ARNOLDAS’ R100

If any proof were needed that the world rewards good people and hard graft, it is right here in the form of this lovely cafe racer Boxer. Arnoldas is a self employed tiler from Lithuania, when his elderly neighbour was moving house Arnoldas, being a damn fine human being, offered to tile his new place. After refusing to take any money for the work, his generosity was rewarded as his old friend pulled the sheets from a crusty old BMW that had hidden in the corner of his garage for the past 9 years and demanded Arnoldas take it as payment. Karma at its glorious best.

The reward for Arnoldas labour was a 1979 BMW R100RS with 90000 miles on its dusty clocks. After looking over the machine Arnoldas took stock of the work required before taking to the internet in search of stimulation. As a Bikeshed regular you will no doubt have some idea of the wealth of inspiration to be found when searching for custom BMW Boxers. Needless to say the beauty of the machines he found made Arnoldas an instant member of the Boxer fan club and compelled him to his shed.

Previous plans of a quick fix project were ditched in favour of a full restoration in the cafe racer style. “The easy part was to dismantle the bike,” says Arnoldas, then came the rebuild process.   Arnoldas gives little information about what he actually did, but judging by the pictures he followed the tried and tested route of trimming weight, tidying the rear, ditching the side panels, giving everything a lustrous coat of black and throwing a smattering of new parts at what remained.

The seat is modelled in the style of a Champion framed flat tracker, slimming as it rises to a pillion perch and upholstered in a dark brown that matches the clip on gracing grips. Wrapped exhaust headers lead to matt black cans that tuck neatly beneath new rear sets.

An Acewell speedometer sits tightly in its custom made top yoke nacelle. The correct shape was determined by Arnoldas drawing circles around a variety of vodka glasses and tea cups until he found the correct fit. Who needs a compass anyway?

The tank was finished in classic black with a chequerboard stripe. The number 23 adds a personal touch as it reflects Arnoldas’ birthday and is also the name he gives to his steed.

With continual changes of design ideas the build took 14 months to complete, sandwiched between Arnoldas work commitments and his Wedding, which leads us to the greatest success story of the build… Arnoldas wife was so taken with the results of his work that she is happy for him to get another project on the go for next winter. Great stuff Arnoldas, keep up the good work and the good deeds!

the Bike Shed

Rossi : « J'aurais dû me battre avec Márquez quand j'avais 22 ans »

Valentino Rossi a fini deuxième derrière Marc Márquez à trois reprises en cinq courses depuis le début de la saison 2014. Au Mans, le pilote du team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP était en tête en début d’épreuve, jusqu’à ce que Márquez ne profite d’une erreur de l'Italien dans les Esses Bleu. 

« Je suis dans une situation dans laquelle je veux évidemment gagner mais ce n’est pas un gros problème problème pour moi si j'y arrive pas, » a déclaré Rossi après la course. « Mes résultats étaient bien plus mauvais l’an dernier, encore plus les années d’avant, et je suis assez content de mon travail. »

« Vous savez… Márquez est sur un tout autre niveau. Je l’avais déjà compris l’an dernier et je m’étais dit : ‘Mince ! C'est difficile, j’aurais dû me battre avec lui quand j’avais 22 ans !’ Quoi qu’il en soit, le fait que le niveau soit aussi élevé est très motivant et pour le battre, il faut se donner à plus de 100%. »

Rossi a aussi discuté de son coéquipier Jorge Lorenzo, qui est à 80 points de Márquez après le premier quart de la saison 2014.

« Je comprends Jorge, » a affirmé Rossi. « Personnellement, je suis dans une situation différente. Pour moi, être sur le podium en étant derrière Marc est acceptable. Je sais que je peux essayer de me battre avec lui mais je suis plus détendu. C’est différent pour Jorge parce qu’il veut gagner. Jorge a réalisé des courses très impressionnantes l’an dernier, les meilleures de sa carrière, mais il n’avait pas pu remporter le Championnat. »

« Cette année, Marc a plus d’expérience, la Honda est légèrement meilleure que la Yamaha sur le plan technique et Jorge est un peu frustré parce qu’il sait que c’est presque impossible et qu’il ne veut pas être deuxième. Il n’est pas content et c’est peut-être pour ça qu’il a quelques problèmes. »

La prochaine manche a lieu la semaine prochaine au Mugello, où Rossi participera au 300ème Grand Prix de sa carrière depuis ses débuts en 125cc en 1996.

Paul Newman, Gentleman Driver

It was Steve McQueen who famously said, "Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" - but it was his Hollywood contemporary Paul Newman who found the lure of high-octane motorsport so irresistible that he went as far as to turn it into a second career.

Getting hooked at Watkins Glen

Newman had been a lifelong fan of auto racing prior to signing the contract to play fictional driver Frank Capua in the 1969 movie 'Winning', but had virtually no track experience at all. That changed, however, when he was sent to the race school at Watkins Glen to develop a suitably plausible technique for the new role - and instantly became hooked.

A very special wristwatch

Within a couple of years, Newman had acquired several race cars, entering his first professional event in 1972 at the Thompson International Speedway. To mark the occasion his wife, Joanne Woodward, gifted him a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona wristwatch which he is said to have worn regularly for the rest of his life. The version she chose was a Reference 6241 with an 'exotic dial' - it was produced for only two years (1969 and 1970) and came to be known as the now highly collectible 'Paul Newman' model.

From Le Mans to Daytona

The star continued racing for the next 30 years, often in major international events such as the Le Mans 24 Hours, in which he and team mates Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour achieved second place behind the wheel of a factory-specification Porsche 935 in 1979. From the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, however, Newman mainly raced Datsuns for the Bob Sharp team in the Trans-Am Series - even becoming the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major race when, at 70, he took a class victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona.

A history of frequent victories

Newman's love of the sport also extended to forming his own professional race team, which he set up with Can-Am and Indy Car specialist  Bill Freeman. 'Newman Freeman Racing' became a force to be reckoned with in the North American Can-Am series, fielding Budweiser-sponsored Spyder NF-10s and winning the team championship trophy in 1979. With drivers such as Keke Rosberg, Patrick Depailler and Bobby Rahal in the team, victories were frequent, inspiring Newman to co-found the celebrated Newman/Haas ChampCar team in 1983 (along with Carl Haas), which went on to secure eight drivers' championships.

 

Newman's last race outings took place in 2004, when he contested the Baja 1000, and the following year when he competed for a final time in the 24 Hours of Daytona, just three years before his death at the age of 83. The end marked a sad goodbye to a hero of the movie screen and the race track - and a man who could certainly never be accused of 'just waiting'.

Photos: Rexfeatures

This article is part of the 'Gentleman Drivers' feature series that is presented and supported by EFG Bank.

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