27/9/10

Cadwell Park hosted the final round of the 2010 VMCC-BHR championships in a meeting which probably had the biggest pre '34 & Rudge entry of the season. Saturdays action started off in damp conditions with race one being the first of the weekend's unlimited to 1934 races. Four Rudges Merv, Miki Sprosen & Chris Wicketts on 250s, Alex Ruemmel on his 1934 special and also Terry Williams on his 500 Cotton-Python. Keith Prime also had his 500 Rudge in the paddock but was not feeling too good so he went home early on the Saturday. Alex's weekend ended early when he pulled out on the warm up lap with engine problems. With the race underway Merv took the wholeshot and went into an early lead closely followed by Bill Swallow having his first ride on Roger Moss' 640cc Scott Flying Squirrel. Merv held the lead for the first lap until the extra speed of the Scott took Bill to the front. Merv hung on in second and was lining up a pass on Bill at the chicane for the last time when they came across a tail ender from the concurrently running up to 1962 500cc class, Bill nipped passed and Merv didn't ! so a safe gap for Bill & he took the win. Terry brought the Cotton-Python home in third with Wickett & Sprosen placing their 250 Rudges in 7th & 8th respectively.

Come the first 250cc race, things had started to dry up a little & even some sunshine was coming out although it was still a bitterly cold day. Three Rudges lined up for this one, Merv, Terry & Mike Whittaker all on 4 Valvers. Again Merv got a flyer off the line and was away with it at the front keeping old adversary Tony Webb at bay on his Greeves. The positions remained to the flag with Ian Henshaw (Royal Enfield crusader) rounding out the podium positions. Mike Whittaker took 15th place on his Rudge, but Terry Williams failed to appear in the results & I am unsure what happened to him?

The afternoons up to 1934 Unlimited race saw some good action at the front. Bill Swallow was again in charge on the Moss Scott and this time Ian 'Cambox' Cramp was also in action on the 500 Velocette & had a good battle with Merv for the runner up position which eventually went the way of Cramp. Terry took 5th on the Cotton-Python & Miki brought his 250 home 9th. Chris Wickett unfortunately crashed out on the other 250 Rudge, but was ok.

Merv again got the start he wanted in Saturday's final 250 outing, but was chased down by Webb on the Greeves. Webby was right behind him on the final lap for what looked like was going to be an exciting final half lap showdown, only for the Greeves to cry enough at the end of the Park straight & webby was out. Merv unaware pressed on hard to the flag to take the win & a look round to realise Webby had gone! Mike Whittaker had lent his 250 to C15 rider Jay Wood for this one & he duly went and took it to a 9th place finish.

We awoke Sunday morning to a very wet & miserable day, none the less racing went on & again the unlimited to '34 was first on the cards. Bill Swallow took another win with Cramp in second & Merv third. Miki was running well until he retired with lack of fuel!!

Speaking of fuel the following race had a good dumping of it which resulted in a three & a half hour delay whilst things were cleaned up!! When things finally got underway again there was only time for one race for each class. However before things could get started the track needed to be inspected by experienced riders to ensure it was safe to go racing. A few three wheelers went out first headed by the Morgan of Bill Tuer. Both Merv & Bill Swallow had been asked to test it for the solos. All came back & reported it race able apart from a few slippy patches so things got underway again.

This Just left the 250 race for Merv in which he duly won by 7 seconds from Webb in the very wet conditions. Rob Stafford brought his BSA C15 home in third place.

Well that wraps up the seasons race action. Merv took a personal record by winning every VMCC-BHR 250cc race he entered this season, in what must be a credit to the 1931 TT winning engine design from George Hack, and a fitting end to the centenary year of the Rudge Motorcycle with Merv taking both the 250cc & Unlimited to 1934 Championships too.

