No Budget Cup
You get a bunch of middle-aged blokes sitting round a table in mid Sussex, talking bikes and looking for something interesting to do in their spare time. What do they decide? Let’s run a bike in a European race series! – Of course… Bleedin’ obvious really!
But not just any old series, this had to be special, as in no-one-wanted-to-spend-any money-or-make-much-effort type of special. This was, after all, just a bunch of middle-aged blokes gassing round a table.
However, a couple of them almost took it seriously and formed a team to run in the No Budget Cup. As the name suggests, this formula should require little or no piles of cash to enter and the rules ban the use of expensive bikes. That was the easy bit. The series is managed by a Belgian bike magazine (no English translation) and races at Zolder, also in Belgium. Undaunted, and largely uncomprehending, they “had a go” and this is Kevin’s account of the first round. Kevin, by the way, being very modest, doesn’t admit to being responsible for the bike’s graphics.
“ I just thought I should share with you my No Budget Cup experience. I went for the day tripper option due to the Other Half’s birthday being on the Thursday, so the early train at Folkestone called. Zolder is about 175 miles from the tunnel so a splash’n’dash would do it on the FZ1 but just for fun I thought I'd have a peek at Brussels instead of going around the ring road (all map powered). Interesting, to say the least, but I think I'll be going on foot next time – but I've done it now, just like Paris.
I arrived at the circuit at roughly midday to be told they were all in the team briefing. What greeted me when I opened the door (which didn't fit well in the frame so announced my late arrival with a western saloon similarity) was four of the Haywards Heath posse sitting on the floor in the corner..... OMG, I thought, was this it?
After listening to what I mainly thought was Dutch for 10 minutes, a man came over and gave the Brits an interesting two minute account of what was said. That's good, we were not the only mad fools to come over from Blighty, I thought (Team Wobbler on the white R1 were my favourite).
So, off to the pits!!! "We're in pit 33 down the end", was shouted to me as I rode off on the bike. What greeted me after passing mobile homes and trucks from Snap-On heaven was a rented white van parked in the corner, an old ‘Blade on an Oxford rear stand and a load of bikers’ clobber stashed in the corner. This really was the no budget team.
They had been out for the second practice (arrived too late for the first) and familiarised themselves with the circuit, or as much as you can do with 10 laps between two riders. So instead of navel gazing or making any final adjustments, we head off to Otto's bar (overlooking the start of the pit lane) for lunch – if you can read the menu (must try and learn more European lingo). So, three spag bols later and not forgetting the plate of three fried eggs’n’chips with a "what's this, Kev?" salad from Stuart, one of our riders.
Back to the pits we go to find one of the organisers asking us to line the bikes up for the start.........."Oh dear", says Peter, the other rider, chief cook and bottle washer, driver of the van etc. etc, "I was meaning to drop the front forks a bit" so we rush out to the bike, some to hold it up (because we didn't have any front stands with us) and others armed with a club hammer and spanners. "Down a bit, no a bit more on the right one..." Later, with no form of measurement taken (MotoGP eat your heart out) Peter throws on his leathers, starts the bike and is off to park it with the rest of the brollydolly clad crews at the end of the pit lane.
The start was meant to be a rolling one with a parade lap first but with such a vast differential in lap times – some 30 seconds (1:48 to 2:27) – this had to be the most strung out parade lap I've ever seen. We started, for some reason unknown to us; in front of three other teams but they had passed us into the first corner at the end of the straight!
Peter did his half hour stint in sterling fashion and, steadily bringing his lap times down, brought us back not in lastplace (other teams had offs and other problems but all were still running). Leaving Stuart "The E-number Kid" to go blasting out with shouts of "I'm going to get my knee down!!" and "I'm going to do a sub-two minute time" (best during practice 2:21.094). Stuart was clearly having great fun with his enthusiasm screaming out "You’re not coming past me" on various occasions, and after the first hour we were 13th in our class from a field (still going) of 17.
Stuart was eventually forced to come in by us waving various hand gestures at him while doing 70mph at the end of the pit straight (Note: must bring a pit board next time!) and handed back over to Peter still rather warm from his inaugural baptism to no budget racing. His lap times had come down quite a way, fuelled by Stuart's bravado and encouragement; all of which he needed when brushing elbows with another rider entering the first corner. A far cry from the start, the team was growing in confidence. Stuart even began to dreof a top ten in class!
But alas, while Stuart was out on his second stint to take us past the two hour mark we got the black flag for our noise, recorded at 95.8 db with the limit set at 95. It was all over for us on lap 49. So, after Stuart had demanded a chat with the race organisers (very friendly really) we now know not to pass too close to the sound recorder next time and get a better baffle for the ‘Blade because yes, we are all going back despite what may seem a flat end to the race. We were all proud of what we had achieved and, given the choice from the start, yes perhaps we could have been more prepared – but we weren't. We all went for the craic and what is, after all, a cheap track day experience with yer mates. And from where I stand that's what makes the world go round and puffs your chest out when you say "I was there!".Thanks everybody for another "I'll never forget” moment... you know who you are.
We still finished 13th in our class from the 17 runners when the two hours was up. If we had still been running at the end, at our pace, we stood a real chance of a Roy of the Rovers finish in the top ten!! So, No Budget racing is possible – pass me the club hammer, I fancy a go! Stuart did manage a lap of 2:01.175 before the black flag..."well done mate".
The team will be racing in the final round at Zolder on Monday 29th September, and celebrating with a weekend away at the Biker’s Loft hotel, near Brugge on Saturday 27th and Sunday 29th. It promises to be a great weekend away, so get in touch if you would like to join us!”