Report From Japan
REPORT FROM JÄIPÄR3
W. B. SWIM
JAPAN'S TOP IUKIL motorcycle makers are vying for the road racing world championships in Europe this year. Following the U.S.G.P. and Malaysia G.P.. Yamaha decided to contest the full schedule from Spain throughout the season with the exception of the Argentine race, which is next to last on the calendar. Honda again this year chose the factory supported “private entry" route, and Suzuki again sent a full factory team. Honda and Suzuki teams ended up on the same KLM airliner from Tokyo heading for Europe. Yamaha sent their riders earlier with a couple of mechanics to follow.
Starting with the biggest, and oldest. Honda, the company is providing six riders with factory racers and mechanics, two more than last season. Double World Champion Jim Redman of Southern Rhodesia will again contest the 35()cc and 250cc classes he won last year. Japanese ace Kunimitsu Takahashi will ride in the I25cc and 50cc races. Tommy Robb of Northern Ireland, another rider who rode for Honda last year, will have mounts in the 25Occ, !25cc and 50cc classes. Luigi Taveri of Switzerland, who Kreidler signed in the 5Occ class, was nabbed for Honda to ride in the 125cc races to keep him from signing with the competition. Ralph Bryans of England, newly signed by Honda this year, will compete in the 125cc and 5Occ classes. Japanese rider Isamu Kazuya, who took 6th in the 25()cc race at the Japan Grand Prix last year, may he sent to Europe later in the season to beef up Honda's team in the 250cc and I25cc classes.
Suzuki's double world champ of 1963, Hugh Anderson of New Zealand, heads a 6-man team this year, adding the 250cc class to his championships in the 125cc and 5Occ. Ernst Degner of West Germany is not expected to recover from burns he received in last November’s Japan G.P. accident to ride before the Isle of Man T.T.. but he will compete in the I25cc and 50cc races after that. It is reported he also wants to ride in the 250cc class, but has not finally been selected for that yet. T here is also a question of whether Frank Perris of England will recover sufficiently from a broken leg received in practice for the U.S.G.P. in time for the Spain Grand Prix opening race, but he will ride 25()cc and 125cc machines this season. Bert Schneider of Austria will compete in the same two classes. Suzuki’s Japanese ace Mitsuo Ito. who won the Isle of Man 5()cc I I last year, will compete in that class again this year. Isao Morishita. who took 2nd in the 5()cc and 4th in the I25cc at the U.S.G.P., is reported to he riding only in 5()cc events during the rest of the season.
Yamaha went to Europe for a few races last season to test their machines, but this is the first year the\ are making a serious hid for world championships. The decision was made after they easily nabbed 1st and 2nd in the Malaysia G.P. 25Occ race and won the 500cc with a 25Occ as well. Yamaha's star Japanese rider Turnio Ito fell and broke a collarbone while leading in
the 500cc race and number two man Aklyasu Motohashi moved up to win. Ito was released from a Singapore hospital April 5 and recovered in time to drive a car in the Japanese auto G.P. May 2. He will compete in 25()cc and I25cc classes, as will ail other Yamaha team riders. Others include Motohashi, Phil Read of England and Tony Godfrey, also of England.
The association charged by the government with keeping tabs on the motorcycle industry in Japan has announced official fiscal 1963 production and export figures. Production was up 17.8 per cent to 2.037.091 machines between April 1, 1963 and March 31, 1964 compared to 1,729.896 the year before. This was the first fiscal year in which production topped the two million mark. Exports more than doubled to 497,729 from the 248,092 sold abroad the year before.
Yamaha's Akiyasu Motohashi won the Malaysia Grand Prix 500cc race on a 250cc machine after Yamaha star Eumio Ito fell while leading in the 23rd lap and broke a collarbone. E. D. Dingle of Singapore was 2nd on a Norton Manx. Third and fourth, also Norton mounted, were Lee Wing Sang and Soh Guan Bee of Singapore. The day before, Yamaha's Ito won the 10-iap 250cc event. Motohashi was 2nd and Dingle 3rd. The race was marred by the fatal crash of R. Whales, a British Royal Air Force technician. who lost control at the double hairpin and crashed while leading astride a Ducati. Suzuki's double world champion Hugh Anderson of New Zealand walked away with both the 125cc and 5Occ races. Eumio Itoh on a Yamaha was 2nd in the I25cc event and Motohashi was 3rd. In the 5Occ Singapore’s Cheng Teck Meng was 2nd on a Suzuki and Fee Wing Sang was 3rd on a Honda.
Honda is reported ready to begin export of CKD (completely knocked down) motorcycles to Spain, where they will be assembled in a factory in Bilbao. The Spanish enterprise is said to be able to assemble 1.000 Honda 50 motorcycles monthly for local sale.
Honda has started work on a $30,000,000 factory near Tokyo which will he able to make 10.000 automobiles monthly when completed in 1969. The firm will make 360cc light trucks. 53!cc and 606cc sports cars and a new I.OOOcc sports car now under development at the new plant.
Honda Is reported planning to build a ship which can carry 15.000 fullv assembled motorcycles, for use between Japan and the United States. Plans call for eight trips a year. Honda expects to sell 220,000 motorcycles in the U.S. this year and between 300.000 and 350.000 in 1965. By shipping the motorcycles fully assembled, the firm says it can save an average of $5 per machine in partially disassembling the motorcycle for shipment, crating and reassembling in the U.S. The company probably will also he able to beat the freight rate by operating its own ship, hut it may find a problem in getting return cargo to carry from the U.S. to Japan.
