Dobsy Racing

Dobsy's NZ memorial

2010-07-03T20:56:00.002+12:00

On Saturday 17 July we will be celebrating Dobsy's life in Onewhero. The time has yet to be confirmed but it will be around lunch time. Please come dressed as Dobsy would recognise you. Team shirts will be very welcome.

A lap of Pukekohe race track will follow at 4pm.

On Sunday 18 July there will be a 'pit-walk' style bike show featuring many of the bikes Dobsy rode.

Good homes wanted

2010-06-28T08:55:00.002+12:00

The time has come to offer you the once in a lifetime opportunity to own some (or all) of Dobsy's stuff. Anyone who can find a use for any of the following please contact me. 07624 254438.

If you are on the Isle of Man it would be preferable if you can collect by Wednesday. If you are in the UK I might be able to deliver while I am over (first 5 days of July).

Bedford camper - IoM registered, NOT fun to drive but well set up inside. Ideal to park up and use as a second home.
'The Hilton' caravan converted to bike transporter.
jerry can x 2
large tarp
oil drain pan with spout
mains powerdrill
plastic link flooring (hex)
broom
saw x 2
plastic chair x 5
camping cups & plates
overalls x 2
spirit level
unused bubble screen with fitting screws
plastic jug x 2
box of drill bits
cable reel
angle grinder
BBQ large
bicycle - Diamondback, suspension f and r

Funeral Notice

2010-06-17T06:26:00.001+12:00

The funeral of Paul Dobbs, who died racing at the TT on Thursday 10 June, will be held at the grandstand in Douglas at 2pm Monday 21 June. His wife, Bridget, daughters, Eadlin and Hillberry, mother, Dawn and sister, Shaylene will welcome anyone who wishes to join them in celebration of Dobsy’s life. Please dress as Dobsy would recognise you – team shirts and marshal jackets very welcome.

Dobsy will start his final lap around 2.30pm and bikes particularly will be welcome to join him. There will be no formal order, overtaking is fine but legal speed limits will be observed.

Anyone who wishes to attend Lonan church for Dobsy’s interment may follow the hearse while others wait at the grandstand to be re-joined by the funeral party for refreshments.

Instead of flowers, please donate generously to The TT Riders’ Association (francesthorp@manx.net), Rob Vine Fund (http://www.mms.org.im/robvinefund) or ACU Benevolent Fund (01788 566400).

Death Notice

2010-06-12T23:35:00.002+12:00

Paul Dobbs died while racing at the Isle of Man TT on Thursday 10 June 2010. He had been enjoying a superbly successful TT. The weather had mostly been kind and Dobsy had achieved his target for this year (123mph on the Superstock) during the second practice session and again in several other practices and races.

He had completed three races: Superbike, Supersport 1 and Superstock and finished in replica time in all three. He was lying 4th in the Privateers’ Cup.

He died doing what he did best and what he enjoyed the most. Fifty weeks of our year was spent planning and preparing for the next TT.

I know I speak for our team when I thank the Race Office for their full and continued support at this time. I also thank everyone who has been in touch with their kind words.

Dobsy will stay on the Isle of Man which was what he always wanted. We cannot yet make detailed arrangements but we expect the funeral will be early in the week starting 21st June and we very much look forward to seeing everyone who is able to attend. Anyone who would like to provide a motorcycle escort will be greatly appreciated. We intend to celebrate his life not to mourn his parting.

There will also be a memorial service in NZ at a later date.

Dobsy was never overly fond of flowers so please donate to one of the following instead.

TT Riders’ Association
(helps riders and their families)
francesthorp@manx.net
Frances Thorp
Mountain View
Glen Maye
Isle of Man
IM5 3BJ

Rob Vine Fund
(medical equipment for helicopters and course)
http://www.mms.org.im/robvinefund/

ACU Benevolent Fund
(helps riders and their families)
emma@acu.org.uk
01788 566400
The Auto-Cycle Union Benevolent Fund
ACU House
Wood Street
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 2YX

Family Statement

2010-06-12T23:08:00.002+12:00

While we are all devastated by Dobsy’s death during the 2nd Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT on Thursday 10 June 2010, I feel that we are lucky in so many ways.

Dobsy died doing what he most loved, in a place he loved and felt at home and surrounded by people he loved and admired.

He died instantly and felt no pain. He had no knowledge of his end but was fully focussed on the bike and the race.

After making a hard decision and missing the TT last year, I am thankful that I was here at this tragic time.

We have been wholeheartedly supported by the whole racing community in both a professional and personal way.

