after a battle with Terry Williams (500 Cotton Python) who took fourth. Fellow Rudge runner Miki Sprosen had another unfortunate DNF with his 250 2 Valver.

The 250 grid was also a bit thinner on the ground than usual with a few of the normal riders not entered including regular contender Stu Noble (Ducati). The race saw Merv get off to a good start and Tony Webb (Greeves) taking the lead. Merv took over at the front on lap two with Webby in tow. Webby retook the lead on lap 5 pulled out a couple of seconds gap on Merv, with the Rudge seemingly down on power. Lap six was the last and Webby took the win from Merv by 2.5 seconds. Nigel Lines (Velocette) took third.

The second of the pre '34 races saw the same result as race one with Cramp taking the win from Dobbs. Merv third and Terry Williams 4th. The second 250 race was missing Tony Webb as he failed to make the start due to an oiled plug. Merv again had a fairly good start and was 4th at the end of lap one. He took the lead at the hairpin on lap two, but was struggling to pull out from 2nd place Rob Stafford (BSA) and Nigel Lines in third. Lap three the Rudge again seemed to be slowing, then Merv pulled out to retire between coppice and Charlies. Eventually the win went to Nigel by 0.17 seconds from Stafford (BSA).

Later investigation found the magneto chain to have snagged on a loose screw, causing the timing to go out. This explained the earlier slight loss of power, and the later complete loss of power!!

Merv's next meeting will be the Manx GP on the Greeves, with the Rudges probably seeing their next outing at the season finale on Cadwell Park's full circuit.

Roy

1/7/09

The 25th Anniversary of the Bob McIntyre memorial classic races was held over the 13/14th June at East Fortune. The weather predication for the weekend looked as though we were in for a soaking for both days, but fortunately Saturday morning started dry and bright. Practice at the 'Bob Mac' is run in class order and fortunately this benefited from the early good weather. After practice we noticed the front brake muff had moved on the drum, an unusual occurrence but one which needed sorting or the front wheel would need swapping from the No 2 bike. The use of the Henshaw's welding bottles and some big lumps of wood to tap the muff back home fixed the problem, together with wiring the muff to the spokes for the temporary repair. With this now sorted we moved on to the first 250cc race, after the first couple of races had dry conditions, guess what? An absolute downpour just before the 250 race! After a short delay to clear a bit of standing water the race got underway. John Davidson took to the front on the Yamaha TD1C and was never headed. Merv was out for a steady ride in this one, as he had a new experimental Avon tyre in the back which we had only previously used for one race in the dry at Mallory. At the end of the 8 lap race Merv brought the Rudge home in 8th after struggling with a couple of the quick Suzuki T20's which kept getting in the way through the corners! Davidson took the win from Philip Shaw (Suzuki) and Stu Noble (Ducati). Merv coasted back to the paddock after the race as the primary chain broke on the return to the paddock!

After repairing the chain and straightening out the chain case, it was on to 250 race 2, and guess what after another dry spell, down came the rain again! Merv was fairly happy with the new tyre in the wet after race one, so upped the pace a little in this one to take sixth, although still hampered with some of those Suzukis! The first three was a repeat of race one. The result was enough for Merv to take joint 6th overall for day one of the meeting.

Sunday's weather was predicted to be rain, but with threatening skies it managed to hold off all day bar the last couple of races. The better weather seemed to bring out a few more riders for the 250s today. The first race saw Merv in a battle with regular BHR rival Stu Noble, with both of them struggling to get past the quick Suzukis. Merv had problems mid race as the steering damper decided to fall apart and disappear down the railway straight, which was a bit disconcerting until a couple of laps had been done without it! At the end of the 8 laps Merv took 7th 0.3 of a second behind Stu. Davidson took the win from Ewan Hamilton (Suzuki).

Race two for the 250's saw a similar result, but a Ducati dropping oil made for a few interesting laps and a bit of caution. It caught out Stu Noble at the chicane and he crashed out unhurt, but out of contention for the rest of the day. Merv took another 7th place. The final race saw Merv take 5th, finally getting the better of the mobile Suzuki chicanes! This gave an overall result of sixth again for Sunday's competition.

