I bought a team bike fairing and seat unit in 1983, CBR1100, fitted to my mates Honda, super cool. Travel loads of times to Europe on my Kwacker with team bike tours, dirt cheap tickets. Brilliant times
In 1984 I was working on the Castrol Motorsport sponsorship PR account. We sponsored Team Bike and I got in with their social life, which was pretty full on. Great times with Howard, Matt, Zed and the guys.
Thanks for resurrecting some great memories watching Team Bike. Some of my best biking trips were the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans, Spa and the Bol with my mates from Leicester. In those days you could get right up to the edge of the circuit as a spectator and the crowd was allowed on the track after the finish. We also used to ride round the track at the end on our bikes then set off for home again - amazing times!
No problem, so glad the video brought back those great memories for you! We enjoy reading about people's experiences from that era, it must have been amazing!
I took the Ducati Superlight photo at 4.04!! That was taken one handed, from my Ducati F1, somewhere in France on the way to the Bol! It's my mate Wally, the SL locked up the motor on the way down to Bandol chucking him off. It got put into one of the race teams vans and bought back to the UK while he flew home. Great days!
That’s an amazing story. So good that you have watched it and seen your actual photo! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us. It adds some real character and detail to the story. Cheers 🍻🙏👍
Mesmeric!!! I was absolutely obssesed with endurance racing, went to my first Bol visit in 1981 with my mate, both on Ducati 900SS's, black and gold bevels. Fell off on the way back, on a mountain road in the Massiv Central. Luckily I was ok apart from bumps and bruises, and the bike was only slightly damaged, saved by my tent poles lashed across the rear seat! Pulled a flanker on the insurance though and used the payout to convert it into an NCR replica. Had a mental aberration then and sold it to buy a Honda CB1100RC! Which was a great bike but I massively regret parting with the Ducati, it's the bike I most regret selling out of any I've owned since. Was a regular reader of Bike mag and very much enjoyed reading about Team Bike, still have all the Bike mags from that time. Howard and the lads were heroes to us endurance fans!! We would watch the pit activity for hours during the racing. Last of my endurance race trips was in the late 90's, they were great times. The most we had in a group was about ten I think, howling through France at speeds that would just not be tolerated now, back then the Gendarmes weren't bothered!! Staying at wonderful Logis for peanuts, fantastic food, cheap petrol and ferry crossings, route finding by actual paper maps, camping at the circuit, croissants and hot chocolate for breakfast, croque monsieur for lunch, fantastic, just bloody fantastic!! In the early 80's many of the pivateer bikes were heavily and imaginitively modified production machines, as nothing as standard would last 24 hours. I found that fascinating and have some incredible photos of these wonderful machines. I just missed the Nessie era, one of the most radical of the genre. Then of course the in line fours became dominant, and it became a bit formulaic. But the time of big Guzzis, Ducatis, strokers, Laverda triples, BMW boxers, etc, combined with the RCB Hondas and Kool Kawasakis, was a golden era. Very happy days.
Absolutely, but at the time it was just all about the adventure, the road trip, new experiences, the excitement!! Memories come later, looking back at 2 wheel life in another time and realizing just how special it was. The crazy thing was we did almost no prep!! Sure we checked our bikes over and serviced them but otherwise it was travel light, point the bikes south and GO!! Now of course it's all smart phones, online booking, bike to bike intercoms, heated riding gear, bikes that ride themselves, loaded up to the eyeballs with gear and supplies, you don't feel the trip, it's all so clinical and efficient. Same with the racing, apart from a few crash outs, everyone finishes, the bikes just don't fail and they all look the same. I remember the return journey 1984, I was on the 1100RC, and actually on my own. Just for the fcuk of it I decided to do the blast to Calais in the one day, so I could get the ferry and be back in the UK and home for bed by evening! It meant I had to average 100 mph to Calais, utterly mental!!! So the only way to do that, if at all possible, was straight up the middle of France on the rue de sol, basically a motorway from coast to coast. Actually I did quite well. Clocking between 130 and 150 continuously, weaving between lanes when traffic got in the way!! Had to stop for fuel quite often though, even with the huge 22 ltr tank on the RC. Got to about 50 miles south of Paris by late afternoon and had a longer stop to eat and drink, as I hadn't had anything until then. And by sheer chance I met an English couple at the services who were plodding back to London on their Guzzi Lemans. When they heard my plan they said I must be mental and insisted that I join up with them, have a proper meal at their place in North London, stay the night and start back to Yorkshire refreshed next morning! So I did! We've been friends ever since!! That's the sort of thing that happened on the road to the Bol back then. I can still feel the road rushing past on that big Honda at triple digit speeds though, what a blast!