We held nothing back in pursuing Dobsy’s racing and so I need regret nothing. Our lives have been immeasurably enriched by the TT and the Isle of Man.

I would like to thank Bruce Anstey who had Dobsy in his thoughts even in his moment of glory after the Senior TT.

I would especially like to thank Paul Owen. Paul was perhaps Dobsy’s greatest rival and friend at the TT. They were very evenly matched and Dobsy measured his performance against Paul’s. They invariably got together soon after a practice or race to share their experiences. Paul’s selfless and big hearted action on Thursday moves me beyond words. Without hesitation, he did everything in his power to try to help Dobsy. Paul truly embodies the spirit of the TT and I wish the award could be named after him for posterity.

This is a difficult time for Dobsy’s mother, Dawn. I hope that she can overcome and put aside her hurting. She helped to make Dobsy what he was and she should be very proud.

Dobsy’s daughters, Eadlin and Hillberry, are two very special people. They have lived an honest and unsheltered life and I know they both understand exactly what this means. They will miss their Dad terribly and there will be some hard times over the coming weeks, months and years. But I also know that they have been shaped by having Dobsy in their lives and they are all the stronger, smarter and braver for that.

He really spoilt my week but he has brought infinite joy, adventure and fun to our lives. He has energised and inspired. He will live forever in our esteem, our thoughts and our hearts.

Bridget

Monday 7 June 2010

2010-06-09T08:14:00.001+12:00

Supersport (600) race

In NZ my Hallett Aviation 600 Suzuki with its 129hp would be a race winner hands down but in the UK the rules are different and the top bikes have over 140hp. This meant it was going to be a tough race but we had been in the top 20 in practice and the bike was handling very well.
On the 1st lap the bike seemed slow up the mountain which was a bit worrying until on lap 2 I figured out we had a head wind. The first 2 laps were pretty good with little traffic to hold me up. The pit-stop at the end of lap 2 went well and I left with Paul Owen and John Burrows - they are both on very fast Yamahas. John was holding me up on the corners and bumpy parts of the circuit and I managed to get past at Bishop’s Court only to get passed by him and Paul on Sulby straight. I managed to stay with them to the mountain where they pulled around 25 seconds on me. On the last lap we were all passed by Ben Wiley on a ballistically fast R6, horse power rules here.

I got my head down and pushed really hard on the last lap and pulled back around 20 seconds on Paul and John. The last lap was 119.6mph but the bike started to push the front really hard as the tank emptied so a few changes are needed before the next race.

Superstock race

This was our best chance as the R1 is a standard road bike. The changes we had made to the forks worked really well and she was flying. We have been regularly clocked at 184mph at the Sulby speed trap and that isn’t the fastest part of the track.

James McBride came past on lap 2 and after we swapped places a few times he slowly pulled away from me. At the pit-stop we had a stuck visor which cost about 6 seconds so I set off for the last 2 laps on a mission to make up time. The bike was flying and I had my eye in. I passed a couple of lower numbers and set off for a fast last lap.

On Sulby straight for the last time the clutch cried ‘enough’ and I had to slow to adjust it and try to cool her down. The slipper clutch lets the clutch slip on the down changes to improve corner entry speeds but it wears the plates. At Ramsey she struggled to pull out of the hairpin and I nearly parked her up there. The clutch cooled so I could limp home to a 24th place. We are now 4th in the Privateers’ cup.

Saturday 5 June 2010

2010-06-06T20:51:00.003+12:00

The 1st race of the week is the 6 lap Superbike and it was delayed 3.5 hours due to fog. Our bike is a Superstock (basically a standard bike) so we were at a slight disadvantage in this race.
I had my start number changed due to my practice times and we moved from 41 to 26, this meant a lot less traffic to get past during the race.

We had made a couple of changes to the front end of the bike so the 1st two laps were a learning curve to see how she would react. I caught Ian Pattinson on lap one and got past easily only to get passed by Davy Morgan on lap 2 on our way to the pits. Davy was riding the ex Cameron Donald bike from 2009 so it’s a fast bike. In the pits for the 1st time it was hard to keep my speed under the 60kpm limit. Due to a slick pit-stop I left in front of Davy, he soon got past but I managed to stay with him until the mountain where he left me. I was feeling good and the bike was behaving well.

At the 2nd stop Bridget said the times were good but I missed the rest of the report. On the run out of the pits Ian was with me again and he pushed me hard. On the last lap my rear tyre and bad knee were crying ‘enough’ but I managed my fastest lap of the race. Ian did get past on the run to the line but I only had to be with him at the line to be 10sec in front as he started ahead of me.

