South East Biker Motorcycle Forum

Racing motorcycles, wouldn't that be great? Traditionally the expense deters most who go to work dreaming about it...but then the No Budget Cup came along!
The series was created by our Flemish friends in Belgium during 2005, by 2008 word had spread to the Fastlane motorcycle shop in Tonbridge and one mechanic thought about giving it a go. A maximum of 3 racers were permitted - all the better for spreading the cost, so he asked two fellow fast riders, his nephew (also a mechanic with Fastlane) and a friend to join in. They said yes...and so the Team Phased Out Racing was born.
So, bike needed - off to eBay the team trundled and fortunately picked up a good deal in the form of a Suzuki GSXR600 SRAD for £1300, that came with race fairings and a spare set of wheels. Over the course of a few months, the whole bike was stripped down to its chassis and every component was stripped/rebuilt and everything checked (the perks of being bike mechanics!). Every nut, bolt and bearing was removed, checked and replaced - nothing was left to chance. Tuning was kept to a minimum to ensure reliability, but the head was skimmed to increase compression and add a few horses for
little risk.
Onto handling and the WP rear shock that came with the bike was completely overhauled and rebuilt and re-gassed, the forks had similar treatment with new oil and seals. Then braking problems reared their ugly head and it was found that the fork lowers were slightly bent, so a replacement set were installed and the problem solved.
Round 1 & 2
Entry into the racing series was the next issue, and as funds took time to produce, there were only two rounds available, both were in Des Ecuyer, France. As soon as the payments of around £375 per race were made, things had to happen fast! One of the great things about the No Budget Cup is the rules (for a change!), because no brand new bikes are allowed. Our bike needed a bit of attention in the form of removing the engine and checking over all of the internals. While the bulk of the work was being done, the panels were being sprayed a very bright yellow. Spare panels were either kindly donated or bought from various sources; tools, overalls, fire extinguishers, quick fillers, a mild engine tune and many other items were given - the levels of generosity were overwhelming!
For all the cost saving donations, being able to borrow a van filled with diesel from T&T Express deliveries helped considerably, along with a few tyres from a local tyre outlet,and bbq food supplied from Haywards butchers who are all keen riders themselves.
Accommodation was the next item to be planned, while the Zolder track does benefit from onsite camping, Des Ecuyer track did not. A campsite within a 20 minute drive from the track was located north east of a little village called Fère en Tardenois and promptly booked. Camping gear was dug out of every loft space, dusted off and made ready.
The weekend of the first race came round quickly and on the saturday everything was packed ready for the following day’s travelling.
As there were 7 in total, the racers were in the van with the bike and the 4 pit crew in a car. The following day, camping food and snacks were packed and everyone was ready to hit the road to Dover for the ferry, which was only just caught in time! The drive to the track from Calais was largely uneventful but everyone was quite pleased to finally arrive at the camping site, within the hour food and drinks (or cold beers) were out and being consumed.
There was a positive atmosphere as the English chatting and music went on into the dark hours around a campfire. The next day was the 1000cc class and as no one in the team was familiar with the track or its location, the team paid it a visit to watch some more of the action.
There was plenty of it, especially on the last corner before the straight where many riders high or low sided as they came on the power too early. From a spectator’s point of view it appeared to include a few serious 'offs', the result of which were a few broken arms or collar bones and fortunately nothing more severe. Day of the racing began at 5:30am, as tents had to be disassembled and re-packed to avoid the need of returning at the end of the racing and no doubt missing the ferry.
The drive to the track was less than direct due to "navigational issues", but eventually the damp Des Ecuyer track was reached. Camping gear and 'pit marquee' were unpacked in light drizzle, tools and spares placed at the ready and the bike wheeled out the van ready for inspection. Once the bike was checked over and the official paperwork was put in order, the Team attended a briefing...opting for the English language version (very helpful!). It was then a waiting game as well as decision making time - wet or dry tyres. The wets won and the decision was justified for the duration of the practice/qualifying where we qualified a satisfying 4th position among 23 other riders. There was a slow speed mishap during the first session but luckily there was no real damage and the bike didn't need any repair work thanks to the R&G bungs. All of the riders were immensely impressed by the wets - in drizzle on a wet track, it was almost possible to get a knee down! A break for lunch followed and there were 2 hours to eat, drink and relax or 'get in the zone'!
