MY PAGES - 1974
These pages are dedicated to my own personal memories and experiences racing
between 1974 to 1983 with Hampshire Union and chart the development of my Group 6
Special over those years. I also dabbled briefly with a Group 5 - 150cc special with Disc
Valve Induction which is also featured.
So it's 1974 and having decided to race I obviously needed a Scooter to convert into a
racing Lambretta and probably because my friend Chris was already racing in Group 6, I
decided to race in the same class. A very second hand Scooter was acquired for the
princely sum of £15, a GT200 without side panels; so it's definitely going to be a Special!
Here's the necessary image.
Finally ready to go racing, although I have to admit the seats a bit of an armchair! The
specification of the engine at this point: 200cc, 30mm Delorto Carburettor, 44mm large
bore gutted exhaust. I ported the engine myself but to the specification suggested by
Chris.
I now had the task of completing three Newcomer events before joining the 'big boys'
out there in Group 6. My first meeting was at Lydden in July of 1974 and although
Newcomer events were supposed to be a high speed trial rather than a race, of course
everyone treated it as a race. I was pleased not only to finish both sessions but also to
finish out in front.
I attended one more meeting in 1974, again at Lydden but now it was October and this
time coming in 10th and 3rd, rather random placings but at least I finished both
sessions.
Much toil but fortunately not too much money and by March it was looking something
like this...
Ok, now the sad part. I put the Scooter on the road to run it in, first trip of course is to
the garage to fill up with petrol, duly paid for, kick the bike over (had temporarily fitted
kick start) and it burst into flames. A flash from the open carb had ignited fumes from
petrol leaking from a hairline crack in the petrol tank.
Unbelievably none of the fire extinguishers on the garage forecourt worked and by the
time the fire brigade arrived, not that they were slow, the party was over. Now it looked
something like this...
I was devastated after so much hard work literally gone up in smoke, but there was only
one thing to do and that was to get stuck in and sort it out, and so after even more hard
work it looked like this again...
