Kings of Collie Race Report

Retromoto Racing although diminished in numbers punched above its weight again at the Kings Of Collie Race Meeting on February 28th coming home with a 1st, 2nds and a 3rd - or if you prefer, a King, two Queens and a Knave and personal bests all round.

Simon Harding knocked 2.5 seconds off his PB , Derek Jemerson 0.8 on their CBR250Rs and Richard Beatty 0.5 on his MuZ on its shakedown meeting. In the Moderns, Paul Joshua got to grips with his R6 and also set a new PB.

On the Saturday practice Nic Wallis-Smith got signed off and accredited for racing - now all he has to do is the paperwork!

Saturday was also a first ride for Richard on a GP125 at Colllie as well as the debut of the rebuilt MuZ and repainted KZ. He was busy.

Simon had hoped to be testing his ZXR600 but fuelling gremlins scotched that plan.

Raceday saw temperatures in the mid 20s and a dry track - the feared heatwave did not eventuate.

Richard was first on track with the MuZ qualifying in the combined Pre-Modern/P6 750 race. The MuZ definitely handles and brakes better (7kg has been saved from the wheels alone) and the extra porting and Stage 3 cam showed real potential. It is a completely transformed bike from 2019, all the work done to the engine and frame by RetroMoto have turned a 42hp slugger into a 65hp contender.

In the 3 races the MuZ couldn’t quite keep up with the ZXR600 and fastest GSXR 750s but was quicker than a Fireblade and showed that on a clear track it could compete with the second ranked GSXR750s...eventually finishing 2nd in class. A better set of brake pads is required to stop brake fade and an adjustment to seat height wouldn’t go astray either. As a debut it was really promising - and a PB was set of 1:21.5

Next up Simon and Derek and Paul’s CBR250R battle continued in the P6 250.

Paul couldn’t get past Richard Langdon’s RGV250 and ended up with the runners up silverware at the end of the day.

Simon had a very good day and took a massive 2.5sec off his lap times, to achieve his first ever top 10 finish, 7th in the P6 250s and 5th in the P6 500. Derek was not a happy chappie until the last race when he took 0.8sec off his PB.

Apart from breaking personal records Simon and Derek got roped into the logistical nightmare Richard was having as his schedule included 3 back to back races (twice) and a double to end the day.

The pair wrangled bikes brilliantly as Richard’s seemingly non-stop racing went off without and drama in the pits as he leaped from bike to bike.

The drama was confined to the KZ500. The new Pirelli Phantom tyres were good but since his big crash last year Richard has yet to regain his previous brio through T1. The track there is also now tougher from the car racing and the front wheel would patter at speed. A quick canvassing of the P4 and P5 riders confirmed that it was not a figment of his imagination and Richard adjusted his pace and rode to the conditions. In R1 the KZ’s choke had not been fully turned off and it ran accordingly poorly. In R2 the wiring harness stretched and caused intermittent power loss. However everything came together in R3 and overall it was enough for the KZ to stand on top of the podium.

The middle of R’s trio was on the GP125. A sexagenarian making a race debut on a 2stroke after decades of 4strokes against a couple of National Champions was as hilariously awkward as you’d expect - he didn’t fall off, was a few seconds off the pace and gained valuable experience, he can even learned how to change down properly...  As there were only 3 125GP entrants the third place medal felt a bit undeserved, but who said racing was fair!

His only comment, apart from expressing gratitude to David Manson for use of the bike, was that he wished he’d raced it last of the 3 as it made the svelt MuZ feel like a barge in comparison.

Apart from riding the CBR250, Paul Joshua also made a debut, this time on David Manson’s (Yes, the same one) R6. He seemed to enjoy it with a best time of 1:12 and some excellent monos - well done!

So we all survived, no bikes broken, 4 weeks to recover, regroup and fettle (new fork springs got the KZ, new brake pads and an oil change for the MuZ). Derek has even promised to wash his bike - well, leave it out in the rain!

Yours in racing

#67