Knockhill BSB: Kawasaki old hands show young guns the way
Always a challenging venue, the Scottish round of the British Superbike Championship witnessed the skill and determination of seasoned Kawasaki campaigners enjoying the spoils of success.
Molyneux podiums again in TT sidecar race
The most successful sidecar driver to ever compete as part of the Isle of Man TT races took the final podium spot in the opening race of the 2013 TT festival on Saturday 1 June.
Kawasaki attacks ten races in five classes at TT
With practice underway on the world famous Mountain Course, Kawasaki supported teams are making ready for the 2013 Isle of Man TT racing festival with high hopes.
ALFS RACING NEWS UPDATE
GODFREY & BANFIELD TAKE 3RD PLACE PODIUM AT IMOLA
Once again, the Alf´s Classic Endurance team took the newly restored 1978-80 Kawasaki P&M 1170 out of the garage here at Worthing to the Italian track and achieved the fastest lap of the race at the first round of three in the European Classic 4 hour Endurance race ´Miglia 200´ in Imola, Italy, (19-21st April).
Alf´s Classic Endurance crew Alf, Burn and this time John Brookes together with the Bike owner, Team Manager and co-rider Patrick Banfield; Mick Godfrey got their head down to challenge an array of other classic beauties to bring yet again a 3rd Place Podium!
Picture courtesy of Lee Turner - Unpacking the bike in Australia
We have already opened 2013 by participating in the 20th Anniversary Phillip Island International in Australia with the Team Winfield Gears, owned and managed by Roger Winfield on a virgin circuit, freshly re-surfaced. With a Suzuki XR69 (F1 HARRIS), the bike on which Ryan Farquhar rode to 1st place in the MANX GP in 2011 (and we came 3rd on our Kawasaki Z1R 1978); Mick tied 5th place and overall the UK Team to a 2nd behind winners Australia, New Zealand and USA in 3rd and 4th.
Next up on our European Classic calendar is a set of three 4 hour Endurance races starting off at Miglia 200 in Imola, Italy, (19-21st April), where we shall be presenting for its first ride of the year, our favoured and newly restored 1978 Kawasaki P&M (Peckett & McNabb) 1170. Mick will be partnered by the bike owner, Patrick Banfield, also Team Manager and co-rider.
Pictures of the P&M will be available soon, she is just a skeleton right now.
It is planned to utilise this beauty at the 4 hour Endurance race at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, where the bike will be modified to include headlights, as the race is designed to cross over from day to night riding on one of the longest and most demanding tracks in Europe and very dark at night!! Mick recalls having done a 24 hour there with Alf in 2002 on a Kawasaki ZX9-R. Then on to Aragon in Spain, which has only been open for a couple of years and therefore a new fresh circuit to accomplish.
The awesome road race in the Isle of Man, Classic TT runs under the new identity of Manx Gran Prix Festival ‘MGP´ and Alf´s. With changes this year to the regulations, Alf´s Racing have had to take the decision to place on the back burner our favoured marque Kawasaki; as the regulations now include bikes up to 1991, allowing machines such as the long running Honda RC30 and awesome Yamaha OW01 to compete; unfortunately, the Kawasaki range doesn´t have a model of that era to meet the challenge of the TT and on one of the worlds most gruelling courses. With this said, Alf´s have returned to their first love the "Ducati" and will strut out a Ducati 888 Corsa. As a taster below is an example picture, our will be revealed near the time.
Example picture of Ducati 888 Corsa 1992 picture courtesy of www.ttacademy.org
We are confident that whilst meeting the new regulation requirement, the powerful performance required and with our 30 years of experience in working with the Ducati engines we will hope to achieve the number 1 slot which we so nearly achieved in 2012. Watch out Michael Dunlop! - "Not an easy task" (Alf)! "Oooooh!" (Mick) :-)
Moving on to our more modern range, the Hottrax Endurance Championship, recognised as a National level race will be fought on Sweatshop´s new 2013 ZX-10R. As both the key riders are now full time Champions only selected rounds will be raced due to other commitments. Check with us for confirmed meets.
We are sure that this season will hold a whole brand new set of adventures and achievements. If you are planning to attend any of the Race meetings, please let us know; send us pictures, feedback on our performance and anything else related.
2013 RACING CALENDAR
ENDURANCE VINTAGE UEM CUP over 3 Circuits:
Miglia 200, Imola Italy on19th-21st April
Spa Francorchamps Belgium on 5th-7th July
Motorland, Aragon, Spain on 25th-27th October
ISLE OF MAN Classic ´MGP´ on19th - 28th August
HOTTRAX Endurance Season - Attendance dates to be confirmed by us
Snetterton R1
8-10TH March
Oulton R2
19th-20th April
Anglesey R3
24th-26th May
Donnington R4
8th-9th June
Cadwell R5
12th-14th July
Pembrey R6
9th-11th August
Brands Hatch R7
6th-8th Sept
Mallory Park R8
4th-6th October
LATEST BRAKING NEWS!
NEWS FLASH
"THE BRITS TAKE 2ND PLACE"
SUNDAY, 27TH JAN: - Report: Mick Godfrey
"Well, I got a 6th and a 7th in the last two races and managed a faster lap time, so ended up 5th overall rider!! The British team came 2nd, so well chuffed :D Very pleased all round."
