News
New threaded exhaust option
One or two new engine customers have asked for their Works engine to come ready to accept an original style threaded exhaust ring as opposed to the 4 bolt flange favoured by most racers.
In response to this we have invested in some more high tech tooling to produce the thread. The process used in called 'thread milling' - A method only possible using a modern CNC machine. Click the video to watch a head being threaded.
The head casting is mounted in a special jig in a 4th axis and moved to the correct position. A single point tool, with the Whitworth thread form, spirals down into the pre-bored hole to produce the thread in one pass. The result is a perfect thread every time!
Another example of Works Racing using the very latest technology to produce engines of the highest possible quality.
12/02/2012
Onwards and Upwards into 2012
It is well and truly countdown to the new season and Works Racing have been flat out all winter to ensure that all engine orders will be ready for the race track in time.
Enquiries and orders have been flooding in from around the globe since the launch of our new web-store last year for engines, bikes and parts - we have now sold our 20th engine! Not bad after only two seasons.
We will keep you posted on the Works website over the coming months with the development of some exciting new products and projects which will be of interest to you if you like cammy Nortons. Watch this space.
07/02/2012
First road engine delivered.
The first Works Racing road-going Manx Norton engine has been delivered.
The engine incorporates several mods to adapt it for road use including a very neat decompressor, special cams, optimised combustion chamber shape and a lower compression ratio to aid kick starting.
However, this engine is no ES2! A quick run on the rolling road showed it to be super-responsive, silky smooth and have almost as much power as its all-conquering racing stable-mates. When combined with a featherbed chassis it should prove to be a weapon on the road, capable of embarrassing all sorts of modern tackle in the right hands.
We are currently building two more road engines for customers but new orders are being taken with delivery running at around 8/10 weeks.
03/02/2012
End of season excitement at the Works.
The big news at Works Racing is the impending Goodwood Revival meeting - We are thrilled to have been inviting to compete at this most prestigious classic festival, and what's more, have been allocated a great 'star' rider in BSB front runner Michael Rutter.
He will ride alongside Works Racing's principal agent provocateur Patrick Walker on the 500cc Works-Norton 30M that has been raced with so much success in the BBHGP series by Glen English. Glen will also compete on Richard Adam's Works-powered Norton, sharing his ride with Mike Russell.
Now Patrick has had a three year break from competitive racing to concentrate on the new business, so some practise is required! He chose to compete in two meetings this weekend in an attempt to get back 'on the pace': On Saturday in the Lansdowne series at Castle Coombe and on Sunday at Mallory Park with the British Historics, the racing arm of the VMCC.
Saturday's two races proved little except that three years is a long time - Patrick was, well, not quite at his best (that's being polite). Some Works customers though, fared better. Mike Russell bagged a couple of excellent 2nd places in the BBHGP race and Jack Scrivener and Tim Jackson won the 500cc and 350cc Lansdowne classes.
Sunday at Mallory, however was a different matter. Practise and race 1 were wet, so the huge grunt of the Works engine were tricky to put down. But when the track dried for race 2 the Works bike showed again that even with an amateur on board, it is pretty much unbeatable. Patrick hit the front on lap 2 and built a comfortable 7 second lead to take his first victory on the Works engine he produces.
Roll on Goodwood!
06/09/2011
Faster Engines. Faster!!
Works Racing's already state of the art manufacturing facility is being upgraded with the deployment of a new CAM system.
This will allow customer engine delivery times to be maintained at their current level (typically 4 weeks from order) whilst further increasing output.
Edgecam is the market leading high-end computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software. It forms the interface between the 3D CAD models and the multi-axis CNC machines used by Works Racing. It allows any shape, no matter how complex, to be machined with ultimate precision.
For example, combustion chambers can be produced to precise tolerances ensuring exact compression ratios without hand finishing. This puts Works ahead of the competition.
Demand for Works horsepower is growing rapidly. This investment, together with an increase in the size of batches now being manufactured, will ensure that more customers can get faster engines, faster!!
10/07/2011
Latest Works customer lifts trophy on first outing.
Works Racing latest new engine customer, Jack Scrivener, had a dream debut at Olivers Mount this weekend where he won the prestigious Denis Parkinson memorial trophy.
He had only taken delivery of his new engine the week before and having run it in on a local rolling road he set off for Scarborough saying (in his east Anglian lilt) 'I'm just gonna get the feel of 'err this weekend, no need to try an win anythin'.
A solid third in the first race and straight win in the second was enough to see him take the overall win and the trophy. 'She pulls like a train' was Jack's comment afterwards; he was obviously impressed by the shear grunt that the Works engine is so famous
for.
From all of us at Works racing – Well done Jack!
04/06/2011
Brands Hatch Round 2 BHGP
Round 2 of the Championship saw the team return to the scene of their fairy tale debut of last year, where they won both races on the maiden outing of the all new Works-Norton.
Coming back this year with an even faster package meant expectations were high. The full GP circuit is always popular with the riders and spectators alike, and the weather was also playing its part with perfect blue skies and a light breeze.
A good qualifying session saw rider Glen 'Glenda' English safely on the front row and comfortably the fastest of the teams running the original size 19" Avon tyres.
Race 1 was a cracker with 4 riders - English, Tomes, Fitchett and Notton all in contention. As they ducked under the chequered flag there was nothing in it, even the commentators could not pick a winner, but the transponder timing system gave the win to Tomes by 0.006s! Race 2 was a carbon copy but this time English got the Works-Norton in front by 0.008s!
Sunday's racing was not quite so close, but Glen picked up two very solid second places and because the Championship's unique handicap system awards points for original features like 19" rims and magneto ignitions (as opposed to modern alternatives), his
points advantage continues to grow. However, every silver lining has a cloud around it and the unsporting insistence of one team in using 18" rims in a Championship where all the other contenders are running the original 19" item is causing major controversy.
Round 3 is at Mallory Park on 8/9th June.
26/05/2011
Great day at the Thundersprint.
The Fuchs Silkolene Works-Norton team enjoyed a great day out at the 2011 Thundersprint in Northwich, Cheshire.
It was our first time at the event and we weren't sure exactly what to expect. We took our 1938 Inter - built by the factory to full Manx specification for Manxman Harry Craine to ride in the 1938 Junior TT. Harry came 10th on the bike that year and raced it
again in 1939, but there is no record of it having competed since then. The sprint was certainly its first competitive outing for several decades.
The bike is absolutely original, even down to the TT gearing, which proved quite a handicap on the tight circuit. The megaphone didn't help either, but it certainly made the right noise, which the crowd seemed to enjoy!
A podium finish in the sprint, the opportunity to show the Works 30M to the public and make some new friends in the paddock all combined to a thoroughly good day out - so thanks to Frank and Carol Melling and their team.
26/05/2011
New Threaded Exhaust Option.
Works Racing respond to customer requests for original threaded exhaust ring . . .
Onwards and Upwards into 2012
It is well and truly countdown to the new season and Works Racing have been flat out . . .
First Road Engine Delivered.
The first Works Racing road-going Manx Norton engine has been delivered. . .
End of season excitement at the Works.
The big news at Works Racing is the impending Goodwood Revival meeting . . .
Faster Engines. Faster!!
Manufacturing facility is being upgraded with the deployment of a new CAM system . . .
Latest Works customer lifts trophy on first outing.
Round 2 BHGP 2011 Brands Hatch
Race Report: Bonhams British Historic GP Championship - Brands Hatch 21/22 May . . .