Easter weekend was the first Classic club meeting of the year at Pembrey, a
small circuit in south Wales. Converted airstrip I think. http://www.barc.net/pembrey.htm
The bike's a 1968 Ducati 250 "widecase" single that i bought in a
moment of madness a year ago. A couple of trackdays plus 3 CRMC meetings
last year. Best result was a 13th at Cadwell Park in October.
Did a total strip over the winter including the pressed up roller big end, which
the PO said had done 4 seasons. Used but good was the verdict from Tony
Brancato. I put it back together with new mains and gearbox bearings, new
2nd gear and some improvements to the way the bearings for the shaft drive to
the o/h cam are located and to the crank oil feed, and shimmed it all the way it
should be. Swapped the cup and cone headraces for taper rollers, fitted
some decent rearsets as opposed to a reversed gear lever, and gave it a new seat
and rear mudguard cum oil breather tank thingy, and some more yellow paint
Finally all bolted together late on Good Friday and tried it out up the road on
Sat morning. Leaking oil and too weak in the middle. No time to fix
it as I have to do a barbecue (good planning that!) for various visiting bits of
family.
No 3 daughter, Phoebe, has decided that camping with bikes is a lesser evil than
hanging around horse events helping her sister, so elects to come with me.
Better not drop it then
Packed up and off by 4, Pembrey by 7.30 in time to put the tent up before dark
with valiant help from Phoebe. Last year's transport, a 3 ton timbered
Bedford TK horsebox is otherwise engaged moving the horse, wife and no 2
daughter, so it's trailer and tent this time. I reflect that the saving in
diesel will more than pay for the trailer over the season, but miss the sleeping
space, kitchen and covered workshop
Wake at 6, tighten up the leaking oil drain unions, raise the carb needle a
notch, sign on and take it for scruting. No worries
Warming up for practice it's still pissing oil, Not enough for a puddle
underneath, but too much for comfort. Practice starts and i take it
gently, following a Cotton who may know the way
The circuit's not complicated - two big braking events, Hatchetts hairpin at the
end of the s/f straight and Brooklands half way round. Apart from dropping
down a gear at Honda curve at the start of the s/f straight the rest is, or
should be, flat out on the 250, but I've not quite got the balls for that.
Raise the carb needle to the top position
Race 1, random grid positions and I've drawn 5. Gulp. And it's a
clutch start as opposed to last years's push starts. Off we go and bugger
me but I've passed 2 on the start and another breaking for the hairpin.
Then 6 go by round the corner and a couple more including the Cotton and i
manage to hang on to him and we move backwards through the field together. 18th
and 1.22.3. Still too weak in the middle and I've got oil on both boots
Next race is after lunch so i try to remember about annealing copper and heat up
the copper sealing washers on the cooker and refit them to the oil drain lines.
Take the carb apart and put everything back to what it was at Cadwell -- one
down on the main to 210, up the needle jet to 106 and drop the needle to the
lowest position. The leak on the other side is the camshaft bearing
holder. It really shouldn't leak, even without any gasket compound, but I
guess I'll have to put some silicone goo on it. Can't get it off even
after double checking the valves are closed. Time is pressing, so i just tighten
it up and hope.
Race 2, 19 on the grid. Good start, passing 4 or 5 and getting passed by 2
into the hairpin. That Cotton came past and I got him braking into the
hairpin on the next lap. Swapped positions twice again and then I had
something some way in front i could aim for and i seemed to be closing
gradually. No missing and pulling well so the carb was about right, and
things start to flow, then on the start of the last lap braking for the hairpin
the right clipon moved. I retired cross and had words with the mechanic.
Best lap was 1.19.9 and Phoebe says i was about 14th
Still leaking oil. Take the drain unions apart again and i now remember how to
anneal copper washers - heat to cherry red and DUNK IN OIL. To be fair, the last
time i did it was a T110 head gasket over 25 years ago. The washers are
now too soft and have squidged out of shape. Coat with gasket goo and
reassemble. Have a good go at the cam bearing cover and get that off at
last. Seal with goo, clean off the oil and put everything back together.
And tighten the clipon, and check everything else i should have checked before
and wire up the exhaust nut that didn't need it last season but now most
certainly does
Off into Lanelli with Phoebe for an awful chinese and then to Mumbles because my
sister once took Phoebe there for an icecream. Big place overlooking the
sea and we pull in at 8.57. Close at 9 they say. I point out the
time but they won't budge, and when we get outside they've closed the take away
window
Somewhat grumpy, we head in to Swansea to meet No1 daughter, Bex, who can't
stand horses but had to work till 6
There's rain overnight and my airbed has a slow leak. Pump it up twice and
sleep till 8. Some light cloud but things seem to have dried out and
there's some hazy sun. First race back of the grid and another good start
gets me 4 places but the Cotton comes past after the first hairpin and I'm back
to realising i have no idea how to pass except on the brakes, which i do into
the hairpin on lap 3 but on the back of the circuit it cuts out and I coast to a
marshals post. Back in the paddock I find a broken wire feeding the
Rita. More words with the mechanic
Second race, back of the grid again and I'm not quite ready for the start and
only manage to pass a couple before the hairpin scrum. Mark George on
another Ducati comes past - I had good races with him last year, so I'm not
going to let him get away. I get him at the hairpin and he comes past, I
take him on the straight and then overcook Brooklands hairpin and end up on the
grass and he and 2 others get past but he fluffs a gearchange and i get back
with him. I'm very slightly faster, but can't outbrake him now he's
trying. He has the same front brake as me. It's better than most drums, but
still crap. We're lapped at the s/f but take an extra lap anyway. 16th
behind Mark by .2sec 1.21.29 best lap - so i could have got away if i hadn't
screwed up! Next time!
Damn good session, nothing broke, list of to-dos isn't too long. Must
learn how to pass!