Ex-International ice racer Steve Smith founded HM Racing in 1990. Since then HMR customers have won twenty-four British Championships and enjoyed numerous other regional, national and international successes with engines built, tuned and dyno tested at HM Racing.
During 1999 Perry Leask joined HM Racing, adding chassis and suspension services to HMR's capabilities. Perry is an eight times national champion, five of his titles being won on HMR tuned engines. He is one of the original Ohlins technicians with factory training dating back to the early eighties.
Until late 1995, HMR's specialty was the development of fourstroke off road racing engines, from National to Grand Prix level. HMR has always been observant of technology practiced in other motorsports and is proud of its early off road credentials. Much of HMR’s success stems from the belief that technology must be used to measure, examine and improve results.
1996 saw HMR move into Road Racing and record an International race win in their debut season, along with other national and regional race wins.
The late nineties saw HMR become synonymous with Husqvarna, tuning the top finishing Husky at British Championship level from 1994 to 2000, in Motocross, Enduro and Supermoto, with a 100% mechanical record. In 1997 HMR tuned Huskies finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the British Fourstroke Motocross Championship.
HMR has capitalised on its utilisation of technology, linking Dyno Testing with Data Acquisition, which resulted in an association with a major oil company carrying out in depth product testing.
HMR's own 'Intelligent Ignition System' has assisted teams to a European title and eight National championship wins. For more details see iis
In 2001 HMR campaigned a Husqvarna Mono in the British Supermono Championships, their first race team effort. Despite taking a new machine from concept to race track in less than six months, they finished a close second in the championship. Steve Ruth won three of the last four rounds, scored a win and a second place in the two European rounds contested and set a new class track record at Snetterton.
HMR is now in a strong position in the UK, being able to offer top flight services for engine development, dyno testing and suspension tuning, all in house.
In 2001, HMR decided to put technologies learned from other disciplines to the test and run a Husqvarna powered machine in the British Supermono Championships. The results proved very interesting and educational. For information on our 2001 Supermono campaign, see Mono
HMR developed a multi map, digital, programmable ignition system and as a result helped win a European Championship and many British Championships. In addition to this a "Best Product at the Dirt Bike Show" award came HMR's way courtesy of Eric Gorr! For information on HMR's Intelligent Ignition Systems see iis
2001 The Year of the Mono
During the summer of 2000, Perry Leask and I began speculating on the feasibility of building a lightweight supermono racer utilising a motocross engine.
We argued that a machine producing 70bhp and weighing 100kg (0.7bhp per kilo) would compete favourably with the traditional Yamaha and BMW racers that produced 80bhp but weighed in at 130kg (0.61bhp per kilo).
Even Ducati’s Supermono, which at around £16,000 is the famous Italian marque’s “state of the art” single cylinder racer which produces 75bhp, weighs in at 135kg (0.55bhp per kilo). Aside from the obvious power to weight ratio there would be far greater advantages in handling, corner speed, braking, acceleration, aerodynamics and general efficiency. A smaller more efficient engine, breathing through a single carburettor would produce less unwanted heat, would require a smaller fuel load and suffer less paracitical losses from smaller water and oil pumps. It would require a smaller radiator and therefore less coolant. This would give further improvements to power to weight ratio and handling benefits when considering real race masses. It would also be slimmer to aid aerodynamics and lighter to require less substantial mountings.
Being more compact it could be positioned in the chassis to give more freedom to consider weight distribution, centre of gravity, chain alignment, ground clearance, the positioning of ancillaries and the passing of air “through the bike”. A lighter machine would run smaller wheels and tyres, require only a single front disc and be far more conservative with tyre wear. Less rotating mass both in the engine and wheel assemblies would result in a quicker steering bike with less inertia.