CMR Racing Products Inc.

CMR Racing Products Inc.

Sunday 29 December 2013

Dave Crussell at the Classic TT IOM 2013

Dave Crussel's CMR-framed Yamaha TZ750
ready for first practice
CMR recently received some more great photos taken at the Isle of Man Classic TT in August 2013. Thought readers of the blog would like to have a look.

If you'd like to read another post about Dave and the CMR-framed Yamaha TZ750 at the Isle of Man, here's the link. An earlier post takes you back to the beginning of the story.

Thanks to TZ Mike for sending these great shots of a great bike and rider team.



Dave Crussells's tuner Scott Clough warming the bike up
Dave with tuner Scott awaiting first practice start

Scott discussing the CMR  Yamaha TZ750
with ex-world champion Freddie Spencer (on left)
and Steve Baker (on right)
Scott taking a breather from all his hard work



The TZ in the paddock with Dave's wife alongside
Dave lining up for the race
End of a terrific race on the CMR Yamaha TZ750
Fastest lap: 107.33 miles per hour!!
Second place in P1 Class


Remember to visit CMR Racing Products on our website and on Facebook!

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Christmas greetings from CMR Racing Products

This is the time of year when we look back over the year past, and look forward to a new one. Inevitably, our thoughts turn to folks we've met along the road over the past twelve months. We have met some terrific people from all over the globe this year.











 We want to take this opportunity to say hello to all of you - in Europe, in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States and Canada. It's been great working with each and every one of you on your projects and  we wish you every success in the year ahead.
 


And to folks who've visited the blog - do come back. If we've given you some ideas, get in touch. We'd  like to meet you and find a way to assist you with your classic racing project - or other two-wheel endeavours.
Watch for the new CMR logo in 2014

So to all of you, Season's Greetings from  Denis, owner, designer, machinist, fabricator and marketing manager at CMR Racing Products Inc. and Byron, our welder and fabricator extraordinaire. All the best in 2014.

Sunday 3 November 2013

Dave Crussell update - Isle of Man to Philip Island

Dave's CMR framed TZ750 as a backdrop
for an ITV4 interview with Freddie Spencer, Steve Baker
and Jamie Whittam
You may have read our March 2013 post about San Francisco-based ex-Brit classic racer Dave Crussell preparing to run a CMR Yamaha TZ750 framed bike at the Isle of Man. If you want to go there again, here's the story!

"It takes five years to learn the Isle of Man course." So say a number of racing veterans of CMR's acquaintance who have run this legendary circuit, including such notables as Dave Roper and Peter Sheppard.


Flat out at the famous Goose Neck corner 

 On his inaugural run on the Island in August 2013, Dave Crussell had only four laps of practice, due to bad weather and accidents closing the course.

Dave had planned to be on the Isle of Man from the 20th to the 26th August to take advantage of practice sessions before the race, but could only get those four laps in due to circumstances beyond his control. Weather marshalls closed the course. What can a man do?
March: the first run on the bike at Willow Springs, CA






He goes for it.


First time out, racing in the Classic TT 'Formula 1' event in the P1 class on the Isle of Man, Dave Crussell finished second, achieving a four-lap race average of 103.98 mph with a  final lap speed of 107.33 mph. WOW!





Dave at speed at Willow Springs
Dave called us at CMR just after the event to share his results. Dave felt that he will be able to achieve a 110 mile per hour lap on this CMR-equipped machinery in  2014, once he has more confidence on the course. It's always good to know what's around the next corner! Dave categorically stated that this CMR TZ750 was the best-handling bike he had ever raced. Period.
the first run at Willow Springs completed satisfactorily







CMR would like to compliment tuner Scott Clough, of Scott Clough Racing in California, who worked the magic on Dave's engine. Well done Scott!

And super well done, Dave! CMR is proud to have assisted in such an outstanding performance.
Dave's second CMR-framed TZ750 just completed
 November 2013

the other side of the second machinen







Dave's Isle of Man CMR TZ750 plus the newly completed second bike (see below) will be shipped to Australia in early November 2013 ready for competition at the 2014 Philip Island Classic in January. This will be an event to watch!







For more information about products and services available at CMR Racing Products Inc. visit CMR Racing Products website.

Contact us at cmrracingproducts@gmail.com.

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Monday 28 October 2013

Aluminum Fuel Tanks at CMR Racing Products - lots going on in 2013 !!

Readers of this blog, and customers of CMR Racing Products, know Byron, our master welder and shop foreman (and my 'adopted son'). What they may not know is that Byron has long wanted to get involved in the aluminum fuel tank manufacturing division of CMR - and after taking advantage of several training opportunities this year, has taken to aluminum like a duck to water.

As a result of Byron's talents, we have been able to increase production of aluminum fuel tanks, have cut down on customer wait times, and are now producing new tanks every few days. We've caught up with our order backlog, and are both delighted to be offering a wide variety of aluminum fuel tanks to the CMR Racing Products market.

