Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B.R. NICHOLLS
TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
The European trials championship will not be decided until August, when the final round is held in Sweden. Don Smith (250 Montesa) and Dennis Jones (128 Suzuki) will play it for everything; mud will favor the former and rocks, the latter.
At the British round, held over two laps of a 25-mile course on a bitterly cold day, Smith set the pace first time 'round to lead the field by three marks. But on Lap 2, Irish wizard Sammy Miller triumphed with a total of 17 to the 32 of Smith. Gordon Farley (Montesa) came in 3rd with 39. Visiting continental riders fared badly, the best being Finnish Perti Luhtasuo (Bultaco) who finished 10th. Dennis Jones did not help his championship chances with 7th place, achieved after a trip over the handlebars and an argument with a tree that damaged the front hub. Jones has lost form recently. The previous day, at the national Victory trial, he had finished 11th. Miller was the winner with three marks lost to the five of Farley, but then the minis struck. Alan Lampkin (128 Suzuki), who lost nine marks, was separated from similarly mounted brother Martin, 12 marks, by Chris Leighfield (118 Suzuki), who lost 11.
In the sidecar class, Roy Bradley (Ariel) surpassed Alan Morehead, who also piloted an Ariel outfit.
But even an ace like Miller can fall by the wayside, as he did with a crash in the national Cotswold Cup trial. He finished 6th. Don Smith made amends for his lapse in Europe with a loss of 12 to gain victory by two marks from Scott Ellis, who upset the ring-a-ding brigade on his 250 four-stroke BSA. Montesa made it three out of four, with Law rence Telling 3rd and Farley 4th. Brad ley once again proved best charioteer. But all these events pall when com pared to the Ilkley Grand National trial run in the wilds of wooly Yorkshire. Few southerners venture north for the rugged Yorkshire moorland challenge, which this year defeated all but five of the 78 competitors. Alan Lampkin (128 Gaunt Suzuki) won with a loss of 74 marks from Rob Edwards (175 Mina relli-powered Cotton). Mick Wilkinson (250 Greeves) was 3rd and the other two places were taken by little Suzukis.
In the final trial of the month, the Kickham, it was Smith’s turn to take a dive into 10th spot. You-know-who won, but it was a near thing, for Sam lost 20 marks. He was pressed the whole time by Derek Adsett, Greeves works rider, who finished with 22. Bradley, who is passengered by a member of the fair sex, Christine Bull, took the sidecar class for the third time running to assert himself as a championship contender.
MOTOCROSS TROPHIES
In the final round of the national television motocross, Malcolm Davis, intent on gaining the Grandstand Trophy for AJS, raced into the lead of the 250 race. But he was stopped when his machine seized, as was his teammate, Andy Roberton. The incorrect grade of gasoline was diagnosed as the cause—a rather inefficient way to lose a championship. Series victory went to Alan Clough (Husqvarna), who finished 3rd in this meet. John Banks also took 3rd place, but in the 750 class. Thus he won the larger capacity title on a day that really belonged to Greeves and its ace, Arthur Browning. Browning won both Trophy races on the new Griffon machinery, then went on to take 2nd in the invitation behind Banks.
ST. ANTHONIS
Having already taken the commercial channel World of Sport, John Banks has concluded a successful winter at home. His trips abroad have not been so rewarding. In the traditional warm-up in Holland at St. Anthonis, he and teammates Jeff Smith and Keith Hickman had a poor day. The star was Sweden’s Christer Hammargren (400 Husqvarna), who won all three races in a very convincing style that belied the fact that this is only his second season in the big time. The only blot on his copy book was the most blatant false start seen for some time. It gave him a clear lead into the first bend as the others decided to go after him, but the race was restarted.
Riding in the loose sand of the Dutch circuits calls for a special ability so it is not surprising that local riders did well. Dutchmen filled both 2nd and 3rd places overall. Franz Sigmans (Husqvarna), with two 3rds and a 2nd, finished just ahead of Pierre Karsmakers (CZ), who had a 2nd and two 4ths. Despite a crash and 11th place in the final race, Jan Johansson (Husqvarna) finished 4th (he placed 2nd in the second race). Always popular with the crowds, Dave Bickers led the final race after a scrap with Hammargren, only to go into orbit after a tangle with a back marker when flat out in fourth gear.
The program opened with a 50-cc race for national riders, which was ridiculed by many. But it was significant that Torsten Hallman was impressed; he class is very popular in Sweden and produces some very good riders. The same can be said of Holland, too, for winner Andre Gebben’s handling of his Zundapp was as impressive as other winners of the day. Two sidecar races were held between the solo events. For many
years, the massive form of Broer Dirkx was familiar on the world’s 500-cc motocross circuits. Then came the two-strokes, which do not take kindly to a jockey of over 200 lb., so Broer took to sidecars. Luck was on his side in the first of his races. Leon Liekens (Triumph) had it all sewn up when his suspension packed up a hundred yards from the line. In the second leg, Dirkx led from start to finish. It is a hard and punishing sport. Of 19 starters, 11 finished the first race, five the second. The bitter,
dull day at St. Anthonis gave the aces cold comfort for their chances in 1969. Joel Robert, looking somewhat over championship weight, was put out with electrical troubles. Hallman could manage only 5th in the first race and Banks just saved face with a 3rd in the final leg to gain 10th St. Anthonis' all will be glad there are four weeks before the championship hunt starts in earnest. The 250
riders, however, have a full-dress rehearsal at the Belgian GP. The race does not count toward the title this year, because Belgium is the host country for the Trophée des Nations team event. Most of the aces will be Brightest of there, except the AJS duo of Davis and Roberton who have a British title round that day. One fact has emerged from the early season meetings: Christer Hammargren will be a real threat to the established aces and could well become a world champion in a few seasons.
