Brands Hatch | Bemsee Round 1

March 11, 2019

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Brands Hatch | Bemsee Round 1

What we got was a lot more than we expected!

This weekend we visited Brands Hatch for the first race meeting of the 2019 season ofThe British Motor Cycle Racing Club (Bemsee or BMCRC for short).

Bemsee, founded in 1909isthe world’s oldest motorcycle racing club and one of the UK’s largest. The club is a “mutual”, which means it’s owned by its members. Bike Directory is all about the community we wanted to get involved. My grandad raced F1 sidecars when he was still alive and my uncle still does.

Jon Restall runs the JCR Racing team who are a run self-funded F1 sidecar team racing in theRKB-F1/BMCRC F1 & F2 Sidecars category. Jon has been either a passenger or pilot in sidecars for over 28 years and is now the Bemsee Sidecar Representative and we were extremely happy when he offered to carry our logo.

The moment we walked in everyone was so very friendly, and it was obvious that these racers, their teams, family and friends were all here because they love what they are doing, despite the high winds and the potential threat of rain.

Outside of individual teams, there was a feeling that everyone in the paddock knew each other, with teams talking to each other about mechanical issues and borrowing tools from one another. Something that you certainly wouldn’t see in a MotoGP paddock.

We also saw a refreshingmix of ages and genders, the young guns trying to earn their stripes and older guys just wanting to go fast and show that they haven’t lost it just yet.

As an independent team with a low budget, the first round is the first opportunity to get the bike working properly. With a 1000 to 600cc conversion in the offseason, the bike needed some work. Going into Saturday’s first race with a new engine and last years tires, it was difficult to predict where they might finish, if at all.

With some tweaks after Friday’s practice and more tweaks after Saturday mornings qualifying practice, it was clear to see that the hard work had paid off. Starting in 14th on the grid and finishing 4th in class.

Race 2 had very similar results and after a night in the truck, the decision was made to abandon race3. All in all, it was a great first outing for the mostly new bike and anexciting prospect for the rest on the season.

We will definitelybe visiting more rounds during the year.