26/03/2010

Fairing Well

A couple of riders in the UK are pioneering the use of a sleek new composite fairing design on their speedway bikes this season, in place of the traditional fabric covers that are usually used. The fairings are primarily designed to improve the appearance of the bikes and present a more professional and futuristic image for the sport.

They subsequently offer extra value to sponsors in terms of the actual available area, and the fact that they can be wiped down very easily between races. There are also a number of new safety innovations built into the design.

The modular kits are manufactured by Race Bitz UK and are available in standard fibreglass or carbon fibre. Laminated printed graphics are also available to complete the look.   

Pictured above at the Belle Vue press day are Ricky Ashworth (top) and Patrick Hougaard (below.)

Photos by Eddie Garvey http://www.etgphotography.co.uk/ 


5 comments:

  1. Hasn't Ricky been using his fairing for a while now? I'm sure his bike had a fairing similar to Billy Hammill's last season too.

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  2. Yes you are right. Billy was the first rider to use a complete fairing at the highest level of the sport. Ricky has indeed used his own fairing design in previous seasons, but this winter he hooked up with Mark Woods at Race Bitz to develop a revised design. Although it looks similar at a glance, there are a number of subtle differences and having combined their collective experience of fairing design, it is hoped that it will gain acceptance by riders and mechanics.

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  3. very nice, meke the bikes look a lot sharper!!.
    be nice to see a stealth one in pure carbon, maybe with black powdercoated wheels aswell!.

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  4. Thanks for the info. It really does make the bikes look sharper just like Stevie Coles says. I have a lot of time for Ricky Ashworth, he's never afraid to learn from his mistakes and try something new, be it on his bike or in his riding style/technique. He's quite ambitious too and is relishing the chance to race at Belle Vue again. With the new rear mudguard design, major advances in engine tuning, those appalling new silencers and these new farings, are we about to see a new era of speedway bike design. Keep the updates coming KTL... this is a very refreshing speedway blog and the only one I follow since Streetracker is taking a "rest". Cheers BCB.

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  5. Think you`ll find that Mr Hogaard has parted Company with Racebitz and his Products ... no futher comment available.

    LP

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