BSSO Scooter Racing: Pembrey | Ben Readings’ race report

Things didn’t start off too well for me at Pembrey…

It was an eventful journey there, including a breakdown in Wales that ended with me sending my dad’s car back home on a lorry and stealing my brother’s car. Then the craziest rain on the roof of the van woke me up at the track, followed by more rain. I wasn’t filled with hope of a dry race meeting.

Qualifying 1

The rain had stopped, and the track was all but dry. Let’s get some good laps in. Straight out around the corner, down the straight and into the hairpin. Fuck, I forgot that I’ve got brand new brake pads. Engine braking to slow me down, then. Just taking it fairly slow and steady. Just enjoying the flow of this track and going easy to bed in the brakes.

Qualifying 2

After failing noise testing, resealing the end can, and then passing noise testing, we were back out again. This session did not mean as much to me, I just chilled and tried to perfect each corner. I tried to keep up with Balcomb and Holt, catching them on the lefts, but losing them on the rights. The confidence in the brakes and the much drier conditions allowed me to knock six seconds from my lap time.

James McNally is taking up where his sister left off last season

Stock race 1

Not ideal, during the warm-up lap, I realised my exhaust was probably a bit louder than usual. I pulled up on the grid, ready to go, and glanced down at the end can; it was flapping about, almost completely separate from the exhaust. Ahh, that’s very obviously going to break, so I’ll just sit this out. I had a plan to get my exhaust sorted, so I let it cool down and watched the race. It was a very entertaining race, Bristow absolutely steaming ahead, looking back a few times to check, that yes, absolutely no one was behind him, they were miles behind, he had a massive lead. The real entertainment was McNally going from last place, due to a transponder issue in qualifying, all the way up to 2nd place overall. Incredible performance.

Supers Race 1

After a long lunch break spent fixing my exhaust, I was ready to head out to give it another go. A fun battle with Mr John Balcomb for a few laps, with me finally finding a place to pass on the flat-out left-hander. Once past, I kept the lead, but it felt a fairly lonely race, with Shane and Jon fighting out just too far ahead for me to join in. I did manage to get my lap time down to 1:25.8 seconds from my qualifying time.

John Balcomb was a thorn in Ben’s side…

Stock Race 2

A 4-way battle between me, Balcomb, Shane and Jon Holt, for the first few laps. Shane and Jon managed to get past Balcomb, but I just kept getting caught each time I tried to get past. Still within reaching distance, Jon and Shane were battling hard, with Jon even going grass tracking but managing to get back on track. All while I was still fighting hard to pass Balcomb. I finally found my way past him on the fast left, but he managed to take it back on the straight. I know that Balcomb takes a wide line through the first hairpin, so I just took the liberty of cutting him off with a tighter line. A really, really fun battle that left me with a proper smile on my face.

Supers Race 2

Another big battle with the same four. Once again, it was me, John Balcomb, Jon Holt and Shane Hunsdale. I was feeling fairly confident with the majority of the track now and actually really enjoying it. The tight pack split up once again, with Jon and Shane fighting, and me and Mr Balcomb fighting. John once again was not making my life easy, being on exactly the line I wanted to be on, which made it really difficult to squeeze past. A few traded places, with me passing on the hairpin and the fast left, and John passing me on the right hander and on the straights. I finally managed to take the lead, and once there, I stayed there.

Ben finds an itch he didn’t realise he needed scratching – extra horsepower!

Scratch race

Due to the circuit having extra time, we were offered scratch races (extra races that aren’t towards the championship). So naturally, we all swapped bikes. I swapped with John-the-Greek, going from my 20-horsepower Proddy Lambretta to a 40-odd-horsepower Vespa PK. Quite different. What a bloody machine it is, though. You open the throttle and everyone in front of you is suddenly behind you. I think this is definitely going to be the last year of me racing in Production Class, give me morreeeee powerrrr!

Sunday morning practice

We were all told that on this occasion, there would be a practice session before the racing started this morning. As I sat on the toilet having my pre-race poo, I heard the first call for scooter practice. Quick wipe, throw the suit on and out, just as the track was opening for us. A fun little blast around, experimenting with a few different approaches to the corners, but mostly just for fun. I think everyone should have a Sunday morning race practice, much more effective than a bacon roll.

Only Ben’s Velcro Y-fronts keep him on the scooter...

Stock race 3

Beautiful sunshine and a lovely, dry track – ideal conditions for some racing. Once again, a fight with Mr Balcomb, but this time with John Woods also joining in the fun. Some to and fro, trading places on the straights and through the corners. I really started to get into the swing of things, managing to get past them both and leave them behind. A glance back shows only John Woods on my tail. I hoped Balcomb was okay. Gavin Gray was not too far ahead, the distance between us remaining the same, however much I pushed. Around the fast left, leg dangling off the scooter as I hang off as far as I can, I cut the corner and find the huge bump I’ve been trying to avoid, it throws the bike into the air, and unsettles me. I managed to get it back under my arse, but my pace was definitely reduced. Luckily, I’d done enough to keep the distance between myself and John Woods.

Ben’s exhaust woes continued to plague him at last weekend’s endurance race. His Lambretta ended up being drafted in as a replacement for Team George’s PK and his exhaust failed!

Supers Race 3

This was a very short race for me. Energy was high, and I was ready to push as hard as I could. We set off on the sighting lap, and everything felt great, around the hairpin, and I was just getting ready for my favourite left-hander. Suddenly, the exhaust was much louder, I looked behind to see my end can bouncing down the track. Ahh, that’s annoying. Guess I won’t be doing this race then.

Instead, I watched the racing, and Adie was absolutely destroying it, even putting Bristow in his place. Bristow took the lead back, now fighting with Graham, but Dave had a spill, somehow staying on the scooter but finishing his race early.

Drew Duncan # and John Woods #53

Stock race 4

A strong battle with Shane for the first few laps, trying my absolute hardest to keep with him, but he just kept inching away. I was doing everything I could to close the gap. I was finding, as the race went on, that my scooter was losing power. People getting past on the straights who I’d been keeping with previously. The race ended with John Woods finally finding an opportunity to get past and getting across the line before me. I’m starting to wonder if three years of racing is the limit for an RB cylinder?

Supers race 4

I’m fairly certain my engine is down on power, even John-the-Greek had agreed after swapping bikes yesterday. So, much like the other races, I just decided to push as hard as I could for as long as I could. A good start put me in a decent position, battling with Shane and Gavin, I was keeping up with them, but really having to work for it. Trying my best to hang off the scooter, not only on the lefts that I felt confident in, but also the rights, which I was feeling more confident in. Actively pushing beyond my comfort zone. However, as the engine got warmer, I could feel the others leaving me on the straights when I’d be alongside them previously. Very quickly, I was behind them on my own. I just took the opportunity to enjoy the ride, appreciate the flow I’d found with the track, and enjoy exactly what I was doing. Not everyone does this.

Before the chequered flag I was snapped out of my zen by a red flag. Gavin Grey was lying on his back on the grass beside the track. Not how any of us want to see the end of the race, and the end of this weekend.

Conclusion

After a few race meetings this year that were a bit disappointing for me, this one has reassured me that this is a brilliant sport that I really enjoy. The absolute highlight was having a go on JTG’s 40 horsepower Vespa PK, even if we did get a good hiding for swapping bikes when we shouldn’t have. It made me smile like an absolute idiot. I think I might be a bit bored with my 20-horsepower Production machine. Keep your eyes peeled, because I think I’m going to find myself some more power.

Words and paddock shots: Ben Readings

Photos: Paul Naylor