Mead & Tomkinson racing
Encyclopedia
Mead & Tomkinson was a car and motorcycle dealership in Hereford
and Tewkesbury
. Three of the Tomkinsons, sons Chris and Patrick, and their father, Mike, successfully built and fielded racing motorcycles. They concentrated on the Isle of Man TT
and on 24-hour and 8-hour endurance races at Spa
, Barcelona
, Thruxton
and the Le Mans
Bol d'Or
. One of their riders was Neil Tuxworth (later head of Honda UK racing team).
A modified BSA B50
Gold Star 500 entered by Mead & Tomkinson and ridden by Nigel Rollason and Clive Brown won the 500 cc class in both the Thruxton 500 miler and the Barcelona 24 hours (at the Montjuïc circuit
), and won the Zolder 24 hour race outright. Also, a Mead & Tomkinson B50 ridden by Phil Gurner once held the class lap record in the Production TT.
Mead & Tomkinson came to fame in the mid-1970s with their specially-designed endurance racer, nicknamed "Nessie" (after the Loch Ness Monster
) because it was a less than attractive machine. The engines were conventional roadster engines, tuned for racing power. First they used a 1,000 cc Laverda Jota
triple, and later a 1,000 cc Kawasaki four. Feeling that racing bikes design was too conservative, the Tomkinsons gave Nessie a number of innovations:
Thirty-five years later, some of these special features have been adopted by mainstream racing and road bikes, but Nessie remains unique in having them all on a single machine.
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
. Three of the Tomkinsons, sons Chris and Patrick, and their father, Mike, successfully built and fielded racing motorcycles. They concentrated on the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
and on 24-hour and 8-hour endurance races at Spa
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
and the Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
Bol d'Or
Bol d'or
The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...
. One of their riders was Neil Tuxworth (later head of Honda UK racing team).
A modified BSA B50
BSA B50
The BSA B50 is a motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The last of the big capacity unit singles from the Birmingham Small Arms company, it had a 499 cc alloy engine with a bore of and a stroke of , a short wheelbase and unusually high centre of gravity...
Gold Star 500 entered by Mead & Tomkinson and ridden by Nigel Rollason and Clive Brown won the 500 cc class in both the Thruxton 500 miler and the Barcelona 24 hours (at the Montjuïc circuit
Montjuïc circuit
The Montjuïc circuit is a former street circuit located on the Montjuïc mountain in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is considered among the best Formula One circuits of all time, with Autosport rating it among its ten best for their 50th anniversary of Formula One issue...
), and won the Zolder 24 hour race outright. Also, a Mead & Tomkinson B50 ridden by Phil Gurner once held the class lap record in the Production TT.
Mead & Tomkinson came to fame in the mid-1970s with their specially-designed endurance racer, nicknamed "Nessie" (after the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
) because it was a less than attractive machine. The engines were conventional roadster engines, tuned for racing power. First they used a 1,000 cc Laverda Jota
Laverda Jota
Laverda Jota is a Laverda 1000cc motorcycle modified by the importers Slater Bros. of Collington, England. The Jota made a big impression in 1976. Producing 90 hp and reaching speeds of more than 140 mph, it was the fastest production motorcycle to date.The Laverda Jota model ran from...
triple, and later a 1,000 cc Kawasaki four. Feeling that racing bikes design was too conservative, the Tomkinsons gave Nessie a number of innovations:
- Whereas motorcycles conventionally have the (light) exhaust pipes below the engine and the (heavy) fuel tank above, Nessie reversed this order to lower the centre of gravityCenter of massIn physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
. An inverted triangle in cross-section, the fuel tank was underslung beneath the engine. - Whilst most bikes have telescopic forks, Nessie used an adapted version of Difazio hub-center steeringHub-center steeringHub-center steering is one of several different types of front end suspension/steering mechanisms used in motorcycles. Hub-center steering is characterized by a swingarm that extends from the bottom of the engine/frame to the centre of the front wheel instead of two forks.The advantages of using a...
, whereby braking forcesBicycle and motorcycle dynamicsBicycle and motorcycle dynamics is the science of the motion of bicycles and motorcycles and their components, due to the forces acting on them. Dynamics is a branch of classical mechanics, which in turn is a branch of physics. Bike motions of interest include balancing, steering, braking,...
were directed to the frame via a pivoted forkSwingarmA swingarm, or "swinging arm" is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern motorcycles and ATVs...
(rather than through the steering headHead tubeMost bicycles, tricycles and motorcycles have a tubular frame. The front fork pivots within the head tube . On a motorcycle, the "head tube" is normally called the steering head...
). This allowed neutral steering and an absence of brake dive. - The rear suspension was a parallelogram arrangement, to provide stiffness without weight. This device was not entirely successful, possibly because of having so many rose-joint linkagesRod end bearingA rod end bearing, also known as a heim joint or rose joint , is a mechanical articulating joint. Such joints are used on the ends of control rods, steering links, tie rods, or anywhere a precision articulating joint is required...
. - The rear suspension pivot (like the Hesketh V1000Hesketh V1000The Hesketh V1000 is a British motorcycle originally designed and built by Hesketh Motorcycles in Daventry, Northamptonshire. Lord Alexander Hesketh had been planning the production of a new British motorcycle since 1974 and began talks with engine specialists Westlake in 1977 about the development...
) was concentric with the drive sprocket to maintain constant chain tension. This feature meant that (i) a smaller drive chain could be used and/or (ii) the chain was less stressed and therefore less likely to break. - Nessie had its ignition circuitry in a removable "q.d. cassette", so that if it proved faulty, it could be unplugged and replaced with ease.
Thirty-five years later, some of these special features have been adopted by mainstream racing and road bikes, but Nessie remains unique in having them all on a single machine.