Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B. R. NICHOLLS
DAILY PAPERS, radio and television news bulletins can seldom have no mention of Russia or her achievements in the international sphere and now it looks as if that country is going to figure far more prominently than of late in the motorcycle press. The bald facts are that a Russian rider has won a round of the 250 moto cross championship, Russians lie third and fourth in the table with one round to go and of even greater significance on the road racing front was the 350cc Vostok four cylinder racer that appeared for the first time at the East German Grand Prix. But more of these facts later ...
Joel Robert has duly won the 250cc moto cross title and this twenty year old Belgian soldier deserves all praise as the youngest-ever champion. Salute too the Czechoslovakian CZ concern who have doggedly pursued the title for a number of years and now savour the sweet taste of success. Torsten Hallman (Husqvarna) is safe in second place, and now into third place following his win in the East German Grand Prix moves Russian Victor Arbekov, also CZ mounted, with his countryman Igor Grigoriev in fourth spot. With one round to go in France it does not look as if the order will change.
In the 500cc class Jeff Smith (BSA) has kept the fight wide open with a win in the Belgian round where champion Tibblin failed to score. Smithy is now only four points behind the champion with four meetings to go so it is still anyone's guess as to who will win. For the Belgian round Smith was out on the latest .version of the 420cc works lightweight scrambler with a shortened bottom end. A day later he was back home winning the important August Bank Holiday Monday meeting at Shrubland Park for the fifth consecutive year. Dave Bickers pleased his home crowd with an easy win in the 250 class followed home by teammates Alan Clough and Malcolm Davis. But the surprise of the Belgian moto cross meeting was the return to form of John Burton who has been in the wilderness for rather a long time with personal injuries and machine troubles. Now with a Matchless-engined Metisse the ex-BSA works star seems to have hit form with a bang and gained his first championship points of the season in finishing second to Smith. But the Swedes continue to dominate this class with their occupation of five of the first six places. In the classic Moto Cross des Nations team event, to be held shortly, they will take a lot of beating and may well pull off the double, winning the 250 Trophee des Nations event for good measure though in this latter meeting the Russians could cause the upset of the motorcycle world by winning.
On the road racing front Max Deubel and Eniil Hoerner (BMW) have won the sidecar title for the fourth year running, setting a new record which they clinched with second place behind Fritz Scheidegger (BMW) at the West German Grand Prix held at Solitude this year which alternates with Hockenheim for the honour of this meeting.
At the same time Mike Hailwood made it three 500cc solo titles in a row but then hit disaster a week later at the East German Grand Prix. He won the 500 race easily enough on the big M.V. and then crashed the M.Z. water-cooled twin on the third lap of the 250 race when leading, having set a new lap record of 102.06 mph. He sustained slight concussion, cuts and bruises and also torn ligaments in the left arm that will prevent him riding in the Ulster Grand Prix from which Benedicto Calderella will also be absent because of a foot injury. Gilera, however, have not lost interest and it would appear that they will be putting a lot of effort into next season's racing if a usually reliable source proves correct. But the absence of the two top four-cylinder aces should make the 500 class of the Ulster the finest race for many a long year. Duff, Ahearn, Driver and Read have all been having grand scraps together this year and the added incentive of a grand prix win should make for excellent racing. Alan Shepherd will be on the track side though, for he came to grief in practice for the East German meeting chipping an ankle bone.
It was at that meeting the Russians sprung the 350cc four cylinder surprise and although they are not competitive at the moment it shows that they are really keen to get into the racing game in a big way. It is difficult to see how they can do this without enlisting the services of a top flight rider to help development, for none of their road racers would make the top twenty list. It is significant that though Jawa have been competing so long they have never gone beyond their own borders for a rider, though on the other hand M.Z. have always been willing to use western runners both now and in the past with such riders as Bob Anderson, John Hempleman, Eddie Crooks and lately Alan Shepherd and Mike Hailwood. Is Russia serious in this latest venture? Will the Vostok four prove competitive? Time alone will give us the answers and meanwhile we must await the Finnish Grand Prix to see if the bikes can do any better than the East German meeting where they both went out with piston trouble early in the race.
