Bringing Classic British Bikes to the USCRA Track in 2026
CBE owner Jack Manning attended his first USCRA race in August of 2025. CBE hosts “Team Skippy Racing,” a cadre of builder Ken Lavallee and rider Peter Booth who have been campaigning a T500 Suzuki at USCRA for many years. By lunch time, Jack had the official rule book was out and the scheming began.
Here’s our story so far…
Assembling the Story
This film was built the same way the project itself came together: incrementally, collaboratively, and with room for discovery. Interviews…
Partners in Motion
The Community Behind the Machines No race team comes together in isolation. What makes this effort distinctive is not only…
Hatching the CBE Vintage Race Team – USCRA
NOTE: This was our first “go public” announcement of what we were conjuring up. It was submitted for publication in…
CBE Works Team Bikes
Primary requirements for our bikes are durability, reliability and ease of riding for entry level enthusiasts.
While set up for the track per USCRA guidelines, they also feature “bolt-on” street-legal kits and Vermont registrations (eg lights and directional signals) so our riders can get plenty of saddle time learning the feel of the machine off the track. Emphasis is on “make it stop, make it turn, make it go,” in that order.
Norton Commando (aka Pooh Bear): 70% of CBE’s focus is on Commandos, so we just had to field one. This bike features a ’74 frame with stock 19” rims. Suspension upgrades include JS Motorsports fork mods and iKon shocks. Vernier isolastics and a proddy racer head steady round out the rolling chassis. Stock primary and 4-speed AMC gearbox are powered by a 750 top end on an 850 bottom end. JS Motorsport pistons, conrods, cam and valve train provide smoother performance and improved durability.
BSA B50 (aka Bifty): We bought this bike as a more or less complete racing chassis that had been campaigned as a 250 single. Previous owner was an accomplished racer and bought a B50 motor but never finished the project.
In the Works: Moto B and Kriedler
CBE Works Team Riders
Peter Booth is our Rider Coach.
He pilots the T500 Suzuki for Team Skippy with builder Ken Lavallee. He has the final word on qualifying our riders before they can compete on the Works Team at USCRA. Peter has raced USCRA for 15 years and won many championships. He is a recently-retired high school math and English teacher and relates very well to all ages and abilities of participants.
Our Qualified Riders: Riders will be listed here after they have completed street hours on the race bikes and at least one track day.
- Griffin Smith (pending)
- Inayat Bair-Dubay (pending)
- Sherb Lang (pending)
CBE Works Leadership Team
We’re not exactly Formula I yet, but all race teams need organization, structure and leadership.
For us, 2026 is a formative year as we get the team, the resources, and the bikes off the ground. We also plan on forming a not-for-profit LLC that will eventually fold the CBE Guild under the Works Racing Team.
The leadership team during this process includes:
- Jack Manning
- Peter Booth
- Kahlil Bair
CBE Works Team Mission
CBE Works is a Vintage Motorcycle Road Racing Team that seeks to:
- Allow its members to safely and affordably pursue and enjoy all aspects of fielding a vintage motorcycle road race team.
- Require roles, skills and contributions from its members that include a wide range of both technical and non-technical effort.
- Provide a culture that is educational, supportive, inclusive, and multigenerational.
- Share common core values with zero tolerance for discrimination in any form.
- Embrace goals that require detailed preparation and execution.
CBE Works Team Partners
A call out to our business partners who help make this happen:
- Andover Norton (UK) – The recognized worldwide authority on Norton motorcycles, they provide parts and technical advice on the Commando. CBE is their first Factory Authorized Workshop. Karl and Ash are keen to support our race effort.
- JS Motorsport (CA) – Jim Schmidt is a great technical advisor for both the Commando build as well as race craft pointers.
- Green Mountain Gearheads (VT) – Chad and company have done all of our machining for years. They bring their high-end automotive engine-building experience and tools to our team effort.
- FishTail Riding School – Great to be reconnected with Tim and Robby at Fishtail to help us train our new riders. Many years ago CBE enjoyed our track days with them and we hope to do more with them in 2026.
CBE Works Team Sponsors
It is heartening to hear the response from friends, customers and sometimes total strangers as we launch the Works Racing team effort.
With their permission, I include some of our benefactors as a way of expressing our thanks: If you’d like to support the team, please let us know!
- Barry D (VT) – The man with the sizeable check given to us when he entered hospice in summer 2025, no strings attached. Gentle and likeable, his family called him “Bear”. Ergo, the Norton is nicknamed Pooh Bear.
- Warren Wood (NH) – He more or less donated a complete Commando and a s-ton of Norton parts in exchange for finishing a bike for his son. A lifelong Norton guy, he can’t wait to join us at the races. The Woody Woodpecker profile on Pooh Bear is for him.
- Peter Cinelli (ME) – Peter is a long time bike restorer and customer of CBE. He finally hung up the wrenches, cleared out his shop and sold us his last project bike for a song as well as donated extra parts and bits.
- Paul M (NY) – Long-time remote Guild member, is providing financial support for our team’s safety air vests and he may even throw a leg over the Norton himself.