CASTROL SPONSORS ROAD RACING
The reorganized British road racing championships have found a sponsor. Castrol has offered monetary awards to the first three in each class at the end of the season. A championship meeting includes either 125, 250 and sidecar events or 350 and 500 solos; eight meetings are held for each class and a rider’s five best rides count toward the title. The winner will net $480, 2nd man takes $240 and 3rd $120. So at last a rider can plan his season and know that a championship is worth winning.
Oulton Park was the venue for the first 350 and 500 rounds. Both races were scheduled for 10 laps, but the organizers had second thoughts in view of the weather, so in final instructions, advised riders to cut to eight laps. Competitors, who are notoriously lax in reading final instructions, found a “we’ve seen it all before” attitude costly. The first final, for the 350 class, saw Tommy Robb and Pat Mahoney race to the front on Aermacchi H-Ds. Mahoney, happy in the knowledge that his machine was the quicker, decided to wait, so slipstreamed the irishman with the intention of passing him on the last lap, the tenth. What a nasty shock when the flag appeared at the end of Lap 8! Alan Barnett (Kirby Metisse) was a lonely 3rd ahead of Seeley mounted Dave Croxford. These two then contested the 500 final, with Croxford blissfully unaware of the shortened race length despite having ridden the 350. He led right up to the last corner when Barnett made his bid and took the flag first. Behind these two, a great scrap for 3rd place was taking place between Mick Andrew (Seeley) and a Norton trio of Malcolm Uphill, Barry Randle and Robin Duffty, who finished in that order. In the supporting races, Chris Vincent (654 BSA) won the sidecar event, Stuart Graham the 125 (on his ex-works Suzuki) and Tommy Robb (Yamaha) made it a double by winning the 250.
The following day at Snetterton, in the 125 championship race, Graham Milton (Bultaco) shot to the front and looked all over a winner until the final lap when his clutch began to slip—which let Charles Mortimer through to win. Milton finished 2nd.
Milton, once a top class trials sidecar driver, is a very good racing sidecar passenger to brother-in-law Tony Wakefield, with whom he teamed successfully at the same meeting. He tunes his own and Mortimer’s Bultacos, and now is ready to embark on a career as a sidecar racer in his own right. At Snetterton in the 500 sidecar race, Wakefield and Milton had a monumental dice with Pip Harris and John Thornton (both crews on BMW machinery). Never more than a few feet apart, victory went to Wakefield when Harris’ crankshaft cried enough after five laps. In the sidecar championship race, Wakefield led initially, but the 492 cc of the BMW were no match for the 654 BSAs of Vincent and Peter Brown, who relegated him to 3rd.
In the 250 championship, Dave Browning (Yamaha) made a slow start, but moved through the field well, timing his bid perfectly to snatch the lead from similarly mounted Tony Rutter on the last lap. In the supporting 350 and 500 races, Jim Curry (Aermacchi H-D) won the first and Ray Pickrell (500 Dunstall Domiracer) the second, with Peter Williams 2nd in both events. Then, on the 745-cc Dunstall, Pickrell won the 1000-cc Invitation from Croxford and Williams.
The Snetterton meeting saw the first successful outing for the Swedish 500-cc V-twin two-stroke HM racer. It is a disc-valve, water-cooled model which bears a resemblance to the Scott. Raced by Alan Peck, it developed handling problems, though Peck was pleased with the engine. The machine was built by Sven Hakansson, and is fitted with Maico motocross forks, Gardner carburetors and a massive Munch front brake.
READ-WESLAKE PROGRESS
Phil Read has track-tested the ReadWeslake and is very enthusiastic about it. Minor gearbox problems prevented perfection of carburetion, but when on the boil, Read reckoned it was as fast as, and handled better than, his 250-cc Yamaha Four. The aim now is to race the bike at the North West 200, with plenty of testing between now and then to ready it for the TT.
Phil has plans for the engine beyond racing. Once perfected he visualizes its use for street machines and even motocross, because it is such a light and compact unit. Castrol obviously is impressed with the project. The firm has backed it financially to the tune of several thousand dollars. They also have established an annual award of $2400, payable to an individual, group or company who makes “the most significant contribution to safety, comfort or performance in British motorcycle design.”
PIONEER RUN
Once again, the annual Pioneer Run from Epsom to Brighton for “motorcycles of historic interest” has been staged. None of the 240-strong entry was built after 1914, and, of those, 27 were manufactured before the end of 1904. There were names like Lincoln Elk, Dart, Ormond, Featherstone, Victoria, Minerva and a 1902 Centaur with a rubber-mounted engine a la Commando—there’s nothing new in motorcycling.
This year’s run was one of the best. Three generations of one family competed, 76-year-old grandfather Bill Moore on a 1914 Douglas, father John on a 1902 Anglian and 16-year-old John on a 1901 Dart with an L plate, as he reached the statutory age to ride on public roads the day before the event. Former Yamaha works rider Tony Godfrey knocked out a big end on a 1912 Norton, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, owner of the famous motor museum, made a successful trip on a 1913 Douglas and motorcycle manufacturer Bert Greeves took the road on a 600:cc 1913 James sidecar with his daughter in the chair.
The day provided a glimpse into the past that stirs the utmost admiration for pioneers who rode on beaded tires and unsurfaced roads at a time when every journey was an adventure in itself. [Q]
