ASHTECH

Thanks for the nice comments guys, That film was made by the NC+ platform here in Poland in 2014 and we had some great feedback from it. Here is another video we did with Gerry Sims (former racer). It was supposed to be used by IMG but never got released. Feel free to give my Facebook and instagram pages a follow and a like , We try to post content regularly. All the best Ash https://www.facebook.com/1469737636632481/videos/510522086252291/

Prices look ok. A little more than my price list but that's exceptable. Most of the parts on the list are after market parts anyway, none of which are produced in Swiss. My problem is and always will be when a head breaks, con rod snaps and you need a new set of cases it will be much more expensive than the GM. I am interested to see the full price list. And although everyone is being suckered into this warranty deal, things do "wear" out as it says on the price list. You are not going to be covered by any warranty with a sealed engine that's done 200 races and the piston breaks, that's fatigue and it's racing. I can assure you that will not be covered. Again, nothing against the GTR but i am just putting my side across.

I cannot comment on what PJR does but the way i advise the riders is to keep the oil in the whole meeting. Then change it. I use the gauze filter surrounding the oil pump ( some people don't use them so might be why they change oil so often ) I don't like the way the engines are cooled as mechanics put air coolers on one side of the engine and cool one side of a hot cylinder and cylinder head, Its never cooled evenly. So i always want the oil to be a reasonable temperature so when they start the bike, The engine gets up to temperature evenly. I am not a fan of cold oil in a hot engine but thats my opinion , Everyone has there own ideas. You could probably use the oil more than one meeting but it's always nice to check if there is anything in the oil that could lead to a bigger problem later down the line. Thanks Ash

Vince, It seems like anything simple to execute in speedway is always given the cold shoulder. Thanks Ash

Its something that has to be done at a higher level. The FIM need a technical committee i believe. I have just read Chris Louis article in the speedway star which was interesting read. Its another example of someones opinion being put through the right channels to be heard but unfortunately he is wrong. Me and around 20 other engine tuners/retailers visited the Suter factory in 2015. It cost me around 600 pounds to make the trip there but i thought it would be worth it to see what Suter/GTR have to offer. It was a pleasant trip and we actually debated in the meeting the actual structure of the business then asked why we were invited to the meeting if the plan was to cut out the tuners all together. They believed there was a place in this for us but the engines at that stage were 7000 euros retail. Which we all said was way to much and needed to be a lot lower. Marcel kindly stripped down the engine in front of us and showed us everything which is a lovely looking engine. Marcel is a perfectionist but anyone who is involved in engines in general noticed that there wasn't anything new in his engine. Its technology which is been seen in other forms of engines. The flywheels are pretty much the same as the GM has and like i said before i don't rate the wossner piston but thats each to there own. The cylinder head is completely different to the GM/Jawa as it has 2 camshafts. This technology has been around longer than i have existed so for Chris to say its something advanced is quite surprising. Agreed , The oil system is nice. It has jets to the piston for cooling and channels through the engine to the finger followers but again its nothing new. He also mentions that the quality and parts are a lot better than the GM. I disagree entirely. Its no different to what we use. We all buy from the same suppliers anyway. Interesting debate, I have had my say and think its probably best not to comment anymore. I hope that gives everyone a interesting insight into how things look from the other side. If anyone has any questions, Please feel free to contact me. Thanks Ash

If that was to be the case, Sure GM could provide the same service as GTR not a problem. We all have CNC machined cylinder heads now and cams are not a problem. My engines will not be sealed. Why would you if its not compulsory? Which is why i am baffled that the BSPA have announced the GTR will be sealed and can only be touched by a service centre. You either do it for everyone, Or don't bother at all. Let me give you this scenario. A young rider has invested in a new GTR. There is a problem with it that someone local could fix for him but he has to drive half way across the country to get it fixed by a service centre but has a meeting the next day? What will he do? He can't get it fixed himself as from what Mr Godfrey/BSPA said in the speedway star if the seal is broken you wont be allowed to ride but the guy who has turned up with his GM/Jawa is completely fine. Like i said before, Not against change. Not against the GTR. Against the fact that once again this hasn't been thought through and the money that has been thrown into this project is ludicrous.

Yes regarding that the oil i recommend goes in and its well maintained not a problem at all and the plus side to the ASH-TECH engine (or any other tuners) will be it will be made to suit. But i speak for all the tuners on when i say this, as we all agree on the subject of RPM limiters , But like i said before soon it will be compulsory anyway. The RPM limiters we have had in the past have been set too low that why people seem to be against them but the GTR is set at 13,200 i believe so the engines i will supply will have the same as they are from the same producer. GM are currently making a new engine which will be available by the end of the season which will have a more sophisticated oil supply to the main components and a oil filter for those who wish to run there oil longer. A more compact valve train and simple design will make the engine lighter and easier to work on. This will lower service costs i am sure. Thanks

Like i said , My thoughts only and unlike turkeys i am entitled to my opinion.