I finished 19th overall and 4th privateer. My race average was over 120mph and I did a couple of 123mph (198.4) laps. I broke all my records and had a great start to Race Week.

Many thanks to Barnes Racing, Dave East Engineering, North Drill, Atherstone Smash Repairs and all the team.

Friday practice

2010-06-06T19:35:00.003+12:00

According to the programme, practice was to revert to solos first but there was a change of plans and the sidecars were sent out before us. We were told that the sidecars would get the full 1½ hours and we would get a short session again so we decided to do 2 laps on the R1 and only practice the pit lane speed limit on the 600.

With about 25 minutes notice, it was announced that we’d go out 40 minutes early. With a bit more notice I could have got 2 laps on the 600 before I took the R1 out but I decided it was too late to change my plan.

I had made a small change to the R1 front ride height and it didn’t work as I had expected it to. After the session I spoke to Richard from Maxton and we decided I had too much load on the front tyre and it was deforming entering corners creating the odd feeling I was getting. This was also causing the tyre to look like it wasn’t working. We have a plan for the race so I hope it works.

I practiced the 60kph speed limit in pit lane using the speed read-out on pit lane and decided on the rpm I needed for a safe 55kph as the time penalties are very harsh for exceeding 60. Luckily Bridget picked up the official speeds for the session and it turned out that the read-out was 5kph under so we would need to slow down another 500rpm. We’re not in Ireland but at times we could be!

Thursday 2 June 2010

2010-06-06T19:19:00.004+12:00

We were out after the sidecars and there was a delay of 45min due to an accident on the mountain. This meant we had a short practice session and the sun would be at its worst plus there was the risk of an oil slick on the circuit. As luck would have it there was only one oil spill on the track and that may have been a solo. As we could only get 3 laps in and the biggest changes were to the 600, I decided to run her first for 2 laps. We also had to run down the pit lane to work out what rpm was 60kph for the new speed limit.

The changes we had made had improved the 600’s steering but it had put a lot of weight on the front tyre and I had a couple of front end slides so I decided to change it back a little. The times weren’t the quickest of the week but with the low sun I struggled with visibility on some of the fastest parts of the track. I managed to get a rpm to try tomorrow in the pit lane.

The R1 felt very big and fast in comparison to the 600 and the changes to her were hard to work out early in the lap with a full fuel load. As the lap progressed the handling did improve a lot. This is the problem with long races you have to set the bike up to handle across a range of 22 kg’s of fuel on board. We hope to do 2 laps tomorrow to see if the setup is right for the race.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

2010-06-03T23:02:00.006+12:00

Wednesday’s weather was another Isle of Man special – bright blue sunny skies and then banks of fog rolling in off the sea heralded by the fog horns in Douglas harbour. It settled down in time for roads to close on schedule at 6pm.

During the day we’d softened the rear suspension and tyres on the 600 and Easty gave Dobsy the benefit of his race wisdom. Easty is a fount of knowledge and each year Dobsy finds another bit starts to make sense for him. The most notable change today was Quarry Bends. The speed trap at Sulby is heavily influenced by how riders get out of Quarry Bends and the R1 went through at 184mph – 15mph faster than the night before. Lap times didn’t suffer either.

First out was the R1 again. This gives Dobsy a chance to get ahead of some of the slower riders that get out in front of him. As he flew across the start/finish onto lap 2 we saw he’d averaged 122.95mph – just a hair from his target for this year of 123. On the second lap there was some traffic and sun strike so the lap speed was 122.8mph.

Tony had the 600 warmed up ready to go so after a drink and a visor change Dobsy was away.

The first lap was a solid 118.1mph. The second was much the same as the flying start advantage was cancelled out by too many bug splats obscuring Dobsy’s view. He’s had some visor issues and hasn’t got tear-offs yet.

At the end of the session the R1 still held the 11th quickest speed trap figure. After dinner we collected the timesheets from the race office and found that, over the 3 practices, Dobsy is the 22nd quickest Supersport, 17th Superbike and 14th Superstock just ahead of Bruce Anstey! We’re going to get Bruce to sign that one and we’ll frame it! Of course, a lot will change between now and the end of race week but it is definitely our best start to an IoM TT.

As always, we are indebted to Dave East and Tony Stanwell for their tireless mechanical work and Ian Barnes, Mike of North Drill and Neil of Hallett Aviation for their support. Special thanks should also go to Great Nick for the fantastic lunch and the Doc for inviting us to share the maiden cranking of his drag engine.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

2010-06-03T21:11:00.002+12:00

Conditions weren’t ideal and 2 hours before practice it was raining and there was heavy fog on the mountain. But true to IoM weather it cleared to a lovely evening. The road had dried in all but the shady places making spotting them in the late afternoon sun very difficult.

