Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B. R. NICHOLLS
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS of the Earls Court motorcycle show, the industry now plans to have another early next summer. The venue will be Blackpool, the very popular seaside resort, and the Show is scheduled from the 15th to 19th of May inclusive. So the many northern enthusiasts who had no opportunity of visiting London for the Show will have the chance much nearer home.
Sammy Miller ended the 1962 trials season by taking the Southern Experts title to add to his National win, so ending one of the most successful seasons any trials rider could ask for as he won the Scottish Six Days and Scott events, not to mention his numerous national wins. There has been much speculation as to which machine he will ride next year for there can be little advertising value in riding an obsolete model that has been modified almost out of recognition. If he follows my hunch and rides A.M.C. machinery with the Matchless motif on the tank, then there will be considerable demand for his lightweight Ariel should he decide to sell it. There is little doubt that it is the most suited machine to its task in the country.
Northern Experts title winner was Jeff Smith, the BSA teamster who scored his first win in this branch of the sport for almost two years. Riding with a carefree abandon that belied his earnest efforts he won by four marks from Peter Fletcher, who was Royal Enfield mounted. “Smithey” (as he is affectionately known to the fans) is concentrating a little more on trials this wint&r but will be back to scrambling with a vengeance in the 1963 season, for after finishing runner-up in the 250 Moto Cross title in 1962 he is tackling the 500 class, probably on the lightweight unit construction 350 BSA. He will be backed by Arthur Lampkin, at present nursing a foot injury, and also for some events by John Burton. If these three can break the Swedish stranglehold on the class I shall be surprised but, of the trio, Smithey could pull off the surprise of the year by taking the title. This will only happen if he can regularly produce the form that gave him his win in the Swedish round of the 1962 contest.
As far as the 250 title goes everything points to Dave Bickers winning. He will have the added advantage of traveling with a teammate, Alan Clough, who leaves the D.O.T. concern when his contract expires during February. But this does not mean that D.O.T. are not interested in the title race for they will have possibly two riders in the fight though I suspect that their most dangerous challenger, Pat Lamper, will be too important to them at the factory to be allowed to go chasing all over Europe. Chris Horsfield may contest some of the rounds on the works James which sports a square barrel, but the rider I would like to see on this machine is Vic Eastwood. However, if Vic has a go at anything it will be the bigger class on his Matchless. With fifteen rounds to contest for the 250 title and almost as many for the bigger class, the rider who only competes now and again may prove a source of embarrassment to the regular competitor who has to travel hundreds of miles in pursuit of the crown. In 1962 for example, Bickers only rode in the British round and was streets ahead of everyone, winning as he pleased and riding with a vitality that was obviously missing in his much traveled opponents.
Florian Camathias has done it! Well, partly anyway. At Monza early in December the Swiss ace on a 250cc Honda four first attempted to break solo records but gave up because of the state of the track; he had better luck with the sidecar class, although this too had its troubles. After fifty-five minutes the outfit stopped, having run out of fuel, but by then he had claimed three new records as follows: 100 kilometres, 250cc and 350cc at 119.28 mph (old 250 record; Jean Mûrit, MotoGuzzi, 91.90 mph — old 350 record; Albino Milani, Güera 4, 117.94 mph). Having lost a valuable five minutes out of the hour the average for that time naturally dropped considerably, to 107.45 to be precise, but even this was over fifteen miles per hour faster than the old record in the 250 class held by Mûrit, again on the Guzzi at 92.15 mph.
Honda appears to be facing a real threat to their supremacy in the 250 class this year with both Benelli and M.V. ready to have a go in the quarter-litre class. It will be remembered that Silvio Grasetti on the Benelli four beat both Jim Redman and the late Tom Phillis at the 1962 Imola Gold Cup races and nearly got the better of Bob McIntyre at the Spanish G.P. If Mike Hailwood changes to car racing for this year, and I think he will, then Alan Shepherd will be automatic choice for the 500cc title and strong contender for the 250cc class on one of the new M.V. fours built to do battle in the lightweight field.
(Continued on Page 54)
Not much has been heard from Suzuki who have re-signed Degner, Perris and Anderson for 1963. Even less has come from the East German M.Z. concern but it will be a sporting tragedy if they have to stay at home again in 1963 when we know that their two-strokes are capable of beating the world’s best four-strokes.
On the Formula Junior side more manufacturers are taking interest, including Jawa and Bultaco, whilst a Yamaha 250cc twin production racer recently won the Indonesia G.P.
So the tempo for 1963 warms up but regrettably I must end on a tragic note, for that brilliant motorcycle racer Gary Hocking has been killed whilst practicing for the Natal G.P. car race. Double world champion in 1961 and Senior T.T. winner in 1962 with lap and race records, Gary retired from motorcycle racing mourning friends killed in the sport. That his early promise on four wheels should come to such a sudden end is ironic in the extreme. •
