Island Classic

The Island Classic at Philip Island draws riders from all over the world with the biggest item on Australia's classic racing calendar. The NYC Norton, Kenny Cummings will be competing this time around and I will be there to watch him perform! I looked at the options and logistics and decided to have my bike shipped to Harrop Australia in Melbourne, where it will be on display from the 17th to the 20th of January, 2018. I shall fly in, pick up the bike and proceed to ride it around Victoria, attend the race meeting on the following weekend, and then head up to the Southern Highlands of NSW by the most circuitous route, before returning to Melbourne a week later, dropping the Norton back at Harrops and then flying home on the 6th of February.
So, if you wish to drop by and say hi, or inspect the finest riding Commando on the planet, I should be hanging around somewhere, showing off my wares. Don't forget the coffee!

Would like to see pictures and details of the build. But I'm sure they're somewhere on this site, just not sure where.

Joe Schlaberdowski said:

Would like to see pictures and details of the build. But I'm sure they're somewhere on this site, just not sure where.

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What build?

I've been to the GP at Phillip Island but not the Classic, sounds very tempting - especially with Kenny there.

Hi fullauto. I was thinking your norton not only looked great from the outside, but was done well inside. By 'build' I merely meant what might you have done to the motor and other things we can't necessarily see from the outside. It sounds like a great bike all around. Sorry for the confusion.

Joe Schlaberdowski said:

Hi fullauto. I was thinking your norton not only looked great from the outside, but was done well inside. By 'build' I merely meant what might you have done to the motor and other things we can't necessarily see from the outside. It sounds like a great bike all around. Sorry for the confusion.

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Joe, you can find the full specs in the rebuilds section. I think I covered everything.

I am so damn excited to be heading back to Phillip Island! This is a big homecoming for me. I had a pretty bad incident at Barber in 2016 which kept me off the race bikes for a year. PI will be my first time back. (Nothing like getting back into it on one of the fastest, most competitive events in vintage racing!)

Mr. Fullauto, you always have a reserved chair in our pit. Not racing my Norton though - sadly I'll be racing the old ball and chain Seeley G50 (there will be 2 NYC Norton G50s at this one!). Looking forward to seeing everyone from down under!

Ken - what is the registration number of your commando. If I get there and see it, I will look for you. I think the weather might be very hot - bit of a deterrent.

Fullauto said:

The Island Classic at Philip Island draws riders from all over the world with the biggest item on Australia's classic racing calendar. The NYC Norton, Kenny Cummings will be competing this time around and I will be there to watch him perform! I looked at the options and logistics and decided to have my bike shipped to Harrop Australia in Melbourne, where it will be on display from the 17th to the 20th of January, 2018. I shall fly in, pick up the bike and proceed to ride it around Victoria, attend the race meeting on the following weekend, and then head up to the Southern Highlands of NSW by the most circuitous route, before returning to Melbourne a week later, dropping the Norton back at Harrops and then flying home on the 6th of February.
So, if you wish to drop by and say hi, or inspect the finest riding Commando on the planet, I should be hanging around somewhere, showing off my wares. Don't forget the coffee!

Click to expand...

I hope you enjoy the racing, but be aware that this may be the last time the UK team will compete.
Last year the Irving Vincent's requested to use their own fuel for the event, a request that was refused by the organisers, so as a result the engines suffered badly and developed troubles that caused the team to withdraw them from the event.
For this years event, competing teams were asked whether they would have any objection to the Irving Vincent's using their own fuel, and despite the objections, the organisers have decided to let them go ahead anyway.
The specification of the Irving Vincent goes way beyond anything that was ever produced during the period over which the machines were manufactured. Originally designed as 1000cc V twins, the Irving Vincent has been bored and stroked up to near 1600 cc capacity, and equipped with 4 valve heads and fuel injection, and running on a fuel comprising 15% unleaded and 85% ethanol, makes colossal horsepower.

I guess having one's backside kicked three years on the trot was too much for the organisers....

That’s a good point, well put, regarding the Irving Vincent’s Snotzo.

They are stunning examples of engineering excellence. And they look and sound fabulous out on the track (they came to Mallory one year).

But at some point, and it’s a big grey zone, but nevertheless, at some point, one has to say that something like that is no longer a Vincent.

I discussed 4 valve heads once with Patrick Godet, to which he replied “if you want 4 valve heads, buy a Ducati. If you want a Vincent, I can help you”. Which really kinda summed it up for me.

The Irving Vincent’s are fabulous things for spectators. But no U.K. classic bike could stand a chance due to the huge gulf in the rules.

Interestingly, I forget the chaps name now, but one of the Irving Vincent entourage that I met at Mallory had bought himself an Egli Vincent Godet for his own personal road use.

Hi

Fantastic engineering & wonderful to see the Irving Vincent's on track. As to what this will do to the event???
Takes me back to the NZ commando that raced in the UK last season. Front runners will have to find the money to compete & change to run special fuels/ odd updates on rules (classic Manx) in the meantime original bikes disappear from the grid.

Chris

Chris
the NZ Commando was allowed to compete, but was not eligible for any prize money, neither was it scoring points, so apart from the local's embarassment of being comprehensibly blown off, it was an eye opener for all who saw it, and that includes the obvious skills of a very talented young rider.
The Irving Vincent on the other hand, is expected to be a strong points scoring participant in the Phillip Island Classic, and to ensure it has the best possible chance, has now been given a fuel advantage.
Takes one back to the days when in the USA rules were introduced that specifically favored Harley Davidson against the British competition.
The duplicity of governing bodies exists everywhere, even in motorcycle sport, unfortunately.
Fullauto
if the NZ Commando should happen to be at the races, have a good look at the chassis, it's a major part of the machines success

I was still racing when Historic Racing began in Australia. That is when I walked away. The guys who started it had never raced, so the rules which were developed allowed a high level of cheating. One thing which we never did previously was to cheat on capacity. Our Historics rules include an 'unlimited' class. In the old days, not many bikes that raced were ever over 1000cc. And most Honda CB750s were never over about 850cc. The Irving Vincent is about 1600cc and the T-Rex CB750s are now about 1000cc - all on methanol. Between them they have destroyed Period 4 Historic Racing. If you turn up with an old British bike, you are pretty much wasting your time and money.

A quick update. My Norton was picked up on Tuesday for the trip to Melbourne. I follow it on the 23rd. Acotrel, believe me, you won't miss it in a crowd ! It stands out. Just look for the tangerine, not orange, paintwork. Snotzo, don't worry, I'll be looking at a lot of stuff, and those guys are near the top of the list.
I'm really looking forward to meeting Kenny and a lot of other people as well. Before and after, I'll probably be clocking up a couple of thousand miles through the best riding country that Victoria and New South Wales can offer. Please, if you see an old fat bloke wandering in a dazed condition around the pits, wearing a Norton T shirt, and carrying a Commando head, please come up for a chat.

Kenny, I'll be taking you up on the offer, so can tou please have a chair with my name on it set aside for me? I don't want anything fancy. Leather and walnut should do it.

I will try to get down there because I'd really like to see Kenny ride, even if he is not on the Seeley Commando. I think that a couple of years ago, the American riders were a bit daunted by Turn One. It can be a bit scary. Any crash there, is a really big one. I've only ridden there two times and I found it to be extremely fast at the ends of the straights. My bike had a motor which was all top end, so I found myself passing a lot of guys as I approached the corners. I don't like to remember it. I wouldn't like to ride my Seeley 850 there - too scared of a blow-up - my old bike was bullet-proof.