Riding the track is very enjoyable and it's probably best described as a cornering track, having only one straight on the start and finish. After the main straight the track hangs a right and generally goes down a hill and proceeds to go up and down until it comes back round to complete a circuit. Brakes are used a little and the twisty part mainly uses 2nd and 3rd gear with a few 1st hairpins, 5th gear having brief use on the 140mph'ish straight. The poor weather did subside, but the track was still a little damp and so a timed release from the pit was favoured above a rolling start, for safely reasons.
The team quickly made an impact but came unstuck when the first rider (Jamie Kelman) had a spill, fortunately no damage was done to the rider and the bike sustained little damage and went straight back out after a check over. One hour and 20 minutes later riders swapped (to Chris Aylward) and a further hour and 20 minute 'shift' was completed without incident. Finally the remaining rider (Stuart McIvor) did his stint on quite worn tyres, which may have caused one minor accident. However, 45 minutes before the end he had a large accident with no damage to himself but plenty to the bike. There was a red flag and the bike was loaded onto a trailer and brought back to the pit, in less than 10 minutes a broken upper fairing, clip-on, screen and top yoke were replaced and the bike was back out completing the final duration.
Considering the events which occurred on the track, the team finished 18th, and 7th position was held for a great deal of time.
The atmosphere of the No Budget Cup is so relaxed and all the teams are incredibly friendly, it was because of this that the Phased Out team finally got away by 7pm...to catch a ferry leaving at 9:45. Only problem was that it took around three and a half hours to do the reverse journey, so chances were slim despite the fact that van was driven non-stop for over 230 miles. This didn't work and the ferry wasn't delayed - as is the way when you actually want a slight delay! 11:30pm (French time) came around eventually and the team returned to the UK. The last rider got in bed by 2:30am providing plenty of time to sleep before the daily work routine started at 7:30am.
Fast forward 6 weeks and the team were back at the Ecuyer track for Round 2, only this time with a great deal more company at the campsite and track side than the first time. Extra friends joined the Phased Out VIP area (also known as a patch of grass) as well as the riders of Team Wobbler. Those not racing got merry but everyone had a great time around the fire, before long dark 'O clock prompted the need to sleep. This time the team had the pleasure of added snorers to the campsite throughout the night and some couldn't remember where they had packed ear plugs!
Race day arrived once more and this time everything went smoothly without incident throughout the 4 hour endurance, for most of the race the team held onto places between 3rd and 7th! There were yellow and red flags occasionally but none related to the Phased Out team, although Team Wobbler suffered undeserved gear box problems and had to pull out relatively early. Round 4
The final round that Phased Out Racing were taking part in was a bit of a gamble - mainly because all of the spots were filled!
Nevertheless, the team decided it was worth the risk and it offered an opportunity to learn the Zolder track, ready for a full and competitive season in 2010!
As no-one knew if the team was going to race, minimal equipment was taken and only the van and Stuart McIvor's Z1000 were used to get the team to the track. Additionally, only two riders chose to go and it still made racing possible, as the Zolder track is a 3 hour enduro, instead of the Ecuyer's 4 hour. Early on a sunday morning the team started their journey to the Belgian track, which was fortunately a little closer to Calais than Ecuyer was. By lunch time the scaled down team were at the track which fortunately boasts its own (free) campsite and food was already on the go before long. Team Wobbler were the next door neighbours and joined in with the pre-race relaxation and joined a few of the team for a trip to the local shops for some food and booze. By 9pm teams were able to move bikes and equipment to the paddock area, quite a brief job as there was little equipment this time round. The popularity of the Zolder track is so great that in the morning of the race, there was a track day organised. It was for this reason the team reserved a place in it, just in case no one had dropped out of the race - at least the riders would get some experience of the track.
