Round 1 2025 – Mallory Park

Wow, what a start to the 2025 season !! 

The Lansdowne Series were guests of the CRMC and as such we wanted to put on a show but given the conditions nobody would have predicted just how good a show we were about to produce.

A packed grid of Lansdowne riders were here for some superb classic race-bike fun, a great mixture of pilots included some of the very best amateurs around, a couple of BSB stars, quite a few very welcome first time novices and everything in-between. Everyone faced a challenging moist and cool Mallory Park with its former noise issues seemingly a thing of the past confirmed with no infringements all weekend, also given it’s the first meeting of the year everyone stayed green side up…Result !

Of the Championship contenders the weekend produced lots of very fast and close racing with ‘Oakdean’s’ Mark Taylor top of the tree (see what I did there?) setting out his intensions early doors. Our current Champion Dan Jackson sporting the deserved No. 1 plate will not relinquish his title easily, riding immaculately as usual had a mechanical dnf but amassed good points throughout the weekend. Also of note, a great supporter of Lansdowne and Head Honcho of the Ripley Land Team Ian Garbett brought back The ‘Smiling Assassin’ Peter Bardell as a very strong competitor, the former champ showed he has lost none of his speed though a couple of mechanical’s cost him valuable points, he will always be strong and in the title hunt. 

Graham Higlett was out on Tony Dunnell’s excellent Manx for the first time, his speed will come soon enough for this talented rider.

One of our new riders was Andy Green, I’ve known Andy from our two stroke days, he will soon be one to watch a very quick lad. 

A mention of our two BSB friends that joined us, Lewis Rollo and Barry Burrell who displayed the odd Doctor’s dangle and broadside into the hairpin much to the delight of the crowd. They were a very welcome addition and are very welcome again at our meetings. Thanks Lads and best of luck with your season at BSB.

In the Clubman WRR 500 class the stand out rider this weekend was Justin Keen with a full house of wins, he’s going to take some catching this year!

Another new Lad is Jake Dettloff, as enthusiastic as you like, he will fit in easily and don’t be taken in by his smile, he is going to be on it and already showing his liking for a Manx with results getting better lap by lap.

Two old sweats who just get quicker are Sam Rhodes who rides the wheels off owt put between his legs? Eh up! Also, Windy Shed’s tyre and parts supremo Jamie O’Brien who has seen and rode it all before. Both of these lads are very talented and can spin off some fast laps at any circuit.

Talking of been there seen it, Stuart Tonge gave himself a talking to after the first couple of races and produced a superb 59:318 lap in the final race which is a great reward for the amount of energy he puts into his racing.

Steve Parrott and Richard Dawson have had some battles in the past and this weekend was no different. Class riders and great company in the paddock with Steve getting the upper hand this weekend as this wee battle will continue to grow through the season! Stevan Radakovic can peddle on giving his BSA Goldie an outing and taking quite a few Manx scalp’s. He’s been racing years and knows the ropes, as does a surprise showing from Mike Farrall, still crock from his get off at Goodwood, Mike certainly rides better than he runs and was straight on the pace.

Next a guy who needs no introduction, older than God’s dog, a Lansdowne legend, Mr Gordon Russell. Fresh out of retirement he can’t keep away and still he loves his bike racing, and he can still be competitive enjoying his tussles with Simon Hocking, Alex Williams and Ken Perch involved in a great mid pack battle all weekend. Although Alex took the paddock fashion win sporting the very latest in Croc’s and sock’s, what a hunk!

A good turnout of 350’s had a smiling Mick Baldwin acknowledging the respect shown by the faster rider’s when passing. Our usual 350 star is Jack Hebb, who really enjoys his racing but brought out his 500 long stroke Manx this weekend and so it was left to an unlikely trio of young Seb Perez Jnr who is gaining race craft every meeting and definitely on the up, against the wonderfully jovial Torsten Busch making his visit from Germany worthwhile, and who is very welcome with his friends bearing gift’s of beer and chocolate at the presentation. But sorry lads, the star of the show is Mark Harrington with his first race meeting, riding Jack Gooch’s Manx, Mark impressed lap-on-lap taking three first’s and a third in this his debut is a bit special, and as such, Mark was awarded ’The Norton Rider Of The Meeting’.

The Pre-55 riders were also putting on a show, Jack Hebb right up there with Brian ’Smiley’ Riley on his immaculate Domi really getting to grip’s with his lovely bike. As was Archy Walker, who had a few machine issues but kept smiling, that’s racing.

