Richard Britton Racing
News 2005 March 15th 2005
Interview with Paul Phillips
Stephen Davison
Pacemaker Press International
Richard Britton is amongst the fastest and most experienced riders in road racing and he could also be considered as one of the best riders to have never won a TT.
This could be about to change, with the news that the popular County Fermanagh rider, has signed to ride for the official Honda Racing Real Road Race team for 2005, alongside Welshman Ian Lougher. The team will be backed by Britton's personal sponsor Des Moore and will be known as DMRR / Honda Racing.
So armed with the best machinery he has ever had at his disposal, Britton goes into the new season with his best ever chance of success at the all important Isle of Man TT Races.
No doubt, the ever laid back Britton, will shrug off the pressure, or will he? We caught up with him after the launch of the DMRR team in Belfast and asked him about the pressure of riding for Honda whole lot more.
Richard; it has just been announced that you will be riding for Honda Racing backed by Des Moore in 2005. Can you tell us about the deal and where and what you will be riding?
Basically Honda have given us the opportunity to run with them for 2005, at the three International Road Races, plus any other races I want to ride at. Des has been able to acquire Chris Vermeulen's bike from this years World Superbike Championship, and Honda are going to help us out with all the bits and pieces for it.
I'll probably be doing most of the Irish roads and I might do the odd short circuit as well. We might fit a British Superbike round in somewhere at the start of the year and we are due to go off testing in February too.
Lets get straight to the point. This is a big opportunity for you. Do you think you can win at the International events with this package?
I think so. The bikes will be capable of doing it, so it's just down to the rider (laughs). I won't work under any pressure like, you know me. I'll just try my hardest to do well. We didn't expect this deal to come about now. We thought maybe the year after it might happen, but I think it is a good thing that it has worked out like this and I'll be giving it 100%. It does give me a bit more motivation perhaps, but I was trying hard before. I'll train as hard as I can, and do the best job I can. I still have to get my hands dirty from Monday to Friday though, so I can't just start training seven hours a day all of a sudden.
So now you're a Works Honda rider, you still won't be out buying a Ferrari and living the high life?
(Laughs). I wouldn't buy one even if I could afford one. Maybe a nice diesel one (laughs).
Who do you see as the man or men to beat?
Well John McGuinness obviously. He seems to work really well with the Yamaha's and I'm sure Jason will be backing him up. But there is a whole host of guys to think about. Adrian, Bruce, Ryan, Ian, Martin… you're going to have eight or so guys capable of putting it on the podium at every race you go to.
It should be very close and I think if you win, you will have deserved your win and you can be satisfied that you have beaten some really good riders. There will be a good field of riders so if you can beat them then fair dos to you.
I am sure you would admit that 2004 wasn't one of your best years. What went wrong?
Things started off Ok at Cookstown, and I went quite well there and then at Tandragee it was my day sort of thing, winning two races, breaking the lap record and all the rest of it.
The next race was the North West, where I couldn't turn down the opportunity to ride a factory bike, but as it turned out we would have been better off just riding our own bike. We didn't have enough time to get the Rizla bike set up; what with the weather and everything, so it was a bit of a disaster.
At the TT I had a crash at the Creg Ny Baa. I didn't really do much damage to myself, apart from bashing my tail bone, but the bike picked up a fault, which caused it to cut out throughout the Formula One Race. We thought we had cured it but it came back in the Senior so it was another disaster really.
We tracked it down to a crank sensor and by Walderstown everything was going great again. We won the first race, and then I had a clutch problem and had to retire from the second race. That's kind of how it went all year really. Luck just wasn't on our side. If you haven't got luck on your side you might as well just forget it.
You did put in a few strong rides though. What was the highlight of the year for you?
It was nice to win the two races at the Tandragee and it was really good to get on the podium at the Ulster Grand Prix. It was such a hard race. Nobody was really getting away, and it was so close, but very enjoyable to finish third. Because we had no practise, we didn't have the gearing just spot on, and I had to give it my all, just to hang on. It was probably the best race I've ever ridden in, with five guys all bang on line riding brilliantly and safely.
You rode the Rizla Suzuki at the North West 200, but things didn't really go to plan. What actually went wrong?
The rear linkage was wrong. It was shorter than the standard one, which you need for the roads. You see they won't be doing the speeds we do on the roads and wouldn't have known. We just didn't have enough time to find out what it was.
It looked pretty scary on the on board footage?
Ah, it was. But I stayed with it. I wasn't just going to pull her in. I said to myself "I'm going to bring this thing of no matter if it try's to f*ck me off or anything" (laughs). There was no way I was going to give in though. Maybe some riders wouldn't have bothered with it, but Davy Wood had put a lot of effort into getting me the ride, and I wasn't going to let him down by just retiring.
