OZ BEARS nationals 2022

So the last race of the day the feature event a gruelling 15 lapped saw Matt who had recovered from the earlier arm pump issues started in second. By turn one he was already in front and managed to extend his lead even through of the traffic holding him up a tad
Second last lap he dropped into the 1.08’s to totally demoralise the opposition and take out the main race by nearly 7 seconds.
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Back home from Darwin yesterday at noon, long drive
Leaving Brisbane for Darwin and only 25 klms from our house some idiot in the QLD Transport Dept has put up a sign saying Darwin 3,445 klms, seriously isn't that a bit early for a distance sign

Darwin results,
2 wins, 1 x DNF because of Cam chain system issue, 1 x DNF due to arm pump
2 x sets of race tyres $1,100
56 liters race fuel at $10.32/liter $578
2 weeks of accommodation roughly $1,500
Race van diesel cost $1,600
Workshop closed for 2 weeks, no income

Stripping one engine to retrieve broken tensioner blade, second engine has a burnt piston I believe, will find out in the next few days

Went to Darwin leading the championship by 44 points, now we are only 4 points in front
Next meeting is Phillip Island first weekend in September followed two weeks later by Eastern Creek at Sydney
Then a break through to mid November when last round is held at Broadford

Really over broken cam chain tensioner blades and having to strip my race engines after every meeting to retrieve the broken section, if I cannot overcome this issue be the end of racing for us
We only broke two blades in 3 years when Smarty and Paul were riding the bikes but is every time we go on track now with Matt riding so is obviously how Matt is treating the engines, am still thinking it is something to do with down shifting into corners

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That is a real bugger Red.
Very frustrating indeed,especially when it just keeps happening.
Hopefully the new spring steel will sort it.
But its a shit load of work no matter what and there's no immediate outcome or verification till you've done a load of races.
Bloody Laverda's :giggle:

As for the sign in Darwin, only winner there is the guy making the signs, bloody signs everywhere round here.
Signarama gone crazy.
 
Tensioner blade problem seemed to be fixed going by your post in the tech section, with pics of the modified 500 system. Did it turn out to have broken the blade after all?
If it is the downshifting, couldn't he wait just a few metres more before smacking it into the lower gear? I know of guys here who have trashed engines when they took up classic racing after a lifetime on modern zillion rev slipper clutch bikes, had to take a new approach to how they treated their engines. No criticism on your rider, he is getting fantastic results, but I don't think he gets those laptimes from aggressive downshifting.
Absolutely fantastic road trip and race meeting for you guys though, it is great stuff to be following from afar.
 
I remember watching a racer on a certain very fast championship-winning Laverda twin selecting 1st gear exiting the pits at Eastern Creek lifting his foot and stamping really hard down, obviously not a race change pattern, to get 1st gear. I didn't hear any of the typically grinding my bike makes going into first with the revs up higher than 2000rpm, but I winced seeing it. He was blindingly fast and pretty young, I always changed up and down clutchless on my modern Dirtbike, but other than once with a broken gear selector spring making it mandatory I hardly ever change clutchless on my old boy Laverda. But it does tend to change better with higher revs happening for some odd reason, maybe more positive dog engagement. Gotta be worth looking at what Paul did that isn't happening now, in a polite way.
 
I feel your pain Red:(
Could you remove the tensioner completely and replace with just a sprung loaded (gear?) wheel?

Keep smiling and try and find some time to chill away from the bikes.:)
Andy
 
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I feel your pain. At least here when i was chasing the National series it was in a smaller country.
Have you been able to get out around the circuits and see what the rider's doing on downshifts ? Setting up one bike i got no usable feedback at all so finished up walking the circuit to see what the F he was doing. If you haven't changed cam profiles or gone overboard on valve spring pressures it's pointing at riding technique.
Sometimes a problem can be solved by a stern heart to heart with the rider.....I've had to do that more than once.
 
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GregT said:
Have you been able to get out around the circuits and see what the rider's doing on downshifts ? If you haven't changed cam profiles or gone overboard on valve spring pressures it's pointing at riding technique.
Sometimes a problem can be solved by a stern heart to heart with the rider.....I've had to do that more than once.
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Hi Greg,
Great advice, unfortunately as you would also know is hard to leave the pits when your bike is out on track just in case there is an issue and the bike comes in. So someone needs to be there to attend to the bike and as you would also know, race bikes are rather "needy" in that they have to have paddock stands front and rear, tyre temps checked, tyre warmers installed ASAP , etc,

Running 7C camshaft profiles, PAC Alloy dual valve springs with custom made top and bottom spring plates, which I have been running for 5 seasons now
Standard Laverda triple valve closing pressures are really weak at around 40-50 lbs seat pressure, even worse on the 1980 models where seat pressure is around 10 lbs closed, what a joke

My race engines closing pressure with dual valve springs is 95 lbs Inlet, 90 lbs Exhaust
Still very conservative when compared to full on race engines
 
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Agreed, those are quite conservative figures. What about the guys who come along for a look who post here. Any of them knowledgeable enough for around the track feedback ? Or maybe of more use, any of them got a video camera ?
Nothing like being able to see - and hear -what's happening at a distant corner.
 
GregT said:
Agreed, those are quite conservative figures. What about the guys who come along for a look who post here. Any of them knowledgeable enough for around the track feedback ? Or maybe of more use, any of them got a video camera ?
Nothing like being able to see - and hear -what's happening at a distant corner.
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my mate Paul is coming to PI with us and he owned and raced one of them so will be perfect to watch what is happening

Tippie said:
Tensioner blade problem seemed to be fixed going by your post in the tech section, with pics of the modified 500 system. Did it turn out to have broken the blade after all?
Click to expand...

only modified one engine with the 500 set up for Darwin, wanted to see if it would work first
engine with the standard triple set up broke its blade, not the modified unit
 
GregT said:
What about the guys who come along for a look who post here. Any of them knowledgeable enough for around the track feedback ? Or maybe of more use, any of them got a video camera ?
Nothing like being able to see - and hear -what's happening at a distant corner.
Click to expand...
Any chance of setting up a data-logger? Just logging engine revs and road speed will give you a clue as to gear change technique. There's probably someone smart enough on here to help you set up a simple system. There are some pretty fancy motorcycle data loggers available on the market that'll tell you everything you you can think of, and then some. Bit they don't come cheap.
If Matt comes from a background of riding modern bikes with slipper clutches, maybe he's still in the habit of doing clutchless down changes. That's hard on an engine with a conventional clutch. Not too good for the rear tyre either.
 
off to phillip island for round 4 bears ,leaving a tad early to do a tourist run and go via sydney and melbourne for a catch up,
hoping the weathers good,and some records may be broken!
 
LaverdaIan said:
All the best for a great road trip and campaign Red..

:cool:
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At first I'd read "All the best for a great road trip and champagne Red."

Well, sometimes our brain does what it wants. However, I wish the team that all efforts are worthwhile and that it ends with champagne!
:D
 
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