End of season party in the park

Our final round with British Superbikes has been a confirmed date in our calendar all year but we didn’t receive entry information until just two weeks in advance. And so, with another short timeline, it was all hands on deck to gather entries and organise a weekend with a few special extras thrown in.

We were surprised that a number of regulars elected to ride elsewhere but they missed out on an extra-special meeting. We had unrivalled pace throughout the field and the weather on our side for every session. Not to mention, a fantastic spread of complimentary food, extra cash awards and the usual GP Originals paddock camaraderie received an additional boost of humour and goodwill.

Get set…

This meeting was an opportunity to experience racing beyond club level. We all knew it would be different, more regimented with a limited margin for personal demands. However, we were looked after very well by British Superbikes, receiving the same treatment as every other class. Arrival was strictly organised and we were soon parked up in our allocated paddock, ready for scrutineering to begin. We brought along our own scrutineer, Brian Carbutt who worked tirelessly alongside the BSB tech officials and we were all through in double quick time with no hassle. The next stop was the media tent for our briefing to make sure we all understood the safety car and start procedure at a top level British Championship event.

Out on track

16:35 and we were efficiently let out onto the circuit for a 15-minute warm-up. Enough time for up to nine laps of dry conditions for our collective of 27 TZs. It didn’t take long for the drama to unfold!

Our 250 and 350 championship leaders took off like scalded cats, the tricky, steep, downhill braking at Mansfield promptly claimed Phil Atkinson as the front slid out. A bold dark line remained to remind us all to keep exuberance in check for a lap or two.

Ant Hart showed his hand with a 1:39.396. The rest of the field were also setting a very good pace with every rider up to 14th all under the 1:50 marker. Ian Walton was posting fast top speeds on his 350 but fell at the Mountain in the closing laps, sadly putting an end to his weekend’s racing.

We had the pleasure of welcoming a couple of new 250 recruits in James Hillier and Nick Anderson. TT rider James Hillier has recently bought a very original TZ250J and made a last-minute decision to race it with us at Cadwell. James did get out for a couple of laps in Saturday’s qualifying but the bike wasn’t quite ready for its GPO debut. This combined with an eleventh-hour offer to step in for Kyle Ride on the Superbike meant energy and time became scarce. Nick Anderson took up the offer of Ian Cowles’ TZ250L and was anxiously anticipating his first experience racing a 37 year old two-stroke!

250s of Mike Grigson and Mark Linton drafted by the 350cc of Glen English.
Derek Skinner, possibly the most senior rider at a BSB round, rides the white lines around the Mountain.
© PK Photomedia

Qualifying in front of a crowd 

With James Hillier joining us in the holding area we now had 28 GP Originals TZs keen to start qualifying at 9am. The spectators were already lining the circuit and it was great to see so many riders and teams coming out to see what the smoke and noise was all about.

Phil Atkinson had dusted himself off from Friday’s excursion and set about reclaiming his top spot. Ant Hart was there all the way and the pair fought for the Motocarb Motopole £50 reward with just 0.033 between them. Atkinson’s 1:39.352 secured him another pole position. Dan Jackson took up the final front row spot on his Harris TZ350.

Fast Master and 250cc championship contender Nigel Palmer claimed the fastest 250cc Motopole position and his £50 with a 1:42.921 from our Cadwell 250 lap record holder Gary Vines. Two-stroke newbie Nick Anderson put in an impressive qualifying session to take 3rd fastest of the 250cc class.

With Palmer ahead on time, Roy Chapman bagged 2nd fastest of our over-55s Masters with championship rival Nick Williamson racking up 3rd of the CBG Contractors Masters’ runners.

Liam McCarter managed to post a good time before a crank failure called for a retirement at Mansfield and work to do on return to the paddock. Michael Grigson’s AD Modular 250 championship charge was hampered by a broken chain meaning a lowly grid spot for the races. Ewan Hamilton and John Hannaford were also suffering mechanical woes. Once again the pace was strong through the field with everyone picking up their times considerably.

Time to go racing 

The weather forecast showed a front coming through in the afternoon so a reshuffle of the schedule meant our race was put back to 15:50. When our time arrived thankfully the rain held off and we set off with slightly threatening clouds but good dry conditions.

We joined the circuit and then assembled in the pitlane ready for a sighting lap before forming on the grid for the warm-up lap. Teams and riders came out to watch and there was a lot of interest in these strange-sounding, smoky machines from the 1970s and early 80s.

After the sighting lap we assembled in our grid positions, every second carefully calculated and, of course, no delays. Nick Anderson discovered that his fairing was loose and put his hand up, he quickly pushed the 250 to the side and then we were off. Anderson rejoined as soon as his fairing was secured but he had his work cut out to chase down the pack.