I went out on the Barnes Racing/Dave East/North Drill R1 for the first 2 laps and it was a steady run to find the wet spots. I was pleasantly surprised with the lap times when I came in – 117.5mph and 121.3mph.

The next 2 laps were on the Hallett Aviation/North Drill Suzuki Supersport bike. The track wasn’t drying as I would expect so it was difficult to put in committed laps but once again the lap times weren’t too bad – 116.4mph and 118.1mph.

Isle of Man TT 2010 Monday 31 May

2010-06-02T03:59:00.001+12:00

The start of TT2010 has mostly gone to plan. The old, faithful camper started even after a very cold winter with snow and I have Bridget with me after being here on my own last year. The only down sides are that the Mike Pumford 250cc Villiers I was to race at Billown had a gearbox fault that couldn’t be sorted. That stopped me from starting the Pre TT classic races. Secondly, Mike Pulman of North Drill failing for the 2nd year to get to the TT, this time due to a bike crash and a fall at work breaking the same collar bone twice.

The first TT practice was cancelled due to bad weather so we finally got underway on Monday night with a perfect evening, if a bit windy, for a couple of laps on the mountain.
The first 2 laps were on Easty’s Barnes Racing R1 and even with my head struggling to keep ahead of my eyes for the first lap and a half and an old rear tyre I still managed two respectable times. My fastest ever 1st practice at 117.8mph and 119.9mph.

The next 2 laps were on the Hallett Aviation Suzuki Supersport bike and from the off I had a visor problem that caused a stiff breeze to blow into my eyes making visibility a problem. I stopped after the first lap to try to fix the problem but on the 2nd lap it was just as bad. Considering this, the times were encouraging at 114.8mph and 115.2mph.

According to the results sheets, I was the 15th quickest in both the Superbike and Superstock and 16th quickest in the Supersport. There’s still some time in there when we’ve ironed some wrinkles and got my head up to speed but we have to remember everyone else has similar plans.

International North West 200 May 2010

2010-05-19T10:49:00.006+12:00

Race 1 Superbike
After rain in the morning and a delayed start conditions were pretty good for the North West, the track was mostly dry.
Qualifying had not gone too well due to the changeable conditions and my having to remember the differences between the 4 cylinder Jap bikes and the Ducatis I had been running in NZ. We had managed to get clocked on the speed trap on Easty's Yamaha R1 at 300.8kph! As I looked around the grid it was obvious it wasn't just me who had had trouble.
I was in the 2nd wave to start in all the races and as the madness of the first couple of corners sorted itself out I managed to be in the midst of the front bunch and able to dice and pass. It was all coming back to me and the famous NW 200 slipstreaming was awesome. It’s a fast course with long straights and, unlike the TT, has a mass start so bikes are often travelling in groups instead of in ones and twos.
As the race went on and I tried to hold onto the more powerful superbikes, I started to get massive amounts of wheel-spin out of the slow corners. I would lose out on the straights and make up time on the brakes and into the corners but it was far too aggressive on the exits and the rear tyre was overheating. On the last lap at Juniper chicane I tried to pass Gary Mason and nearly high-sided and lost another place before the line finishing 23rd.

Race 2 Supersport
The Hallett Aviation GSXR600 was going very well and besides gearing and a few suspension changes and the lack of a quick-shifter there were no problems.
From the start I was too cautious and lost out at York hairpin but I managed to get back to the bunch ahead. There was a real difference in bike speed which made for some great slip-streaming and close racing. At one stage coming up to University, I got a double tow and the little bike saw 16,700rpm in top gear. The dicing went right down to the wire and I finished 29th.

Race 3 Superstock
This was our race as the Barnes Racing/Dave East Engineering R1 is a stock bike. The race start was much better and I held my own at York and the 1st roundabout. I was being much less aggressive on the throttle and getting the bike stood up before getting on the gas hard (a habit picked up racing the Ducatis). The bike was able to stay with most of the others in the bunch, even the 190hp BMWs and we were over the 300kph mark on a few laps. I finished 20th and put in my fastest lap of the meeting at 112.76mph. The set-up should suit the TT better so I think we have a good chance there.

Race 4 Supersport
I got a good start but was having a problem changing down. I also got tangled up with a really fast bike and lost the tow of the group ahead. So with nobody close behind I settled for a steady run to the flag and finished 29th again. The gear change problem is being worked on now and again the bike will be really good for the TT.

