|
8th February 2010
2nd February 2010 Click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ObSLGzwFpk for yet more footage of the Team at Spa! Thanks to Team Jam Racing (www.teamjamracing.com) for the video.
2nd January 2010 Click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNszX4G6Jlw for footage (by Tim The Team Bike Tourer) of a Team Bike pitstop during the 2009 Spa Classic 4hr endurance race. Stephane Mertens hands over to, er, himself!
25th November 2009
This is a complete no-brainer so please visit the site and sign the petition: Defend Francorchamps!
16th October 2009 Following all the frantic activity in late June and early July there's little to report, except:
Mag cuttings with relevant coverage of Spa and Goodwood have now been posted in the Recent Press Cuttings section of the Photo Gallery pages, just a couple or three clicks from here...
WINTER PROJECTS '09 (NB. these are intended, not carved in stone): Continue sourcing of parts and expertise for damaged Harribox FZR750. Repair work to start soonish.
Ian Martin to build a replica of the 1982 season Team Bike CB900. Engine details aren't yet known, but it will be built/prepared by Brian Capper, and properly fast – faster than any goddam Moto Bel Guzzi.
A CB1100R frame/chassis is needed for another project, or two. If you know of anything suitable for sale, please email contact@howardleesracing.co.uk.
A gear-drive HRC RS750/860 V4 motor to be built for the Team Bike VF750F. (NB. This could take until Spring 2020, at least.)
And last but not least, Howard Lees' '75 RD350 café racer, aka The Renegade, had slipped from the Team's grasp, but thanks to Ians Martin and Lucas it's now safely back in HLR hands. No immediate plans for it, other than to re-fit the original TZ fairing and "give it a bit of a tidy-up".
2010 EVENTS: Spa Bikers' Classic, 18-20th June – Ian Martin intends to attend, probably to parade the 'new' Team Bike CB900 rep, unless the cash/support is found to race it in the 4-hour...
VMCC Festival Of 1000 Bikes, Mallory Park, mid July (date tba). Possible attendance with one or more or all HLR machines.
Of course, any or all of the above is subject to possible change.
8th July 2009
Team Bike at the ’09 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and more...
No results to post here as motorcycles aren’t timed on the challenging Goodwood hillclimb (thank God), but suffice to say that the team enjoyed a superb long weekend in sunny Sussex.
Speaking as a humble Propellant Replenishment Technician, I was pretty chuffed, not just to ride the Team Bike CB1000R and VF750F up the hill, but to be out there sharing the course in front of tens of thousands with the likes of Doohan, Biaggi and Corser.
Special thanks to Ian Martin, who slaved tirelessly after his excellent Spa result to prepare the VF for the Goodwood FoS. The VF hasn’t run since Le Mans ’85 and, with its gear-drive race engines not currently together, that meant fitting a standard VF motor for Goodwood (thanks again to Ian Lucas for that). That in turn meant cobbling together a custom wiring loom, fitting newer tyres, repairing/refitting the exhausts and silencers, making the filler cap fuel-tight and more besides. With more time after Spa Ian would doubtless have made up some rear number plates and sourced some front pads that had a little bite when cool. But no matter; a seriously good time was had by all.
Big thanks too to Stephane Mertens who phoned from Belgium on the Friday evening to ask if he could ride the CB at Goodwood the next day. With Mat Oxley elsewhere on the Saturday, that was a complete no brainer. Thanks Stephane for joining us at short notice at both Spa and Goodwood. You’re a star and a true gent.
Thanks also to Big Al for transporting the bikes to/from Spa and Goodwood (we hope the posh Drivers’ Club fry-ups and cream teas provided some recompense) and to Hilkka and Mikael for making the trip from Finland and, of course, for trusting us with their bikes.
As Howard Lees Racing currently has no further plans to participate in high profile events in the near future, thanks should now also go to (in no particular order): Brian Capper of BGC Performance Engineering for the CB’s engine rebuild prior to Spa and for extracting the VF from the bowels of his emporium. Brian Howell and Zed Zawada for their varied efforts and generous monetary contributions. Anne Zawada for her much needed and appreciated catering at Spa. Jeff and Tracy Turner for the boozy BBQ and accommodation during Goodwood. FoS consultants David Dew and Hugo Wilson for inviting our two Hondas to the FoS. Oliver Aerts of Bikers' Classics for his valuable assistance before and during Spa. Dermot Wrycraft for making the trip from Dubai to Spa (and for building and maintaining this site). Luc Ghys for the fantastic ‘Peter Fonda and the Team Bike Honda’ photos. Ex Bike editor Dave Calderwood for some good FoS photos and for bravely sanctioning Team Bike 30 odd years ago. The current Bike magazine for continuing in similar vein, and to the team’s other sponsors and partners listed a little further down this page, most notably Norfolkline Ferries, Rock Oil and Dymag.