@@raceandretro Yeah, try that now and you'd be pulled in a heartbeat. Back then the French cops weren't bothered! Now of course, it's all about fine revenue and you may even get your bike impounded or confiscated. Then there is traffic density, massively more cars on the road and modern cars are much quicker. One of our group had a CBR1000 a bit later, and then a Blackbird, he redefined mental! He would take detours during our trips to Lemans and the Bol, like to Germany for example, then rejoin our convoy later in the day! And this was before mobile phones, intercoms, sat nav etc, he did by instinct and prediction! Making me feel all nostalgic thinking about it now!
Wonderful video, brings back great memories. I went to the 24hr Spa, Le Mans and Ricard all through the 80's early 90's. The Bol d'or and watching Team Bike every year was a big part of my motorcycling life. Great times, cheers 🍺.
Fantastic video. First met Ian at Cadwell and my claim to fame is helping him put the 900 back in his van. Met him a couple of times at the Bol since. Smashing fellow keeping some great memories alive. And Team Bike and the stories in Bike magazine were probably the reason that Endurance became my favourite form of racing. I have to say though that my favourite bike was the original un-faired 900. Keep up the good work Ian.
Thanks for commenting! Yeah, Ian is such an intresting bloke and very articulate! We recorded another video with him going into detail of his RC30's. Maybe we could do a follow up vid with the 900! 😁
We were also racing at the Classic Bol in '23 - Casey passed me into turn 3 on the brakes, back stepped out and his boot on the floor - he was travelling so fast it bent my mind. About 1/2 an hour later, Stephane passed me into the chicane on the back straight - I just about managed to wrestle the Bimota I was on through the chicane with him and had the opportunity to sit the draft down the 2nd half of the straight before he disappeared. Has to be one of my most amazing memories of the event - we'll be on the start line of EELC at Ricard in May so I look forward to seeing the bike in action again. Thanks for the vid.
@@raceandretro YB6 with the EXUP1000 motor in it. Should have been faster that an RC in a straight-line but, unfortunately, I was riding it so it wasn't.
Had the pleasure of being on track with Casey at Brands. Incredible to watch as he passed me up Hailwood hill, sideways to the white line before tipping into Druids, sideways on the way out... . Was amazing to see close up! Love the RC30s. Super cool.
Lovely video, he tells some great stories, bit under the radar for me as endurance racing isn't something i normally follow and the only mainstream news is mainly the suzuka 8 hours event, although i have watched 44 teeth doing the 125,. 24 hour events which are brilliant ,.cheers R&R.
I bought a team bike fairing and seat unit in 1983, CBR1100, fitted to my mates Honda, super cool. Travel loads of times to Europe on my Kwacker with team bike tours, dirt cheap tickets. Brilliant times
In 1984 I was working on the Castrol Motorsport sponsorship PR account. We sponsored Team Bike and I got in with their social life, which was pretty full on. Great times with Howard, Matt, Zed and the guys.
Great times - cheers Jeremy!
That was an excellent video, good old times from mostly to 80's. Thanks for putting that together chaps. 👍
Rember well those bikes and the names of many involved, would read "bike" from cover to cover every month, a lovely episode, thanks.
Thanks for resurrecting some great memories watching Team Bike. Some of my best biking trips were the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans, Spa and the Bol with my mates from Leicester. In those days you could get right up to the edge of the circuit as a spectator and the crowd was allowed on the track after the finish. We also used to ride round the track at the end on our bikes then set off for home again - amazing times!
No problem, so glad the video brought back those great memories for you! We enjoy reading about people's experiences from that era, it must have been amazing!
I took the Ducati Superlight photo at 4.04!! That was taken one handed, from my Ducati F1, somewhere in France on the way to the Bol! It's my mate Wally, the SL locked up the motor on the way down to Bandol chucking him off. It got put into one of the race teams vans and bought back to the UK while he flew home. Great days!
That’s an amazing story. So good that you have watched it and seen your actual photo! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us. It adds some real character and detail to the story. Cheers 🍻🙏👍
@@raceandretroNo worries 😁👍
Thanks for sharing/ Damn, Team Bike 80's/90's bikes & Ogri/ malc/ & obviously the lovely Mitzi !
Cheers for the comment, mate! Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully, we'll have more content like this throughout the year 👍
5:28 bloody hell that's my dad in the denim jacket😂😂😂
Superb!! 👌
0:54 Bloody hell that's my dad with the ginger hair
No way! This is ace.
