Settling the score - Mackenzie v Whitham

The Cadbury Boost Yamaha team in 1996

The 1996 British Superbike year was special for a number of reasons. This was the year when the series really started to gain popularity. Big name sponsors such as Cadburys and Old Spice were onboard and the TV coverage was increasing. Bikes were very cool in the mid-'90s and so was racing, helped in no small part by Carl Fogarty's success in World Superbikes. The British championship was starting to build its reputation as the premier domestic racing series and it was attracting big name riders. Lining up alongside James Whitham and Niall Mackenzie were Terry Rymer, Sean Emmett (who would later play a big part in the title race), Chris Walker and Dave Jefferies to name just a few.

After the first few races it was clear that the season would be a straight battle between the two Boost Yamaha riders on their 160bhp YZF750s, with fans split over who to support. There wasn't any such thing as an impartial supporter, you were either on Niall's or James' side. Throughout the year the press were hyping up the tension between the two riders, desperate to create some kind of rift between them, but it simply wasn't there. On track they raced hard, but in the garage they were the best of friends. With Niall's relaxed attitude having returned from the GP scene and James' typical light-hearted approach to life the team gelled perfectly. But there was still a title at stake, which both riders desperately wanted to win. In the end Niall lifted the trophy and was crowned British Superbike Champion, but James is always quick to remind him that he won twice as many races that year. Here's a history lesson from the lads.

WHITHAM'S MEMORIES

"Before the 1996 season I last raced in August 1995, it was then I was diagnosed with cancer. I had all my treatment and didn't really think anyone would offer me a job without having a try-out to convince people I would still be able to ride all right. Rob McElnea said no, I want you back on Yamahas and your team mate's going to be Mackenzie. As I didn't finish my chemo until 23rd December I didn't get to ride the bike 'till well after Christmas. We only tested a few times and Niall was quite a bit quicker than me, I was still feeling like shit at that time, and rusty as well. Then we went to Donington for the first round. I wasn't as quick as Niall or Terry Rymer, but I was going all right. Then in the first race a bolt in my gearchange linkage snapped and put me out, then battling with Niall in the second race I highsided. So I left the first round with no points, Niall had a win and a second. I kind of knew that I would have a slow start to the season, I needed time to get things going again and just wanted to get as many points as possible, but I remember saying to my wife Andrea as we were leaving Donington, 'that's it, I think that has just cost us the championship'. I wish I hadn't said that because it came back to haunt me, did that. By the end of the second round I was thinking, 'I'm in here,' and by the third round at Oulton I got my first win. After that I was bang on it, doubles at Snetterton, Mallory and Cadwell Park.

Myself and Niall had the beating of Terry and by the middle of the season I was winning loads, but every time I would come in and ask Rob 'where was Niall?' he would say, 'yep, finished second,' he never made any mistakes, never fell off and did what he had to do. When we came to Knockhill me beat me fair and square both times, but we were close all season. Then came the last round. We were absolutely tied on points and only us two could win it. The way I looked at it was I felt I had beaten him more times than he had beaten me and I was good at Donington. He had only won four races and I'd won 10, I thought if I beat him I've won, if he beats me then I win on count back, so I was quite relaxed about it. During practice Niall had a tyre that really worked for him but Rob Mac was convinced that it wouldn't last for me as I'm harder on tyres than Niall, which was true. Rob said I had to run the harder tyre, and thought it would come in at the end of the race. It was my decision, but I was swayed by what Rob said. I chose the harder tyre and it just never came in, I was a second slower and Niall just cleared off. The problem was Sean Emmett was a wildcard in the race and he beat me, only just but that meant I had a third and Niall had a win.

The second race I just thought 'fuck it' and used the softer tyre, I won the race but Niall finished second. It would have been nice to see how fast Niall could have gone, if I had been second in the first he would have had to win, but in the end the second race was a bit of a damp squib. At the time I was a bit pissed off because I feel that the tyre choice didn't give me a fair crack at winning the championship, but that's how it goes. I got my revenge after the race. We got pissed up and I wound-up Niall into trying to nick a security guard's van, he got a right pasting when they caught him!"