The circuit was lined with spectators and the sight of a huge boom camera at Park may have proved a little intimidating. Not so, every rider had their head down looking to take that next position. Atkinson got out in front but Hart was hot on his heels. This wasn’t going to be an easy win for the South African who had already secured the Maxton Suspension 350 title. Dan Jackson and Chris Moore gave chase, both keen to secure a podium place. Glen English retired early when he discovered downing quantities of Pro-Plus and coffee wasn’t so good for the concentration levels!

Lap four and disaster struck for Atkinson as his clutch began to work its way loose and he was forced to retire leaving Hart with a healthy gap to Jackson. On route, Hart put in a 1:38.000 lap to stamp his name on the Redline Motorcycles 350cc fastest lap and £50 reward.

The 250s of Vines and Palmer were locked together in the early laps but by the fourth trip around Vines was on a charge and hunting down Jackson. Palmer went down at the Hairpin bringing an end to his challenge. A 1:42.146 for Vines served up the Redline Motorcycles 250cc fastest lap and his £50 reward. Siân Brooks made a buoyant start in third 250 spot with Colin Sleigh and Mark Linton in pursuit. It took six laps for Michael Grigson to come through and join this group of 250 runners and he was delighted to eventually finish 3rd 250cc behind Vines and ‘Drew Peacock’ rider Linton who had picked up his pace during the race.

The CBG Contractors Masters championship still had it all to play for as Palmer, Williamson and Chapman had all been making excellent progress. Following Palmer’s untimely exit, Nick Williamson and Roy Chapman were left to fight it out between them. Williamson crossed the line to bag 25 Masters’ points from Chapman who was just 0.925 behind. Local man Danny Murphy came through to claim 3rd of the over-55s challengers.

BSB podiums in a strong GP Originals field 

The top three overall finishers of Hart, Jackson and Vines were rewarded with a bottle of BSB Prosecco for their efforts.

Paul Whiting enjoyed his second outing of the year with GP Originals and showed great promise on his 350, finishing 0.293 ahead of the yellow BSR machine of Jason Burrill. Liam McCarter managed to rebuild his engine and took a well-deserved 11th on the road and 8th 350 home.

Sunday is race day

All set for a long day ahead before we were out again to round out the British Superbikes’ biggest event of their calendar. With so much going on, the day passed quickly and most found they were feeling good and ready for the final race. The spectators were still out in force, staying on to the end to see our bikes in action.

Following another sighting lap and warm-up lap procedure the race was on. This time Glen English was awake and ready to take his rightful place as one of the front runners and slotted into 3rd spot behind Atkinson and Hart, ahead of Jackson and Palmer.

Hart showed signs of trouble during the warm-up lap with a mysterious mist coming from his machine. By lap two he was out with a broken rear shock. This left Atkinson without his nearest rival but similar poor luck went his way too as he retired on lap four with a further mechanical issue. English wasted no time in collecting his first win of the season on one of the most period machines of the field. A resurgent Chris Moore passed Dan Jackson  with two laps to go to take second place.

The 250cc freight train was in full swing with Palmer determined to take Vines to the limits of the circuit. With an over-ambitious swipe into Park corner, Palmer clashed footrests and handlebars with Vines as the pair departed onto the neatly mowed grass. Palmer paid the ultimate penalty and went down, allowing Gary Vines to secure the 250cc AD Modular supported championship. Michael Grigson delivered another strong performance in 2nd 250cc spot and a matching championship position. Nick Anderson produced one of the best performances of the weekend getting the Ian Cowles’ machine through as 3rd 250cc and 8th on the road. A top effort for a confirmed four-stroke rider! Mark Linton, Colin Sleigh, Siân Brooks and Mike McDonnell rounded out the 250 finishers as Dave Grigson and John Hannaford retired.

Age is but a number

The Masters Championship was still in full swing between Nick Williamson and Roy Chapman. Racers to the end, Chapman took away the big points as Williamson battled with young guns Whiting, Grigson and Anderson on their way through whilst struggling with the loss of water into the catch bottle. With Palmer again out of contention, a top 10 on-the-road finish secured the Masters’ Championship for Williamson just three points clear of Chapman. Danny Murphy again picked up third Master in the race, ahead of the forever-young Derek Skinner and P&S rider Keith Millen who makes an expensive trip over from Ireland to race with GP Originals.

Derek Cripps managed to survive the race as his raffle-prize TZ continued to break up under the strain of racing at this pace. Andy Green finished every outing having burnt the midnight oil to grab a very late entry and get his bike ready in time. Liam McCarter’s mechanical skills proved reliable as he finished each race in 11th position with strong lap times. Jason Burrill struggled through to the flag in a respectable 12th as an ignition problem developed. Jason says he still loved every minute of this superb weekend.