Of recent days, we have produced and shipped the following:

A custom Honda CR750 tank with modifications to make it look like an award-winning bike called The Black Mamba, for a customer in California.







Honda CR750 tank with mods























Yamaha TZ/RD350 tank


A custom Yamaha TZ/RD400 fuel tank made to fit the modifications we carried out on the RD400 frame, changing it for monoshock suspension instead of twin shock suspension. Pictures to follow - a work in progress.






Because we build replicas of the Harris Yamaha TZ350 Lowline GP Special, we have posted photos of a frame kit being assembled on our website. A customer in Wales found this link and contacted CMR Racing Products for a fuel tank for a custom frame that he had just purchased. When we saw a photo, we identified it as an original and rare TZ350  Harris Lowline GP frame (that had been modified). We created a tank to fit this frame by exchanging photos online as we proceeded with the build, with the customer approving each step of the manufacture. Exciting stuff.


CMR Harris Yamaha TZ350 Lowline GP Special tank


























Dave Crussell testing at Willow Springs, CA, Feburary 2013
We recently modified a fuel tank for Dave Crussell of San Francisco, for the CMR Yamaha TZ750 frame kit we delivered to him in November.  In January, when Dave tested this bike created for the inaugural Isle of Man Classic TT  race in August 2013, he discovered that he needed a larger tank than the 20 litre tank we normally supply with that frame kit.  CMR Racing Products was able to produce a 23.5 litre version at short notice and fire it off to Dave in California.



 


We've recently produced an H2R Kawasaki tank for a customer in New Zealand. Our customer had taken delivery of the frame kit over a year ago with the intention of having a fuel tank made locally, but had no success. Byron was able to make up the tank in very short order.



Kawasaki  KR style H2R tank



If you have aluminum fuel tank needs for your race/street project, get in touch with CMR Racing Products, and make Byron a happy man.

Sunday 13 October 2013

End of 2013 Season Update - Tim Voyer on his CMR Drixton-II Honda CB350 Twin

The end of the race season gives us opportunity to look back over the exploits of CMR's sponsored riders.Tim Voyer of North Bay Ontario has had an up and down season, although he did finish second overall in the VRRA's four-race Period 2 Lightweight Championship.

All photos courtesy of B. Murphy 2013

In the first two championship rounds at Shannonville Motorsport Park, nobody could touch Tim - he won both his heats and his finals. He set new track records in both rounds. But at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly Mosport Raceway) Tim's newly rebuilt engine gave problems and he didn't place. To add insult to injury, at the final round at St. Eustache, Quebec, during practice a rider fell in front of Tim, he ran over the fallen bike and crashed. Tim suffered a broken leg and badly strained neck, and spent some time in hospital. He is recovering well and at the time of this post, he is still sporting a leg in plaster and a whiplash collar.






We wish Tim a speedy recovery, and look forward to great things from this racer in 2014.

End of 2013 Season Update- Mick Vaclavik on his CMR Drixton-II Yamaha XS650/750

All photo credits: B. Murphy 2013
The end of the race season gives us an opportunity to look back over the exploits of CMR's sponsored racers. Mick Vaclavik of Thornbury Ontario has had a great season, after not racing competitively in the 2012 year. It's been good to see Mick in top form on his new CMR Drixton-II chassis, and using a more powerful engine. Mick has had many wins during the VRRA's four-race season and ended up the Champion in the VRRA's (Vintage Road Race Association) Period 2 Heavy Class.





Mick entered a number of other classes on this same bike within the VRRA Regulations, racing against more modern and more powerful machinery.  He earned a second place in the Period 3 Middle Class Championship and was a third-place finisher in the Period 3 Heavy Class Championship. All this, and Mick only started racing vintage motorcycles about five years ago!

Everbody's favourite track in the VRRA series is the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Raceway);  it's also Mick's favourite. At CTMP this year, Mick won for the first time, knocking eight seconds off his previous best time there.

Mick Vaclavik is certainly a man to watch for in 2014! What will he do on CMR machinery?

Monday 24 June 2013

Tim Voyer CMR-sponsored rider - 2013 update




A new season began for CMR-sponsored rider Tim Voyer on his CMR Drixton MkII Honda CB350 twin with action at the season-opening round of the VRRA race season on June 1 and 2 at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Ontario. Tim won all his heats and finals and set a new race record. Tim attributes the bike's superior handling to the CMR designed frame and the new tyres he's being sponsored with. Well done Tim!



Tim supplied us with this video of the Sunday, June 2 final race. Enjoy!

Another update from our customers in Europe



Another European team, the Belgium-based duo of Dirk DeWinter and Dirk DeWalschaerts, has recently purchased a pair of CMR Drixton MkII Yamaha XS650/750 frame,swing-arm and fuel tank kits from us. The pair use Heidentune in Holland to build their motors; they are contesting four-hour endurance races. Their first race was at Lieges in France. Here are some shots of the event.






