Brussels' Roger McHardy cements motorcycle legacy with VRRA wins
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Over the weekend of Aug. 15-16, Roger McHardy of Brussels - along with his driver, Dave Lloyd of Grand Bend - turned heads at the Vintage Road Racing Association (VRRA) Vintage Festival at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Bowmanville, earning two gold medals and a bronze.
McHardy has, since the 1990s, made it his hobby to build and perfect vintage motorcycles. Others in his home call it an obsession and he can only just laugh, as it is something that has been close to his heart for nearly 35 years. On the aforementioned weekend, he brought both a 1961 500cc Norton Domiracer and a 1960 500cc Norton Manx to the competition and, together with the skills of his drivers, he was able to return with some gold.
Dave Roper of New York drove the 1961, placing first in the Period 1 500 and Warwick Cup races, in addition to winning the Period 1 heat race, while Lloyd drove the 1960 and placed first in the Pre-1965 500 race and third in the Warwick Cup. The Warwick Cup is the signature event of the weekend, open to all 350cc and 500cc British motorcycles. It is named after Doug Warwick, a former rider and one of the founders of the VRRA.
McHardy has worked for years with Paul Brubaker of Kitchener, who has ridden his bikes since 2007. However, due to ongoing health challenges, Brubaker was unable to ride this year, so McHardy turned to Lloyd, who he had only worked with briefly, many years ago.
When asked why Lloyd wanted to race for McHardy, his answer was simple. He said that McHardy’s name carries with it such reverence in the world of motorcycle racing that he jumped at the change. McHardy’s reputation as one of the premier motorcycle creators and owners has made him an outsized figure in that world, so when Lloyd was asked, he needed little convincing.
Speaking with Lloyd, he said the bike rode like a dream and that, as someone who has been riding since the early 1960s, it’s easy to feel as though you’re one with a bike like McHardy’s when you’re out on the track, you’re calm, comfortable and doing what you love to do... and doing it well.
Lloyd, who was born in Wales, said that he couldn’t race legally in Canada (he came over when he was 12 or so) until he was 21, so, when he turned 21, he was off and he hasn’t looked back all these years later. He’s not only raced in his hometown of Grand Bend, but he has competed in some of the biggest events in the sport, such as the VRRA Grand Prix and at the Isle of Man TT races, which he describes as the sport’s Olympics, Stanley Cup Finals, what have you. Furthermore, he’s also raced a number of different vehicles, so he certainly has the credentials to impress the most hardened of racing enthusiasts.
Now in his mid-80s, he is still racing, competing against racers of all ages and, clearly, winning races with all of that experience.
As for both of the bikes, they are replicas, with McHardy working to get as close to the originals as he can. The engines are replicas, of course, due to the age, with him making everything else for the bikes himself. That is another point of pride for Lloyd and others in the community who say that McHardy is simply one of the best. Along those lines, he said that McHardy’s Manx is among the best bikes he’s ever ridden which, with his experience and pedigree, is not a small compliment.
Both bikes will now make their way to the Festival of Speed in Grand Bend on the first weekend of October to be put back into action again.
McHardy’s 1961 500cc Norton Domiracer was previously featured in The Citizen. A 2016 story in this newspaper celebrated several gold medal victories at the year’s Vintage Festival, including in the prestigious Warwick Cup. The pair had logged similar victories at the previous year’s event as well. The bike was ridden by the aforementioned Brubaker at the time who cruised it to victory.
The feeling on the track after the victory, the two men agree, was electric. They were so happy when Lloyd sealed the victory (by quite a wide margin, even lapping another driver at one point) and it just felt as though they had struck gold as far as this racing partnership was concerned.