Cash prizes and further rewards

Our excellent prize fund package for our main championships has been genorously provided by: AD Modular • Maxton Suspension • CBG Contractors • Xclusiv Group • RM Cycles

Each top three finisher across 250cc, 350cc and Masters receives a bottle of Crankshaft Brewery GP Originals Premix beer.

AD Modular 250cc results

• £50 Motocarb Motopole 250cc: Nigel Palmer
• £50 Redline Motorcycles 250cc fastest lap (1:42.146): Gary Vines
• £200 1st 250cc: Gary Vines
• £150 2nd 250cc: Mike Grigson
• £100 3rd 250cc: Mark Linton
• £75 4th 250cc: Nick Anderson
• £50 5th 250cc: Colin Sleigh
• NGK Spark Plugs voucher 5th 250cc: Siân Brooks
• Ragged Edge voucher 6th 250cc: Mike McDonnell

Maxton Suspension 350cc results

• £50 Motocarb Motopole 350cc: Phil Atkinson
• £50 Redline Motorcycles 350cc fastest lap (1:38.000): Ant Hart
• £200 1st 350cc: Dan Jackson
• £150 2nd 350cc: Chris Moore
• £100 3rd 350cc: Ant Hart
• £75 4th 350cc: Glen English
• £50 5th 350cc: Paul Whiting
• NGK Spark Plugs voucher 5th 350cc: Nick Williamson
• Ragged Edge voucher 6th 350cc: Roy Chapman

CBG Contractors Masters (over-55s) results

• £75 1st placed Master: Roy Chapman
• £50 2nd placed Master: Nick Williamson
• £30 3rd placed Master: Danny Murphy

Awards throughout the field

• Real Racer Reward prize draw – £100 each to three riders that supported every round throughout the season: Chris Moore, Dave Grigson, Phil Atkinson
• Tony Green Racing special achievement: Keith Millen
• Avon Tyre draw: Ian Walton, Liam McCarter
• Steve Carthy Racing with Larsson draw: Ant Hart, Mike McDonnell
• Dennis Trollope Regina Race chain draw: Derek Cripps
• Rock Oil early entry rewards: x20 riders
• Gasket Guru Just missed it voucher: Liam McCarter

So many people to thank!

This event required a lot of work and we all pulled it together to make it special. Thank you to Brian Carbutt for scrutineering. Carol and Andy Glasgow, Jon Howson, Derek and Alison Welch for helping set up the various prize tasks. Jemma Hannaford and Lorna Moore for making the kid’s colouring-in competition special with prizes supplied by Spyre Ltd and Duck Tape. Eddie Roberts, Mark Linton and Steve Pond for presentations and prize giving. Jemma Hannaford for calculating the points tally. Chris Mehew for bringing his superb Back-to-Fronter display bike. Chris Moore, Ian Cowles, Steve Carthy, Chris Ingram and Roy Chapman for help with the awning. Phil Atkinson for BBQ cleaning and cooking. BE Event Hire and Ant Hart for table cloths. Paul Korkus and Bonnie Lane for photography, Chris Ingram for donating to the organisational team. Penetrating historical insights supplied by… we’ll give you a clue, it begins with S 🤷🏼‍♀️?

Our amazing spread of complimentary food was provided by Staffordshire Foam & Fibre Ltd. This gastronomic presentation was shopped for, baked for and cooking facilities supplied by Andy and Carole Glasgow, Alison and Derek Welch, Michelle and Steve Carthy, Lorna Moore, Jodie Hurt, Ewan Hamilton, Colleen and Mick Burrill, Kelly Cripps. Plus various donations of food and extras by many others, apologies if we have missed anyone!

Michelle Carthy and Siân Brooks for organising the event under intense circumstances. Steve Pond and Steve Carthy for putting up with endless GP Originals-themed conversation and anxiety 24/7 (Happy Birthday Mr C).

Finally, every rider, bike owner, sponsor and team member that has supported this amazing Series this year – loaning bikes, spares, working on engines and suspension together is going on everywhere to get all of us out racing. The lap times and density of bikes on the grid is a testament that GP Originals is the place to seriously race one of these bikes. Nowhere else offers this standard of racing with a dedicated field… let’s keep it going!

Gary Vines AD Modular 250cc Champion 2021
Phil Atkinson Maxton Suspension 350cc Champion 2021
Nick Williamson CBG Contractors Masters Champion 2021

All graphic design, web design and illustrations by Spyre Limited ©spyre2021