Terry Beckett Chat.

Thank you for that Terry, I did look up the SAAB engine but had no idea what was inside it. I find the whole lot very interesting I would be 9 when this was going on, this is why I didn't know about it.
I spent many hours watching Dale in your workshop machining cylinder heads, he had a lot of patience as I remember.
I also remember Ray Pettit, he took to me very well and tried to teach me aluminium welding but all it did was to show me just how brilliant he was because even under his expert tuition all I did was make a blob of melted metal every time I tried.

Thank you also for the Garelli information again I knew nothing of this, the water jacket would have turned some heads I bet, do you remember how he pumped the water around?

Any other things you remember about your Bantam racing days I would love to hear about, again I knew you raced them but I didn't know how much you enjoyed it.

Thank you as always it's a pleasure reading your work.

And there I was, well behind on all the usual activities that occupy my time and about to reply to a genuine dyed in the wool respondent. Sorry kimandsally. Of course I remember happy days in the workshop. We were fully occupied at that time and I was fortunate to have around me a lot of experience in the form of some you mention. But regrettably, it was in the past and it becomes increasingly obvious, reading through the Forum columns, that the past is not really required now and I can understand that. It is not mysterious enough. The answer must lie somewhere else and the search goes on, excitingly I might add. I`m sure I can retain my interest in two-stroke development as an observer, make a contribution to the various threads if I can and go to see the riders in action when I can.
I have the usual excuse for going awol. My computer didn`t start properly but to cut a long story short, it was `wiped` and the backup didn`t work so it has taken about three weeks to get right.
In the short period I have been a regular contributor I`ve met some nice people, genuine enthusiasts and the riders, of course. I really enjoyed being in the paddock again at Mallory with John Colter and we hope to get to Darley. From the Forum I get the feeling that the seed for the future has been planted with another class and I hope that progresses. In the meantime I will be well occupied catching up with the backlog I have created. All the best for the time being. Terry

Not Nit-Picking --- I hope! The past ain´t quite dead Terry ....

I have on my computer-tower a small BRC trophy that says I did much better than I expected on two occasions during 1973 at Cadwell and Llandow -- my two favourite circuits -- on a 12bhp (so my tuner-mentor estimated) at 8,400rpm Bantam (Icarus-1 in the Avatar) when other Bantams I was racing against were pulling 6 to 8 more bhp and 3000 to 4000 rpm more. That year, although the less in successful results shown on 5 more other trophies from '69 to '74 was my favourite because I also had a similarly exciting race at Brands where an organiser offered a cash prize or a trophy and I took the money. So when I look at that BRC trophy I also get a kick from thinking of Brands....    

I say this because a lot of people have  belittled BRC, Historic and Vintage  trophies and I say they place in history (be it a little lonely history population doing the viewing) something the racer has achieved at a particular moment in the lapsing time of Homo-Sapien-Sapiens.....

Of course the top star who has a roomfull of trophies and a woman moaning about having to clean and tidy so many pieces of junk  is going to say, "... another bit of JayBee´s codswallop..." ...

It is a load of codwallop -- so I shall just curl up and drift off.....

-- just had a last remembrance -- rushing down to Mansfield -- the fastest stretch for Icarus-1 and passing Tex in the bend....

Cheers!  
JayBee.....