TR3OC Beezumph Rally

The TR3OC Beezumph Rally


Beezumph Home	Beezumph 10. 3rd & 4th August 2001

Unlucky 13!
Photo; J Gaisford ©

Beezumph 10. A novice's view.

Being fairly new to the Triples world, this year was only my second Beezumph, but I was convinced that nothing could beat the fantastic event of last year. Wrong! The whole Beezumph 10 weekend was unbelievable from start to finish.

Making the long ride up from the bottom of the A1 on Thursday, with several other T150's and T160's (plus a T140 and 2 Japs), was as much a part of Beezumph as anything happening at Cadwell Park.

A 'big grin' moment on the way was the unbelievable sound as our bunch of triples went hurtling through the Hatfield Tunnel on the A1M. Ray guns, black caps and peashooters all adding to the range of triple howls echoing off the tunnel walls. It's strange how we all seemed to change down a gear then open up the bikes just going into the tunnel!

Saturday comes, and things start to get really busy. The amazing line up of rare and famous bikes was something I never thought I'd see outside of a museum, then to see (and hear!) the thousands of pounds worth of motorcycling history being thrown around the track by so many famous racing names was incredible.

The touring class track sessions also gave a chance for us lesser mortals to get the adrenalin pumping, although each of my four sessions seemed to have some sort of drama. The first 20 minute session seemed to be over so quickly - just getting into the swing of it and out came the chequered flag. The second outing lasted less than half a lap because the side panel came off on the main straight and the battery tried to follow it. Unlucky number 13!!

Track Session
Photo; J Gaisford ©

In the wet
Photo; J Gaisford ©

During the lunch break the side panel was fixed back on and I was ready for the next adrenalin rush, when Cadwell Park had it's own monsoon. Even though the downpour only lasted 5 minutes, there was standing water all over the track (running water in a lot of places), so I thought the third session would get cancelled while the track dried out. Wrong again!

So out we went, on the very wet track, trying to pick a line away from the bigger puddles. After a few laps the bike was handling well in the wet and the confidence was growing, so the speeds were beginning to pick up a bit. There were a couple of times, changing down for a corner, that I let the clutch out a bit quick and the back end started to snake and slide. That's when the little voice in the back of your mind says "Remember, you've got to get back home on this bike".

For the last session, the track was dry again and I was really enjoying the chance to ride much harder than usual, managing to pass a few others, and not getting overtaken too often. All this was shattered when Mick Grant came flying past on the AJS Porcupine, and I suddenly realised the how slow I was going.

I also realised what makes Beezumph special for me is the people. Club members, good mates and all the other classic bike enthusiasts mingling and rubbing shoulders with famous factory names and racing heroes as though everyone has known each other for years. Could I have ever imagined that I'd be out on a race track alongside Mick Grant on one of the rarest bikes around?

Two things have always impressed me about the TR3OC. One is the "ride them, not hide them" attitude of most members, many of whom are proud of the mileage that their triple has clocked up. The other is the friendliness the openness of the club and its members. It seems to me that both of these things go a long way to making Beezumph such a unique and special event.

Article by Dave Grieves, TR3OC

Comments to Webmaster