NW 200

2010-05-13T23:20:00.002+12:00

It's the second practice session now - Thursday gmt. Catch the action on http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/nw200/ live streaming practice now and racing on Saturday.

Conditions a very patchy with rain over parts of the course and dry elsewhere. Dobsy tore up some intermediates on the Superstock and now he's out on the 600.

Barry Sheene Festival of Speed 2010 Eastern Creek Australia 3-4 April

2010-04-08T07:48:00.004+12:00

It was a last minute decision to do this meeting and we only made it with financial help from the Australian Post Classic Club, Mike Pulman of North Drill and Pero’s barber shop.

There were 3 bikes and crew from NZ there, Sam Smith on Peter Lodge’s ES2 Norton, Terry Martin on Dave Kenna’s Manx Norton and myself on the SBR Norton Commando. We all met up on Thursday morning at Sydney airport to sort rental cars and vans then it was off to Botany to collect the bikes.

We arrived at the track in the afternoon to set the bikes up in the pit garage and reacquaint myself with a track I hadn’t ridden on for 12 years. I had lived in Sydney for a few years and on leaving Aus for the UK held the lap record for F3 which stood for a few years, I’m told. This is one of my favorite tracks in the world, lots of change of elevation, flowing and with a heart stopping first turn.

Friday was a practice day and by the 2nd session I was starting to remember the bumps and lines, the track hadn’t deteriorated much at all in the time I was away. We tested a Dunlop rear tyre and it worked well reducing my lap times by a second but it was doubtful if it would last the weekend and there were none to be found at the track.

Saturday and qualifying went well. We were entered in the Post Classic up to 750cc class and running in our race was the Post Classic Unlimited and Forgotten Era bikes - all much bigger capacity and more powerful than the Commando. We qualified 1st in our class and ahead of the the unlimited class bikes but 5th overall.

In the first race I was shocked to find the bike was detonating at the end of the start finish straight and had to shut the throttle to stop it. I was puzzled as we have never had this problem. I managed to win our class but was beaten home by Robert Young on a 1000cc Ducati and ended up 5th outright.

We had changed to a different fuel for qualifying and we guessed this had caused the detonation problem so we put bigger jets in to try and fix it.

During Race 2 the problem was slightly better but I still had to close the throttle to stop the detonation. I managed to beat the Ducati home this time and ended 4th overall.

Bigger jets were fitted and the head scratching continued as we lined up for the 1st Barry Sheene Fastest 40 Race. I had qualified 8th and after a good start and some close dicing with Robert and an RG500 and other big jap Forgotten Era bikes I finished in 6th place but we still had the detonation problem.

The bike was prepared for Sunday and the det problem was discovered to be the fuel having high oxygen content, other people were having the same problems. It was decided to mix the 2 fuels and see if that helped. We had also destroyed the Dunlop rear tyre and so returned to the Avon we normally use.

On Sunday, in the first race I ended up battling with Robert. They had fitted the 2nd of their new Dunlop tyres and he had an edge on me. The dicing was close and fast, at one point I ran into his exhaust at turn 1 which gave me a scare. I decided to back off and let my overheating rear tyre recover thinking I had at least 2 more laps left. Unfortunately, I had missed the last lap board and by the time I saw the chequered flag it was too late. To the relief of us all the detonation had gone and she was back to normal.

The next race was the 2nd Barry Sheene and battle commenced again Robert having fitted another new rear tyre. It was another close race and it went to the wire but again he finished ahead but in the meantime I had lapped, we think, 4 seconds under the lap record for a 750.

The last race was the 4th 750-unlimited race and this time Robert didn’t have a new tyre. As the laps went on I could see he didn’t have the grip advantage of the first 2 races and I took the lead several times. My rear tyre was starting to overheat so I knew I had to make a break. I got past at turn 2 and managed to hold him off till the start-finish. At turn 1 I knew I was faster so this time I went as fast as I dared and got on the gas hard and early. The rear tyre started to spin mid-corner and kept sliding all the way to the exit which was heart stopping at that speed. I got the break I needed and held him off till the end.

The results for the weekend were;
1st 750 Post Classic
6th overall and 1st 750 in the Fastest 40 Barry Sheene race

Many thanks to SBR (Tony and Buck) for letting me ride this awesome bike, North Drill, Pero’s Barbers shop and the Aussie Post Classic Club for their help to get to the meeting.

BEARs Sound of Thunder, Ruapuna 27-28 February 2010

2010-04-07T19:15:00.008+12:00

We had high hopes for the BEARs meeting but competition was going to be tough for the KTL 999 with Bruce Telford on his new RSV4 Aprilia and Steve Bridge on his KTM RC8.