Photos from the Goodwood Fest and Spa can be found in the Latest News Pictures gallery, with recent press cuttings, believe it or not, in the Recent Press Cuttings gallery, with more of both to be added soon.
Finally, biggest thanks of all to the dearly departed Howard Lees and Dave Chisman for starting the whole crazy thing off in the first place. Cheers m’dears – Brands, Spa, Goodwood and the 1980s were all amazing, but hopefully we're not quite done yet.
Tom Stewart
24th June 2009 Team Bike Top Brits at 2009 Spa 4-hour Classic Despite finishing a very creditable 5th overall in the third Spa 4hr Classic race at the Bikers’ Classic event on 20-21 June, Howard Lees Racing’s first endurance weekend in 18 years didn’t start well. Intended no.1 rider, Belgian Herwig Lemmens, crashed at 120mph on Thursday’s Spa trackday. The battered and bruised Lemmens wasn’t up to riding from then on so he phoned his old pal Stephane Mertens who jumped at the chance of partnering virtual novice Ian Martin on the ’83 season Team Bike Honda. Mertens qualified the original, unrestored 980cc CB1100R in 18th (out of 68) but was up to 5th at the end of the first lap of the first 2.5hr leg on the Saturday. Riding two consecutive sessions he briefly took the lead on lap 22 and handed over to Martin soon after. The team’s progress was hampered by the appearance of safety cars and a subsequent red light at the end of the pits immediately after that second pitstop, but Martin completed the damp first leg in fading light in 3rd place. The track was wet again for Sunday’s 1.5hr second leg, but this time Mertens shot from 18th to 3rd in the first lap. Now that’s class. The bike continued to run sweetly, as did the third and final pitstop, but, after a few scary moments on the damp and oily 7km track, Martin eased his pace and brought the bike home a safe 5th. Final results are here: http://www.ris-timing.be/~vitesse//4hours/2009/4hr2.htm Race images: http://eng.bikersclassics.be/index.php/Bikers-Classics/Galleries/2009
The ’83 and ’84 season Team Bike Honda endurance racers (CB1000R & VF750F) will be in action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 3/4/5th July.
More pictures from Spa are in the latest news gallery...
5th May 2009
With the Spa 4hr race on 20-21 June fast approaching, we thought we'd better announce, (to the best of our current knowledge), who's doing what and who's helping make it all possible once again:
Any other organisations which may be interested in partnering the revived Team Bike are invited to contact: contact@howardleesracing.co.uk
6th April 2009
Early last year we reported on Hilkka's '83 season Team Bike CB1000R and '87/'88 Team P&O/MCN Harris FZR750 being returned to the UK from Finland. In June we winched Mat Oxley's That's Racing RC30 down from the skies above Camden, and then, for the big Brands reunion in early October, Dermot Wrycraft's '87 Team P&O/MCN Yamaha FZR was dragged from a barn and made to run in public again.
Now we bring you news and pics (see Latest News gallery) of the most recent HLR machine to see the light of day – Brian Capper's Team Bike Honda VF750F – the one that finished second in both the Le Mans and Spa 24hr races in '84.
Unearthed somewhere in deepest Devon, the VF has since been described as 'furred-up but looking cool', so with a little TLC, the replacement road bike engine mentioned below and a squirt of Mr Sheen it should be running and presentable in good time for the summer's activities, also mentioned below.
20th March 2009
Further to Goodwood's invitation for the '83- and '84-season Team Bike Hondas to participate at this year's Festival of Speed (3rd-5th July) the '83 CB was also invited to attend the Goodwood Festival and Revival pre-season press launch event held on 19th March. As you can see from the photos in the Latest News gallery, the sun shone, Oxley rode the CB1000R for the first time in 25 years, while Ian Martin also experienced Goodwood's hill for the first time. The champagne and luncheon provided were both delicious, thanks.
In the afternoon Ian and Mat drove down to Devon with the CB1000R which is to be treated to a top-end rebuild by by Brian Capper. Also aboard Ian's van was a low-mileage, bog standard VF750 recently kindly purchased by Ian Lucas (from Simon Hargreaves of Bike magazine). The motor from this will be slotted into the Team Bike VF in readiness for the Bikers' Classics event Spa and the Goodwood Festival. In the fullness of time Capper will prepare an HRC-kitted, gear-driven 750 motor for the VF.
