TAS SUZUKI
Following on from 2007's video diary when we watched how the Uel
Duncan racing team prepared for the NW200, the 2008 featured team
was the Moneymore outfit TAS
Suzuki.
With Cameron Donald switching to TAS and teaming up with treble NW200
winner in 2007, Bruce Anstey, the TAS boys had a deadly duo
to attack the triangle circuit.
We followed the team in the build up to NW200 in 2008. Interviews
with key members of the team and footage from testing build into
a snapshot of the effort required to keep a team at the top of
the motorcycling road and race competitions.
WATCH TIME LAPSE SUPERBIKE BUILD
We
set up four digital still cameras in the TAS workshop at Moneymore
to capture the processes involved to build a Suzuki Superbike.
Thousands of still images were then edited together to form a continuous
time lapse sequence - from frame to finished bike.
MEET THE BOSS - HECTOR NEILL
The owner of the TAS team, Hector Neill, takes us right back to the beginning and tells how it all began.
Hear about Hector's passion for road racing, his hopes for this year's North
West 200 and the thrill of seeing his team win races.
MEET THE MECHANICS - MARK McCARVILLE
TAS crew chief mechanic Mark McCarville talks about the planning needed to run both the track and road aspects of TAS.
Mark talks about how tyre preparation is crucial and how TAS has grown in his time with the team.
MEET THE MECHANICS - PHILLIP MARRON
TAS chief mechanic Phillip Marron talks about life with the Moneymore team.
He tells us the advantages of taking the team to test in Spain and the importance
of track temperature and an unexpected problem with accommodation....
MEET THE MECHANICS - PAUL CONWAY
Paul Conway takes care of the 600 bikes for Bruce Anstey and Ian Lowry.
Paul chats about the highs and lows of last year with TAS and how he has
aspirations of pulling on a helmet and taking to the track...and if that
fails..he's always got a career in front of the camera.
MEET THE MECHANICS - LEIGH FINLAY
Leigh "Mutley" Finlay is Cameron Donald's right hand man at TAS.
Leigh got the chance to follow Cameron across from the Uel Duncan backed Honda machines to the Suzuki's of the Relentless TAS outfit. Leigh is ultra confident of which rider will do the business come race day on May 17th.
TESTING IN SPAIN
Moneymore doesn't always have ideal weather conditions for testing the TAS Suzuki bikes, so the team paid a visit to Almeira in Southern Spain to see how the tyres and the tuning fared in warm weather.
We sent a camera out there to follow their fortunes in a musical montage
featuring the test riders, the technical team behind the bikes, some fast
action, a very dodgy wig and plenty of sunshine.
TYRE TESTING WITH PIRELLI
Tyre
choice is a make or break scenario for all teams at the NW200. TAS
Suzuki are partnered with Pirelli Tyres.
We meet up with Steffen Baum
who hails from Germany but works at the Research and Development HQ
in Milan. Kirkistown by the sea was the destination for the tyre testing
guru in March.
BRANDS HATCH
As you can see from the picture of Cameron Donald and the circuit below,
the team's plans and preparations counted for nothing as the Brands Hatch
meeting was cancelled due to heavy snow! more info >>>
Not the ideal surface for Superbikes..... | Photograph by Gavan Caldwell
|
Cameron Donald confirms the bad news - racing is off | Photograph by
Gavan Caldwell |
CAMERON DONALD GOES SURFING
We interviewed one half of TAS Suzuki's antipodean rider roster as he had a go at surfing in the waters off the East Strand in Portrush.
It may have been a little colder than he was used to in Australia, but Cameron braved the conditions and told us about his optimism of a podium finish in this year's races.
Also, check out Cameron Donald and a few other riders learning to surf
on the Radio Foyle surfing gallery...
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