RUMBLE IN THE JUMBLE -- TRACK RACING AT MANCHESTER

(PAGE 1 OF 3) WORDS: ANDREA INGRAM, PICTURES: LARRY HICKMOTT

LOTS OF PHOTOS!
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James Taylor and Steve Davies were oh so impressive in the madison

I can always tell if a Yasumitsu-Schlapp race meet is a success. A post-event trip to Starbucks for a bucket-sized coffee thing with loads of extras – my team mates kids making havoc around the satisfied team slumped in comfortable chairs. Sunday 26th must have been exceptional; as I sat supping my vento vonto vomoo [or whatever it is] with extra shots of this and that, the kids – Lucrecia and Fred amused themselves and us with a game of ‘Madono’ – something I had not come across before but which entails picking things off the floor with your mouth while contorting the body so not as to fall off your feet. Lucrecia and Fred could do it admirably well but the team’s chanteuse Denise Hampson, fresh from show-time in the Orbit Tandem Omnium failed miserably. No doubt Denise’s rendition of an old Al McCogan [or is it Alma Cogan?] song earlier in the day had put paid to her chances – having said that, it certainly fuelled her efforts with co-tandemist Doug Pinkerton in the tandem pursuit!

The tandems were a fine addition to the Rumble in the Jumble race meet run in conjunction with the 7th Bikes & Bits Fair at the Manchester Velodrome. Eight tandems took to the boards with WCPP tandemist Barney Storey driving visually impaired Ian Dawson, trouncing the others in the 1 lap tt. Fred and Lucrecia’s mum Ellen Hunter showed that she wasn’t the only one in the family who had physical dexterity when she steered triple National champion Jon Norfolk to second fastest time. It was these two teams who had the best battles all evening, the first sprint round being both fast and exciting, producing a 10.7 sec ride for Storey/Dawson to beat Hunter / Norfolk is a closely fought race. The final 1.5 km pursuit between the two pairs were equally exciting, the lead see-sawing until the final lap when Storey/Dawson edged ahead for a well-deserved win which gave then the Omnium win. In all five visually impaired riders took part – all the rest of the teams being mixed pairs. A special mention for the Neil Orrell /Eve Kenyon team whose cumulative age of over 100 years defied their fast riding.

Yasumitsu-Schlapp pride themselves on promoting meetings just that bit different and the big crowd, in to buy the bargains on offer in the Fair and watch the racing, were not be disappointed. Smaller tracks such as the Velodrome are superb for Madison racing and the Velodrome’s own training sessions have produced a number of good teams who were now on show in the Tile Choice [Ire] Madison Omnium. Local Stockport Clarion pair Julian Mortel and Duncan Hewitt showed they were not over-awed by the hot opposition and took the 31.5 mph Madison scratch race to accumulate points towards the overall. With an individual Unknown distance – again to gain points for teams - so long that at one point it seemed the judges had fallen asleep, the scene was set for the finale 30 min Madison.

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There was more to the day than just racing with lots of wheeling and dealing going on in the track centre.

© British Cycling 2002/2003