How competitive would it have been had it have gone in a straight line?
If it had have gone in a straight line, I think I would have been all over the back of Rutter. Honestly. The bike just had so much power, but I just had to keep shutting the throttle off. Les Shand passed me on the way out of University and he looked round and just shook his head at me, because it was wobbling all over the place (laughs). It was a real shame because it was such a fast bike. It was putting out something like 205bhp.
If I can change the subject slightly now, you always have you are obviously a big family man and your wife, son and your parents travel to almost all the races with you. How important is having your family with you at the races?
It's very important. My mother and father have come to almost all the races since I've started and Loris loves coming away to all the races. He was at the TT for nearly three weeks, and when we came home he was saying to me "Daddy, when are we going back?" He loves the paddocks really.
But it's really good to have your family around you when you're at the races, and I enjoy having them there.
I know you relatively well, and I know you're a pretty laid back guy, Do you think your relaxed approach to life helps your racing?
Definitely yes. There is no point in ripping yourself to bits, because then your mind isn't on the job. If you relax and chill out you can see things a bit more clearly. I can have a wee power nap between race one and two no problems. In the bed five minutes than bang; here we go again.
You're far from being considered as a veteran, but you are one of the more experienced campaigners out there. What do you think of the riders coming through the ranks now, especially Martin and Guy, both of whom you have had a good look at in recent years?
Yeah there is a good few riders coming through which is good. Martin is probably the best, and he has just slowly just built himself up and learnt where he is going. Guy is another who is doing really well, and then you have some more English guys who are coming through as well at the International races like John McBride and Ian Hutchinson. You have maybe seven or eight guys in their early twenties who are coming through which is really good. It just takes a bit of time.
Some of them are maybe getting there quicker than I did, but you need to have the right backing to get up to the front. You also just have to learn where you are going. Learn where the bad places and the good places are on a track, and where you have to try harder and where you can conserve some energy.
You have been involved in the TT consultations in the recent past. What do you think about the work that is being done to improve the TT at present?
There are still a few problems like where they will and won't let you park in the paddock and getting there and back is still a problem. But I think things are starting to get a bit better and they are starting to talk more to people like Honda and the rest of the manufactures, having burnt their bridges a bit in the past. But now they are coming back and starting to see things from the organiser's side as well.
Changing the subject again, what are your views on the proposed 750cc limit for National Road Races in Ireland?
Well it's a complete no go really. You only have Suzuki making 750cc bikes, and you couldn't ride them anywhere else, so you would have to by another bike, and it would cost even more money.
Besides, I don't think they are any more dangerous than a 600 for instance. I probably ride my 600 that wee bit harder, because you have to carry a lot more corner speed, because you don't have the power. So it's six of one and half a dozen of another and there is only like a second or two in the lap times from the Superbike to the Supersport bike.
OK - I asked Ian these same quick fire questions to finish off, so if I can do the same with you… Who is your road racing hero?
Joey. I got to know him in his last few years, and got to race in close company with him, which was excellent. He was the best.
What is your favourite track?
I've got several really. I like Tandragee and I like the North West. The TT course obviously is very good too. I like Dundrod, but it has been very hard to learn.
Out of interest which circuit do you least like?
Cookstown. It's too short, it's too tight and there is just nothing to it.
What is your favourite corner or section of any track?
I've always liked the Coast Road at the North West and have always been pretty good there. I like the bottom of the TT circuit, but I'm still learning the Mountain section.
What is your fondest memory from your career?
Probably winning the North West 200 Production Race in 2000. I had to ride really hard but I felt really good on the day.
The thing that stands out for me from that day, was going into Juniper Hill Chicane one lap, I managed to ride right round the outside of DJ. It's not often you get the chance to do that (laughs). I spoke to him later and he couldn't believe I had done it (laughs).
Who is the best rider you have ever raced against?
Joey and DJ I suppose. I had a great race with Joey at Carrowdore one year when he was on the V Twin and I was on my 620 CBR. We kept passing each other at every corner almost.
In 2003 I had a really good battle with DJ in a 600 race at the North West. We were only racing for eighth or ninth or something, but it was just great craic. We were looking over at each other doing about 170mph giving each other the finger (laughs).
Which current day rider impresses you the most?
Bruce Anstey really. He rides really hard, and lays the bike on its side and he's totally committed to his racing, but away from it he's a really nice quiet guy and I get on with him well.
Richard Britton was talking to Paul Phillips - www.RealRoadRacing.com