Mesmeric!!! I was absolutely obssesed with endurance racing, went to my first Bol visit in 1981 with my mate, both on Ducati 900SS's, black and gold bevels. Fell off on the way back, on a mountain road in the Massiv Central. Luckily I was ok apart from bumps and bruises, and the bike was only slightly damaged, saved by my tent poles lashed across the rear seat! Pulled a flanker on the insurance though and used the payout to convert it into an NCR replica. Had a mental aberration then and sold it to buy a Honda CB1100RC! Which was a great bike but I massively regret parting with the Ducati, it's the bike I most regret selling out of any I've owned since. Was a regular reader of Bike mag and very much enjoyed reading about Team Bike, still have all the Bike mags from that time. Howard and the lads were heroes to us endurance fans!! We would watch the pit activity for hours during the racing. Last of my endurance race trips was in the late 90's, they were great times. The most we had in a group was about ten I think, howling through France at speeds that would just not be tolerated now, back then the Gendarmes weren't bothered!! Staying at wonderful Logis for peanuts, fantastic food, cheap petrol and ferry crossings, route finding by actual paper maps, camping at the circuit, croissants and hot chocolate for breakfast, croque monsieur for lunch, fantastic, just bloody fantastic!! In the early 80's many of the pivateer bikes were heavily and imaginitively modified production machines, as nothing as standard would last 24 hours. I found that fascinating and have some incredible photos of these wonderful machines. I just missed the Nessie era, one of the most radical of the genre. Then of course the in line fours became dominant, and it became a bit formulaic. But the time of big Guzzis, Ducatis, strokers, Laverda triples, BMW boxers, etc, combined with the RCB Hondas and Kool Kawasakis, was a golden era. Very happy days.
I think this might be my favorite comment!! What amazing memories - they must have been amazing times!! 👊
Absolutely, but at the time it was just all about the adventure, the road trip, new experiences, the excitement!! Memories come later, looking back at 2 wheel life in another time and realizing just how special it was. The crazy thing was we did almost no prep!! Sure we checked our bikes over and serviced them but otherwise it was travel light, point the bikes south and GO!! Now of course it's all smart phones, online booking, bike to bike intercoms, heated riding gear, bikes that ride themselves, loaded up to the eyeballs with gear and supplies, you don't feel the trip, it's all so clinical and efficient. Same with the racing, apart from a few crash outs, everyone finishes, the bikes just don't fail and they all look the same. I remember the return journey 1984, I was on the 1100RC, and actually on my own. Just for the fcuk of it I decided to do the blast to Calais in the one day, so I could get the ferry and be back in the UK and home for bed by evening! It meant I had to average 100 mph to Calais, utterly mental!!! So the only way to do that, if at all possible, was straight up the middle of France on the rue de sol, basically a motorway from coast to coast. Actually I did quite well. Clocking between 130 and 150 continuously, weaving between lanes when traffic got in the way!! Had to stop for fuel quite often though, even with the huge 22 ltr tank on the RC. Got to about 50 miles south of Paris by late afternoon and had a longer stop to eat and drink, as I hadn't had anything until then. And by sheer chance I met an English couple at the services who were plodding back to London on their Guzzi Lemans. When they heard my plan they said I must be mental and insisted that I join up with them, have a proper meal at their place in North London, stay the night and start back to Yorkshire refreshed next morning! So I did! We've been friends ever since!! That's the sort of thing that happened on the road to the Bol back then. I can still feel the road rushing past on that big Honda at triple digit speeds though, what a blast!
That's incredible!! I imagine all the average speed traps would put the kibosh on that these days! 😆
@@raceandretro
Yeah, try that now and you'd be pulled in a heartbeat. Back then the French cops weren't bothered! Now of course, it's all about fine revenue and you may even get your bike impounded or confiscated. Then there is traffic density, massively more cars on the road and modern cars are much quicker. One of our group had a CBR1000 a bit later, and then a Blackbird, he redefined mental! He would take detours during our trips to Lemans and the Bol, like to Germany for example, then rejoin our convoy later in the day! And this was before mobile phones, intercoms, sat nav etc, he did by instinct and prediction! Making me feel all nostalgic thinking about it now!
Full RESPECT
My photo at 3:17 👌 Still going to Le Mans every year - can’t get rid of the Endurance bug once you have it ❤️
Brillaint Pic, Steve! I'll pop you in the description :)
Went to the Bol in 82 and 83. Have really fond memories of Team Bike
Well done Ian. Brilliant tribute to Howard and Dave.
