Held Racer Report - Jason Burrill, Castle Combe ACU 250

Castle Combe ACU 250 - Race Report 

Well, when the say racing is full of highs and lows it really is true! Tears, anger, head scratching, smiles, laughter and a great end to the season!

After a decent test day on the Friday I qualified well on the 250 in 9th position in a stacked with talent field. Unfortunately due to the ongoing starting issues that have plagued us all year we entered the first corner in race one in 17th or 18th position and the spent the remaining laps fighting my way back through. 

Saturday evening came and the decision was taken to make a drastic change, in for a penny and all that. With some great help and advice from Dan Jackson, some help from Mick and Steve Outhwaite and great info from Jez Newbury we arrived on Sunday morning with a little trepidation and anticipation.

All the starting issues, worries and concerns went out the window as the bike hooked up from the start and I finally (after around 15 race start attempts) managed to get into the first corner having held my position off the line!! I genuinely can't say how good it feels to have the monkey off my back! 

Best lap of the weekend was a 1.18.8 which I was over the moon with and if I'd have managed to string together my optimal lap we'd have been in the 17's

Roll on the off season where some modifications are planned and then onto 2021 to see what we can do now the bikes performing as it should.

Thank you to everyone who makes this possible, Held Rider Equipment,  EBC Brakes, deftcad castlegatehomes, xclusivevents and all my family and friends! 

A video of race 3.

NEWS: BMW TYCO RACE REPLICA LIMITED EDITION

BMW TYCO RACE REPLICA WILL COST £21,000

BMW Motorrad UK is bringing out a striking limited-edition Tyco Race Replica that will include almost £3000 worth of performance parts and will cost £21,240.  

BMW says it is the highest specification S 1000 RR ever offered by BMW Motorrad UK.

Bearing the iconic blue, red and white livery, the Tyco BMW Race Replica will be limited to 75 models.

As well as cruise control, heated grips, alarm, and a host of performance parts as standard, buyers will be able to specify factory-fitted Dynamic Damping Control, Dynamic Traction Control and Gear Shift Assist Pro as optional extras.

The Tyco BMW Race Replica, pictured here with Ian Hutchinson, is available to order immediately at BMW Motorrad Centres. 

Story seen on www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Looking for some new motorcycle gear this season? Have a look at www.held-uk.co.uk 

German Quality Gear, realistic prices

Our gear: the Held Masuda Fibreglass helmet

I gave the Gaffer a sideways glance as he asked me to put to one side my Held ST-6 full carbon helmet and use the Held 'Masuda'. I love the ST-6 and was reluctant, at first, to try out the sub-£200 helmet. 

However, as it appeared from the box I was immediately impressed. Held have an Italian designer on board now and the looks are great!

Held Masuda: German quality, Italian design £199.99

 First impressions:

Very comfortable, way beyond it's £199.99 price tag. A great fit, made perfect by the integral cheek pump system which allows you to pump it up to provide a PERFECT fit.

Held have improved on the integral sun visor too- pops back up with a single touch on the button. I was particularly impressed with the no-tools visor change, practiced a few times to get it right, now I can change it like a TT pit crew (!)... Certainly beats messing around with the visors on certain other brands, and busting a few side pods on the way...

Next to the chin- the cheek pump system. Big one to pump, little one to release air

Easy on-off visor change system

After testing:

I've now ridden over 600 miles in the Masuda and it's comfy as anything. The removable cheeks pads (which I've washed once already) and the Outlast lining (designed to regulate temperature) work well to keep the lid fresh as a daisy :) The investment by Held in the lining pays dividends too in terms of comfort on longer rides.

If you've never used an integral sun visor give it a go- perfect for the in-out UK sun and more importantly you can ride on into dusk without having to change visors / take your shades off!

Integral sun visor, breath deflector and plenty of air vents

 
Don't ask about wind noise as such- I ride a naked Cafe Racer and it's noisy! All I will say is that I also have an Arai and a Shark and the Held Masuda is no noisier!

