The Pro-Am returns: PH2
Legendary two-stroke race series returns for the British MotoGP - PH2 gets the inside line
Back after 34 years away!
For those not aware of the Yamaha Pro-Am series, let me explain why it is so cool. In 1981 Yamaha created a one make series to highlight the potential of its new RD350LC. Called Pro-Am as it was a mixture of Professional and Amateur riders with a simple format - arm all the riders with identical bikes, let the amateurs have a shot at taking a professional scalp and offer the riders a stack of prize money. The resulting racing was, as you would expect, spectacular to say the least and the antics of the riders has gone down in history. Riders such as Niall Mackenzie, Alan Carter, Damon Hill (yep, really), Ray Swann, Kenny Irons, Rob McElnea all bashed elbows and the spectators loved it. And now it is back.
From all over Europe and now good as new
"After a drunken conversation in a pub, I was asked to source the bikes and prepare them in time for the British GP. I basically had to locate 30 RD250LCs and take them from sh***ers to as close as possible to as they were back in the day. Every bike in the grid will be 100 per cent rebuilt using original parts where possible and the idea is when we pull the covers off them at Silverstone it will be exactly the same as back in 1981.
"Why the 250LC and not 350LC? Simple, you can locate 30 RD250LCs but you wouldn't be able to do the same with the 350, and parts are far cheaper and easier to locate for the 250. Getting hold of so many LCs has been tricky, some have come from the UK, but most are from Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, all over Europe. Since we started this project the price of RD250LCs has gone up £1,000 and we now have the largest collection of 250LCs in the world! It's been crazy and we now have about seven weeks to totally rebuild and restore 25 bikes."
"You never actually took out another rider"
"People talk about riders hitting each other's kill switches, pulling on their number boards and other slightly dirty tactics in Pro-Am racing - did it happen? 100 per cent it did! Down the straights we used to pull on anything we could reach to gain an advantage and kill switches were fair game - I remember riders used to lie flat on the bike with their feet on the seat to gain an aerodynamic edge. It was mental but there was a limit, we didn't hit brake levers but there was a lot of bashing into each other. No one wanted to die, but as the bikes belonged to Yamaha, no one really cared either.
"I remember lots of knees and elbows being bashed, but you never actually took out another rider, you just bounced off them around a corner. That said, there was a lot of crashing! Because the RD only had a top speed of 100mph everything was really close and that was brilliant for the crowds. Sadly the horns weren't connected as that would have been even more amusing. The prize money was also unheard of - £500 for a win! An RD only cost £1,000 so that was amazing and certainly made you try harder, and the fact you could beat a GP star was another bonus. The amateur riders had nothing to lose so were probably more up for it than the pros as we could make a name for ourselves, which is what I did. I was unheard of at the time I raced in the Pro-Am and, although I didn't win the series, I won a few races and that got me noticed by Armstrong and set me on my way a GP career."
Peaky engine, dire brakes and more - superb!
I actually own an RD350LC, which I spent last year rebuilding, so I know what an RD feels like to ride. But would I want to race it? Not a chance! Daryll has done a great job rebuilding the bikes and the level of detail he has gone to is amazing - even right down to getting the right drag olive green finish for the kickstart - which is why I'm amazed they will be raced. Each bike on that Pro-Am grid is a rebuilt RD and worth a lot of cash!
Brushing over this fact, I love the detail he has gone to. The fairing and belly pan are period correct, as are the number boards (technically they should be green as it is a 250 not 350) and the only modern concessions the bikes have are braided brake lines, new Continental Road Attack tyres and slightly older racers on them! If you are used to modern bikes you will never believe they used to race the LC. It is so light it flops on its side almost instantly and you need to keep the two-stroke engine on the boil; the brakes are horrific too. The 250 only has a single piston caliper where the 350 has two, but even they are pretty poor. That said, the sound, feel and smell of a two-stroke is bloody amazing and speaking to Niall, I know the banter has already begun between the racers. In fact, one has gone out and bought an LC to practice on! Silverstone is such a massive track all 30 bikes will be stuck together and I can't wait to watch the carnage unfold...
Who will be there?
At the moment the list of riders is still to be finalised, however Niall Mackenzie, Terry Rymer, Jeremy McWilliams, Andy Muggleton, Kevin 'mad dog' Mitchell, Graeme Mitchell, Andy Machin, Donnie McLeod and a stack more riders from the original series have all stuck their hands up. Although now the banter has started, a few are getting a bit nervous...
The British MotoGP round takes place at Silverstone on August 28-30 with the Pro-Am race scheduled for after the MotoGP race on Sunday. Tickets can be bought from Silverstone.
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Put a steering damper on to keep the front wheel in check and they were stunning!
The last one in metallic blue was rather well modified with a number TZ racing parts, belly pan, headlamp fairing, crome pipes and the wheels painted white.
An R1 of it's time.
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