Wonderful video, brings back great memories. I went to the 24hr Spa, Le Mans and Ricard all through the 80's early 90's. The Bol d'or and watching Team Bike every year was a big part of my motorcycling life. Great times, cheers 🍺.
Thank you for commenting, we're glad you enjoyed it!❤️ I bet they were awesome times!
still got my team bike boldor t shirt from 1984 ! great memories thanks
Brillaint!! Is it still in good condition? 😁
yes it is ! 40 years old this year, gulp.@@raceandretro
Excellent video....Followed it closely back in the day.....Bikes always turned out beautifully too.....still have the Bike mags from back then.
Thank you!! :) I think my dad still has a few of the old bike mag's knocking about aswell!
I went to Le Mans and the Bol, on my 900SS bevel, my mate on his Jota, tents on the back, following Team Bike...
Very Nice! The bevel's are fetching good money now, arn't they? A 750ss went for just under £60k at the last Bonhams auction!
Really enjoyed this video 📷 I'm 57 from northern Ireland and remember a lot of the racing,, brilliant stuff ☘️😁😁😁
Fantastic video. First met Ian at Cadwell and my claim to fame is helping him put the 900 back in his van. Met him a couple of times at the Bol since. Smashing fellow keeping some great memories alive. And Team Bike and the stories in Bike magazine were probably the reason that Endurance became my favourite form of racing. I have to say though that my favourite bike was the original un-faired 900. Keep up the good work Ian.
Thanks for commenting! Yeah, Ian is such an intresting bloke and very articulate! We recorded another video with him going into detail of his RC30's. Maybe we could do a follow up vid with the 900! 😁
What an excellent video, very emotional story .Brought back some great memories.
Thanks so much. Such a great story and we are super grateful to Ian for letting us tell it.
Still have the 1982 Bike issue with the CB1100f on the cover! Great times
We were also racing at the Classic Bol in '23 - Casey passed me into turn 3 on the brakes, back stepped out and his boot on the floor - he was travelling so fast it bent my mind. About 1/2 an hour later, Stephane passed me into the chicane on the back straight - I just about managed to wrestle the Bimota I was on through the chicane with him and had the opportunity to sit the draft down the 2nd half of the straight before he disappeared. Has to be one of my most amazing memories of the event - we'll be on the start line of EELC at Ricard in May so I look forward to seeing the bike in action again. Thanks for the vid.
Thats amazing! Is that the YBK 750 you're running?
@@raceandretro YB6 with the EXUP1000 motor in it. Should have been faster that an RC in a straight-line but, unfortunately, I was riding it so it wasn't.
Had the pleasure of being on track with Casey at Brands. Incredible to watch as he passed me up Hailwood hill, sideways to the white line before tipping into Druids, sideways on the way out... . Was amazing to see close up! Love the RC30s. Super cool.
Thats ace! Think he's riding in the Spanish championship this year - so it'll be good to see how he gets on!
Me and my brothers sprayed the first faired CB900 for Howard and Matt Oxley
Great video,I saw Team Bike race at the 81 Donnington 1000km and the 82&83 Le Mans,Spa and Bol Dor races.Great times.
Great memories chief! 👍
Great video ,really enjoyed it 👍
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for commenting! 😁
Excellent video so many great riders and bikes, quite emotional at times👏
Thank you chief! We could have spent the whole weekend listening to Ian!
Fantastic video - thanks for sharing this with us
Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully, we'll have more videos like this throughout the year! Thanks for commenting👍
Great memories of this 👍🏁🍻
Lovely video, he tells some great stories, bit under the radar for me as endurance racing isn't something i normally follow and the only mainstream news is mainly the suzuka 8 hours event, although i have watched 44 teeth doing the 125,. 24 hour events which are brilliant ,.cheers R&R.
Thanks for the comments. Ian did all the heavy lifting and we are super grateful to him for sharing his memories. 👍🙏
Fantastic. Great job fellas.
Thanks!! Much appreciated! 😊
Absolutely fantastic video lads 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks Matt👍 How's the Plop prep going, chief?
@@raceandretro getting there slowly lads. Will be on us soon enough! 😬
Never forgot the shock of dave's untimely death. Rip both.
I think i got something caught in my eye..
We did too…difficult not too really. 🙏👍
Best vid on you tube 👍
Wow! Thank you! Ian was amazing 👍
shame you didn:t go back to the 80 and 81 seasons with the 350 lc.
i owned and raced that 350 in 82 and 83 seasons
great times😅
Ah yes! We'd like to try and do a video around LC's and proddy racing at some point!! Thanks for commenting 😊