{{more footnotes needed, date=August 2017 The BSL 500 V3 was a 500 cc two stroke V3 which competed in the Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. It was the brainchild of New Zealand businessman Bill Buckley, and was designed and built as a showcase for Buckley's engineering company. Its engine was designed in 3D CAD and manufactured using a rapid, patternless casting method, in which the CAD data was used to make ceramic moulds for the engine components. This process greatly reduced the time and expense associated with conventional methods of sand casting.

1999

The BSL, in distinctive green and orange livery, made its debut at Round 1 of the world championship, the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix. Two bikes ridden by Australians Mark Willis and John Allen both failed to qualify. The bike recorded its first result at Round 3, the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix (, ) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating its centenary in 2013. The race had modest beginnings ...

, ridden by Willis, who finished 18th. It was a troubled year however, as the bike regularly suffered mechanical problems. Willis failed to qualify for three out of the first four races entered and the team decided from Round 10 at

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

to continue the season on a leased

Modenas ''Syarikat Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn. Bhd'' (National Motorcycle and Engine Company), or known as Modenas for short is a Malaysian national motorcycle company producing various small motorcycle models below 400cc targeted for local marke ...

KR3, while continuing development of the BSL. On the leased machine Willis scored 3 points and finished joint 27th in the Championship.

2000

Development work continued over the winter of 1999 and throughout 2000, and the BSL again entered the 500 championship at selected rounds as a

wild card Wild card most commonly refers to: * Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games * Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...

entry. It was another bad year as the bike continued to be problematic and failed to score any points. Mark Willis once more rode for the team, but left when he was offered a ride with Modenas. New Zealand rider Stephen Briggs had a wildcard ride in the

Pacific Grand Prix The Pacific Grand Prix () was a round of the Formula One World Championship twice in the mid-1990s and non-championship events in the 1960s. The non-championship events were held at Laguna Seca in the United States from 1960 through 1963. The ...

at Motegi but failed to qualify. Although the BSL was granted wildcard status by the F.I.M. to any Grand Prix for the following season, it never raced in the 500 cc class again.

Manufacturer

Buckley Systems Ltd Racing
Mt Wellington,
Auckland,
New Zealand.

References

Motorcycle Yearbook 1998–99, Jean-Claude Schertenleib 1999, Chronosports

External links

Results for the 500cc class

Case Study of Buckley Systems by Victoria University
Grand Prix motorcycles