I like the slightly smaller shell size as well, suits me and doesn't make me look like I've got a goldfish bowl on my head.. ;)

Really impressed too with the paint, nice chevrons on the top (see below) and i've washed it a dozen times or more with warm, soapy water and it still looks like new. 

 
All in all it's a great lid, with a price tag that offers exceptional value. Here's the official specifications:

• Washable cheek pads
• Clear, scratchproof visor
• Air-vents at front & chin
• Quick release ratchet chin-strap buckle
• Clear lacquer
• No-tools visor change mechanism
• Choice of 2 shell sizes for a perfect fit
• Clear, dark tint, silver & purple iridium visors available
• Inc. sun visor
• Pinlock ready visor
• Integral pump system

You can see more of the Masuda and the colours available on page 246 of our online catalogue:

BURNS FINISHES IN TOP 6, AGAIN!

The Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship does not accompany the British Superbike Championship to Assen, consequently each year they have the opportunity to showcase the talents of the series riders at a major event in the UK, this year it was as a support race to the Hertz British Grand Prix MotoGP. 

Joe Burns at Silverstone in his Held leathers! Photo: Jon Jessop Photography

 Held wearer Joe arrived at Silverstone without his race engineer, who had broken his wrist at Cadwell Park the previous weekend, consequently the team was a man down. However Joe was confident that a good result could still be achieved. 

Free practice on Friday was encouraging, when the chequered flag came out Joe had set 4th quickest time, 1.8 seconds off pole, qualifying 1 took place later the same day and once again he was in 4th place, but the gap had closed to 1.254, so a step in the right direction had been made with the adjustments to the bike. 

Qualifying 2 ran on Saturday and Joe once again finished in 4th place with a significant closing of the gap to pole, 0.783 separated him from Danny Buchan, but more importantly he was only 0.042 behind Lee Jackson in 3rd place, it looked like a podium possibility for the race. 

The race took place late Sunday afternoon, and Joe had his best start of the season so far, by turn 1 he was in 3rd place and chasing the leaders hard, and maybe took a little too much out of his rear tyre, consequently he dropped to 5th place which he held until lap 8 when a safety car period was called, this allowed the pack to close up, and shortly after the restart Joe was passed by Hudson Kennagh, dropping him to 6th position, however it was a close finish with 4th, 5th and 6th crossing the line all within 0.29 seconds. 

After the race Joe said, “I am disappointed to have finished in 6th place, my qualifying pace was improving all through the weekend, my start was good and holding 3rd place for 4 laps boosted my confidence, but maybe the rear tyre was overworked and I lost a couple of places. Superstock 1000 is very close and at the front of the grid a tenth of a second is a huge amount of time, however I am taking away a lot of positives from this race meeting, and I am pleased to move into 8th place in the Championship table.” 
 
Joe Burns wears Held leathers. See more Held here

Sporty 4-season jacket from Held

Not everyone wants a long jacket, some prefer the sportier look. But with this unpredictable weather you'll still be looking for waterproof, warm and breathable, to cover all eventualities. (Good old UK!)

Introducing the Held Imola II!

Held Imola II full gore-tex sport jacket

Outer shell
• DuPont Cordura 500D (100% polyamide)

 Lining
• Detachable thermal liner (100% polyester)
• COOLMAX breathable mesh inner lining (100% polyester)
• 3D air mesh panels (100% polyester) in back to promote air circulation

Membrane
• GORE-TEX Z-Liner Technology (100% polytetrafl uorethylene)

Fit/features
• 4 external pockets
• 7 inner pockets
• internal cellphone pocket
• air-vent zippers in front, back & arms
• front air-vent zipper
• dual arm adjustment
• hip adjustment
• soft collar
• stretch panels on inner arms
• full-length back protector can be integrated into jacket lining

 Protection
• exclusive EN 1621-1 CE-approved Held cloverleaf SAS-TEC shoulder & elbow protectors
• TEMPERFOAM back pad
• Optional EN 1621-2 back protector
• Connecting zip
• 3M SCOTCHLITE refl ectors

Sizes
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3X

For more information please see page 70 / 71 of our online catalogue

50p spring scuppers Held wearing racer Joe Burns

 A great start ends with first DNF of 2013. 