Roy

 

6/9/10

The penultimate rounds of the VMCC-BHR Championships were held at Pembrey in Wales on 4/5th September in mainly overcast conditions. Merv was the sole representing member of the Rudge team in what was a somewhat depleted meeting in terms of entries. The long distance & the closeness to the Manx GP no doubt effecting this, however this did not detract from the overall quality of the weekends racing. Merv was first out the the Up to 1934 unlimited class in which he held a 60 point lead over Ian Cramp (500 Velocette), entries at this meeting for the pre '34 saw just three with Merv, Ian & Roger Moss (640 Scott). Roger was a no show, so all Merv had to do was follow Ian home to grab valuable points & keep his championship lead in tact. In race one he was doing just that, until Cramp's engine gave out gifting Merv the win & maximum points. With Cramp out Merv took maximums in the other three races whilst having a bit of fun beating all of the 350cc field & a good few of the up to '62 Unlimited which were running concurrently.

The 250 races saw Merv take another 4 wins over the weekend, with the rest of the 250's some 4 seconds a lap slower than Merv, he went to play with the up to '62 500's which were running concurrently & took third place overall on two occasions to the delight of the crowd!

Maximum points in all 8 races over the weekend gives Merv the title in both the pre '34 Unlimited & the pre '62 250's for the 2010 season.  The final round of the season is at Cadwell Park on 24/25th September. This final round should provide some interest in the pre '34 class with the return of Ian Bain on his 1928 Norton CS1, Bill Swallow on Roger Moss's Scott, & Hopefully Mike Farrall on his 1930 Rudge Ulster. More Rudge interest with Alex Ruemmel bringing his 1930 & 1934 500's over from Switzerland & hopefully Miki Sprosen will be back in action following his nasty tumble at Lydden.

Roy

 

3/8/10

The fourth round of the 2010 VMCC-BHR championships took place at Lydden near Dover over the weekend of the 31st July - 1st August. Four Rudge riders were in action with 6 Rudges, Merv with his pair of 250 4 valvers, Miki Sprosen & Chris Wickett on Miki's 2 Valvers, & Alex Ruemmel over from Switzerland with his 1930 & 1934 500s. Saturday got off to a misty start with the first of the Pre '34 races first up. This saw all the Rudge riders line up on the grid, Merv got a good start a took the lead on lap one, followed by Roger Moss (640cc Scott) but Ian Cramp (500cc Velocette) came through to take the lead & the win from Merv with Moss third. Miki brought his 2 valve 250 home in fourth followed by Alex with a well earned 5th in his first race at the Circuit. Merv was out again straight after in the 250's, the two races being programmed one after the other. We elected to run both bikes to save the mad rush between races which we usually end up with when this happens. Merv again got a great start & took to the front of the field & was never headed in a fairly uneventful race to take a convincing win by 19.4 seconds from the returning Ian Henshaw (Royal Enfield) with Nigel Lines (Velocette) taking third.

The second of the Pre '34 races saw a good first lap battle with Merv and Cramp. Cramp took the early lead on lap one, only for Merv to nip up the inside at the hairpin to lead at the end of the first lap. However cramp regained the lead on lap two to take the win from Merv & Moss. This time Chris Wickett brought his 250 home in fourth as Miki went out with mechanical problems. In the next 250 race Merv took a repeat win, but had to up the pace in the closing stages as classic guest Nick Kennet (Ducati) closed in as Merv got held up in some of the back markers. Nigel Lines was the next of the championship scorers in 3rd.

Alex was also running in the pre '48 unlimited and took a good 4th place in the second event having switched to his 1930 500 after earlier gearbox problems on the 1934 Leigh Rudge.

Sunday had a better start to the day without the mist, but just a bit of grey cloud now & then. The same race format followed with the pre '34 boys up first. Merv was away at the front from the grid & went on to take the win unchallenged. Ian Cramp was a non starter due to mechanical problems in Saturday's final pre '48 race putting the Velo out of action. Richard Moss, taking the Sunday ride from Dad Roger took second place on the Scott, then followed the Rudge triplets of Miki, Alex & Chris. Merv was out again in the following 250 race. A third row grid this time had Merv fighting his way through to the front taking four riders at the hairpin to seal the lead, then continuing on to take another win from classic guest Kennet by 9.8 seconds.

