There was a time in two stroke 500cc GPs when the grid got really small and the factories felt they had to do something. So Yamaha supplied engines to ROC and Harris to build chassis around and it saved the bacon for the midfield - for a while. They eventually became a bit of a joke but at the time, 1992, those Yams were rockets. Padgetts and Harris had a joint effort and their regular rider had hurt himself so I got the call up. It was my first 500cc race, at Magny-Cours, and it was real rush to get the special dispensations from the ACU and FIM to ride.
>The bikes were bang on and not slow at all. I remember slipstreaming Schwantz in an early session and thinking, "Fook me, there's nowt wrong wi' this." I qualified just outside the top ten and really felt I could do something in the race.
It was the year Niall Mac was supposed to be on a ROC version of that bike, but he was running factory bits inside his engine. He was a big man in GP circles, a bit of a displaced factory level rider, and a respected acquaintance, if not a mate at that stage. He was getting results on that thing and he'd even got on the podium at Jerez, two races before.
I got a belting start and remember thinking, "If I can get under people in the first two laps, I'll be alright."
I could get the thing stopped pretty well, and knew if I could get past a couple of my childhood heroes on the brakes I might be on for a result. Inevitably, I would drop back later, but the idea was to get as high up as possible, so I would end up higher than I had been. I got into the top six, and then was at the back end of the top ten all race.
Towards the end I thought, "fooking 'ell, I'm going to beat Mackenzie!" I made the mistake of looking round and he was right there, which panicked me a bit. I made a couple of little mistakes and thought I'd blown it, then I realized he couldn't pass me. But when we went into the last chicane he just shafted me big time. He came barrelling up the inside and couldn't stop.
I would probably have done the same. It was just a block pass, and I was off into the grass. I wobbled round and got back on the track to finish ninth. It was still a good ride from me and people took notice, so it was not such a big deal that Niall took me out. And it was so out of character for him. It took me ages to get my own back on him, but I did it in '96, when we both rode for Rob McElnea in the UK.
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