The team arrived in Silverstone in typical Autumn weather, cool and showers, the track remained damp in places so Joe decided to sit out free practice as there was nothing to learn, the forecast for qualifying was for dry conditions. 

Joe Burns

Qualifying 1 saw Joe achieve 6th fastest time, generally he was happy with the bike, but felt he could improve with a couple of set up adjustments. With set-up changes applied Joe took Qualifying 2 by storm and achieved a 1.7 second improvement compared to the first run, placing him second fastest. 

The combined qualifying times gave him a 3rd place start, front row of the grid, Joe said afterwards that ‘I am very pleased with the result and I'm feeling good about the race’.
Race day was dry and warm, ideal racing conditions, Joe lined up on the grid and made an excellent start to get into second place behind Filip Bacland before they entered Copse Corner. This pair then pulled a clear gap to third place and by the end of lap 2 Joe was lining up to take the lead. 

Towards the end of lap 3 Joe heard the bike engine note change dramatically and the bike lose power, he realised there was a problem and pulled into the pits fearing the worst, in the event it was a simple £0.50 spring that had failed, causing the exhaust to operate incorrectly. 

Joe and the team were extremely disappointed, Joe said ‘this is the first time we have had a failure of this spring, it is just incredible that a £0.50 component has let me down, I was ready to make my move on Filip and was feeling really comfortable, I feel I have lost a certain podium and probably a win today, it won’t happen again’.

For more about Held including a UK stockist list please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Held gloves - how they are made

Held gloves. Many awards, huge amounts of great feedback. Here's how we make 'em. Here's why they're good!

Grading

Every single piece of cowhide, kangaroo pelt and stingray skin is checked by hand – often by Erhard Held or his son Christian Held personally. Hides are very rarely perfect, but any faults such as marks from barbed wire, thorns or ticks are identified and the piece rejected. The leather is then soaked so that it can be stretched for punching, to ensure that the finished items will not lose its shape with use.

Punching


All Held gloves are punch cut. This is far more precise and provides a cleaner edge than cutting with scissors. A costly, sharpened metal die must be fabricated for each leather section. And when you consider that a pair of Held Phantom gloves has 156 individual sections, this means we need a lot of cutters! It then takes 18 minutes to punch out each pair.

Moulding

We only use carbon fibre of the highest grade, which we punch-cut and pressure mould ourselves to ensure a perfect fit. Once cut, each piece is heated to 450˚C and then subjected to 40 tons of pressure and shaped over our custom moulds. These custom protectors are often underlain with shock absorbing gel and sometimes even overlaid with Titanium.

Stitching

Each pair of gloves take a highly skilled machinist 90 minutes of sewing time.

Finishing

Finally every single Held glove is carefully formed on hot irons to create the perfect ergonomic fit. Once this is achieved, the material and workmanship of each one is carefully inspected. If even the slightest irregularity is detected, the glove will be rejected.

There! Hope you found that interesting. We'll be blogging lots more from now on - so please be sure to check back. Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about Held, our range, our stockists etc please visit www.held-uk.co.uk 

Pics: c Held GmbH; schöffel design

c Held GmbH; schöffel design

JPS Norton replicas in the pipeline

JPS Norton, time to raid the piggy bank

Forty years after winning the 1973 F750 TT, Peter Williams is to build 25 replicas of his winning JPS Norton. The legendary motorcycle development engineer and former dealer who introduced the first viable cast wheels, disc brakes and beam frames to racing, has put a price tag of £65,000 on the replicas.