SATURDAY, 26TH JAN: 18:36PM -Report: Mick Godfrey
"All good. After 2nd qualifying stage, overall in 11th position was well chuffed with that. Then 2 out of the 4 races done and finished in 7th in both, so all good. 2 more races tomorrow, so hope to do well again :D"
FRIDAY, 25TH JAN: 17:25pm - Report: Mick Godfrey
"Morning All, have heard from Mick this morning - his time 17:20pm 25th Jan. Been around the Track testing, had clutch fixed, all good. Qualifying followed and came in 11, disappointed not to finish in top 10 but fantastic to take the Suzuki XR69 (the one that Mick borrowed in the Isle of Man 2011 to practice on) around a new circuit. 2nd round of Qualifying is tomorrow 26.1.13 and is going for it. More updates as they come in. Everyone is well."
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Why not come in to the Alf´ Motorcycles Shop and visit our newly laid out Racing Corner for lots more information on this story and our other Achievements.
Suzuki XR69 Harris F1 Bike
Read more about the Phillip Island Classic below:
Mick, was chosen for the International Team of riders to represent the UK to take part in the 20th Anniversary Classic Island Race 2013.
The Suzuki XR69 Harris F1 Bike, (No:14) and equipment was shipped out back in early November 2012 by sea, arrived safely in Aus during January 2013. The other Team mates and organisers started their journey to Melbourne on or around 20th January, going from our cold, snowy weather to a beautiful 22-35 degC.
With the weather sometimes a little too warm, a welcome breeze came through the circuit on the Race days and no it wasn´t the riders going by. Our Mick riding shoulder to shoulder with riders such as Australia´s Golden Boy Shaun Giles! Our very own, Jeremy McWilliams, MotoGP Winner and the Winner of 2012 Classic Island Race, amongst others.
The races proved to have a variety of mechanical and technical challenges for the riders, however the supremacy continued over the final three races, with only two internationals managing to finish inside the top eight finishers across all four legs –
With pride, Alf´, Mick and The Burn come home with another fascinating challenge having been accomplished.
Well Done Team!
Tahbilk International Challenge, a four-race square-off between men and historic machines from
Link: http://www.mcnews.com.au/
Go to the bottom of the home page
Click on ´Latest Braking News´
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HOTTRAX 3 HR ENDURANCE 2012
MICK GODFREY & HUGH BRASHER SWEATSHOP RACING CELEBRATE THEIR WIN - THEY ARE THE:
2012 HOTTRAX NATIONAL ENDURANCE CHAMPIONS
We are so pleased to announce that Sweatshop Racing Team, Mick Godfrey and Hugh Brasher are the Champions of Hottrax Endurance 2012.
For the second year running, the boys have brought it home again.. Wow! what a year of racing we have enjoyed.
Full round up of all the action, including points of Round 8 at Snetterton race circuit last weekend go to Endurance Index of www.hottrax-motorsport.co.uk
Congratulations 2012 Champions
ACU NATIONAL 1000 ENDURANCE
Sweatshop Racing
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Team Alf´s are proud to announce our rider, Mick Godfrey, brought home 2nd place podium at the amazing road race in the IOM Manx GP 2012, just 2.5 minutes behind winner Michael Dunlop!
Following our success in 2011, 3rd place podium, clearly it was Alf and ‘The Burn’ (Terry) mission to put the Kawasaki Z1R 1978, with a Harris Performance frame, uprated forks amongst many other performance parts from R&G, NGK, Skidmarxs, Goodridge, Fuchs Silkolene, Pro-Bolt back in to laurel winning mode
.
Over the years he has prepared our own 944SS (Sound of Thunder championship winning machine), 748R, 916SP, 996. Starting in the early days within the UK KRC endurance Championship from 1997 through to the present day. Most recently he competed in and won the Hottrax endurance championship.
To aid the race preparation Alf has a bespoke Dyno in addition to his mastery of spanner wielding, tuning and servicing skills.
After weeks of preparing the
Mick went out on the first Practice of the Classic Superbike and was recorded as average speed of 97.85 mph, with a lap time of 23 mins 08.12 sec. The Bike gearing needed drastic attention and fractured wire was causing a misfire. The suspension felt hard and needed adjustment, so plenty to do and improve on! The next two days were spent re-building and improving the Z1R, where lubrication issues had arisen causing various complications with the cam shaft, 2 valves being bent, 2 valve guides broken, all due to a faulty oil pressure switch – 30 years what do you expect!Having now re-built the engine twice and still not in a position to get a practice session in, time was running out on practice lap times to qualify with the minimum 5 laps needed to complete in the main MANX GP race.
With the riders in most cases achieving 109 mph around the course marking points, Buckley was reported retired at Kerrowmoar on the last lap with mechanical failure, leaving Faquhar to take the chequered flag in 1:19:49:56 (113.437mph) Behind him there was a battle emerging for the runner up slot between John Barton and Mick Godfrey on the 1050 cc Kawasaki with the pair swapping places on the last lap before Barton came home in second 1:24.31.47 (107.131mph), five seconds ahead of third placed man Godfrey 1:24:36.65 (107.022mph)
Fnatastic result makes all the hard work worthwhile!
| Alfs Endurance Team 2010 | |
| The riders (left to right) Tom Montano John Barton Mick Godfrey | |
| Mick Godfrey | |
| Alf (Centre) and his hand picked team for 2010 |
| The Start | |
| In action | |
| Refuelling Pit stop | |
| Timings |
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#59 - TEAM ALF´S (GBR) - KAWASAKI - S.THOMPSON (GBR)
Fréderic GAUDIN - ACO/Nikon - Dimanche 19 Avril 2009 - 00:22:10 |
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24 Heures Moto 2009 #59 - team alf s - kawasaki - crockford j.
Fréderic GAUDIN - ACO/Nikon |
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#59 - TEAM ALF´S (GBR) - KAWASAKI - J.CROCKFORD (GBR)
Fréderic GAUDIN - ACO/Nikon - Samedi 18 Avril 2009 - 15:49:05 |