| WCBR6 Continued... |
| 1997 Season 4/19 350GP Laguna Seca First 4/26 350GP Willow Springs First 4/27 350GP Willow Springs 9th 8/17 350GP Donner Hill Climb DNF (Clt failed) 8/23 350GP Sears Point 3rd 8/24 350GP Sears Point 3rd 1998 Season 4/18 500GP Trans Atlantic Match Races Laguna Seca 5th 4/19 500GP Trans Atlantic Match Races Laguna Seca 5th |
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| Above-Right: Mike Green on the 350 at Laguna Seca 1998. MG was to ride a Seely-Triumph in the Trans Atlantic Match Races, but it had troubles in practice. MG then turned to the tried and trusted Ducati 350 and placed 5th against the 500s in both races! MG didn't go to the UK round, not for lack of want, but lack of cash. |
| 1997 was the suppose to be Mike Green's last season of AHRMA road racing , but retirement came early at Sears Point in August of that year. Backing up to April... Team Obsolete Promotion put on a vintage event with the AMA Superbike weekend (AHRMA had been offered the event, but turned it down for lack of track time). In 350GP Mike was on the WCBR6 350... As normal Green was first away. By turn 4 his megaphone was dragging the road, the bracket having broke in two. Mike stopped at the turn-5 flag box and removed the broken pipe with his right hand, while his left kept the engine running. After an "ok" from the course marshal, Green re-entered the race behind Michael Moore (who was on the WCBR-Ducati 200), and proceeded to head for the front. By turn-5 on the following lap Green had overhauled the leader, Team Obsolete's Eric Green, and went on to win... Straight pipe and all. At Willow Springs the follwoing weekend politics reared its ugly head. Seems eveny rider that participated at Laguna Seca was now on the rear of their respective grids in the AHRMA races, including our man (at least it looked that way!). From Row-9 Mike made the hole-shot of his life, passing the pole sitter before he even moved! Needless to say, Green won. The next day he'd repeat the start, though would finish 9th with a broken rear wheel (bearing holder broke off!). In August Green headed for the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Donner Hill Climb, unlike past years when the 350 won its class and best overall, this time the clutch let go (Green and the 250 did win its class however). By Sears Point in late August we'd basiclly had enough of politics and the direction of the club... a pair of (lifeless) 3rd places marked the end of AHRMA road racing for the 350 Ducati. For 1998 Mike Green was invited to participate in the Trans Atlantic Match Race Series, the idea was to revive the series from the 1970s, the USA vs the UK. The UK sent a great team of guys and machines (we even spent the evening welding a G50 exhaust pipe back together for one of the UK riders), and there was some great racing. The 500-3 MV of Roper was the best sounding machine by far! We had entered a Seely-Triumph 500 (owned by Kurt Yeager), but oiling problems side lined the bike in the first practice. Mike pulled the Ducati out of the truck and completed practice, then Rob and Mike spent the afternoon modifiying the engine for more power against the 500s... Mike Green would finish 5th on both races aboard the 350. Since then the 350 has sat under a sheet... its one outing being at the AHRMA race at Sears Point in 2001 (for Friday Practice, to help another rider get his Ducati 350 up to speed). It did get an airing at the VMOTO event during November 2003... and if you really want to see it, try Portland July 10th, 2004. |
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| Two shots of Mike Green aboard the 350 at Sears Point, August 1997. |
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| All in all, the 350 project was great fun. Whether Bret was riding it or Mike Green, the machine was competitive from the start, and then became an AJS killer... (refering to Team Obsolete's 7R AJS of Dave Roper). Like most over stressed racing engines, we had more than our share of problems with burnt pistons, dropped valves and in the end, cracked engine cases. The poor little 350, which when new was just a 250 with a stroked crank, was far over stretched, meaning we produced more horse than Ducati ever thought possible for this bike. Riding it pure fun. Now and again it would screw with you, as all of a sudden a high speed wobble would set in..., but it wasn't a big deal, a quick shock adjustment could normally cure it. The fun part about the 350 is its ability to power slide out of the corners! No kidding... this 350 you can rear steer out of Sears Points turn-11, and at Willow Springs power slide it up through turn-2 in 4th gear! A fun machine in deed! |