Kennedy Racing Selling Up

DTRA racer Mike Fisher read the previous post, where I mentioned Brandon Robinson, saying perhaps he's happy with his team and wouldn't entertain a move to factory Harley (if it was offered, this is all conjecture on my part). Mike then forwarded me a link to vft.org pointing out that the Kennedy team is selling up. Seems like the sport is running a well-run and competitive privateer outfit.

The ad reads... 'Kennedy Racing going out of business sale. 2 750 Kawasakis, one C and J and one J and M. The best of everything. Three XR-750's. Event winners, $25,000 apiece, all fresh and ready to race.' G

Belgian Road Trip

Last Saturday morning I crawled out of bed at 2.30, woke up my 13-year-old son 15 minutes later, made a coffee and left for Belgium at 3am.

We met the Co-Built crew of Anthony, Anna, Geoff, Guy, Karina and Norm, in two other vans at the Eurotunnel for a 6.50 crossing. 

On the other side we drove the three hours/175 miles to Huesden-Zolder, where they have bread vending machines on street corners, street after street with no two houses are the same, a famous road racing circuit and a speedway track.

The British riders met with the Belgian DTRA contingent, plus the Dutch Brothers (only one of whom lives in Holland, the others are in Switzerland).
The Helzold track is going to host Hells Race, what could be the first ever dirt track race in Belgium, later this summer. Two of the Belgian DTRA riders, Angelo and Bram, have organised the meeting with the assistance of the local speedway club. The idea was to invite one dirt track class to an early-season speedway race for the speedway organisers to see what, if anything, they had to do differently. So this was an invite-only do at the Helzold Stars Speedway international meeting.

Saturday was open practice, Sunday was race day. Above is Belgian David's XT500.

Belgian Bram and his new Co-Built.

Norm and his Trackmaster Triumph twin.

Bram, David, and Hank looking mean. Co-Built Anthony's arm with an old Sideburn patch.

Guy and Geoff on their Co-Built Rotax singles. Guy painted both of them. Two very fast and stylish UK riders were back on the pace after disappointing (for their usual high standards) results at Rye House.

Co-Built Anthony (16), Jan-Willem Dutch Brother (15 - J and M Rotax), Angelo (55 Starracer KTM)

 Geoff and Jan-Willem

 Jan-Willem brought two bikes, his Astro...

and his J and M Rotax, with the wheels he designed himself. I had a few electrical problems, just as race day practice started, and both Anthony and Jan-Willem let me have a few laps on their bikes. Both were great and Jan's is sweet as. Short, great power delivery. I felt comfortable on it instantly.

I've started wearing an Icon AirFrame Pro to race in. It's the first Icon helmet with a flat shield/visor that allows tear-offs. I'm very impressed with the comfort. The lining is light grey, which shows up the dirt, but it is removable. It has carbon composite construction and a quick-release Pro-Lock system (which is similar to the Shoei system for those familiar with that). No tools required to remove it. Icon are so good with the details and I love the anodised gold double D-rings. Mine is an unbranded Rubatone Ghost Carbon and it's not as easy to wash as a gloss would be. Recommended. 

Luckily there was a couple of hours between practice and our first heat race. Anthony helped me find the problem with the bike, the CDI ('They never go wrong,' said Anthony). We swapped it, I turned the rear tyre for a better, but still worn edge and got going. I was disappointed with my results at Rye House, but think I know why. I felt pretty good at Helzold and beat both Anthony and Geoff Co-Built in a couple of the five 8-lap heats, which is a very rare occurrence now, so I can away feeling good.

Jan-Willem's brother, Mick, came from the Netherlands (2-hour drive) with a KTM DTX and this J and M Rotax. He chose to race his KTM and came second in the meeting having hardly raced at all for a year. Those Dutch Bros are fast!

Angelo is one of the men behind Hells Race. He also organises the Flanders Chopper Bash, and I'm sure Hells Race is going to be good.

They better book this flagman...

Support your local racetrack. Do like Angelo and support your local flat track magazine too. Sideburn zip hoodies are heavyweight and last for years.

Belgium is not known for its cuisine. I went for the chav pizza.

We rushed from the track as soon as the meeting ended for 21.20 crossing home. We were booked on different trains, all set off at different times but all got on the same, earlier train. Then it was 170 miles back north through England and home for just before midnight on Sunday night. Back to work (and school for Max) the next morning.

I was only accepted to race only a few days before the event (thanks Angelo!) and if I could have got out of going on Friday night without screwing people about I would have. Work is busy, I'm trying to build a hooligan bike for the next DTRA race,  I could do with saving money, but I'm so glad I went. Good friends, good riding and good spending time with my son. Motorcycle fun times. G

Photos: Stephen Volders, Bart Knops, Carina, Max I, GI

Get along to Hells Race!

J&M Honda CRF450

This is a beautiful example of the kind of bike that shone brightly for a handful of years, then nearly disappeared. The liquid-cooled framers followed the air-cooled classics like Wood Rotaxes, TT500s and others that are big on the classic and sportsman scene, as the short tracker of choice for the pros.
But when the AMA outlawed framers in favour of DTX-style bikes (450s with stock frames and altered stock suspension) in 2008/09, framer 450s were almost made extinct overnight. Almost, but not quite. There are races and classes the framers can compete in, but you have to be committed to build one when a DTX bike is relatively easy and cheap to build in comparison. Fortunately, for fans of these single-minded beasts, Rich Delak is committed.