Next meeting will VMCC British Historic Racing at Cadwell Park club circuit on 5th July.

Roy

8/6/09

The third round of the VMCC British Historic Racing championships took place at Mallory Park yesterday (7th June) in what started out at times with almost monsoon conditions! Merv was out in race one, which was the 250cc event. After the earlier downpours the rain had eased a bit but the circuit was soaked with plenty of standing water about. Merv took the lead from the start with a front row grid position. At the end of the first lap Merv was in second as Tony Webb (Greeves) had come through to take the lead. Lap two saw Merv slide off on the right hander of Edwina's when the front end tucked under on the standing water. He was up and ok, but followed shortly after by another two fallers. Webby eased away at the front to take a well deserved win followed by Rob Stafford (BSA) and Ian Henshaw (Royal Enfield). First Rudge home was Terry Williams on his 4 Valver in 9th, with Miki Sprosen (2 Valve) 10th. Ian Whitehead (2 Valve) was 15th, and Mike Whittaker (4 Valve) 17th.

Up next for Merv was the Pre '34 race, this was into the afternoon's programme and things had started to dry up a bit, although still with some damp and wet patches on the circuit.  The race was a battle at the front with Ian Cramp (500 Velocette) and Ian Bain (500 Norton) swapping places. Merv was battling for 3rd with Pat Welch (500 Cotton JAP). The red flags came out after and incident in the 500 specials class which was running concurrently. After the restart the battles for the 1st and 3rd continued with Bain just taking the Win from Cramp and Merv taking 3rd from Pat. Other Rudge interest saw Terry Williams take 5th on his 500 Cotton Python.

The Next 250cc race was immediately after the pre '34, so it was a quick dash back to the paddock to re-fuel. With the meeting running super slick on time, Merv missed the warm-up lap so had to start from the very back of the grid. At the start Stu Noble (Ducati) got away at the front with Tony Webb in 2nd. By the end of the first lap Merv had moved up to 3rd, chasing down Webby. He eventually took 2nd and then started to close down on Stu, but with few laps remaining Stu took the win, with Merv 2nd and Webby 3rd. The only other Rudge finisher was Mike Whittaker in 15th, Terry Williams retiring on lap 2.

The last pre '34 race was almost the last race of the day, but took place in dry conditions. The race took similar a shape as the first with Cramp and Bain at the front and Merv and Pat battling for 3rd. Then came a race stoppage because of again a crash in the concurrent specials class. Whilst the riders waited on the grid most of the pre '34 class returned to the paddock to re-fuel, only for Terry Williams not to make it back to the grid. The re-run saw Ian Cramp take the win this time from Bain, Merv third and Pat 4th. Miki Sprosen took 6th on his 250 2 Valve Rudge.

Our next meeting is the Bob Mac memorial races at East Fortune in Scotland next weekend (13th/14th June)

Roy

22/4/09

The BMCRC celebrated their 100th anniversary with their centenary meeting at Brands Hatch over 18th 19th April. The 18th was 100 years to the day since the first 'Bemsee' meeting at Brooklands in 1909.  The meeting had races for a wide variety of machinery with Vintage, Classic, Post Classic, Modern, Sidecars and Morgans, together with parades celebrating Brooklands and the Hutchinson 100.

There was a very good turnout of Rudges for this event including a club stand organised by Phil Rudge with a good showing of road going machinery. In the parades a 250 2 valver from the Brooklands museum and one of Derek Leigh's 'Specials'.  In the races and race paddock displays  there was Merv with his 250 and also the 250 TT Rep on display. Mike Farrall was out on his 1930 Ulster and 1933 TT Rep with D type engine, and he also had his 1935 'Works' machine on display. Alex Rummel came over from Switzerland as did Hansueli Hug. Alex had his 1930 Ulster and 1934 'Leigh Special', Hansueli with his 1934 Ulster.  Other Swiss riders on Condor, Motosococh, AJS & Norton provided variety and international flavour.