In the final pre '34 race of the weekend Alex was missing from the line up as he was working frantically in the paddock to swap the rear brake shoes on his 1930 machine after they had virtually disintegrated in the previous pre '48 event.  Merv yet again got a good start to take the lead, but an early challenge from Richard Moss saw him take the lead at the Devil's elbow, but Merv quickly fought back to regain the lead by another an up the inside move at the hairpin. The race then remained fairly uneventful until the final lap, when unfortunately Miki had a coming together with a rider on a Trident in the concurrently run up to '72 unlimited class with both riders going down & careering into the armco. Miki was a bit of a Rag doll in the incident and got pretty bashed about after hitting the barrier several times, then ending up 'cart wheeling' into the gravel. After trackside medical attention he was taken off to hospital, although I am pleased to report after an overnight stay he was discharged with nothing broken, only cuts & bruises. Hope you feel better soon Miki.  The race result was taken from the previous lap as the Red flags went out. Merv the win from Moss, with Rudge mounted Chris Wickett taking third. The weekend ended with another 250 Victory for Merv & a seventh place finish in the pre '48 for Alex.

Next Meeting is Pembrey on 4th/5th September.

Roy

 

23/6/10

June saw two weekends of Classic Racing action in Scotland, with the CRMC's first visit to Knockhill followed the SCRMC's annual Bob Mac memorial meeting at East Fortune. Merv Took the Greeves up for the Knockhill weekend and scored some third places & a win in the 250cc singles class in Sunday's awful weather! We took the faithful Rudge to the Bob Mac meeting to please the crowds & Upset the apple cart amongst the more modern machinery. The weather couldn't have been any different from the previous weekend, with scorching sunshine.  Merv was entered as usual in the 250s, and Saturday's first outing saw Merv take a narrow fourth place from Suzuki T20 mounted Bill Robertson after coming across a back marker on the last corner. Thomas Moore on a Kawasaki A1R took the win. In the second race Merv had a cracking start out braking everyone into the hairpin only to be attacked by a massive bug milliseconds later, obliterating the view from his visor!, He tried to clear it only making things worse! So the race was done with visor up, only it closed every time he got his head down, so a few blind corners were taken! Merv managed fifth in the end of this one, with Bill Robertson reversing the first race result and the win going to John Davison on his Yamaha TD1C.

Merv was also entered in the Team challenge for the welsh team! But he elected to miss this one, saving the Rudge for Sunday's action.

Sunday's action saw the full heat of the weather and three races for each class. In the first 250cc race Merv battled for third with Tom Jackson (Suzuki T20). Merv out braked him into the hairpin to take the position then held him off & out braked him once more for the Hannah's chicane to stamp his authority on the third place which he held to the flag. Davidson took another win, with Ducati mounted Chris Wallace taking second.

The second race saw Merv take the lead on lap one again with some good out braking manoeuvres & too the cheers of the crowd as he came round to complete the first lap! The speed of Davidson's Yamaha took the lead on the second lap, as Merv battled with Chris Wallace for second, with Wallace eventually getting the position & Merv taking third. The final 250cc race saw another third place this time behind Wallace & Jackson.

Another great meeting at the Bob Mac, in what has to be one of the best meetings all year. We should get some more Vintage bikes up there to upset the other classes! How about it Mr Farrall?

Next outing is the VMCC-BHR meeting at Lydden 31st July/1st August.

Roy

 

18/5/10

The second round of the 2010 VMCC BHR championships took place at Three Sisters on 8/9th May.  We were lucky with the weather for the weekend as all around seemed to have rain, but we escaped with just an overcast but cold & windy day for Saturday. As with the Mallory meeting Rudges in action were just three 250's with Merv and Mike Whittaker on 4 Valvers & Miki on his 2 Valver.  Merv's first race was in the Pre '34 class, the race being run as a split grid behind the up to 1962 500 class. Ian Cramp (500 Velocette) got the whole shot off the line with Merv in tow.  The Pre '34s soon caught the tail enders of the 500 class but with the Three Sisters track being tight & twisty, passing can be a problem. Cramp got past the first of the tail enders as Merv caught them in the wrong place & got badly held up allowing cramp to get away and take the win. Merv took second with Roger Moss (640 Scott) third & Miki taking 4th. The second pre '34 race later in the day, saw an almost repeat race except with Merv catching the end of the 500s in a different place yet getting equally held up! This time Miki took 3rd on the 2V 250.