Far more likely to be a success, initially anyway, is the five hundred cubic centimeter four cylinder engine which has been designed and built in the workshop of 1960 world sidecar champion Helmut Fath. The thirty-three-year-old German intends to race again next season using his own engines. He also hopes to enter one in the solo classes. And so suddenly the racing world is set alight again with exciting prospects.
Like Easter, August Bank holiday weekend is a great one for sport and the major road race meeting is at Oulton Park for the British championships. The weather was not all it might have been but racing was very keen despite this. The meeting opened with the Les Graham Memorial Trophy race and with the track still wet and drizzle in the air John Cooper flashed away like a rocket and was never headed bringing his Beasttuned Norton home a long way in front of Phil Read (Kirby Matchless) who was only a gnat's whisker in front of Bill Ivy who made a fantastic last lap dash on Geoff Monty's Triumph-engined Monward. Frank Perris dropped his 125 Suzuki in practice and spent a busy hour or two with team mate Hugh Anderson and the mechanics straightening it out. Then in his race he set a new lap record beating Hugh across the line by half a length. It was the only new record of the day, and thoroughly deserved by a man who has the courage to say of a prang "it was my own stupid fault."
Though they have not yet sorted out the 250 Suzuki four, the 125 twin is now really flying again as new carburetors have solved all their troubles, or seem to have by the way Hugh Anderson won the class at the East German meeting. Another win at the Ulster is vital if Hugh is to keep alive his chances of retaining his championship. Phil Read (Yamaha) won the 250 British championship with ease but the 350 class was a real episode. Cooper got a cracking start but was soon caught by Derek Minter who was content to sit behind and wait his chance. But it never came for his piston broke up. Then Bruce Beale on the Honda twin started to catch Cooper when the Norton developed a mis-fire but no sooner had Beale passed Cooper than his own gearbox broke. So after twenty laps Mike Duff on the Arter A.J.S. took the lead, finishing well ahead of John Evans (Norton) who snatched second place from Cooper on the last lap. The sidecar championship was decided over two races, the first of which was easily won by Pip Harris (BMW) who had the misfortune to break a driveshaft in the second race when leading. Grand scrapping in both races by Florian Camathias (BMW), Chris Vincent (A50 BSA) and Max Deubel (BMW) saw them finishing in that order on aggregate.
The development of the 500cc unit construction engine by the (BSA) concern for Chris Vincent's use has led to much speculation and there is no doubt that it is becoming most reliable although not yet as fast as a BMW. With no spares for A.M.C. raceware someone must surely make a suitable 500cc racing unit.. . Derek Minter (Norton) had an easy win in the 500 class but there was a terrific scrap going on behind him for second place. It ended with Derek Woodman (Matchless) snatching second place from Duff on the line with Gyula Marsovsky (Matchless) a very close third. Marsovsky is proving to be a great little rider and with the accent on lightweight machines it will not be long before his talents are realized and he gets signed up.
At Cadweel Park Chris Conn (Norton) won the big race of the day whilst down at Thruxton, Paddy Driver (Kirby Matchless) was the winner and at the Crystal Palace Joe Dunphy, plagued with poor starts and machine trouble, got to the front in the big race only to be pipped at the post by John Simmonds (Norton). Whilst most of the road racing had taken place in good weather, the Clayton trial the previous day in the wilds of Derbyshire had a lot of rain to put the course in prime condition. The event was won by Scott Ellis (Triumph) by two marks from Don Smith (Greeves) with Ron Langston once again top sidecar entrant.
Of the rest of the month's sport the main feature is the continued battling of Minter and Cooper with odds at present in favour of the experienced Minter who took on the job of judge with sidecar aces Bill Boddice and Fred Hanks at a recent novice meeting held at Brands Hatch. The object was to award the Ecurie Sportive trophy donated by Stan Hailwood to the most meritorious performance of the day and it was awarded to sidecar rider Graham Watmough who had never raced before but finished second in the non-winners race. Any future talent amongst the solo entry remained latent but it is obvious that both Barry Lock and Mick Boddice are going places in the sidecar world with the former the ace at the meeting under revue. Incidentally, a few years back Ron Grant first made his presence felt in the racing game at a Brands Hatch novice meeting. Another interesting feature of the meeting was the vintage race won by John Lane on a 1928 490cc Norton, •