20th Febuary 2009
TEAM BIKE TO RACE AGAIN! Howard Lees Racing is to enter the '83-season Team Bike Honda CB1000R into the '4Hours of Spa Classic' race at the fantastic Bikers' Classics meeting on 19-20-21 June '09.
Riders will be Belgian Herwig Lemmens, who raced this bike at the '83 Mugello 1,000kms and who finished 2nd overall on the Team Bike VF750 in the Spa 24hr in '84, and ex team helper Ian Martin who completed a successful first race season in '08, often aboard the big Honda. Pit and paddock support will be provided by pretty much the same legion of ne'er-do-wells as in the '80s.
Importantly, and for the first time in 24 years, the team will once again be officially entered as Team Bike as Bike magazine (probably still the UK's leading motorcycle mag) has again agreed to provide substantial editorial coverage of the team's exploits in '09.
Additionally, the organisers have requested that all the existing HLR endurance race bikes be present at Spa, including the '84-season Honda VF750. So, a bit of work to do beforehand on that one, but this will be the VF's first public airing since the Le Mans 24hr in early '85.
http://eng.bikersclassics.be/index.php/Bikers-Classics/4Hours-of-Spa-Classic
STOP PRESS – TEAM BIKE GOES TOFF! It's just been confirmed that the Team Bike Hondas – CB1000R and VF750 – are both invited to parade at the highly prestigious and massively well-attended Goodwood Festival of Speed, to be held on 3-4-5 July '09.
With the theme of this year's event being 'True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance', HLR can only applaud the Festival's fastidious selection committee on its fitting choice of machinery in this case.
Having been raced at Daytona, Le Mans, the Osterriechring, Montjuic Park, Spa Francorchamps, the Nürburgring, Mugello, Circuit Paul Ricard and Macau, Goodwood will be the VF's first ever public appearance in the UK.
http://www.goodwood.co.uk/site/content/festivalofspeed/The-Action_Racing-Motorcycles.aspx
9th January 2009
A few more period snaps have surfaced, now loaded into the General Interest and 86-88 Galleries...
19th November 2008
Ace photographer David Goldman of Gold and Goose (www.goldandgoose.com) has very kindly supplied this site with a selection of terrific photos dating from 1984 to 1991. Please see the new Gold and Goose gallery page.
22nd October 2008
Team reunion photos from Brands Hatch are now posted in the Latest News pictures gallery.
20th October 2008
Added a new gallery for recent press cuttings, and some cuttings into it from the recent Brands reunion etc.
8th October 2008
Despite miserable weather on the Sunday, Howard Lees Racing's grand reunion at Brands Hatch on 4-5th October went off without a hitch and, though we say it ourselves, was a terrific success. Thanks to all those who journeyed from far and wide to be there, particularly Matti, Hilkka, Mikael and Patrick from Finland, as well as the ex-team riders: Geoff Fowler, Herwig Lemmens and the Steves Chambers and Manley. Oh, and Oxley. Thanks too to Brian Howell for the loan of one of his RC30s – without that we'd have had more bums than seats. We'll be posting press cuttings from MCN, Bike magazine and maybe others when they're published, along with additional photos. At some point we'll also be updating the site with other HLR-related historical info and photos gleaned over the weekend.
1st October 2008
This week’s MCN has a half page editorial on the team's attendance at this weekend's CRMC Brands meeting, see the Latest News photo gallery, and see you there...
4th September 2008
Classic Bike has a new article on classic endurance—and us! See the Latest News photo gallery.
3rd September 2008
With a month to go until the Classic Racing Motor Cycle Club's Race of the Year meeting at Brands Hatch on 4-5th October, it now seems timely to inform/remind you that Howard Lees Racing will be well represented at this end-of-season finale.
With at least half a dozen old Team Bike/MCN/P&O/That's Racing machines, plus many more even older riders, pit crew, teamsters and liggers, you are cordially invited to find us in the paddock (shouldn't be hard) for a natter about the good ol' days when the Bol was at Ricard, 200kgs was light and lap-scoring was an entirely biological process.
This will be the Team’s first major gathering since the ’91 Bol d’Or, but there'll also be hundreds of other gnarly old bikes to gawp at, as well as a full program of classic races and parades and so a fine day or two out is pretty much guaranteed, assuming it's stopped bl**dy raining by then.
|
|
Introduction |
|
About the Team |
|
The Riders |
|
The Bikes |
|
Results, year by year |
|
Photo Galleries |
|
Thankyous and Links |
|
Guestbook/Comments |
|
Latest News |
|
Latest News When we were originally putting this site together, some seventeen years after the Team's last race, we didn't suppose there'd be much in the way of news to report… |
|
Howard Lees Racing |
|
10 years going for it |