The engines are to be built by renowned Northampton Norton specialist Mick Hemmings, using all new parts, including Williams’ own design cams. Only four of the original JPS Nortons were built and these are now valued in excess of £250,000 which, says Williams, puts the replica price into perspective.

Williams said the project will be used to raise working capital for the development of a new model with a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. He produced the first prototype in conjunction with Lotus and development is underway for low volume production. For more information tel 01327 220534; info@peterwilliamsmotorcycles.com

For some superb motorcycle clothing to accompany that imminent JPS Norton purchase please visit 
www.held-uk.co.uk

Burns Takes 2nd at Knockhill

Held Wearer Joe Burns took his third podium of the season in the 2013 Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship, a great result that sees him consolidate his 2nd position in the Championship table and closing the gap to just 14 points behind Adam Jenkinson. 

Held wearer Joe Burns, left, on the podium at Knockhill. Image: Double Red

The Knockhill weather lived up to form and over the three days of the race weekend it varied from dry and bright to wet, free practice was cloudy but dry and Joe was second in his group by 3/10ths of a second, qualifying 1 was also dry but overcast and Joe took advantage of the conditions to put in a time that gave him 3rd place in his group and 5th overall. 

Qualifying 2 took place in damp conditions and Joe decided that the times were not going to be faster in comparison to qualifying 1, so he cruised to an easy 7th fastest on the day, his decision was correct and he was rewarded with 5th place on the grid for the feature race, middle of row 2. 

Race day was bright and sunny and Joe made an excellent start moving up to 4th place at the second corner, Tristan Palmer also got away well and took a lead which he proceeded to extend, whilst Joe, Adam Jenkinson and Hudson Kennaugh fought over second, third and fourth places. 

On lap 2 Joe moved up to 3rd and then took 2nd place on lap 8, he then proceeded to hunt down Tristan Palmer who was 1.8 seconds ahead, Joe was taking a tenth of a second a lap out of the lead, closing to within half a second by lap 17. The race looked to be shaping up for a thrilling finish, and a potential win for Joe, but sadly it was red flagged on lap 18. 

After the race Joe said: It was disappointing that the red flag came out, I felt really good and was closing down Tristan, I think he was struggling with tyre wear, but my JG Speedfit Kawasaki was just mega and I think I could have taken my first win of the season! 

Held wearer Joe Burns: 2nd in the championships

The result takes Joe to within 14 points of the Championship lead and also extends the gap to 17 points between 2nd and 3rd position. A good result, the next race takes place at Snetterton on July 5/6/7. 

For more information on Held Rider Equipment in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

2nd Podium of 2013 for Held wearing racer Joe Burns

Following the most horrendous rain and wind on Friday, the weekend weather changed completely and Donington Park enjoyed warm and sunny conditions for the Saturday and Sunday of the World Superbike meeting. 

Held wearer Joe Burns - National Superstock 1000 2nd place at the WSBK event

On Friday Joe sat out the free practice sessions as the weather was just crazy, there was a brief respite for about 6 laps of the qualifying 1, and Joe took advantage of the only 5 dry laps to set the second fastest time of the day. 

The 40 riders entered for the race took to the track on Saturday for the 2nd qualifying session, making the ‘traffic’ quite difficult, despite two stops at the pits during the session, Joe just could not get a clear lap, and he was a little disappointed to only qualify 3rd. But this secured a front row of the 3 by 3 grid, a good place to be. 

From the start of the race Joe took second place behind Steve Brogan, however with an excellent move Joe took the lead, and a lap later Adam Jenkinson moved up to second, the leading trio then lapped consistently with less than 1 second covering all three of them. 

A small mistake by Joe coming into the esses was pounced on by Jenkinson, and Joe was now second, a position he held to the end of the race, clearly the leading three were in a class of their own, the gap between first and second across the finish line being just 0.340 of second. 

After the race Joe said, ‘I did not get the start I wanted, but getting into second place on the entry to Redgate was good, I managed to take the lead on lap 3, but made a mistake and fell back to second, a good race and I am very happy with the result, especially as I am now second in the championship!’ 