We're anxiously waiting to hear results.

Team Battz 2013 update

CMR has just heard from Lew Batty, owner of Team Battz, about the results for the first race of the season in the European championship, and wanted to share it with blog readers. This is the ICGP Championship, with the first race in Hengelo, Holland, on May 10 and 11, 2013. Team Battz is running two CMR Harris Yamaha TZ350 GP Low-line frame kitted bikes. You may recall seeing these beauties in a previous post in 2012.





Lew writes:
"Hi partners, supporters, helpers and friends
The season got off to a mixed start at Hengelo in Holland, those of you who turned up must have wondered what else could go wrong by the end of Saturday's proceedings. Well, as sods' law says, "If it can go wrong, it will"..and it did.
Luke Nottons; engine seized a main bearing after only 3 laps of the first Qualifying session, but at least his team made Swiss rider Ives Glauser got himself on the front row (3rd) while Myself and German Mechanic Paul Strugala foughts against the clock to get the engine changed on Luke's bike which was completed within minutes to spare just before Qualification 2 went out.
The rain came down just as they started the session which gave Luke no chance of improving his lowly 6th row position, then just as we thought it couldn't get worse his 2nd engine failed when it ingested a foreign object, wrecking a piston and cylinder. Meanwhile Ives' bike was getting some changes to the suspension set-up in the hope of improving the handling in the wet ready for the first race which Luke had to miss due to too little time to swap to the last engine we had with us.
So we took time out to watch the race which started on a drying track, Ives got one of his usual good starts and 2 laps in he was putting UK rider Mike Hose under increasing pressure for second spot while the French "Team Mestre" rider Guy Bertin was 2 seconds ahead on the ex Anton Mang Kawasaki. As the 3 came into the last corner on lap 4 Ives made a bid to pass Hose on the inside as the Brit ran wide but our lad was "high sided" as the rear tyre let go and the suspension suddenly unloaded, the rain had again made conditions very difficult and he crashed out without serious injury.
Back in the garage we worked into the early hours to get Luke's engine in the CMR-Harris Yamaha TZ350GP low-line special frame, while Ives' bike had the bodywork and other damaged parts replaced or repaired. Many thanks to our new partner in 2012, E.S.T. Plastics (Gmbh) for the sterling work they did kitting us out with their latest fairing and screen and their technicians came and fitted a replacement top half and screen in less than 20 minutes, they really are a joy to watch no one speaking just working in unison.
Sunday morning arrived all too soon and again with dark clouds looming conditions were not as inviting as I went for a final check over things at 7:30AM. The team gathered together for breakfast and a race briefing, only to hear that poor Ives had not got the all clear from the Doc because his right hand was too badly swollen and had no grip, so Luke now felt the weight land on his shoulders for upholding the Team name, race warm-up came all too soon but the rain had held off and the track was drying as the grid formed up, now those of you who know me will be aware that I rarely give team orders but in the circumstances I instructed Luke not to push too had if he was being held up getting through from his low grid placing and just do what he could to get a finish with some points.
The race started a little late but Luke was away well, in fact we were all taken aback when at the end of lap 1 he was up to 8th, 2 tours later saw him take 3rd as they crossed the line passing Andy Muggleton on the outside, another British rider of no mean ability. Watching the big screen we saw our rider power up to striking distance of second placed Mike Hose along the frighteningly fast Varsselweg straight. As we looked for Frenchman Guy Bertin on the green Kawasaki in first place, we only saw Luke and Hose in that order, Bertin was out with a broken disc valve and we were now in the lead, we were also made aware of the UK presence in the crowd as a mighty cheer went up in the stands, but Mike Hose is not a rider to give up a win without a fight and he fought back well, setting fastest lap so far to take the lead back and that's how it stayed for the next 3 laps with Luke shadowing him all the way. Then with just one lap left Luke made his move on the fast sweeping bends that lead back to the start passing Hose, and with a last lap push set fastest lap of the race to win by over 2 seconds....FANTASTIC. So as I say, bitter-sweet season opener.
By the way that makes Hengelo a 100% podium circuit for Team Battz since 2007...Talk about pulling the iron out of the fire, we don't want many of those in a year.
See you at Rijeka (Croatia) next month.....Team Battz."

Lew approached CMR in 2010 regarding a single CMR frame for his team and now he has two CMR-framed bikes competing. We appreciate Lew's confidence in our product, and follow his team's exploits with great interest.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Another CMR TZ750 - destined for the Isle of Man



Notice the palm trees? Dave Crussell, builder of this CMR TZ750, lives in San Francisco. Dave is  putting together this bike with the intention of contesting a new class at the Manx Grand Prix in September 2013 at the Isle of Man. His build is being carefully documented by several classic motorcycle magazines around the world including 'Classic Racer' of UK. We'll post more photos as we receive them from Dave.