During the morning both Chris Aylward and Stuart McIvor had some track time on the Zed, witnessing the odd 400cc pocket rocket high siding in front of them. While one rider was out the other rider would bother the organisers hopefully for a position in the race. Very early on it was established the gamble had paid off and a place was available, so the team got into action checking the bike over, changing tyres, fuelling up and attaching the transponder among many other tasks. If you ever choose to try this racing series, we have to recommend taking a Darren "Dellboy" Stolton who is always there when you need him and shows incredible willingness to get stuck in - he's a good egg! Anyway, the lucky yellow number 13 was quickly out and doing some practice and qualifying laps, as solid and reliable as ever. There was a temporary worry when an R1 was thrown off the track because they exceeded noise limits...with a standard exhaust. Phased Out didn't suffer with this and breezed through the organisers’ strict but fair regulations. Zolder is a much higher speed circuit than Ecuyer, with several straights, high speed corners, crests, a hairpin and heavy braking areas in multiple places (with run offs thankfully!).
The race began, almost Le Man's style - only riders walked to the bikes and had to wait fully kitted up, getting hotter and hotter for no apparent reason. Eventually they were off and making good progress, there were a few yellow and red flags but nothing serious. After a while the riders swapped and fresh eyes kept the lap times respectable and before long it was time to swap riders back.
Then disaster struck, while Stuart McIvor was riding, the chain snapped and he had to run the bike to the back of the paddock. Everyone that could began quickly fitting a new chain - including Team Wobbler who had blown another gearbox, but were hanging around for free beer anyway! As Stuart was completely exhausted after pushing the bike for 500 yards, Chris did the remainder of the race. No more problems occurred and lucky 13 crossed the finish line.
Although it was fun, the team were gutted that the chain snapped as we had a really good position in the top 10 at least!
After a quick free beer compliments of the No Budget Cup organisers and sponsors, the team hit the road and by 2:30am, the bike was back in storage and everything was unpacked. So that's it, the 'trial run' was over and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, there were some stressful moments by the track side, but hey, that's racing right? Riders must thank the pit crew for limitless help, the team wouldn't have managed without the following people: Darren Stolton, Jackie Cannam, Darren Whittaker, David Chillingworth, Maria Bennie & Kerri Clark.
Thanks also to all Phased Out Racing sponsors for all of their support and they are:
Fastlane Motorcycles, T&T Express Deliveries, Haywards Butchers, Bike Alert & Bob Farnham. Yet more thanks to all of the individuals and friends that have supported us in one way or another! Phased Out racing wishes their best to Team Wobbler and looks forward to seeing them in 2010. Speaking of 2010, the first race is on the 29th March at Nurburgring in Germany, which is around 300 miles from Calais. The Zolder track in Belgium is being used for 3 of the 5 rounds, with a French track in Dijon being used to mix things up a little on Round 3.
This year the team is aiming to improve the suspension with a set of re-valved front forks off good ole' eBay for £175 as well as shaving some weight off the bike - to avoid the riders having to reduce their weight, as they like their pies! To aid with the weight reduction, Yoshimura CDI, wiring loom and race rev counter clocks have conserved 2.5kg on their own. The bike will be thoroughly looked over again and every nut and bolt checked, also on Bob Farnham's recommendation the valve collet retainers are going to be replaced to, to prevent the valves pulling through the head. Cosmetics are last and the plastic is getting a fresh lick of paint and colour scheme - should be worth 1 second a lap at least!

If you would like to support the team in any way, please go to www.phasedoutracing.co.uk or contact the team directly, any contributions are appreciated and go towards travel and racing costs - plus you can get your name/company name on the website or even the bike! They're also on eBay as 'phasedoutracing' and have items for sale, you may well be interested in as a gift for friends and family - or even yourself!