Saturday's 250cc races saw Rob Charles (NSU) giving Merv some close attention for the first couple of laps, but in both races Merv shook him off to take the wins by 6.7 & 6s respectively. In the first race Mike Whittaker took 8th on his ex-Peter Doughty 250 4 Valve and in the second outing he lent it to Jay Wood, who was entered on a BSA C15 & he took the Rudge to a fine 7th. Later in the day however clutch slip prevented the bike taking any further part in the weekend. We had to do a gearbox change on the Stratford-Rudge during Saturday evening as it was caming out of 2nd towards the end of the day, this proved slightly more tricky than planned as we had left some important tools at home!

Sunday saw a brighter day & Merv headed out for a few laps of practice to check the new gearbox out, reporting back everything ok. The programme saw a repeat of Saturday, so again first race for us was the pre '34. Cramp again made the best of the starts with the extra power of a 500, but this time the tail enders of the pre '62 500s didn't cause so many problems & Merv was able to give him a bit closer attention. However both races again saw Cramp taking the wins with Merv 2nd. Miki took 5th in the first but was a non-starter in the second. Merv now leads the pre '34 championship from cramp because of the handicap scoring system. Merv took a brace of wins in Sunday's 250cc races to increase his lead in this championship also, with Rob Charles on the NSU again taking two 2nd places.

Next outing for the Stratford-Rudge team is the CRMC meeting at Knockhill on 12/13 June with the Greeves followed a week later by the Bob Mac Memorial meeting at East Fortune with the Rudge on 19/20th which also unfortunately clashes with the VMCC Cadwell meeting.

Roy

 

7/4/10

The opening round of the 2010 VMCC British Historic Racing championships got underway at Mallory Park on Easter Monday (5th April). Conditions were cold & damp at first, but thankfully it stayed dry all day. The Rudge entry was down for this first meeting with just three entered and all 250s, Merv on his 4 Valver, Miki Sprosen & Chris Wicketts on 2 Valvers, both belonging to Miki. This was Merv's first outing since Cadwell last year, as he elected to skip the VMCC practice day at Mallory in early March, then we cancelled last Wednesday's planned test at Mallory due to the threat of the weather. So all experiments were carried out in practice and the first race!, a freshly rebuilt gearbox & new experimental Avon tyres front & rear.

Everything seemed ok for practice, the first race was the 250s. A minutes silence was held at the start in memory of Titch Allen, although the bikes on the grid were allowed to keep their engines running, which seemed quite apt! Merv got a good start from the second row and took the lead on the opening lap, Tony Webb (Greeves) moved up to second whilst Rob Charles (NSU) & Nigel Lines (Velo) battled it out for third. Merv took the win from Webby, with Rob Charles taking third. Chris Wickett took 12th place on Miki's 2 Valver in his first race on the bike.

Next up was the Pre '34 race, Ian Cramp (500cc Velocette) took the lead, with Merv settling in too second place where he remained to the flag. Grant Sellers took third on his 500 Norton with Rudge pairing Chris Wickett & Miki Sprosen taking 5th & 6th respectively.

The New front tyre was working well, although now things had 'warmed' up a little the rear compound was proving a little soft, so a rear wheel change was needed before the second 250 race. We switched the rear to the slightly harder experimental compound tyre from last year. Merv took another win in the 250's from Tony Webb & Rob Charles, with the rear tyre proving better. Chris Wickett took 8th this time on the 2 Valver

The last pre '34 race was the most eventful of Merv's races during the day. Ian Cramp took the lead again, but this time with Merv chasing hard in second. Crampy had a big moment at the Bus stop chicane with the Velo airborne! somehow he stayed on & somehow Merv managed to pull the Rudge up & avoid him, preventing them both going down in a big heap! unfortunately though Ian's mishap lost Merv his momentum & he managed to get away & take the win. Merv took another second & Chris 5th.

Next meeting is Three Sisters 9th/10th May

Roy

 

11/2/10

Some sad news to report. We have just heard that long time Rudge man Gerry Turner has passed away.
Gerry was a friend of Roland Pike, building and racing a 250 Rudge almost identical to Roland's in the early fifties. Gerry then went on to ride the Pike BSA's with some successes at short circuits and at the TT.

Gerry's 250 at Silverstone in 1953

Roy