Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B.R. NICHOLLS
TT UNDER FIRE
With the death of the Irish rider Brian Steenson on the Wednesday following the Senior TT, the toll of this year’s TT races reached six and provided the abolitionists much ammunition in their campaign to stop motorcycle racing because of the danger involved.
Steenson suffered broken legs and severe internal injuries when he crashed during the Senior TT at the Mountain Box; it was reported that he entered the corner too fast.
Aged 23, he was the latest of a long line of brilliant Irishmen weaned in racing on the natural road circuits of his native country. He was no newcomer to the Isle of Man, having finished 2nd in last year’s junior race on an Aermacchi/ Harley-Davidson. He was one of the growing band of riders that wear “American-style” helmets.
(Ed. Note: Unfortunately, his helmet was American in style only. It had the full coverage shape, but the only thing “protecting” his head was a sling support inside the outer shell, instead of the concussion-diffusing inner foam liner that is the real basis of American helmet design. Expecting a sling to ward off concussion is like trying to hide from a bombing attack by wrapping yourself in a hammock.)
That the Isle of Man circuit is dangerous none can deny: it is the Mecca of the enthusiast; it is the Everest to which so many racers aspire, attempting to come to terms with 37 3/4 miles of road containing virtually every hazard in the book. To many of the competitors, position in the race is of secondary importance; it is the replica that matters.
What happened in 1970 is difficult to assess. No one cause is attributable to each accident, but there was the menace of melting tar at many parts of the course which was intolerable. It was brought on by the finest weather that anyone could remember.
Fortunately at the time of the races our country was, dare I say, enjoying a national newspaper strike so we were excused the sensationalist headlines of the gutter press. Nevertheless, the death of Steenson brought a feature story in a Sunday paper urging that the races be banned and using such expressions as “Carnival of Death,” stating, “Of course the spectators love it. If the race was not dangerous and there was not the ever-present possibility of one more fatal crash to whet their thrill-hungry appetites, they would stay away.”
It all made grim reading, but it could well do the sport a service if it forces a more safety conscious attitude in the governing bodies, both ACU and FIM. The first move should be the banning of the notorious “porridge pot” helmet, with all riders compelled to wear the America design headgear. It is no answer to say that it is up to the rider: some probably would not wear one at all if given the option.
As for the TT course, the tar problem must be cured and steps taken to smooth out the bumpier sections which only get worse when only resurfacing is done.
Top riders like Agostini, Carruthers, Gould and Bill Smith have all criticized the condition of the course, described by Jim Redman five years ago as the world’s fastest motocross. They are the men who should be consulted about the priority order for improvement. But the ultimate sanction lies with the FIM in approving the course for racing.
Will racing bring the FIM and AMA closer together? It could well happen, for the biggest point of interest was the production machine race that Malcolm Uphill on the Trident won by the proverbial gnat’s whisker from Peter Williams on the Commando. It is a class bedeviled with restrictions trying to ensure that the bike is a true production model. It would be much better to adopt the American formula of modified production racers so that such machines could compete both at Daytona and the Isle of Man. It would provide a welcome shot in the arm for European racing and could easily become a new world championship class that manufacturers would really want to win. Time alone will tell.
POST-TT MALLORY
The post TT meeting at Mallory Park is a particular favorite for the enthusiasts who could not get to the Isle of Man, and also for those virtually passing the track on the way home who still have a thirst for racing. For the purist there was the prospect of a battle between Phil Read who had missed the TT because of injury and Agostini, Gould, Carruthers, Cooper and Smart.
For Agostini it was a story of continuing success. He completely dominated the heats and finals of the 500cc and the 250 through lOOOcc races, winning on all four occasions that he started. The big race was the 250 through lOOOcc where the Italian was out on the 500 MV3. John Cooper made a searing start on his 350 Yamaha housed in a Seeley frame and dubbed a Yamsel, and led for the first six of the 20-lap gallop before Ago took command and pulled away to win by some 12 sec. Rod Gould (350 Yamaha) was about the same distance away in 3rd place, not far ahead of the first big bike, a 750 Dunstall Norton ridden by Ken Redfern. After a bad start, Phil Read (350 Yamaha) fought through to 5th but had his moments of glory when he won both 250 and 350 events on his Yamahas.
In the smaller capacity, Carruthers was first away but the Cossack-style Paul Smart soon took over, only to have victory snatched from his grasp on the last lap.
Having earned his 250 win, Read was then given the 350 on a plate, for Cooper was out front and increasing his lead when the contact breaker did just that: break. Gould was 2nd, but the real interest lay in the performance of Morio Sumiya. The 26-year-old Japanese 125 and 250 champion was riding a Honda Twin and scrapping very effectively with no less an ace than Peter Williams on the Arter AJS. The dice for 5th went to the English rider, but 6th place in a meeting of that caliber is an extremely impressive performance.
Ago’s victory in the 500 race means that the Shell championship for that class held over the season is now headed by Bob Heath (BSA), Peter Williams (Arter-Matchless) and Paul Smart, all on 14 points, with Pat Mahoney and John Cooper both on Seeleys one point behind.