Hi , My guess is that this whole thing has been rushed through due to the fact that the project couldn't carry on without investment so the business structure isn't in place yet. The project has been searching for investment over the last year and the BSPA have gone 50/50 with a private investor i am led to believe. To start a production this late on in the year will be very hard for them to supply before the season starts. So i think price lists and other info are probably the least of there worries unfortunately . I can imagine its hard for them to give any idea on what things will cost due to the fluctuation of the Pound v Euro/Swiss Franc at the moment. These are my thoughts only. Thanks Ash

Honestly it didn't bother me until i heard of the amount of money the BSPA have ploughed into it. Thanks Ash

Hi Dan, I have 2 options of engines. 1 is a GM engine with factory parts and a RPM limiter aimed at the entry level riders. The price of that is 3000 pounds + vat 2 is a GM engine with my tuning parts. The price of that is 4300 pounds + vat. The problem i have is that whenever you offer this option to people, They always go with the more expensive option. I have recently sold a GM factory engine (built by myself) to a UK rider with the RPM limiter and he will run this now for 100 heats. My service charges are: 252 for labour plus parts. I do a reduced rate for any riders sending there engine from he UK to my Polish workshop to help cover the cost of the freight which is usually 60 pounds both ways, I usually split that and take it off the labour. On average , My riders at UK level are doing 40-50 races per service. They could do more but its the same old thing, If the rider is earning money they want just invest a little in there engines so they get it done a little earlier to make sure its totally fresh for the play offs etc etc. But most of the time the engine will be able to do a lot more than they are actually doing. Heres the point, It doesn't matter what engine you ride.... Fatigue will set in at some point so if its a GM or a GTR they are going to need the parts replacing. Piston speeds and the engine configuration is exactly the same as the GM so why all of a sudden should the GTR do more races than the GM ? I infact would not touch the wossner piston , producer for the GTR's pistons with a bargepole if i am totally honest. So why should that do more than a cosworth/ GM Asso piston? The answer isn't to buy a GTR at national league level for 4000 + vat and think your problems are over. At some stage, That will need a new piston , A new con rod, New titanium valves, new valve springs just like a GM so why would it be cheaper? i have seen the GTR price list and its not cheap. The facts are people are coming with keep contradicting themselves. The truth is, It's not a proven enough product in my eyes to warrant a 360,000 pound investment. Simple test. Do what Klymakorpi did, Put a limiter on at 13,000 and see how long the GM lasts. If any one who wants to start speedway reads this, buy a 1500 bike off e bay take the engine to my colleague in Swindon Dave broome before you start. Get the engine serviced, and invest in a RPM limiter ( about 500/600 pounds for the service with parts & ignition i would presume) Get him to service the carb also so for under 2500 you have a complete bike ready to race which will do the whole season (depending on what level you are at your career) Just a thought: No one has ever asked me about all the old parts i have here which are more than suitable to be passed down through the ranks. I donate everything to the training school at Torun who have a guy there who uses them for kids starting out. I am sure PJR throws stuff away which is more than suitable for people starting off. I wonder if anyone has ever approached him. Thanks Ash