The Commando had split her crankcase at this meeting a year ago so there was a bit of unfinished business there. The Commando and I had made it onto the T-shirts and posters so there was no pressure to perform really!

Practice Friday went well, both bikes dialling in quickly and doing good times if not feeling very fast. The 999 was just slower than our best times on the 675 last year so hopes were high for good results. Both the KTM and Aprilia were quite a bit faster in a straight line than the 999 and I struggled to stay in their tow.

First race was on the Commando and besides some pressure from Brendon Code on a motard it was a comfortable win.

Next up was the Best of Italy and I got a very average start and ended up in the middle of things at the first turn. There were people on all sorts of odd lines and I was keen to get away from them. Unfortunately, I misjudged Telford’s line and clipped his rear wheel sending me over the bars. The bike had brought down another rider and as I got up he was pinned under my bike. I picked the bike up off him and he managed to re-start and set off again. The 999 was not so lucky with serious damage. I wasn’t feeling very good either as I wheeled her out of the way. I had a sore elbow and head but worst of all I had torn muscles in my groin - OUCH.

On arriving back at the pits the KTL crew set about repairs while I got out of my leathers. My elbow had split open and was bleeding quite badly. I limped to the first aid to get patched; Buck appeared at the door to let me know we were out in the next race on the Commando. The paramedics did a nice job to get me out for it but I had to promise to have it stitched that night.
I managed, to my surprise, to win the next 2 races on the Commando. Luckily riding was far more comfortable than walking.

I thanked the lovely nurse who stitched me up at Riccarton after the races on Saturday. There is a small piece of elbow missing but the stitches were a work of art.

On Sunday I could only walk a few steps at a time, much to the amusement of everyone at the race track. I was walking like I’d just had a hefty kick in the nuts. However, once I was on a bike it wasn’t too bad.

The Norton won all but the race with the modern bikes (the Conti Cup for anything with treaded tyres). We were running 3rd on the last lap but Jase the Ace on his 748 was too good and I had to settle for 4th.

The first bracket race on the Ducati was hard work - Bruce got away at the front and I was behind Steve’s KTM. I got round him at about half race distance but Bruce had gone and I had to really push hard to close the gap. To my surprise I caught him quickly and passed him around the outside going into the bomb hole. Once in front I pulled a comfortable gap to the finish.

The 2nd Bracket race went the same way but when I got past into the lead the bike dropped onto 1 cylinder and it proceeded to swap between a single cylinder and a twin until the end. But I managed to stay in 2nd place.

Massive thanks to the KTL guys for working so hard to put the 999 back together for me and SBR for letting me ride the awesome Commando.

Also many thanks to the BEAR’s club for a fantastic meeting again and the special prize of a bag of ice at prize giving for my aches.

Battle of the Streets Paeroa 21st February 2010

2010-03-29T10:41:00.005+13:00

Because of the workload in the last 2 meetings and the BEARS Sound of Thunder being the following weekend I had no Classic bikes for Paeroa, which felt strange.

The Ducati 749 was entered in the Supersport races and the 999 was in the F1, King of Paeroa and BEARs races. Eight races was a bit of a holiday for me but we were kept busy with bike problems and my duties as Riders’ Rep.

The weather didn’t disappoint with the customary cloudless skies. This must be one of the only race meetings to have never had a wet day in its history.

Practice went well and we qualified on the front row for all but the F1 races and our main threat in the BEARs, Peter Tanner’s Aprilia, dropped a valve.

In the first Supersport race I was running a close 4th and getting ready to make a pass for the podium when the 749’s clutch failed. The KTL boys did a quick swap to a spare clutch for the 2nd race. It made it to the end but it was starting to slip in the closing laps. Fourth, under the circumstances, wasn’t too bad.

In the King of Paeroa I was running just behind Tony Rees and Ray Clee and again as I was contemplating a pass the gear lever clipped the curb and broke off. I managed to keep my spot by doing the last 4 laps stuck in 3rd gear.

The F1 race was a disaster as well with 8 out of the 14 teeth breaking off the front sprocket on the start so another DNF.

The BEARs race went to plan leading from the start to finish with no real pressure so there was time to entertain the crowd backing the big Duc into turns and sliding her out.

We prepared for the last round of races only to have the meeting abandoned due to the number of crashes and lack of time. A couple of non-racing accidents off-circuit also stretched the ambulance resources.

The next meeting is the BEARs sound of Thunder in Christchurch. What could possibly go wrong there?!

Thanks to Pommy Dave and both Rob Taylors as well as Kerry of KTL for their help and support - it’s greatly appreciated.