For more information on Held Rider Equipment in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Superb Held Sports Touring Gloves - just £54.99

If you're looking for some superb gloves now the weather is (finally) warming up but don't want to break the bank why not consider the Held Troy? At just £54.99 (RRP) and available in mens AND ladies sizes they offer superb value, comfort, style and safety.

Held Troy Motorcycle Glove - RRP just £54.99

Let's look at a few more details:

Sporty touring motorcycle gloves with a perfect price ticket. Goatskin palms make for good grip, supple cowhide back and leather covered knuckles provide protection. These gloves are unlined for summer use. In our book: Comfort to just hop on and ride off.

• Goatskin palm
• Supple cowhide back of hand
• Colourfast and sweat proof
• Leather covered hard plastic knuckle protector
• Knuckle protection backed with Temperfoam
• Reinforced edge of hand and thumb
• Superfabric reinforcement on fingers and edge of hand

Held Troy motorcycle gloves- many colour options available

Check out the full spec on page 185 of our online catalogue: http://held.de/livebook_english_2013/index_livebook_english_2013.html

For our main website including a dealer locator please click HERE

Burns Races to 1st place 4 times at Knockhill

The opening bike race meeting of 2013 for Knockhill Motor Sports Club provided the spectators with some thrilling entertainment, with Joe Burns winning 4 of the 5 KMSC Superbike/Clubman Championship races.

Joe Burns - Superstock 1000 podium next?

Joe topped the qualifying time sheet in conditions that were dry and sunny but with strong gusts of wind, undeterred  he beat the other 28 riders to pole position by 1.317 seconds! 

Sunday dawned with a typical mixture of rain, sun and wind, however in the changeable conditions race one took place in the dry and Joe was able to race away from pole position and pull a lead of 3.85 seconds to come home in first place and with the added bonus of fastest lap of 50.892, set on lap 7.

Joe’s second race of the day took place in damp/windy conditions, which slowed the lap times a little, however the result was another win, and this time by an excellent 10.492 seconds, and fastest lap of 51.104 on lap 6. 

The third race of the day was in equally difficult damp and windy conditions,  however this did not stop Joe from taking a lights to flag victory, romping to the line by 10.392 seconds, and with another fastest lap of 51.497 to add to the collection from the day.

Race 4 for Joe, and after venturing out on track he found the conditions to be very mixed, dry in parts, with a very narrow dry line to the hairpin and then streaming wet further round, so the decision was made not to risk the bike, so he sat the race out. 
Race 5 of the day for Joe and with grid positions decided from your previous race result he found himself at the back of the grid, he quickly worked his way through the back markers and hit the front by lap 5, but this time the result was much closer with just 0.225 separating Joe in first place from Bruce Birnie the reigning Scottish Superbike Champion in second place. 

At the end of the very busy days racing Joe said that ‘Once again the bike felt really good and strong we have the setup right for Knockhill, and this has been useful preparation for Oulton Park next weekend. I am very happy with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki bike, and today was very enjoyable with 4 great results, I cannot wait for Oulton Park. 

Joe and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing team left Knockhill very satisfied with the weekends work, the Knockhill Motor Sports Club website described the KMSC Superbike/Clubman Races as follows: ‘In the Superbike class, it was that man Burns who would prove the class of the field, aboard is JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing machine, securing four wins in an impressive display’. 

For more information on the gear Joe wears, Held Bike gear, please visit www.held-uk.co.uk  

Burns races to 4th, sets fastest lap

The solid start to Held wearing racer Joe Burns Championship campaign in the 2013 Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship continued at Thruxton over the weekend of 12, 13, 14 April, and once again the weather played its part in proceedings with the Friday morning warm up being wet, however undeterred Joe topped the group B timesheet by 4 10 tenths of a second. 