Race 1 Results

British Championship		Clubman 500
1st – Barry Burrell		1st – Jusin Keen
2nd – Lewis Rollo		2nd – Sam Rhodes
3rd – Tony Perkin		3rd – Jamie O’Brien

Clubman 350		Pre 55
1st – Mick Baldwin		1st – David Hebb
2nd – Torsten Busch		2nd – Alex Williams
3rd – Mark Harrington		3rd – Brian Riley

Race 2 Results

British Championship		Clubman 500
1st – Mark Taylor		1st – Jusin Keen
2nd – Lewis Rollo		2nd – Sam Rhodes
3rd – Barry Burrell		3rd – Jamie O’Brien

Clubman 350		Pre 55
1st – Mark Harrington		1st – Alex Williams
2nd – Mick Baldwin		2nd – David Hebb
3rd – Torsten Busch		3rd – Brian Riley

Race 3 Results

British Championship		Clubman 500
1st – Mark Taylor		1st – Jusin Keen
2nd – Peter Bardell		2nd – Jamie O’Brien
3rd – Dan Jackson		3rd – Sam Rhodes

Clubman 350		Pre 55
1st – Mark Harrington		1st – Alex Williams
2nd – Seb Perez Jnr		2nd – David Hebb
3rd – Torsten Busch		3rd – Brian Riley

Race 4 Results

British Championship		Clubman 500
1st – Mark Taylor		1st – Jusin Keen
2nd – Peter Bardell		2nd – Jake Dettloff
3rd – Dan Jackson		3rd – Jamie O’Brien

Clubman 350		Pre 55
1st – Mark Harrington		1st – David Hebb
2nd – Mick Baldwin		2nd – Alex Williams
3rd – Seb Perez Jnr		3rd – Brian Riley

To summarise

A fantastic meeting, run by amazing people who were professional and ever smiling, a near faultless production. To the Orange army, scrutineers and medical staff who all look after us, saving us from ourselves, and to the Lansdowne crew, with Sally behind the scenes making this happen and all of our sponsors especially Norton Motorcycles,

Job Well done!!! To the riders and supporters, massive respect, what a show! 

Anji secretary of CRMC on watching a Lansdowne race said it was one of the best races she had ever seen!!

We are on to Snetterton Next; 10th/11th May with test day available on Friday 9th. Cook your own B-B-Q and drinks after Presentation.

To get your entries in, go to the NG website. Don’t forget you must put your Lansdowne class on the entry form!

A lap of Mallory through the visor of Tony Perkin

With the weather set cold and a patchy track ahead, Mallory Park needs a hard warmup lap to get some much needed heat in the tyres. Approaching the grid I snake through the riders already assembled on their grid positions I pull up at mine. Visor up, I stay calm awaiting the Marshall to furl his flag and point to the lights. Visor down, select gear, a quick jab of the clutch to check engaged selection, eyes fixed on the glaring red lights, revs dancing around 6 thousand the lights go out, clutch engages, launch and tuck in snicking through the gears as the din, vibration and multi-tasking forgotten as the charge to Gerards super-fast entry is over in a flash, riders jostle for position, brains recalculating their forced alternative to the perfect line, senses bursting with the commotion, judging tyre grip available and juggling competitive drive against looking after each other, it’s such a buzz and the reason we do this crazy hobby.

Holding line through Gerards super long and fast right bend takes commitment and talent, piling on the coals three parts round is rewarded with an incredible slingshot of acceleration onto Stebbe straight, morphing into the bike avoiding the headwind, tap another gear and prepare for hitting our individual braking points hoping it’s later than yer mates then into the fast Esses tricky right / left flick, exiting full hole approaching Mallory’s famous Hairpin, a late-braker’s nirvana, with various lines available. I prefer staying tight in giving more room into the tricky bus-stop cobblerbolox, a complicated left/right/left flick with trouble written all over it. Exiting flat chat straight into Devils Elbow , a dropping left that opens out onto the Kirby Straight and to the finish line, a simple painted white line greeted with so many varying emotions from “another lap and I’d have had him” to that incredible feeling when you win!

Entering the paddock to be greeted by a myriad of smiling faces from your compatriots and supporters it’s a magical place to be, fast competitive safe racing never gets tiring and I was so pleased to hear from a lapped rider that he even enjoyed being safely lapped as he loved watching the faster riders up close battling away with respect for all the riders. The founder of Norton, James Lansdowne Norton who died 100 years ago, would probably be well chuffed that the fun he had then is being repeated today ! Riders and supporters should be really proud of the show we put on. Comments from the organising staff, marshals and spectators praised the quality of the machines, the close quality racing throughout the field and the camaraderie both on track and in the paddock.