CB500 – baptism of fire…

Round 10 - British Superbikes Donington Park 28-29-30 September - 1 October 2023

Wanting to maintain my career long record of having raced something competitively on track every season since 1982, as the end of 2023 drew to a close, I realised that due to circumstances outside my control, even thtough I’d done plenty of track miles, I hadn’t actually raced this year.

I managed to find myself a loaner CB500 and entered the final round of the No Limits Racing championship at Donington Park. I’d heard tales about how fierce and competitive the racing is; but hey, I’ve rubbed fairings with the best of them over the years.
Sounds simple – but like all good stories, it didn’t go to plan.

No trouble with practice or qualifying, but in the first race I suffered an electrical fault which stopped the bike dead while two other riders were in close company exiting McLeans. The great thing about the CB500 is that they are reasonably easy to repair and get back on track.

So with help from Mariusz the ‘loaner’ was rebuilt and back on track for the following three races. I won the Veterans class in each – but what’s all that about? Of course I wanted to win overall…
… you can watch the event documentary here: