24 ur s Tomosom TT 50 at Racelandu
Content
Sometimes I tell myself how we will live, if not memories, and I admit that this is why I am always in favor of something crazy to happen. I can't imagine life without problems, then I prefer to invest in a jar of cucumbers and put it on the shelf in the pantry.
And it was in this spirit that the idea of doing something crazy with the new Tomos Racing TT 50 was born. When I saw the first photos – which at the time were still “top secret” – it became clear to me that the moped was made to stand on the knees. And on the other end of the telephone signal there was one equally “erased” person who seemed interested in the idea.
Dino, the technical director of the bicycle company Tomos, is a man who has gasoline flowing through his veins, and therefore we decided to act “to the fullest”, without scandals and compromises. We put the Tomosa Racing TT through its toughest test ever - 24 hours of "full" printing in Raceland.
Tomos prepared it to reach a top speed of around 60 km / h, which means they got rid of the blockage that allows for a top speed of 45 km / h and adjusted the chain ratio to match the short and winding Raceland track. ... It was slightly shortened with both legs, footpegs, so as not to be an excessive obstacle on the slope, and that's it!
Kranjska Sava took care of two trim levels of its best scooter tires, which ultimately proved to be excellent on both dry and wet roads.
As with any real 24-hour race (although we did not perceive this test as a race), it was not without minor intervention from the mechanics. It took us the longest to replace the cylinder due to the breakage of the exhaust pipe screw, which resulted from the blow to the exhaust pipe during a fall, and higher vibrations due to the continuous operation of the engine at higher rpm than with a normal engine. Earlier we replaced the exhaust for the same reason (drop).
Later we encountered water in the suction, which was the result of constant driving "full" through the puddles on the highway. We also resolved these unforeseen issues and then proceeded to "full time" for 17 hours without a single technical issue. The engine was not damaged, although it was flooded with water.
Finally, before the last hour on the track, we removed the cylinder and checked the condition of the piston. It turned out that the constant pushing did not leave any consequences for two key nodes, and an inspection of the connecting rod showed that everything was in place. We then increased the displacement a bit, which allowed for more fuel suction, which contributed to a slightly higher top speed in the last hour of the ride.
In 24 hours we can write it down and back it up with the fact that the Tomos Racingt TT is a true recreational machine that defies even the most extreme conditions. Last but not least, when we checked the status of the kilometers covered, we found that we would reach Rome in that time. That's not bad at all for a 50cc moped. Cm.
The prototype proved to be excellent and was not damaged except for a few scratches. A great traveler for the series, which is expected to arrive in showrooms in a month.
What's happened
12:00 - Start of the 24-hour test in sunny and dry weather.
12:40 - Slip and first fall. Consequences: small scratches on the steering wheel and passenger holder.
13:05 – First shift of drivers.
13:55 - Stop in the pits due to exhaust failure (due to a fall), continuing at 14:15.
15:00 - Miran Stanovnik joins us, after 20 minutes of driving it starts to rain.
16:15 - It literally rains from the sky, water enters the air filter housing, stops and alterations are needed.
17:50 - Our Matej Memedovic enters the rainy season and impresses with his fast wet times, driving a total of 42 laps.
19:00 - Boris Stanich, head of development of Tomos bicycles and the author of the idea of creating this moped, leaves for the track. It's nice to see that the leading specialists of Tomos are able to drive fast circles and not be afraid of dampness.
20:10 - The situation worsens, followed by another fall, fortunately without injury to the driver and moped.
21:05 - Gradually darkens, which brings additional problems. Tomos: Peter Jenko, Erik Brkic and Tomaž Mejak drove their laps in the wet Raceland and proved they were from the right test.
23:15 - Matei Memedovich is in charge of the night shift - this time the front wheel falls in search of boundaries, the only damage is a raincoat and gloves. He continues to the next shift, despite the fall, he maintains a fast and constant lap time.
23:15 - Comparison of driving on a wet road, when it is still light and dark at night and poor visibility: in an hour and 15 minutes, Peter Kavcic drives two laps less.
1:25 am – Car dealerships go to bed for three hours (lux) and the Tomos team changes at the wheel.
4:20 - A shift that started in the dark and ended at dawn: it's still raining from the sky, but how fatigue affects driving is shown by the fact that in one hour the same driver drives two laps less, despite better visibility.
5:30 - The long-awaited dawn also promises less and less rain and clouds. Behind three more small falls, but without consequences for the moped and drivers.
7:50 - To everyone's delight, the track began to dry out, and the wind that started to blow helped a lot.
9:00 - Boštjan Skubich, MotoGP racer and commentator, started his shift, the track is still wet, there were puddles in places.
9:30 - The track dries and the scuba slides from lap to lap in a matter of seconds. Shortly before ten o'clock, he beat Kavchich's time from the first "lap" (1: 11,24), a new record with Tomos - 1: 10,38.
10:10 - We make a slightly longer stop for a group photo with Skubich, who has set a new fastest time, and for some engine repairs. By running seals under the cylinder through the intake ports, more gasoline flows into the heating chamber, which increases the top speed by XNUMX–XNUMX mph, but reduces torque slightly in the lower rev range.
11:45 - The last change, it's hard to believe that almost 24 hours have really passed since the start.
12:05 - It's all over! The feeling is top notch, we managed to do something for the story, we had a lot of fun, enjoyed the ride and sometimes cursed under the helmet why we needed one (especially because of the rain), and above all, we lived through an unforgettable ordeal.
EYE TO EYE
Primoж манrman
“What are we going to do with this new Tomos prototype, we are looking for a ‘rejected’ idea,” Peter calls me that day. Yes, really, let's set something up, make it and pick it up. Okay, let's do a 24-hour race month test at the legendary Le Mans. Okay, it's not exactly Le Mans, but it's Raceland from Krsko, and the factory team is there too, namely Tomos.
The guys from Primorye, including the management, live for the company and immediately for the cause. Come on, prototype buzzer in the van on Krško! For the first time I see it there - street, with small wheels and a car of 50 cubic meters. Black and orange. Um, the biker neighbors to the north won't get bored? “Where, mona, please, these are the traditional colors of Tomos!” This is also correct.
The first to be burned is Peter, who descends lower and lower with inclines and soon (for the photographer) makes several knee jerks, at one time even too excited. Mare and Luka write the story there - one on a photograph, the other uploads to the network. Tomos specialists describe their statistics, weather, track conditions, laps and "repairs". There are not so many of them, only the exhaust causes problems in the first hours.
He gets dressed, and I go to fight on the track in dry weather. I walk in circles, sharpening the edges of my motorcycle boots in tight turns. I want to stay whole, so I'm not exaggerating. I am rather uncomfortable wearing a moped and racing suit on a moped, but when I get to the rhythm, I forget about everything, including the environment. I only focus on the asphalt in front of me and the red and white curbs around the bends.
The moped hums flawlessly, I have no problems, just the brakes do not understand. I solve the situation: at the entrance to the turn, I still press the gas and at the same time brake on the (rear) brake, because I find the front part too light for a decent “diving” into the turn. And Sava's tires are holding up. But at the finish line, I think it could be quite a decent pastime and a replacement for driving on the road. And it may take another 24 hours. The “motorcycle” lasted, there were a little less grandfathers - after an hour and a half of work, I felt my arms and legs, as in a real superbike.
Boštyan Skubich
I love the little TT as it was a lot of fun despite having a single 50cc engine. I even sweated a little during a good hour's drive. I have to mention the good cornering position, the two-stroke engine sound that reminds me of the years when we redesigned Tomos' frčotes at home, and cycling. You put five of these on the track and you have a great race with your friends!
Civilian
I really like this with Tomos for several reasons. The first is undoubtedly the fact that I see that the Tomos is still alive, after all, it is not just such an important part of our history that I cannot imagine that they would not exist.
I really appreciate and love that the guys are bitten, they have a desire to do good deeds and, most importantly, they have a vision. The third is the moped itself. The Racing TT is a very good product for me and well designed. If I didn't enjoy riding it, I would no doubt "park" it after the first drops of rain, so I even tried how it rides on the front wheel and I really liked it despite the rain.
Text: Petr Kavčič, photo: Saša Kapetanovič, Peter Kavčič, Marko Tončič, Luka Kompare