MACKENZIE'S MEMORIES

"The season before I had had my worst-ever season in GPs on a 250 and I had had enough of the world scene. I had a young family and wanted to do one more season at home. I had been away doing GPs for so long everyone forgets who you are back home! I just wanted to come back and relive my British championship days for a year, well that was the plan. The Yamaha and Cadburys deal was tied up and Rob asked if I wanted to race with Whitham as my team mate. He was the other half of the story, coming back from cancer. We were always friends but never good friends so that was fine by me. We clicked straight away, he made me laugh and we socialised really well, but we also worked well on the bikes. We shared information and helped each other, we were a team, it wasn't a closed garage.

At the end of the day I won the championship because I was consistent, and James was a little bit unlucky. The crash you can blame him for but the gear linkage wasn't his fault. Those two DNFs pretty much gave me the championship there and then, I knew that so I just needed to keep the pressure on. I won half as many races but I was consistent and I knew that this would be enough for me win the title. And I had a premonition. Three weeks before the final round at Donington I had a dream that I had won the championship. Up until that point I hadn't a clue which way it was going to go but I had this dream and, I don't know, it just game me peace of mind. I knew it was going to go my way, and it did.

Donington was one of my favourite tracks. If we had been at Mallory or Cadwell Park I wouldn't have backed myself, James was better there, but Donington I knew could go in my favour.

Even going into the final round with the points so close I could never muster up any hatred of James, even though I desperately wanted to win the championship. He was a brilliant team mate, we raced hard on track but we always got along. Teams like that only happen once in a blue moon, I feel really privileged to have been part of one. I put all the pressure on myself, I felt that I was the more experienced rider as James was a lot younger so I deserved the title, but there was never any bad feeling towards James.

After I won it we both celebrated together, which says a lot about James as a person. His band played that night and we had a massive party. That was just the way the season went. You know, I'm not sure I could have done that, I would have been so miserable if I had lost it, but James kept on smiling. It was a great night, even though I got a few bruises and a black eye at the end of it all!"

QUALIFYING SESSIONS

The last time James and Niall faced each other on identical machinery it was the closest British Superbike season ever, and this re-match has been now brewing for over a decade. After a few months of egging them on both Niall and James donned their old Boost leathers and were now preparing to race each other head to head for one last time. We'd secured Knockhill exclusively for the afternoon as well as two identical Virgin Media Yamaha R6 race bikes.

This is a serious contest so rules had been set. The guys would start the day with brand new Pirelli Diablo Corsa III tyres, have one hour's free practice during which time they could fiddle with the bikes' suspension followed by six laps of qualifying to decide who started on pole. Once this was decided they would race over 10 laps with the first over the line declared the winner and, by default, the score would be settled. Whoever won this re-match would be officially declared the faster rider.

"This is horrible, you lot have really wound us both up!" James' mood is buoyant but he means it. He's just finished his qualifying session on the R6 and he looked like he had been trying. Hard. After sustained provocation from the staff back in the office both Niall and James can feel their race-heads returning. There's a serious air cutting through the fun.

The pressure had been on since we first unloaded the bikes. Both Niall and James were taking this contest seriously, with neither wanting to be outdone by the other. Watching from the sidelines their difference in tactics was evident, but exactly as you would expect. Bikes unloaded, James hopped on his R6 and fired straight off down the pit lane without even touching the suspension. Niall, on the other hand, reached for a screwdriver and started methodically stiffening the front end of his R6 for 10 minutes before venturing out for practice runs.

James is the first back in, helmet off and his first words are an enquiry. "How's Niall looking out there on the track?" he asks.

I tell him that Niall has been following local R6 Cup racer and Knockhill specialist, Dave Paton around.

"Good," James says, "I was following him too, I'm about the same pace." It's nice to see the competitive spirit is alive and well. "This bike isn't as sharp as my race bikes and it slides around a bit. The tyres are really sticky but the rear locks up and slides going into corners. You have to wait for it to hook up again before you turn in. I haven't bothered touching the suspension, feels good as it is, my only problem is arm pump, these leathers are a bit tight." He heads out again as Niall pulls in.

In typical Mackenzie style Niall has been using his head. Before I can get over to him he is already in conversation with R6 Cup front runner Dave Paton about which gears to use where on the track. Smart thinking, the canny Scotsman hasn't changed.

