Classic Superbike Racing CSBR

Dean Ruston/TPC Racing – ProStar Motorsports involvement in Vintage racing goes WAY back (see Club Cup years) I had actually joined the VRRA in around 1982/83, after buying a BSA Gold Star DBD34, really neat older restoration (from Richard Pickering [RIP]), but my current Vintage racing adventures is what I’ll write about now. My involvement in Vintage racing is primarily with TPC Racing and its owner Dean Ruston and his fleet of Honda Vintage racers, here’s some of that story. I met Dean in 2016/17 after he had bought a CB750F Honda from Scott McVicker (the ex: Tom Montgomery CB750F [bike refuses to go away]) after racing it in the VRRA as purchased (was Scotts back up bike for his own race effort and considerably different from the Montgomery years… another story!) Dean wanted an AHM replica chassis built so a rolling chassis was commissioned and built based on a cut up donor CB750 chassis, they have solid mounted motor’s which is an advantage when building a racing CB (Again, the original Montgomery chassis survived the saws all… [FYI – I actually welded the bracing into Toms chassis in 1986 for the then owner of Race Line Cycle]) a relocated steering head, sub frame, braced swing arm [see pictures attached] etc. all VRRA P3 Heavy weight legal. Dean raced the old and the “New and Improved” CB750F for a while but had a nasty get off at the Grand Bend Vintage festival the second year of racing the big Honda and never fully recovered (2018/19 maybe). So began the “Tactical Products Canada” Race Team era. I had become friends with Dean, and after his crash and his decision to stop riding I did my best to convince him to stay involved with the Vintage racing scene, (BTW, a minimum amount of arm twisting was required). After introducing him to friend of mine Mike MacNeil or “Super Bike Mike” as he is known, the idea of Mike riding Deans Honda appealed to everybody involved, and so the racing and winning began, they are now the back bone of TPC Racing as both rider and team owner as well as good friends. One of the great asset Dean brings to most anything he does is his commitment to doing as much as he can and doing it right, he brings that attitude to his Race team, to Vintage racing and the VRRA itself (Canada’s Vintage race organization), he didn’t just pack his bags at the end of his riding days and move on, he stayed involved and built a race team and bikes, he sponsors the organization and constantly gives way more than he ask for in return, BTW it’s a very impressive race team at that, with Lap records and championships to show for his efforts (I know, I’m awesome… right!). It’s been 4 pr 5 years of hard work and great times, this is stuff we could not have done alone, the names Gary Scotti and Peter Gartner have to be added to the list of people who helped make this happen. Over the years we have had our ups and downs, our Ups far outweigh the downs. As of now I still have the privilege to help build the Teams race bikes, I know our future plans are bigger and better than the past, new bikes and larger expectations are coming our way, I hope you enjoy the stories and the photos more information and build pictures are coming from ProStar Motorsports, please LIKE and FOLLOW its appreciated. Ben Gartner

The Author – the search for Freddie Spencer’s RS1000, truth is I didn’t care which Factory RS1000 I got as long as I got 1… the belief was that both had been destroyed or returned to Japan, Rolin Lofdahl, Mike Valasco and finally Todd Schuster all major players in finding and acquiring this bike. One and Half years of effort later I purchased the Spencer RS1000 (confirmed by both players to be Fred’s), the story. BG
Freddie Spencer’s American Honda Motors Special Projects – or the Honda USA racing program! in 1982 (late 1981) Honda Japan’s racing arm RSC supplied 2 Endurance based RS1000 to American Honda to be used in the AMA’s Formula 1 class (they had done the same in 1980, different story, different bikes) which fitted large displacement 4 strokes (1025cc) against 2 stroke GP bikes in different displacements - 500cc with no restrictions and 750cc with carburetor restrictors. Yoshimura and Wes Cooley were already having some success with their 1025cc XR69 based GS1000R F1 bike. This RS1000 is one of 2 supplied to the USA, Freddie got one as did Mike Spencer (no relation) who raced the other both bikes in the 1981 AMA F1 class, as well as both riding 1025cc CB750 Based Super Bikes. This bike was found in a garage in northern New Jersey, I was fortunate enough to find and purchase the complete unit thou in piece’s it was complete and mostly intact (last major event was the 1982 AMA Daytona 200, ridden by Steve Wise) This is also the Bike Ken Vreeke crash testing it for a bike magazine late in 1981! There was a number of “Special” feature that only applied to Fred’s bike and upon contacting individuals involved with the Race team in 1981/82 these features where exposed and confirmed to be correct for the bike and its claim. I was able to restore the bike along with others from that period. The bike was sold to a private collector and resides in Japan, I’m also to believe that Honda Japan’s Collection Hall may now own it! This I cannot confirm. It was an honor to find, restore and save a great American racing tressure. Ben Gartner, ProStar Motorsports

The Hindle Kawasaki – Lang Hindle, Kawasaki Canada KZ1000 race bike, this is one of 2 race bikes built by Canadian Legend Lang Hindle to compete in the 1981 RACE National series (and others including the AMA Daytona 200). The second bike now resides at Hindle Exhaust Collection after a quick trip into private ownership and a stint with the Super Show Museum. This bike is still with The Bar Hodgson Collection at this time. I acquired the bike from Lang in the late 1989/90 he needed a pipe bender (Hindle Exhaust) I needed another cool race bike! At the time he had both of his Kawasaki race bikes, his championship winner and this bike which for some reason at that time had remained intact and as raced! The “other bike” had a serial number stamped into the steering head and Lang used it as his street bike, neat but not what I was collecting. This bike which is powered by a KHI race engine (NOT an S1 engine, chicken/egg) Kawasaki Heavy Industries motorcycle division offered an over the counter (OK… back counter) race engines available to selected customers worldwide, The European Endurance teams got them, Rob Muzzy/Eddie Lawson race bikes used these very motors in Kawasaki USA Super Bike effort (Heavily Modified buy Mr. Muzzy [Note: the 1982 Factory US Kawasaki race bikes were based off of the S1}). I purchased this bike not only because it was “Intact” but its fantastic Canadian race History, of Course Lang Hindle Builder/Owner, the Master/Legend Yvon Duhamel, Canadian Legend and multi time Canadian Super Bike champion, Hall of famer Michel Mercier all of them Raced this bike … A unreal piece of Canadian racing history with some of Canada’s greats at the controls at one time or another. I’m glad the bike stayed local, its truly a time capsule (I gave it a WD40 restoration back when I owned it). It is in great hands in the Bar Hodgson Collection, at this time, thanks for reading. Ben Gartner