The final round of our BSSO Championship. The morning alarm rings over a very grey and fairly miserable Lydden Hill.
The Forecast isn’t looking too great but just four more races of this year’s championship, two for Production and two for Group 6. Just four more chances for me to hold my current class positions.
Stock qualifying
The grey skies almost immediately turned to black, and the track just as quickly turned to a river. The last time I was here, I just couldn’t find the flow of this track and this time in these conditions have not improved that. I have no confidence at all in the surface, even though I have wets on. I came in early to check my rims were on tight enough as I was beginning to convince myself something was wrong.
Supers qualifying
Much better this time. I made sure the rims were tight and the rain had all but stopped. I was a lot more confident. Still, certain sections of the track were catching me out, the bomb hole especially, I feel like I’m stopping mid-corner, which obviously isn’t good for speed. But definitely a better time than that first session.
Stock race 1
A pretty bad grid position made me have to work hard to get where I wanted to be. The rain had started up again, but I was just trying to push as hard as I could anyway. Young George was next to me on the grid, he got an astounding start, making him my first target. George really impressed me, I had to work hard on this little track to get past that smallframe. Then it was Harry, another in-team battle and it was a good one. Both of us working really hard, but I just managed to get past him before the end of the race.
Supers race 1
A really fun race. Same starting position as Stocks so I started next to George again. He is so good at starts, it’s incredible. I was pushing as hard as I could around this very wet track. Finding more and more confidence as it went on, but just not enough to get back close to George. While concentrating on that, Gary managed to sneak past. Right, let’s just really have a go. I managed to get past Gary, but after the chequered flag I realised Gary had come off. I was told it was after I passed him and nothing to do with me, but as always, not the way I wanted to win our battle.
Stock race 2
Not the best race, really just not feeling this track. Unfortunately, Gary had another off, I’m not certain why but I saw he had a flat front, a blowout maybe? Anyway, as soon as that red flag was shown, my scooter decided it had enough. I pushed it off the track, and whipped the panel off, to see that the little screw bit on the top of the spark plug had almost completely unscrewed. A quick hand tighten and it bumped back into life and I lined up with everyone else to restart the race. George was on it again, my main target. Shane had a little visit to the grass in front of me, which threw my rhythm off, that and the constant expectation of the bike dying again due to the hand-tight spark plug, and I was just not on the ball. Finishing second from last. Not really how I wanted this year’s Production Class Championship to finish. However, after all this year’s races I have managed to bring home an overall second-place finish in the Production Class. Not too shabby for my second year of any kind of racing.
Supers race 2
I thought I was getting on, felt the quickest I have been, pushing hard and braking late, on a much drier track. Then Damon had a mechanical and came off the track. Which changed my mindset. I’m second in Group 6, so with Damon not finishing I might have a chance of keeping that 2nd in the group. New goal, just finishing. Still trying to push but definitely not doing anything stupid. I glanced behind a few times to see George but he was quite far away, I should be good… Nope, out of nowhere, George gets past me. The red mist kicks in a little bit, which never actually helps. George took the result, and I was the last to cross the line. Not really how I wanted to finish the Group 6 Championship, but I had done enough. Only just keeping that 2nd place finish in Group 6, on a Production machine!
Hornet team boss, Dave Bristow looks on at the perfectly good Lambretta he leant to Ben a couple of years ago…
A late night to celebrate!
Instead of my usual 9 o’clock racetrack bedtime I stayed out and had a few drinks with a few of the other racers to celebrate the end of this year’s championship. Hammy gave me lots of advice and things to try on track tomorrow and also advice for things I could be doing away from the track. All brilliant advice from a past Production Class Champion. Although, the highlight of the night was, the man himself, Posh Gary coming back from the hospital all bruised and bandaged to have a few drinks with us all. After a front blowout on the fastest corner of the track Gary had broken quite a few bones but was still up and lively enough to have a drink with us!
Former sprint specialist, Adie Horrocks has had a brilliant first season in BSSO
Sunday “Just for fun” races: Race 1
The weather was worse than ever, with absolute monsoons and gale-force winds. I already wasn’t enjoying this track in the dry races, and I really don’t like racing in heavy rain. I made the decision to not go out, and to just watch the lunacy instead. Harry had also made this decision so we watched together, and my god, what a watch it was! Adie had been really doing well on this track, which paired with a nice and controllable, lesser-powered bike was putting him right next to Dave on the track. Incredible work, Dave obviously had a hard time with the very, very strong SS90 not being able to get much power down. Adie found an opportunity and took the position from Dave. Yess Adie!! What an incredible achievement on his very first visit to this track. However, he might have overcooked it going down the hill into the newly formed river, having to stick his foot out flat-tracking style to keep himself upright, offering Dave the opportunity to get back in front. Dave took the win of that battle, but an incredible race to watch and an incredible performance from our Hornet newbie!
