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RISKY REFUELLING OF THE BIKES





I am old enough to remember the big SHELL cylindrical tanks into which was poured fuel to enable refuelling of the thirsty machines after a set number of laps, Some bikes needed refuelling more than others so we had to assess the consumption per lap and work out the needs. Some riders and their back-up team added height to the fuel tanks to hold more fuel but this could make a bike more top heavy

In my first year everything went as it should and I "passed my exam" to perform again the second year. The second year went by with great success.



In the early months Of the third year I went round a few garages and depots to see if we could get special quick-fill units, the male part to go on the end of the fuelling pipe and the female part either in the top of the tank or in the side like the Daytona types. I actually managed to source one set and managed to get it on a sort of loan arrangement. Our rider was very pleased and set about constructing a very quick quick-filler to his own design. He took two large oil drums (which had held a lot of oil) and after getting rid of the traces of oil, cut the bottom third off each drum and welded the two large sections together to make a super-sized tank.



The fuel pipe was added with a tap underneath the drum ......to this he added the male end with a second tap just before the far end. We worked on a spare petrol tank so it would accept the female piece in the side. Clamps were added to the fuelling tank so it could be hung on the side of the pit.

The whole system was checked for leaks utilising water and it seemed perfect --- It was our final design for a Fast Dump Refueller. Everthing was packed in the van and off we went to the TT.

We found the clamps fitted the existing hooks so we tried a dry run then one with a little amount of petrol.......It worked.

On the day of the race the system was hung on the post and we filled it to the brim via the top opening. In those days pit crews didn't have to wear protective clothing but we wore jeans and matching tops as a team.

We saw our rider set off and we to his pit to prepare for his refuelling stop projected as being after two laps......First lap and he was doing well and now we were ready for him to come in after a further lap. We checked our system was ready to do its job.....He came in, the pipe was jammed into the tank and the tank top flap opened to allow the escape of air---------------------------------Nothing happened, no fuel and time was going by.....We found that the upper tap was turned off so we rectified it, fuelled and got the rider away again. We didn't have a clue why the tap was turned off until we were told that a marshall thought there was a leak and had turned it off. It transpired that the weld had a teeny pin hole and petrol was leaking slightly from there...

Denis Ireland had a similar system but had used a wider bore pipe.. When he came in to re-fuel. the pipe popped and petrol sprayed over his privates ! He got away, needing only the one stop but told us that it was Ramsey before the stinging eased off !

In the years we saw the introduction of new homologated fillers using old aluminium beer barrels thanks to the wisdom of Alex George --- These have been used ever since ---







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