This is Rich's J&M 450, just finished and not even raced yet. Thanks to Mike Bigalke, who was a big part of the inspiring Rancho Deluxe Olympiad scene that we featured in the current issue, Sideburn 22.

Below is the spec as supplied by the owner/builder.

 

MOTOR - 2014 HONDA CRF450R, 57.3 HP, 37.1 FT. LBS TORQUE
FRAME - J and M
TRIPLE CLAMPS – EME (JEFF ELLISON)
SUSPENSION/WHEELS - DURELLE RACING (PENSKE REAR SHOCK, R6 FORKS, BLACK SUN RIM, MAXXIS TIRES)
GAS TANK - FULL CIRCLE V-TWIN (STOCK FUEL PUMP INTEGRATED INTO CUSTOM ALUMINUM TANK)
SEAT - SADDLEMEN
CONTROLS/RADIATOR OVERFLOW - MOTION PRO
BRAKES - A and A RACING DISC, BREMBO CALIPER/MASTER CYLINDER
CHAIN – RENTHAL
TANK GRAPHICS – RICH DELAK/SCOTT BIGALKE DESIGNED, NICK JACKSON AND BLACK DIAMOND MX PRINTED
NUMBER PLATES – TIM HANDRICH (PRO PLATES)
TAIL SECTION – GOPHER GLASS
GRIPS - PROGRIP 788
CARBON FIBER HEAD COVER/CLUTCH COVER - JOLLY RACING, ITALY
EXHAUST – BILL BUILT (BILL BARRETT)
INTAKE – K and N
CARBON FIBER FORK COVERS - GRAND PRIX SPEEDWORKS (JAKE LATIMER)
BRAKE LINES – RUSSELL RENEGADE (SOME GUY ENTERPRISES)
DYNO TUNED - HI-PER SPORTS (MIKE OSOWSKI) > > LEVERS – ASV > > BARS – VORTEX 1-1/8" J MURPH

J and M Rotax Framer

 

This is Jim Grant's incredible J&M Rotax framer. These photos remind me why I love framers so much and this is one of the most handsome I've ever seen. He says

I've raced it twice and I put Dan Ingram on it last year, won his heat and 3rd in the main. The motors a 102mm piston x 81mm stroke 665cc little too big for this small of track, I built it for the miles.

Check out Jim's flat track photography at JGPhotowerx. Thanks to Dael for forwarding us these photos. G

Mario's Twin for sale

We should've posted this months ago. Buell/Sportster Hybrid engine in C&J framer with all the good parts. Anyway, Jan-Willem of the Dutch Brothers say...

'This bike could well have the strongest motor in the europe!'

€9400 or best offer. mario.mueggler @ hotmail.ch
See more photos at Dutch Brothers

UPDATE: J-W added 'Did you know this bike raced at Springfield?'

Congrats on the birth of Jarno Jansen!

Dutch Brothers' Clarification (kind of)

I got all my Dutch Brothers mixed up. Tom is selling the Wood-style Roller. He's in Switzerland. He's already built this J&M Sportster 1200. And now he's building the yellow framer. That's Switzerland in the background. Pretty, eh?
It's Mick who's bought the Mule racer. Richard at Mule got in touch with an updated shot of it (below). Mick's short track bike has the white rims. Jan-Willem's built it for him. They're real brothers. Tom is a Dutch Brother, but neither Dutch nor a brother. Mick and J-W are brothers. I think they're Dutch.
And Jan-Willem is building this metalflake framer.
You are fully up to date on Dutch Brothers' movements. Confused? That makes two of us. GI

Won first time out

We told you about the J&M 1200 Sportster Tom, of the Dutch Bros, was building. Well, Marco Belli raced it Marianske Lazne in the Czech Rep, and won first time out. Marco also raced the next day in Austria and broke his collarbone. Get well soon. GI

More Dutch brothers J&M

Garrett, you only have to ask... G

Dutch Bros J&M Sportster

From Jan-Willem of the Dutch Brothers

'I have a very small work shop in the basement of the house and when I want to work I need to take a lot of stuff out for space.
Last night I was working with another friend on Mick's new Rotax when it started thundering outside, so we rushed out to protect the stuff from the rain, but it wasn't raining yet it wasn't thunder neither, it was Tom going for a test ride!'

This is Tom van Nes's new J&M Sportster. Cool, eh? It'll be racing in Czech Rep and Austria this weekend.

It's a Maryland thing...

Regarding Oliver's tattoo, from a couple of post ago, Jim Gately (bro of Bill Gately who runs Bonneville Performance) says...

'It's a Maryland thing. Attached is the cover to the program for the 1979 1/2 mile at a Laurel MD. horse track. Also a picture of my 1969 Rickman Flattracker with a J&M swing arm. Mike [of, we presume, J&M who we also mentioned recently] is good people.'