Non compliance with the formula

Quote J.B.
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Subject: A very special Bantam... Today at 12:42 pm
I´ve spoken of this in another Topic with no answers or response, so I´ll try again.

John Chisnell who partnered Derek Yorke in his Essex business and was often on his racing sidecar outfit as passenger made a monocoque*** all-aluminium frame for a Bantam engine racer. The Bantam formula disowned the machine and disallowed his racing it but at a Snetterton meeting we, of the committee, got together and allowed John to race it in Bantam races which were preceded by the loudspeaker announcement each time declaring it a "Monocoque" and illegible for for any points award....

My interest -- now -- is what happened to the bike? and do any of YOUNG FOLK know of its existence?

Derek gave up the wheel-building business last year which was taken over by Mark Clements and is now called "Anglia Wheels" based at halstead in Essex.

***monocoque?? -- "one-eyed monstor" or have I got the wrong definition for the word.

Cheers!

Hi John I don't have the answer you seek but I do know allowing the formula to be ignored can cause problems.

At the anniversary meeting where you err scratched my bike ! Two well known former open class riders came to ride in the parade. After the parade they asked the comp sec if they could enter a race. She explained all the open class grids were full and they would need to see me (chairman at the time) to see if I would allow them to enter an inter race. I agreed to let them enter on the proviso that they never completed the last lap.
For some reason they forgot their word and raced across the line in close company, stealing the thunder of the poor inter who should have been first through the chequered flag. Shortly after the race another member who wasn't involved irately asked why I had allowed it. When I explained he said he was going to report me to the ACU for rigging races.

Hi Ned! That reminded me of the "`Monocoque´ incident " -- John was asked to drop back on the last lap and not finish by calling in at the pits. As I remember the races he was not leading anyway -- about 3rd or 4th in both, I think. Long time ago for remembering. Beautiful welding, that monocoque. Box-form construction, sort of had us all gasping in amazement that someone could spend so much time when he´d not been sure of ever being allowed to race it.

Yeah! you should never have lent me your bike -- but it was Dick Hunter´s fault that I forgot it was just a Parade. Remember Roy Bacon in his short wellies?? wouldn´t be allowed now I reckon. He was also wearing a very casual windcheater of a jacket if I remember aright.

Admiral Nelson had lent me his new gloves and when I came to, I could see blood pumping thro´ the gashes in the new gloves and thinking, "Now I am in deep trouble..." The Germans insist on shaking hands so when I got back here I was shaking hands with the left hand -- on top of each knuckle was a big stitch of catgut and the swelling took ages to go down. Of course, The Boss saw it and went really ape. Reckoned she couldn´t trust me to be on my own for a weekend....

Cheers!

Bantams racing in the bantam class need to be within the rules of the class.

Bantams not within current rules may? conform to either 250 specials or F2 Bears.

Once the BHR put Carl Coombs in the points on a Triumph Tiger Cub. I said it doesn't conform to the rules! They said why? I said 'well basically its not a BSA Bantam!'

We need to stay focused!!

I agree Mike -- the rules MUST be adhered to but in those good old days we appreciated that someone had gone to great lengths to produce something very special and that something-special had a 125 Bantam engine in it so we gave John Chisnall the chance to give it a public airing in among where we thought it belonged -- The Bantams.

I fully appreciate the VMCC´s stand on this aspect. I have read of many arguments going on regularly about the UNFAIRNESS of things that cannot be of any advantage race-wise but are used to ban a faster rider... And in our Bantam Race Club time we let some real dodgy looking heaps being raced in our Unlimited 1000cc Class. Because of criticism of Chairman JayBee racing too much I scrutineered at two meetings in one season & then got a hammering for rejecting bikes I thought unfit to race. Cries of The Formula Club and other such clubs allowing these rejects to race then involved the ACU Steward who took it on himself to allow those bikes out on the track.

Maybe I was too severe but I did find two Bantams with cracked frames*** -- at different times of scrutineering -- which suggested the bikes were virtually held together by their fairings. Both riders wanted to castrate me -- or something similar... Those two did not get to race their bikes that day.

*** I have mentioned this failure before on here -- the crack was in the joint of the swinging arm lug to the saddle-down-tube....

Cheers!