Graeme (Wags) Wagland's JAP 880 - achieved four race wins and one DNF in the Unlimited Classic Races (1952-62). The 2nd race DNF was due to a loose carby cap which caused the throttle to stick on and give the rider Mark Shuppan a few interesting moments.
Theses achievements did not come without some grief though. The JAP has so much torque that the drive train is under enormous pressure and in practice the gearbox main shaft snapped and destroyed the gearbox.
The clutch also suffered and needed some attention from the brains trust. However Mark was still able to get the jump on many bikes by first letting out the slipping clutch gently before using the massive torque to hammer of the line.
The midnight oil was burnt till about four in the morning by a good humoured and clever team. A rebuilt gearbox and more pressure on the clutch springs did the trick. Success is rarely a solo act.
With these massive drum brakes Mark was able to out brake more modern motorcycles with disc brakes.But Wags also reckons that "Mark has a huge set of Kahunas, and that helps".
On the team was Greg Summerton builder of JAP engines and brakes. Greg uses modern techniques and materials to produce a high quality and very powerful replica JAP engines. Greg will have a website soon but for now contact him by email - gregss@bigpond.com
