George on the SRP RaceTech Lammy earlier this season
Any kind of racing is expensive and when you’re in the middle of your GCSEs, time is almost as precious as money. Getting a race bike prepped and entry paid for had to take a backseat for George Fielder.
As a result, our SLUK Rookie, George, was forced to sit out the recent Darley Moor BSSO round. He’s no idle layabout, though. George still went to the meeting and became our roving reporter, asking a few questions to some of the racers during a very wet meeting.
Iggy
Missing out
After going to Cadwell with my head held high, I wanted to race at Darley but simply couldn’t afford it! Racing’s expensive, ya know!? To keep my scootering brain tingling, I asked a few racers a set of questions to see the differences and similarities between the riders on and off the track…
John Woods to John the Greek: “Do you think we’ll need waterproofs?”
James McNally #3
How about let’s start with James McNally…
How did you find the weather this weekend, Jimmy?
Ha! The weather certainly kept us on our toes this weekend, especially my dad with all the tyre changing. We ended up having two wet races and two dry races. To be honest, though, I feel comfortable in the wet conditions, so it was just another race to me, really.
Did you have any good battles throughout the weekend?
Yes, I had some serious fun out on track this weekend. I didn’t get great starts in any of the races, but in race two, we had a cracking four-way battle between me, John Balcomb, Jon Holt and Damon Yates. At one point, I got a little bit greedy and tried passing all three riders in the top hairpin corner, which resulted in me doing a bit of grass tracking!
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s James McNally waving to his teammate
Best part of the weekend?
I really enjoyed Race 3; although teammate Damon Yates is not in my class, we got into a great battle and Simon Parmer joined the party partway through. With the wet conditions, it felt a little like being on a knife-edge at times, which got the adrenaline pumping. However, finishing Race 4 in 1st position, knowing I had secured another four wins for the weekend, was a fantastic feeling!
Any plans for the next round?
I’m hoping to do more of the same, qualify good, hopefully getting on that front row, allowing me to get away with the leading pack.
Did you feel like you improved this weekend?
It was hard to feel any consistency this weekend with the ever-changing track conditions; however, I got my fastest lap on my last race, so the numbers were going in the right direction.
How could you improve for the next meeting on and off the track?
Again, I’ll try to do more of the same. I like to look back on my previous race videos at the track I’m going to be racing at next, just to familiarise myself and pick up some points where I think I can improve. A few of the BSSO lads are doing the track day on our motorbikes on the Friday before race weekend, so that should be fun and get me up to speed and calibrated ready for the weekend.”
Dad and lad playing out in the rain, Ryan Clipstone #51 and Mark
Mark Clipstone #44
After what seemed to be a fantastic weekend for Jimmy, I then went and asked Mark Clipstone the same questions; he definitely seemed to have a lot of fun as well!
How did you find the weather this weekend?
When I arrived on Friday, it was perfect. I sat outside, chilling with a beer. Woke up Saturday morning to my worst nightmare: rain, forecasted to last all weekend. Wets on, bike ready, coffee in hand. Thinking about how to ride in the wet, let’s just go for it; there aren’t that many corners.
Did you have any good battles throughout the weekend?
Me and John Woods over the last few years seem to build bikes around the same speed, which makes it great fun. We’re having some very close racing.
Best part of the weekend?
The best part of the weekend was conquering my fear of the rain and seeing Ryan (Mark’s son) getting to grips with the Runner.
Any plans for the next round?
Not looking to change much of the setup, really. I’ll go through the transmission, clean everything, and fit new tyres.
Did you feel like you improved this weekend?
Yes, I think I have upped my corner speed in the wet and feel more confident all round in the rain.
How could you improve for the next meeting on and off the track?
I think the only way I can improve is to be a bit braver in the corners, that’s where I can make up some time on the bigger cc bikes. At Anglesey, my little moped is nearly flat out everywhere, so I need to try and hold on to the back of someone, hopefully Ryan!
Off the track, it’s a very busy day and night getting bikes ready for the next day. We have a great mechanic, Mark Shirley, who makes the weekend a lot easier!”
Mark Clipstone was absolutely flying this weekend, and it surely didn’t seem like he feared the wet; that’s for sure!
Sean Collison #32 and Jon Holt at a very wet Darley
Jon Holt SRP RaceTech #18
Now, to a fellow teammate and very lovely man, Jon Holt.
How did you find the weather?
To be honest, I prefer racing in the dry but feel I am getting better in the wet. It’s all in the head, trusting the tyres, etc. The downside of the heavy rain is that it spoils the off-track time, the spannering, tea time and obviously the few beers after time!
Did you have any good battles throughout the weekend?
I was lucky enough to be involved in good battles in probably every race over the weekend, some involving multiple riders, and on more than one occasion, going into a corner three of us side by side!
The best part of your weekend?
Having great battles is always the best part of racing, especially if you win one!
Any plans for the next round?
I’m looking forward to the next round. I will be getting the scoot ready, obviously and just getting out on track and trying to enjoy the racing. The whole point for me is to enjoy racing; if you get good results, that’s a bonus.
Did you feel you like you have improved this weekend?
I’d like to think I’ve improved; things have clicked this season. But it’s a team thing, every little bit of help makes a difference, so a big thank you to Paul Baker and my SRP family!
#75 Damon Yate’s and #76 Sam Booth’s scooters are tucked up for the night
Return of the rookie?
I’m thoroughly excited for Anglesey as I’ve worked hard to get there. So don’t worry, I’ll be back for the ScooterLab Rookie write-up soon enough, and I may even be riding something you may well recognise…
Words and paddock shots: George Fielder
Action photos: Paul Naylor
Coming up – Anglesey
The BSSO Championships head to one of the most picturesque tracks in the UK this weekend, Anglesey. You can catch the action live on 16th-17th August. The weather forecast is scorchio, so it’ll be a great place to top up your tan! Visit the BSSO website for more info or find them on Facebook here.
