Successful EBC-equipped Army racer will compete in a number of championships throughout 2021
Sergeant Richard Spencer-Fleet is a Vehicle Mechanic with the Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Also an avid motorcycle racer, he’s been a significant player in the EBC-supported Army Motorcycle Road Race Team for a number of years. Once again supported by EBC Brakes for 2021, Spencer-Fleet gives us his impressive back-story, as well as his thoughts for the 2021 season, below.
“My name is Sergeant Richard Spencer-Fleet, an ARMY Vehicle Mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. After starting to ride motorcycles from a very young age, it was in my blood to one day race.
In 2014, I was lucky enough to be selected to race for the Army Motorcycle Road Race Team. In that rookie year, we won the Rookie 600 and Clubman 600 Endurance championships and achieved a string of individual podiums. The podiums and results continued in 2015, leading to the National 600 Endurance championship.”
After years of Endurance at National level and a massive accident in 2017 – that saw me being helicoptered from Brands with broken back and neck, I needed a focus to get me up and about and get fixed. The Ducati TriOptions Cup in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) was the only way. The jump was made into a support class in 2018 – we knew it would be tough after a year of recovery, but we were up to the challenge.
The 2020 season was my third competitive year in the Ducati TriOptions Cup and onboard one of the latest Ducati Panigale V2s. 2020 was a very tough season, with minimal on-bike training due to Covid-19. Staying physically and mentally fit for the season start was the only thing I could do until restrictions lifted.
The aim for the season was for more top-10 results, as per previous years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and I just missed out on the positions. Building confidence throughout saw personal best times set at every circuit, dropping a massive 2.8 seconds a lap in the final round at Brands Hatch GP. Other positives to take from the season were finishing higher in the championship than in previous years and successfully gaining more points.
Taking the positives, confidence and lesson learned forward into the 2021 season, it’s shaping up to be a great year. Not only will I be racing in the Ducati TriOptions Cup, but I will also be racing at the Thundersport GB in the Interservice Military Championship.
I would like to thank EBC Brakes for all the support that I and the Army Motorcycle Road Race Team have received; the discs and GPFAX pads have categorically improved our overall performance and potential in those critical braking zones. It is the culmination of these marginal gains that has confidently prepared us for this season. Thank you.
