RIDER & MACHINE
Name: David Delaney How and when did you first become interested in scooters: In 1983 I watched a Betamax copy of Quadrophenia and was hooked. What was your first scooter: 1984, a three-speed Vespa 90 for £50 (thanks Dad). What is your favourite scooter model: Vespa 90SS. I have had several over the years and recently added my Holy Grail, Norrie Kerr’s multi-championship-winning K1. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: Full bodied street racer with engine and rider to back it up! Also anything different and out the norm’. First rally or event: ‘Weston-super-Mud’, 1984. Slept in a bus shelter until a tramp told us to get off his bed! Later a couple came in eating fish and chips; when they left it was a race to the bin for the leftovers. How did you get there: On the train with mates. First rally on my scooter was Clacton ’85. Favourite and worst rally/event: Morecambe runs were always special, great boozers. Porthcawl ’86, wasn’t great for many reasons. En route we had to stop to syphon fuel into milk bottles on a car sales forecourt to keep us running through the night (before locking fuel caps and 24-hour stations).
Scootering magazine feature: Back in the day it was Norrie Kerr’s monthly article, ‘How to make ’em bleedin’ quick’ with excerpts from his excellent book, Tuning Vespas the Norrie Kerr Way. Nowadays it’s the racing reviews and dyno product reviews. Cool stuff: Lambretta: LTH clutch. Vespa: DRT inter-changeable primaries. Useless stuff: The Beedspeed 10-spring clutch, at that time seemed an evolution, but you needed to be Popeye to operate it.
Name of scooter & reason: NK1 as a tribute to the scooter’s original and sole previous owner, Norrie Kerr. Time to build & by who: I built the engine and running gear. Steve left it to me to specify all the components to suit my needs for racing. Engine spec: Malossi MHR 132cc, complete with MHR reed valve cylinder induction Crank: Malossi MHR full circle, 51mm stroke/97mm con rod. Carb: Dellorto 30mm VHSH. Exhaust: Norrie Kerr signature. Clutch: Newfren 24-spring. Gearbox: Standard loose gears with DRT tree (21-tooth 4th). Porting and engine build by: David Delaney. Dyno done by: First run done at Jahspeed but since at Coastal Trippers Scooter Workshop. Anyone you wish to thank: All the sponsors who have supported us, Steve Chapman, VE UK & Coastal Trippers Scooter Workshop. SRP Racetech along with all the team sponsors and our dear friend Ian Frankland – RIP. Special thanks goes to Steve Chapman for his generosity and entrustment for me to spec, build and race NK1. Mark Hodgetts for his craftsmanship. VE UK for sourcing most of the fiddly little parts.
Getting going
Dave is no stranger to scooter racing as he competed with Norrie Kerr’s famed Team Vespa on a variety of 90SSs back in the 90s and Noughties. Dave was set to swap from his SRP-backed Production Class Lambretta to NK1 mid-season, but this was unfortunately halted following a serious head injury while competing at the Anglesey Circuit. Dave’s initial run time on NK1 was therefore limited until he was able to return fully towards the end of the 2017 season. Undeterred, recent pre-season testing at Mallory Park showed some encouraging signs, and both man and machine look set to deliver some exciting results in the 2018 race season ahead. With all the work completed, it’s now time to put the plan into place and we wish Dave and Steve all the very best for the future in their joint venture. For 2018 the Vespa Club of Britain in conjunction with VE UK are sponsoring the best placed Vespas within the Production Class, and what a great time for Vespa racing!