Held wearer Joe Burns - National Superstock 1000 frontrunner

Once again with close to 60 entries Qualifying was spilt into two groups and Group B took to the track  in the late afternoon in dry and bright conditions.  By the end of the session Joe was 3rd quickest just 0.185 off the fastest time. 

The weather came into play again on Saturday with qualifying 2 halted due to rain, which just poured down flooding the track. The consequence being that Joe started 6th on the grid based on the aggregate times of the two groups. 

Sunday dawned with a mix of cloud and sunshine, and the race took place in dry conditions with Joe using his tried and trusted race strategy, keep clear of any first corner mayhem and put in good consistent lap times, and once again it went to plan. 

Joe dropped to ninth place on the first lap, but then began to work his way forward, there were some damp patches on track that were catching the unwary riders, even Joe had a ‘moment’ when he went sideways at Cobb, however he recovered quickly and by lap 7 was in 4th place and catching the leading trio by 1 second a lap. 

By lap 10 he had closed to within 0.3 seconds of the third place man Steve Brogan and the John Guest Speedfit bike and rider looked supreme, everything was set of a thrilling finish until three riders fell off just before Allard, causing a red flag.

Consequently Joe finished the race in 4th, but once again with fastest lap to his credit, and with a huge confidence boost of knowing that he was catching the leaders and with 5 laps left would have been on the podium. This would have been a nice early birthday present for him as on the 15th he celebrates his 21st birthday. 

After the race Joe said that ‘The bike had felt really good, and I am very disappointed not to have had the opportunity to challenge for the podium, just 3 more laps and I would have been past them! But I must take the positives, I am happy with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki bike and today was a good result with more points on the board, I cannot wait for Oulton Park.'

Joe and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing team left Thruxton with 21 Championship points and 4th position in the leader board. There is now a short break until round 3 which takes place at  Oulton Park on the Bank Holiday weekend of 04/05/06 May. 

Joe Burns wears Held leathers and gloves. For more information on the Held range please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Sean Neary Brands Hatch race report - Ducati 848 Challenge round 1

Race Report – Round 1 – Brands Hatch

Sean Neary - in his Held gear

It has been a long winter waiting for this weekend! After an awesome pre-season I was feeling confident in the run up. Unfortunately it was clear from the first practice session that our base set up which we had worked on in Spain and Anglesey just wasn’t working. I was running wide under acceleration which is the most crucial aspect to make a fast lap.
I finished the practice session in 6th which I was surprised about really as I knew the set up wasn’t working. After speaking with the K Tech (Suspension) support team we decided to go back to their recommended base settings and start over again. The difficulty of doing this at BSB is the lack of track time we get and it’s risky to make big changes when going into a race/qualifying. That said I knew we had to make big changes to make it work so I took the gamble and qualified 10th therefore putting me on the third row of the grid. We made improvements to the set up but we were still running horribly wide under acceleration.

Race 1
An average start saw me in about 12th going into the first corner however the elbows came out and I managed to work up to 6th position before the brake lever began to fade as the race went on. I managed to finish the race in 8th position. Not what I was looking for but a solid start! We made some more changes to try and help with the suspension and bled the brake system overnight.

Race 2
I struggled again in race 2 under acceleration and almost had a huge crash on lap 12 trying to ride around the problem. We once again lost brake power and it now looks like we have a damaged master cyclinder (sorry for the technical report which probably sounds very boring!) We will be purchasing a new one to eliminate this problem moving forward.
Brands Hatch was always going to be a tough round as we don’t do any testing there but I didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was. I will now get some testing in before Donington to ensure we can get to a good base setting with our suspension and we should be flying. The pace was hot in the 848 Challenge so it’s going to be a great season.
Thanks to all my sponsors for making this happen. We come away from round 1, 10th in the championship so we can now build on this now and I will be giving the gym some treatment until the next round!!!

For more information on the Held motorcycle gear that Sean wears please visit www.held-uk.co.uk