Race 2
The weather seemed to be clearing, so I made the decision to take Dave’s mental SS90 out. As soon as I made that decision the rain started again, let’s just see what it’s like and come off if it’s too much. A terrible start on a bike I’d never ridden before put me right at the back, every single person on our reversed start grid, passing me. Never mind, let’s see if I can get this lethal machine around. Super, super boggy then suddenly more power than I’ve ever had, blooddyyy hell! Crawling around the corners on something completely foreign to me, and trying to find some of that excessive power on the straights. A few times enjoying the power while on a straight, then shitting myself trying to slow it enough to get around the corner. The rain got more and more, and the grip less and less. When the bike was getting into the power, it would either grip and try and lift the front, or it would spin the back wheel and try and spit me off. That’s enough for now, maybe if it dries, then I’ll give it another go. For now, I’m heading back to the paddock. Disappointing as I’ve been waiting all year to give this little machine a go, and I’m gifted these awful conditions, but it’s just not worth smashing someone else’s machine.
George borrowed a Lambretta and is now hooked…
Race 3
The rain had not relaxed at all so I wasn’t attempting Dave’s lunatic SS90 again. I was on Dave’s bike which meant Dave was on mine. At the start of the previous race, a gear cable had come loose on mine, so Dave didn’t get to race it at all. We sorted that issue and Dave was going to have a play with his old Lambretta. Very interesting to watch, seeing how Dave races the Lammy that I am so used to now. Also, incredible to see everyone out there in a full-blown thunderstorm keeping up such a high pace. Nikita and John battling like any other dry race. George Fielder out there having a play on Andy Walker’s Lambretta, hopefully coming to his senses and ready to ditch that little PK and race a proper machine!! Dave made me feel better about not getting on so well with his SS, saying that our machines are just so different and he didn’t feel as “on it” as he’d have liked to have been on mine either. Hopefully, we both get another chance to swap, but in much better conditions.
Lord (Lady) of Lydden Race
If anyone has come to a race this year, you could probably guess who might be battling up the front of this race. Yes, John-the-Greek and Nikita. Nikita on the mental Zip and John on his 40+ horsepower PK. Both battling really hard in insane weather conditions. Nikita leading for the majority, but John just pulling ahead with the extra power of the smallframe. However, that extra power was his downfall, just kicking the back end out coming out of the hairpin, god knows how he saved it, just narrowly avoiding a horrible highside, but giving Nikita the opportunity to get back in front and not enough time left for John to do anything about it. Nikita taking the Lord (Lady) Of Lydden title and trophy, she’s definitely going to need a bigger cabinet!
What a year we’ve had!
My second year of racing has come to a close, and what a year it has been. Starting at Croft on my 26th birthday, then to Lydden, Cadwell, Pembrey, Darley, Anglesey, then Cadwell and Lydden again. It’s been brilliant returning to tracks we only did once last year, returning having now learnt the track, allowing me to do much better in qualifying and getting those valuable grid positions. I think the biggest thing I have improved this year is my race starts, and that is all thanks to the incredible advice I received from Nikita and Graham. Getting a better start pushes you higher up the standings immediately, and allows you to tag on to faster riders who will drag you along and teach you a lot.
Woman of the year!
We finished this year with some incredible results. The woman of the year, Nikita has cleaned up. Taking the Production Class Championship, the Group 6a Championship, and also the overall Stock. The first woman ever to do this, and I believe the first person to ever be just one race short of a complete clean sweep, finishing first place in all but one of her races this year, with that one race not even being a loss but a major off at Anglesey. Absolutely incredible! Graham Tatton also had a brilliant year, taking the Group 6, 4e and the overall Supers Championships.
Ben poses with his trophy haul at the recent BSSO presentations
Zero failures
To say I am happy with my results this year would be an understatement! Taking second place in the Production Class AND second place in Group 6 too, and on a comparably underpowered Production machine too! Also taking 4th place in Stock overall and 4th in Supers overall too. Not too shabby at all! Zero mechanical failures this year, finishing ALL races I have been a part of, a big testament to the awesome RB20 engine I built at the beginning of the year, really only changing the oil between meetings.
Damon and John being 3rd place in Group 6 and Production respectively, also having an awesome time this year.
Finally, the obligatory thank yous
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and every other racer this year. A racer can only do so much on their own, they massively rely on their team and support around them. For me, the whole Hornet Racing team is my second family, regardless of what is happening, we all help each other to get out on track and enjoy doing what we love. Dave Bristow is the glue that holds us all together, we might be able to do it without him, but I know that every single one of us would never ever want to do it without him! Thank you so much Dave!
A final thank you goes to everyone who actually reads these reports of mine. I wouldn’t call myself a writer by any means, but I do enjoy telling the story of our race meets, and it’s brilliant to know that a few people enjoy reading them (you can revisit them here). So thank you. Until next year…
#65 Ben Readings
Thanks also to Paul Naylor for the photos (additional shots, Ben, Sarah & Jack Readings)
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