NEW ZEALAND sidecar racers Spike Taylor and Dennis Simonsen head south to Ruapuna this weekend to defend their national championship in the first round of the national series. The No 1 bike fronted up with the national No 3, Brian Wyeth and Ian Mitchelmore, at Masterton Motorplex at the weekend togive the V8 fans a taste of four-cylinder three-wheel action. Taylor is steadily upgrading the bike, looking to maintain an edge on his rivals, and the machine is approaching European Grand Prix specifications. The specially-imported championship-winning chassis is powered by a Yamaha R1 engine. Taylor has imported a GP airbox and exhaust system, which are already on the bike. The fairing has been reshaped to accommodate the airbox He also has performance parts for the engine which will be added as time and money permits. He has also been working on the suspension, trying to find the perfect settings, and has done a lot of work on the injection system. Wyeth is sitting this season out, so Taylor will be the lone Wairarapa representative at Ruapuna.
