2003 would prove to be another exciting, successful season for the SUPERSHOW Racing Team. Once again the team competed in the annual VRRA Mosport Vintage Racing Festival August 22, 23 and 24 at the legendary Mosport International Raceway near Bowmanville Ontario. This is one of the biggest Vintage racing events in North America with over 300 entries in the many varied classes. With three full days of racing (Including the Honda Cup Endurance race on the Friday), lunchtime Parade laps, vendors, manufacturer Demo rides, vintage bike concours and more, the VRRA Festival is truly a fantastic event for rider and enthusiast alike. If you have never been to this event, you owe it to yourself to make it there next time. The weather was absolutely perfect, the only glitch being a nasty freak storm that moved through on the Thursday night. The storm came up in minutes, and got so bad that the winds picked up our huge SUPERSHOW canopy that was staked to the ground and bent up most of the steel framework into a grotesque mess!
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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This year the SUPERSHOW Team included; SUPERSHOW V-P of Sales Peter Derry, riding the ex Lang Hindle Kawasaki KZ 1000 Superbike; Team Manager Ken Livingstone aboard both the ex Eric Buell and 'Dutch' Schlosser Yamaha TZ750 and the wonderful little 1984 Yamaha TZ250; and this years guest rider Ron Peter aboard the Canadian Motorcycle Heritage Museums Norton 750. Ron had originally built and has been campaigning this Norton off and on for the last 20 years. The Museum recently purchased this immaculately prepared machine from Ron, and had invited him to ride it at the Festival.
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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Ron would compete in the prestigious 'Masters' class, as well as Period 1 Open on the Norton. Ken and Peter would run against each other in the VRRA's fastest class, Period 3 Heavyweight. Additionally, Ken would compete in the clubs new Period 4 class on the TZ250. This new class is for 'Lightweight' bikes up to and including the 1989 model year.
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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| Ron had mixed results on the big Norton. In the Masters class, despite a slow start, Ron worked his way up to a 10th place finish. He was as high as 8th when a huge bug that obviously had a enormous appetite committed suicide onto his helmet visor on the second last lap, reducing his vision so much that common sense and a good survival instinct made him back down a bit, costing him two positions. Still a great result in this much celebrated, highly competitive class.
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The Period 1 Open class race was looking really good for awhile, with Ron up as high as 4th when the overstressed gearbox started to let go, ending with Ron coasting back into the pits with two gears gone completely. Ron was still justifiably pleased with his riding and had a fabulous time at the event. The class act of his riding and the beautiful machine he built was a welcome addition to the Teams effort this year.
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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| Ken and Peter had another epic clash of the Titans in the big Period 3 Heavyweight race. Last year Peter, on the 'Hindle' bike, edged out Ken on the TZ by inches for the win.
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This year was just as competitive, only the positions being reversed with Ken taking the win by a bike length or two. During this race Peter and Ken ran a new vintage lap record setting pace, with Peter knocking a full second off his previous record time from last year with a 1.35.62. (In practice sessions earlier, Peter was riding the bike so hard that the crew found he was actually scraping the frame rails in the corners, forcing a further stiffening of the suspension to try to keep him on the rubber only!). An interesting side note to this race was the wild card entry of legendary Canadian racer Art 'the Dart' Robbins on Dick Vallance's Kawasaki based Superbike Special. It was the talk of the pits early in the event, but on race day, Art withdrew from the racing, with Fergus Warwick, son of two of the VRRA's founding members Doug and Manzi Warwick taking over the ride, finishing a respectable third on the un-sorted bike.
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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| Ken also had a good ride on the smaller TZ250 in the new Period 4 class. Usually racing this bike in Period 3 Lightweight, Ken had to 'bump-up' into the newer class as the P3 Light was run in conjunction with the P3 Heavy. Even against newer, more powerful bikes, Ken rode well enough to finish second on the older TZ to Dave Church on his heavily modified Kawasaki EX500. The Yamaha's cornering speed almost making up for the power deficit.
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In September, Ken brought out his Suzuki T-350 two-stroke twin racer that he had won many a race on in previous years, and made the trek up to North bay for the VRRA's resurrected "Runway Romp' event at the North Bay airport. This event, basically held on two of the runways at the old NORAD/Canadian Armed Forces base is truly road racing at its roots. A temporary circuit outlined by haybales, it makes an interesting venue for both rider and spectator alike. Ken was entered in the Period 1 350 class, and had a tough, race long battle for the lead with Adam Bennet on his Ducati single, with Ken finishing second by just a bike length. He also joined in the Police-escorted Saturday lunch-hour parade of race bikes through the downtown section of North Bay. Nothing cooler than riding your race bike into town and not getting in trouble for it!
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Photo Credit: Colour Tech
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| All the riders had a great time at all of this year's events, with no problems other than the Norton gearbox failure. Many thanks go to Bar Hodgson for forming and supporting the team, allowing the riders the opportunity to race some truly legendary machinery. As well, each year we get to show off many wonderful bikes that are part of the Museums ongoing effort to preserve Canada's rich motorcycle racing heritage. Another great year in the record books!
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