FF on track in legal race - world first?

Just in case there's anyone left in England with any sense of achievement around powered two wheeler development, here's a picture of Rob Horn, on track, in a legal motorcycle race, running his FF racer. Read all about it at http://rohorn.blogspot.com/2014/05/race-1.html and see more pictures.

One of the interesting things about this event was the reaction of race officials and spectators at this American race meeting. They loved it. Bit of contrast there with the reactionary, running-scared-of-the-future attitude familiar to any innovator on this little island.

There's a hint (a single line drawing in the VMCC magazine) that an FF called the "Mechanical Hare" was raced at Crystal Palace (London) around 1930. Apparantly powered by an AJS engine, research produced no further info. Apart from this I believe Rob is the first person on earth to legally race an FF. Salutations! If there is ever an FF hall of Fame, Rob will be in it.

Hopefully Rob will face some competition from other FFs, possibly even from England, although whether our famed race industry can achieve this before the collapse of the western ice shelf drowns us all is moot.

Photo: © Margaret Oliver, Colorado Photosports.

FF on track in legal race - world first?

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FF racer in England, 1950s

There was definitely a very low seat FF officially raced at a meeting in England in the early 1950s – somewhere I have the original Blue 'Un or Green 'Un report as reproduced in Motorcycle Sport in the 1980s. I'll post it here when I find it! PNB

FF legally raced in England! 'Mazin!

I'm looking forward to that!

Two things arise;- how could an FF be legally raced in England since 1956, given the ACU rule 22, as it was, "Rider must be visible from the rear". This was quoted at me by the ACU as the reason why FFs could not be raced - and left out of current FIM E-championship rules after lobbying by FF interests. (Arthur Kowitz, after consultation with Aero specialists just junked the whole bodywork ban for his series)

The other thing is, how pathetic is it that the English actually mananaged to race an FF in the thirties - and apparantly the 50's - and still managed to maintain a ban against them right up to the present day? In the face of calls for "greener vehicles", better two wheeler safety and the 'best' efforts of the TSB. We're looking at a nation that's incapable of doing even the things it says it wants to!

Flying Banana raced at Silverstone 1984 & 1987

I feel obliged to point out that I raced the Difazio-Creasey CX500 Flying Banana at Silverstone on two occasions, in 1984 and again in 1987. Pedants may say "A high speed trial ain't a race" to which I reply, "They sure felt like races to me!" PNB See here: https://bikeweb.com/node/621