Profile: Wilkinson Racing
At 23, Warren Wilkinson is the current BSSO champion, a towering figure in the world of two-stroke auto tuning and the owner of a successful workshop. Stan had to pay him a visit.
Dealer
At 23, Warren Wilkinson is the current British Scooter Sport Champion, a towering figure in the world of two-stroke auto tuning and the owner of a successful workshop. Scootering had to pay him a visit.
There’s a common perception that scootering is a pastime enjoyed by middle-aged men. The lack of ‘young blood’ is of concern to rally organisers, dealers and, dare I say it, publishers alike. Yet in the corner of an industrial estate in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, is a workshop that’s bucking every trend.
Boy racer
Although Wilkinson Racing was only formed in 2017, Warren has been spannering all his life. “I started working in my dad’s garage when I was 12 years old,” Warren began. “It was the best apprenticeship possible. I’d run home from school, get changed and head to the workshop.” As soon as his provisional licence dropped through the door, Warren took to two wheels. The local rides of choice were Piaggio Zips and Gilera Runners and before long he’d gained a reputation among local ‘Peds’ for quality repair and tuning work. By 2015, the performance of his Zip could no longer be fully exploited on the street and Warren made the natural progression to circuit racing.
Having gained experience racing a Runner, Warren moved to Lambrettas in 2019. It’s fair to say that the move was successful; he was crowned both BSSO Group 6 Champion and British ACU Champion, progress that’s already been amply documented in Scootering’s scooter-sport pages. Although this success proves that Warren’s more than capable of building a race-winning Lambretta engine, he remains modest about his achievements. “There are plenty of people out there who’ve been tuning Lambrettas for years, I’m not sure what extra I can bring to that world. In any event I’ve a 12-month waiting list for auto work so I’m not sure I could squeeze anything else in!”
Auto couture
To most Scootering readers the ‘Ped’ culture is a closed book, there’s minimal crossover between it and the classic scene we know so well. That doesn’t mean it’s any less passionate. At the time of my visit Warren had just returned from scooping up a van full of NOS parts from a breaker’s yard in London. He spoke about Runner
side panel kits in the same revered tone I’m used to hearing about Innocenti disc brakes or GS forks.
Most of Warren’s commissions come from the south, where the Ped culture is particularly strong. His trademark build is the WR183, which combines parts from Malossi and PM Tuning, all tweaked to his own recipe. When I ask about performance, his answer takes me by surprise: “I guarantee 35bhp.” I’ll let that sink in for a moment before adding that his racing auto kicks out 44bhp.
While Warren’s justifiably famed for his performance output, his builds are also renowned for their clean, simple lines. “Almost all of the WR specials go out powder coated and with carbon fibre trim,” he added. One glance around the surgically clean workshop confirms that Warren isn’t a man to tolerate anything less than perfection. Looking around the Runner on his workbench, every screw head is perfectly aligned and every zip tie runs the same way. “I think I must have OCD,” laughs Warren. “I’ve been known to finish for the day, go home, eat and then realise what’s been bugging me about a build. When that happens I have to come back to the workshop and put it right!” It’s no wonder that Warren’s won best-prepared auto twice; his favourite saying is: “Do it right or not at all.”
Other than powder coating, Warren conducts most of his engineering work on site. Fortunately this includes welding, as the Runner is prone to heavy rusting on the lower frame. At least there’s consistency across the Piaggio range…
Future vision
While the motorcycle industry as a whole ponders a future that’s largely dependent upon an ageing customer base, Warren sees a bright future. “The Ped generation is now in a position to afford the scooter of their dreams and they’re prepared to pay for the pleasure of ownership. I’m one of very few people to have a reputation for delivering power and reliability in a quality package. Truthfully, I need larger premises. Most of my parts sales are driven through Facebook at the moment but I need to develop the web side of the business. My mum Angie takes care of despatch and my girlfriend Leonie helps behind the scenes but it’d be nice to have someone to help out with routine servicing. I want to grow but in a way that preserves what I’ve achieved so far.” With a workshop that concentrates on auto tuning and a passion for classic Lambretta racing, does Warren provide an insight into the future of British scootering?