sliderphil

It's only the Adders that you really have to worry about. All the rest are not poisonous! Seriously though, I wish I could be there. Living 3500 miles away prohibits me from being involved in what will probably be a great day. Good luck finding the track; it was hard enough 9 years ago! Phil.

I used to live in Woodley near Reading and we used to take the kids to the Country Park there at California in the Summer. One day I went on a scouting mission on my own, leaving the wife and kids at the pool and went to look for the speedway track. I found much the same as you although seem to remember more of the fencing being open and uncovered by all the brush that seems to be there from your pictures. This would have been in about 1997 or 98. Even then, it was difficult to see just where the full oval once was, but the corregated iron at the base of the mesh fence sticks in my mind. Fascinating. Thanks for the reminders. http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

Hey Malcolm! Good to hear from you on here. Great pictures of the SOHC Weslake in action (even if it was it's last moments!). I think your comment on keeping some retro feel to our laydowns is important. When you first showed me the pictures of your RTS a few months ago, I liked it for that very reason. I am also pursuing that semi-retro look. I will run my bike with no covers or fork cover. I very much like the look of the open front forks and headstock. I've also had some Union Jack fenders (mudguards) made in heavy metalflake, just like were used by some riders in the early Eighties. Alan Graham's Weslake had this colour scheme and it looked great. Anyway, keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing some pictures of the TT Weslake hopefully soon! Cheers, Phil #21

I might have a bit of trouble meeting the demand! My high volume production capabilities are somewhat limited by the increasing rarity of the Weslake motor! If anyone is interested, the bike now runs well and is coming together nicely. It can be seen at: http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

I'll do that Hot Shoe. I'm convinced it will be great, for me personally anyway. I've invested much time and money into this beast so I planned every stage carefully. I'm just about to do initial lubrication checks, based on the conversion to complete re-circ. Thanks for your interest. It certainly is a labour of love! Regards, http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

Thanks for that! That has come as a total surprise to me. I thought I was knowledgeable about the Wessies triumphs, but obviously you learn something every day!! I'll correct my website in the New Year when I get time. Regards, http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

As did Bernie Leigh

If anyone is interested in the Speedway Machine, I am currently building a laydown Weslake pushrod speeday bike to compete in top flight Canadian Speedway next season. I know laydown Weslakes have been tried before but I'm going a step further. My aim is to try to keep some of the "retro" look, coupled with all the advantages of the modern machine, including a real re-circulating oil system. Our very small North American tracks don't necessarily benefit from brute power, but much more suit a lightweight nimble bike with very smooth power characteristics. I think I can bring my beloved Weslake back to compete near the top of our National scene. Keep an eye on my website to see the progress if you're interested. My contact details are on my site too if you are interested in discussin further. Regards, Phil #21 http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

In my opinion the strongest speedway motor ever made. See the "Bike History" page on my website: http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com/Bikehistory.htm

Yes, I was a Reading Racers fan at that time and was of course willing DJ on. I'm convinced he would have been world champion if his carburettor had not fallen off! Does anyone remember just how far ahead of the other three he was. It was unbelievable!! Poor DJ. There's been many riders over the years who didn't win it, but Dave Jessup had the talent and ability to REALLY do it. Can you imagine how he felt??? Regards, http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com

Michael Lee, Kelly Moran

Try asking these guys. Regards, Sliderphil Antig

TigerTom, How on earth did you find your way onto here? That aside, Tom is correct, here in Canada we are going to have a two heat "Weslake Challenge". It really is just a bit of fun, however, it will be a competitive race with prize money and we're hoping we are able to write the history books when we see four competitive Wessies on the start line together, some thirty years after their first appearance. And by the way, Malcolm is correct, Lydden, 1974. The Weslake (speedway) story is told as part of my "Speedway Bike History" article on my website. http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com Regards, Phil

I will be campaigning the 2005 Canadian speedway season on a nice example of an Antig chassied Wessie. I love the old girl, and for our short circuits, there's no real disadvantage. Check out my website for more info Regards, Sliderphil http://www.sliderphil.netfirms.com