CMRR Hampton Downs 13th-14th February

2010-03-20T09:30:00.001+13:00

This was to be the first bike race meeting held at the new Hampton Downs track. I’m not sure whether we were privileged or guineapigs used to find the problems and there were a few.

The Empire Star was the best bike to have out of my 3. She just suited the track perfectly; her willingness to turn tight and change direction quickly and the lack of bumps made her the most fun bike to ride. I had some good dices in the early laps of the races with Ginger Malloy on his Bultaco. It’s so good to see him back on a bike and going quick. The challenge from Mike Farrall started well but his old bike lifted the barrel off the cases and his new bike broke the gearbox on the starting rollers. It was the end of his trip and it wasn’t the way we hoped it would end.

The Goldstar still had the long stroke motor and with the shorter straight we were closer to the front guys. The normally faultless handling was upset with a front end patter on the sweeper (I later found out Dave Cole was having the same problem). I was dicing with Terry Martin for 3rd and 4th positions but in the Sunday race I pushed a little too hard into the sweeper and lost the front and crashed. Neither the bike nor I was badly damaged, sorry Neville.

The Commando races were the reverse of Puke with Steve Bridge on the Ducati unable to stay with us on the tighter track. We won all our races and set some quick lap times. Steve and I were both entered in the Post Classic races as well but had sat the early races out to save our bikes. The last race of the weekend was the Post Classic and we both lined up for the start, Steve was on the back of the grid and I was 13th.

Surrounded by big pre ‘86 Jap bikes it was a nervous start but at turn 1 Steve was in the lead and I was 2nd. By turn 2 I had the lead but there was a problem. Every time I shut the throttle to enter a corner the rear of the bike chattered really badly. Steve was pushing me hard and I knew the lap times were good so I put it down to me trying too hard. I managed to brake early and drive through the corners which improved the chatter. I managed to get a break on Steve on the last lap and set the fastest lap of the meeting. On the in-lap I realized how bad the problem was and in the pits we realized the swingarm was broken clean through on the drive side. Someone must have been watching out for me!!

Commiserations to Mike having to head home with 2 broken bikes.

Thanks to SBR, Neville Wooderson and Paul DeLacy for letting me race their bikes. Also thanks to Aero Machinists for their superb workmanship.

Classic Festival Pukekohe 5th - 7th February

2010-03-17T12:08:00.001+13:00

There were a few problems getting Mike Farrall here but come Friday practice everybody and their bikes were at the track ready to go.

Mike was going to be the big threat in the Pre-war classes on his very quick Rudges and Lee Gourlay on his 500 GP Paton in the Post Classic against SBR’s Commando.

Practice went well on the Empire Star and we quickly got reacquainted as I hadn’t ridden her for a long time.

The Commando was feeling awesome with its new crankcases. It was almost a year ago they broke during my last ride on her. We were quickly up to speed and putting in times close to our lap record of last year.

The Goldstar didn’t go well and we had a timing issue which meant we would have to go back to our standard bore ABSAF motor robbing us of top speed.

The first Pre-war race on the Empire Star I threw away. I had a good lead over Mike going into the last lap and eased off too much, and then I got baulked by back markers at Castrol and the esses. As I headed for the line Mike blasted past to take the win. This was the first time since Paul DeLacy built the bike it had finished in any position other than 1st. Sorry Paul!

In the rest of the races I didn’t back off and managed to win all but the graded scratch race against much faster more modern bikes. I got a tow from 3 Post Classic bikes on the last lap and put in a 1min 14.95sec, the first time a Pre-war bike has ever been that fast.

The Goldy struggled for top speed and although the chassis was working really well and I could make up time on the brakes and in the corners, I was losing too much on the straight to contest the top 3 spots.

The Commando was in the same race as Lee on the Patton, a new copy of a 500 GP bike making more power and lighter than our bike. Steve Bridge had a new motor in his 1000cc Ducati and it was also going very quickly. We were all in different classes with the Commando being a 750cc but we all wanted the outright wins.

I managed to beat Lee in 2 out of 4 races as he struggled to learn Pukekohe’s bumps.
Steve was a different matter. I did manage to get past him a few times and threw everything at him but couldn’t make up for the straight line speed. His bike was also handling much better than last year. Our lap record set at this meeting last year of 1min 5.4sec was smashed. We managed a 1min 4.9sec, Steve did 1min 4.85 and Lee did an amazing 1min 4.35sec.

A great weekend’s racing - many thanks to the CMRR club for making it happen.

Also thanks to SBR, Neville Wooderson and Paul Delacy for letting me ride these amazing bikes and Joy for the lunches.