A really enjoyable meeting with many of the public and modern racers, who had never seen the vintage bikes in action amazed by how quick they were!  Great weather too! Just a shame a few more of the BHR regulars did not support it.

Next BHR meeting is Three Sisters, but we are skipping that one!, so Mallory Park on 7th June.

Some video clips from the weekend on the Stratford-Rudge Youtube channel www.youtube.com/strattyrudge

Roy

14/4/09

The 2009 VMCC British Historic Racing championships got underway on Easter Monday at Mallory Park in Leicestershire. The meeting saw a good turnout of Rudges with 6 riders and 12 machines present including Terry Williams' Cotton Python. As last year Merv was in action in the Pre '34 and 250cc races which were both at the end of the programme. First up was the first of the pre '34 races. Problems for Merv already saw the 'No 1' bike cough and cut out in the holding area, so he had to rush back fuel and switch to the 'No 2' bike. The race action saw Merv battling with Terry Williams on his Cotton Python for most of the race and eventually edging him out to take second place. Although due to a transponder problem the results showed him in third! Ian Cramp took the win on his 500cc Velocette with Merv second and Terry third. Mike Farrall was struggling again with gearbox problems on his 1930 Ulster and finished 5th. Alex Rummel from Switzerland took 6th on his 1930 Ulster, with Keith Prime on his big 630cc Special in 7th. Alex should have been in action on the newly rebuilt ex Tim Johnson Leigh Rudge, but unfortunately it split its timing side crankcase in practice!

Merv was out next in the 250cc race, back on the No 1 machine again after fixing the earlier problem which was down to the plug gap closing down. Merv had a good start from the front row, but it was Stu Noble who got his usual lighting start on the Farrar Ducati to take the lead. The race progressed with Merv chasing down Stu and closing down on him amongst the tail end traffic, only for Stu to go out 2 laps from the end with a broken rear wheel spindle! Merv carried on to take the win with old rival Tony Webb in 2nd on his Greeves Roadster and Rob Charles (NSU) 3rd. Miki Sprosen took 8th place on his 2 Valve Rudge and unfortunately Terry Williams failed to finish on his 4 Valve model.

The second of the pre '34 races saw another repeat victory for Cramp on the Velo. Drama unfolded in the holding area as Keith Prime's Rudge caught fire and ruled him out of the race. Mike Farrall was out this time on his newly built 1933 'TT Rep' with 6 stud D type engine. This seemed to be going well and took him to second place. Merv was again in a battle with Terry Williams and also Andy Hunt (Cotton JAP). Terry took third at the flag with Merv 4th and Andy 5th. Alex Rummel took 6th place on his 1930 Ulster.

The second 250 race was the last race of the day. Stu was back out on the Ducati after replacing the broken spindle and again got a lightning start from the front row with Merv giving chase in 2nd. The end result saw Stu take the win with Merv unable to close the gap so settled for 2nd. Tony Webb on the Greeves completed the podium positions. Terry again failed to finish on his 250.

Next meeting is the Bemsee Centenary at Brands Hatch on 18/19th April, which will hopefully see a reasonable turnout of Vintage bikes for the races along with the parades, and also Rudges represented with a club stand.

See you there

Roy

Start of the first pre '34 race of the season!

8/2/09

As the 2009 racing season fast approaches, work has just begun on preparing the Stratford-Rudges for another year of action at selected VMCC British Historic Racing meetings and other events which will probably include the BMCRC centenary meeting at Brands Hatch and the Bob Mac Classic races at East Fortune.

This winters main project has been the completion of Merv's 1933 250cc TT Replica which has been work in progress on and off for the last 28 years! This will break cover for its first appearance in less than a month's time, so 'keep em peeled'!

Last night saw the annual BHR awards presentation where Merv picked up his two 3rd place trophies for the 250cc and pre '34 championships, and also the Tyrell Smith Rudge trophy from Mallory Park. A good night was had by all even if some of us were a little worse for wear this morning. They know who they are ;-)

Cheers, Roy