Once he has secured a few pointers I grab him.

"It's hard getting your brain back up to speed again," he says, "I retired seven years ago so I didn't expect to jump straight back on and hit race pace. It takes a while to build up. The bike feels good, I've added two clicks of everything to the front but left the rear alone."

By now James has started his qualifying laps. He posts a fastest time of 54.365 seconds, good enough to sit on the front row in the R6 Cup race here.

"That'll do me, let's get it on," James is confident.

Niall is first to see his results. "I can't believe it, all this time and we are only split by 0.008 of a second, how funny is that!" Although he is the slower of the two it's by less than a hair's width, posting a time of 54.373 seconds.

"It's not funny, that's really horrible," says James. With Whitham on pole, the flag was about to drop and the bullshit stop for their last race ever...

THE RACE

As the starter holds both riders under the red lights two R6s are being revved mercilessly. Anyone who thought this race might descend into a few demonstration laps is under no illusions now. Both riders want to win. Then the lights go out.

James makes his pole position count and leads Niall into the first corner. From the start/finish line all you can hear are two R6s being hammered off their limiters, silence as the brakes are put on, then more wailing acceleration. They complete the first lap less than a bike length separating them, James is leading and both cross the line flat on the tank, throttle pinned and in full race mode.

This continues until lap five when Niall leads over the line. Somewhere out of sight the canny Scot has found a way past and he is trying to make a break. Both riders have taken half a second off their qualifying times and Niall is consistently in the very low 54 seconds with James fractions behind. On lap eight James obviously senses that Niall is getting away and pushes harder than before, setting a 54.003 second lap (the outright record for an R6 Cup bike is 53.3 sec) and closes the gap to nothing as they cross the line for the penultimate lap. They are absolutely neck and neck and the small crowd that has gathered leans over the pit wall, desperately peering up the track to see who will lead the final lap. And it is Niall who exits the chicane first with James right behind him, powering up the hill to take the win by less than a bike length. It's finally settled - Niall Mackenzie is the faster rider.

"That was really good, I enjoyed that," said a hyped-up Whitham as soon as his lid was off.

"That was proper racing," broke in Niall. "James led for the first few laps but I got past. I was setting him up for a pass through the fast chicane but he made a mistake earlier. Didn't I pass you there in 1996?" "Yeah if I remember rightly you did it on the last lap," admitted James.

"That's right, you had a moment and went a bit wide and I out-braked you into Clark's. I was fully expecting an out braking manoeuvre on the last lap just now," said Niall.

"You would have had one but I had a moment a bit earlier on the track. I pushed harder than I ever had because I'd lost a bit of ground but it skated in. Not dangerous but I lost a second. Then I saw you take a defensive line into the final hairpin and knew I was in bother," James responded.

After 11 years, we'd answered a question that the Boost Boys and loads of British race fans have been wondering for years. Whitham and Mackenzie will always be within seconds of each other, but in the end it's the quiet Scot who's got the edge.

THE HISTORY

The 1996 British Superbike year was special for a number of reasons. This was the year when the series really started to gain popularity.

Big name sponsors such as Cadburys and Old Spice were onboard and the TV coverage was increasing. Bikes were very cool in the mid-'90s and so was racing, helped in no small part by Carl Fogarty's success in World Superbikes.

The British championship was starting to build its reputation as the premier domestic racing series and it was attracting big name riders. Lining up alongside James Whitham and Niall Mackenzie were Terry Rymer, Sean Emmett (who would later play a big part in the title race), Chris Walker and Dave Jefferies to name just a few.

After the first few races it was clear that the season would be a straight battle between the two Boost Yamaha riders on their 160bhp YZF750s, with fans split over who to support. There wasn't any such thing as an impartial supporter, you were either on Niall's or James' side.

Throughout the year the press were hyping up the tension between the two riders, desperate to create some kind of rift between them, but it simply wasn't there. On track they raced hard, but in the garage they were the best of friends.

With Niall's relaxed attitude having returned from the GP scene and James' typical light-hearted approach to life the team gelled perfectly. But there was still a title at stake, which both riders desperately wanted to win. In the end Niall lifted the trophy and was crowned British Superbike Champion, but James is always quick to remind him that he won twice as many races that year. Here's a history lesson from the lads.