Griffin Smith and the CBE Race Works team battle through a collision, damaged parts, shifting problems, and one very long weekend to claim a Euro Cup victory.
The Classic Bike Racing Experience continued August 8–9 at Canaan Motor Club, and this weekend delivered nearly everything vintage racing can throw at a team: speed, frustration, borrowed parts, improvised repairs, a little heartbreak, and one unforgettable trip to the top of the podium.
The schedule called for two morning practice sessions, followed by the Euro Cup and Heavyweight SuperVintage races later in the day. Griffin Smith was back aboard “Pooh Bear,” the CBE Race Works Norton Commando, while Peter Booth competed on Team Skippy, the T500 Suzuki built by Ken Lavallee.
A Promising Start Takes a Sudden Turn
This was Griffin’s first time racing at Canaan. He approached the opening practice session exactly as he should have, taking it slowly, learning the track, and finding his lines. All the things the racer boys do.
Everything looked good.
Forty-five minutes later, his second practice session was going even better. The pipes were still scraping, but his pace was steadily improving.
And then it happened.
A rider who had missed the first practice session decided to push hard and clipped Griffin, driving him off the track. Griffin laid the Norton down on its timing side.
Fortunately, Griffin was not injured. He handled the incident exactly as he should have, getting clear of the motorcycle and walking away. The collision was clearly not his fault, and it was the kind of incident everyone works hard to avoid during practice.
Our hero was understandably rattled and more than a little upset. Pooh Bear took the worst of it.
Borrowed Parts and Paddock Repairs
Sherb arrived around that time, and we began taking stock of the damage.
Through a combination of borrowed parts, improvised repairs, and paddock ingenuity, we managed to get the Norton running again. It was uglier, not entirely straight, but ready in time for the Euro Cup.
Two laps into the race, however, the replacement shifter fell off. Griffin safely brought the motorcycle back in.
By then, some of the wind had gone out of our sails. Griffin made the Heavyweight SuperVintage race, but continuing shifting problems kept him from pushing. He concentrated on completing the race and bringing Pooh Bear home.
Peter, meanwhile, was on song all day. Ken looked like the old Maytag repairman. He had so little to do on Team Skippy that he even had time to help us put Pooh back together.
Starting Over Sunday Morning
By Sunday morning, Pooh Bear looked pretty beaten up, but the motor was still running beautifully. Griffin, who apparently does not know how to complain, continued making the best of a long list of problems.
Our goal for the day was simple:
Start. Finish. Improve.
The first two practice sessions went well. Adjustments to the clutch appeared to help with the shifting, and one unexpected benefit of the crash was that the left-side header had been bent inward enough that it no longer dragged.
The oil pan, however, still did.
Finding the Motorcycle’s Limits
The first race of Sunday afternoon was Heavyweight SuperVintage. By then, a serious crash had left oil on the track, delaying the schedule while the course was cleaned and an injured rider was transported to a hospital approximately 25 minutes away.
Another incident followed, and the remaining races were shortened from eight laps to four.
Griffin and Pooh Bear accomplished the first two parts of our weekend goal: they started and finished. Improving was becoming more difficult.
The Norton’s lack of ground clearance, which existed before Saturday’s crash, severely limited how Griffin could enter and exit the corners. Continued downshifting problems also reduced his ability to use engine braking.
Even so, Griffin’s confidence was returning. He had no intention of merely participating.
Race 9, Heavyweight SuperVintage, gave him a chance to determine exactly what he could and could not ask of the motorcycle. He completed a solid race and prepared for one final shot at the Euro Cup.
From Sidecar Monkey to Race Leader
Race 13, the Euro Cup, was the final race of the weekend. Griffin was also serving as the sidecar monkey in Race 12, which meant climbing off the sidecar rig in the hot-pit area and immediately jumping aboard a running Pooh Bear waiting for him, tail wagging.
Griffin and Steve Harry, aboard the mighty Moto Guzzi, lined up at the front of the grid.
When the race began, Griffin launched.
He led the entire field through Turns 1 and 2, with Steve in hot pursuit. The larger Guzzi eventually caught and passed him on the back straight, followed by several other motorcycles competing in different classes.
Still, the sight of Griffin leading a string of riders down the hill was epic.
With the shortened four-lap format, everyone was putting the hammer down. The Guzzi and Norton were still the two best-sounding motorcycles on the track.
Earlier, as we watched Steve’s pace increase, Peter had turned to me and said:
“Steve Harry is not fooling around anymore.”
Half a lap later, the Italian beast was tumbling through the tall grass.
There was no foul involved, only aggressive racing. Steve was unhurt, but his motorcycle was badly damaged. The red flag came out after three laps, bringing the field back into the pits and ending the day. Because the race had passed its halfway point, the results were declared official.
“I Just Won Euro Cup”
Griffin remained in the hot pit with Pooh Bear still running while Peter and one of the scorers spoke with him. He had passed the fallen Guzzi and knew Steve was all right.
By the time I reached him, a quiet, self-conscious grin had spread across his face.
“I just won Euro Cup.”
His immediate reaction was to talk about Steve.
“He should have won,” Griffin said.
But just as Griffin had accepted Saturday’s collision with remarkable grace, he understood what Sunday’s result meant.
This is racing. To win, you have to finish.
One Year Later, British Bikes Are Back
After we packed everything away, I headed over for an outdoor shower and then sat beside the trailer with a cold drink, thinking about all the highs and lows of the weekend.
I also found myself reflecting on the previous 12 months.
A year ago, I sat in nearly the same place watching my first USCRA race with Peter and Ken. At the time, we kept asking what became our unofficial team slogan:
“Where are all the friggin’ British bikes?”
Almost exactly one year later, a CBE Race Works Norton Commando stood at the top of the Euro Cup podium.
Top of the podium, baby.
Not bad.