Wanganui Cemetery Circuit, Boxing Day 2009

2010-02-11T10:24:00.004+13:00

Better late than never I hope, it's been busy!

We had perfect weather and it was a great race meeting, apart from the lack of toilets or early morning coffee and bacon butties in the paddock. And the ice creams ran out before 2pm. Great racing though!

Formula 1 Overall 10th
Race 1 10th Race 2 10th

BEARs Overall 1st
Race 1 2nd Race 2 1st

600 Supersport Overall 6th
Race 1 7th Race 2 6th

Robert Holden Feature 9th

Thanks to Kerry at KTL and the Anglo American crew for their help. It’s not Christmas without this race meeting.

AMCC Club Championships Rounds 2 & 3 Pukekohe 12/13 Dec 2010

2010-01-18T08:00:00.009+13:00

Sorry this report is so late, the run up to Xmas was a bit mad with work and bike preparation.

I was only riding the KTL 999 Ducati and the Anglo American M/C club 749 Ducati so it should have been an easy run, but a few clutch problems and chain adjuster failures were annoying and meant 2 DNF’s.

Having said that, we were lapping consistently at 59.50sec on the 999 and in the high 60.00sec on the 749 so we are making steady progress.

We won the F1 races until Chopper got his Suzuki 1000 sorted then had to settle for 2nd’s. I can make up for some of the horsepower deficit in the corners but 40 plus Hp is just too much.

The F2 races on the 749 were the highlights for me. Although we were still giving away 10kph on the straights I was lapping quicker than the Suzukis. When I did get into the lead I managed to pull away but getting there was hard work. The highlight was getting past 2 of them on the outside at Puke’s turn one (Shaun Harris was one of them).

Results Round 2 12th December
F1
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 1st
Race 3: 2nd
F2
Race 1: DNF
Race 2: 3rd
Race 3: 1st
Pro twins
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 1st
Race 3: 1st

Results Round 3 13th December
F1
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 2nd
Race 3: DNF
F2
Race 1: 4th
Race 2: 3rd
Race 3: 2nd
Pro twins
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: DNF
Race 3: 1st

Many thanks to KTL and the Anglo American Club. Great bikes and enthusiastic support at the races.

TV coverage of the BEARs races on Boxing Day

2010-01-18T08:34:00.005+13:00

http://www.speedbox.tv/VideoPlayer.aspx?vcode=BjNGE0MTqLZ8rzAhOvujLZCMZQ1OLHuy

Dobsy’s Race School Available Dates

2009-12-15T11:35:00.002+13:00

Here are the dates that are available for Dobsy's race school / rider training. If you would like to book, just drop Dobsy a text, e-mail or 'phone call with your preferred date and he'll book you in. Obviously, where there is a choice between Pukekohe and Taupo he can only do one or the other! He is good but, alas, there is only one of him.

19 December 2009 at Practice day Pukekohe
20 December 2009 at Kiwi Track Days – Pukekohe
9 January 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
15 January 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
22 January 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
29 January 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe or Kiwi Track Days – Taupo
1 February 2010 at Kiwi Track Days – Pukekohe
12 February 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
19 February 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe or Kiwi Track Days – Taupo
4 March 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
12 March 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
19 March 2010 at Practice day Pukekohe
21 March 2010 at Kiwi Track Days – Pukekohe

mobile 021 130 3540
land line 09 232 8250

Dobsy’s Race School

2009-11-25T15:43:00.004+13:00

Whether you race a motorbike or just ride for pleasure you will benefit from understanding how to get the most out of your bike.
· Learn to ride faster more safely.
· Bike set-up and geometry explained.
· Tuning problems sorted.
· Riding techniques demonstrated and explained.
· All abilities catered for.
· Many years of experience on vintage, classic and modern bikes.

Run with KiwiTrackDays Ltd or independently at a race track practice day.

For details and bookings call 09 232 8250 or 021 130 3540

Thank you

2009-11-25T14:41:00.004+13:00

Neville Wooderson and Paul Dobbs would like to thank our sponsors who helped us to win the 2009 NZ Senior Classic TT on Neville’s BSA Goldstar.

Aero Machinists and Engineers for their wealth of knowledge and machining expertise. There’s nothing bike related they can’t improve, repair or reproduce. Ph 07 849 4587

Morris Oils for supplying us with the best oils - Ph 021 130 3540

ABSAF for new Goldstar parts – Ph +31 596 620254 woldweg@hetnet.nl

Pazon Ignitions - Ph 07 549 5878

Collett Electrical - Ph 09 236 8693