I would just like to bat bit for the engine tuners here. I have personally been helping FIM with numerous engine tests ( all for free i must add ) and dyno work for the last couple of years. Since the 2010 Silencer fiasco the FIM have learnt from there mistakes and on a non offical basis have asked for some help and advice from some of the tuners on whats the next step to cut costs and make the sport safer. Marcel has been very clever in the way he has introduced the GTR. I praise him for that. Everyone knows engines fail due too Fatigue. Simple. And over revving is something that will never go away in speedway. The way you handle that is the key. Marcel knew straight away that the GTR had to have the RPM limiter on from the beginning to give him the longevity that speedway is searching for. He hit the nail on the head but as i have argued with Mr Tatum and the GTR backers , Put the same ignition coil with the RPM limiter on a GM, You will get the same running time / Service intervals out of a GM. Don't be fooled into the GTR oil system is more advanced than the GM. It has to be because of the cylinder head configuration. This system the GTR/Suter took from the KTM engine and works very well. But i must add that the latest 450 KTM factory engine has reverted back to the single overhead cam , Like the GM uses for weight and performance purposes. I went to the GTR dealer meeting in Switzerland in October last year and was really impressed with the set up at Suter. They really have a nice factory, But they have nothing there that GM can't produce or provide and thats where my next point comes. Why don't we give GM a little bit more credit for what he has done? People talk about a monopoly, Its nonsense. JAWA/JRM have been around longer than GM and were ahead of the game in the 90's but GM produced a better product and now they have the market. I know for a fact that GM have been pushing for certain aspects to be brought in and have seen the letters they have sent to the BSPA which have been ignored. People might say i am biased because i am a GM agent. No, Its because i appreciate what the GM engine actually does under the stress's its under. Its a wonderful, Simple engine. Anyway, Whatever way it goes i wish Marcel and the GTR team the best of luck. The thing that annoy's me the most as a speedway fan is the fact that the BSPA are complaining about the sport being to expensive etc etc but then go out and invest 360,000 pounds to fund the GTR production for 100 engines. That amount of money could of started a whole new league for juniors in the UK yet they take punt on something that in reality, No one knows a lot about. We can talk about Freddie doing so many races etc etc but lets face it he has a sponsored GTR works rider so he will always be a little biased. What about the issues some of the team USA riders had with a couple of engines at the WTC? The GTR engine that blew to bits after 40 races for a german rider in August? We don't hear any of that. All we hear is how un reliable the GM is etc etc. I had a rider the UK who did 100 meetings and spent 5000 pounds on his engine services last year. Thats 50 pound a meeting on running a engine for the year? Is that a lot of money in motorsport? You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out how much a rider at that level would earn of the back of doing 100 meetings. Klymakorpi has been quite vocal about using the RPM limiter on his PJR engines and has spoken about how much work he has done on them between service intervals. Karger has only said what PJR & Tatum said in the speedway star a few weeks ago. Its a no brainer to have a rev limiter and i am 99% sure in the next 2 year it will be compulsory anyway. Anyone who disagrees with this doesn't deserve the right to comment on a topic about engines. All us tuners wish for is a level playing field. Speedway is too expensive, We get it. But its motorsport. Progression is part of that an there will always be a cost for that progression. But i can tell you for a fact, In speedway money cannot buy you success. There have been many examples of that over the years yet the engine tuners always get the blame for conning people. We do our job, We are paid for it but there are only a few of us that actually do ok out of it but that is purely performance based. if we don't perform , We don't get paid. Simple. So the future of the sport means just as much to us as it does to you and all the fans. All of us who are doing this job are speedway fans also. Thanks Ash Holloway

Don't check this very often but nice to see all the comments. Firstly CC bought 4 engines at £4000 + vat from me in 2015. . Another 2 were bought for him from a sponsor i sourced. Which went on to be used by Stevie Worrall for the rest of 2016. He seemed to go ok on them. Phillip you seem to have an agenda with mentioning my name when riders who I work with under perform. I am glad both the riders you mentioned went on to bigger and better things in 2016 after changing engine tuners. You have been around a lot longer than me and should know better. The tuning job will always be difficult and I am judged on rider performance, not my performance. No one judges me if my engine have 70 horsepower or 100 horsepower. I am judged on whether the riders wins or not and not everyone can win. Simple. But if you have a couple of jockeys that are struggling for what can be many reasons, lack of racing/personal problems, it's always the engines are not working. I try my best, I don't rip people off. If someone is not happy my workshop door is always open so bear that in mind before printing a page in the speedway star and going on a public forum to dis my company please Phillip. Kind regards Ashley Holloway Don't check this very often but nice to see all the comments. Firstly CC bought 4 engines at £4000 + vat from me in 2015. . Another 2 were bought for him from a sponsor i sourced. Which went on to be used by Stevie Worrall for the rest of 2016. He seemed to go ok on them. Phillip you seem to have an agenda with mentioning my name when riders who I work with under perform. I am glad both the riders you mentioned went on to bigger and better things in 2016 after changing engine tuners. You have been around a lot longer than me and should know better. The tuning job will always be difficult and I am judged on rider performance, not my performance. No one judges me if my engine have 70 horsepower or 100 horsepower. I am judged on whether the riders wins or not and not everyone can win. Simple. But if you have a couple of jockeys that are struggling for what can be many reasons, lack of racing/personal problems, it's always the engines are not working. I try my best, I don't rip people off. If someone is not happy my workshop door is always open so bear that in mind before printing a page in the speedway star and going on a public forum to dis my company please Phillip. Kind regards Ashley Holloway

My prototype cylinder head and cylinder : https://m.facebook.com/1469737636632481/photos/pb.1469737636632481.-2207520000.1436387111./1469783143294597/?type=1&source=42&ref=bookmarks

Hi guys. Very rarely do i write on here but as my name has been mentioned a couple of times and i think it's a good idea to pass on some info. When I heard about this idea Emil wanted to pull out the GP, I never really understood the reasons let alone agree with them. I am still to this day disappointed with the decision. Personally I have worked my socks off for the whole team and Emil is more or less part of the family, so you can believe me when I say i was massively disappointed when he made the decision. I did everything that I could to try to keep him in the series. I offered for my services if it meant keeping him in but unfortunately it was not to be. As one of Emil's main advisors I felt it was necessary to let people know that i didn't agree with him and he knows that. Do I understand his decision ? To a certain extent yes I do. The main facts are his rehab has been hampered by the fact that he might not receive his salary from his polish club last year. Most of us know the stress that comes with money problems but Is that an excuse to pull out the SGP though? For me it's not but it's his life and if he feels it's right for him I think we should all respect his decision. All the best, Ash Holloway