Chris Vincent may have been out of luck at the TT, but at Mallory he made no mistake in coming from downfield to win from Norman Hanks. Both were BSA powered.
Barry Sheene has proved pretty invincible in the 125 class this season on a Bultaco. Then at Mallory he had his first ride on the ex-works 125 Suzuki Twin owned by the now-retired Stuart Graham. His victory first time out only added to the misery of Dave Simmonds, who just cannot get the victor’s laurels on the 125-cc Kawasaki this season. World champion in the 125 class last year, he was scored in only one of the five meetings so far, and with six rounds to go it is still possible for him to retain his title. But the odds must be on Dieter Braun, who already has four wins, riding the ex-works Suzuki Twin.
(Continued on page 86)
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THE MOTOCROSS SCENE
Motocross meeting of the month has been the British round in the 250 world title series. A pretty shattering one too, for the British competitors, on home soil, took a big hiding from the continentals.
Nobody was expected to get the better of the Suzuki teamsters Joel Robert and Sylvain Geboers, who have made the title fight their own personal battle. Between them they have won seven of the eight rounds held so far, with the odd one going to the Swedish rider Torleif Hansen, who is not even in the first half dozen of the title table. Geboers had two coach loads of supporters over from Belgium to cheer him on, but for them as for Sylvain himself, it was a sad journey, for he failed to add to his score. In the first leg Robert and Geboers powered to a 1-2 lead before the end of the first lap. Could they maintain the pace?
The course was in perfect condition, as it had rained hard the previous day, thus containing the dust problem. After a very fast start straight, the course climbed and dropped many times with plenty of bumps and adverse cambers to test even the best of riders and machinery.
After a few laps Robert’s plug gave trouble, which let Geboers into the lead. The Swede Bengt Arne Bonn (AJS) made a bid for 2nd, but he got carried away by his enthusiasm and his spill let in the Czech wonder boy of 1970 Miroslav Halm (CZ). Roger DeCoster (CZ) was making up for a poor start and the bugs had left Robert’s plug, so the leader board changed with Robert regaining the lead from Geboers and Halm being pushed down to 4th by DeCoster. The Belgians held their 1-2-3 to the end with Halm 4th and the flying Finn Heikki Mikkola (Husqvarna), 5th. To underline the supreme Suzuki domination Olle Pettersson was 6th. Malcolm Davis (AJS) was best of the home riders with a lowly 10th place, one ahead of Dick Clayton (Greeves).
The second leg started in the same manner as the first except that Robert asserted himself earlier and was well clear when Geboers went out with a rear wheel puncture.
DeCoster moved into 2nd while the Swede Torleif Hansen took 3rd from Halm. The works Husqvarna that Hansen rode had an interesting modification, as it utilized the carburetor from a band saw motor marketed by the Swedish concern. It is said to prevent flooding of the cylinder at low engine speeds, but don’t rush to modify your Husky unless you think you have breathed on it to the extent that Husqvarna has on that engine. Davis had been whisked off to a hospital between races with a suspected broken ankle sustained in a fall in the first leg, in which he finished 10th. Fortunately it transpired there was no break, so he could well be fit for the next round of the British 250 title which he now leads with a total of 22 points. His Ajay teammate Andy Roberton is in joint 2nd place with Jeff Smith (BSA) on 19.
Smith did not ride at the world motocross meet but must have wondered why he did not give the little Beesa an airing when he saw the results, with the best British rider, Dick Clayton (Greeves), down in 10th place gaining a solitary world title point.
250 MOTOCROSS RESULTS
1. J. Robert (Suzuki) ............Belgium
2. R. DeCoster (CZ) ............Belgium
3. M. Halm (CZ) ................Czech.
4. T. Hansen (Husqvarna) ........Sweden
5. H. Mikkola (Husqvarna) .......Finland
6. T. Hallman (Husqvarna) .......Sweden
Almost unnoticed at the meeting was a van in the paddock where Yamaha was continuing their incursion into the motocross field. The team manager Toshinori Suzuki had little to be pleased about with his rider Hideaki Suzuki encountering all sorts of trouble falling off. Although whipped off to a hospital, he was not found to be badly hurt. He was obviously out of his class, for he had ridden well enough in a small event in the Isle of Man. But then it was not so long ago that Suzuki was not a force to be reckoned with and now it is 250 motocross kingpin , and only a miracle could take the title away from Suzuki and one of its riders. So if Yamaha is serious in its motocross intent, which riders will it want?
Robert and Geboers are out: even if they wanted to change horses in midstream, for they are on three-year contracts. Hallman would be ideal as a development rider and some think of Halm, the young Czech, as a future champion, but I cannot see him being allowed to ride anything but CZ, even if he wanted to.
There is, in fact, one man who stands out a mile as the most suited, and that is Roger DeCoster, almost the forgotten man of Belgian motocross. Though he has a works CZ contract, the factory failed to provide him with a machine for the British meeting where he gave a brilliant account of himself on a hack bike of his own. He worked on the machine himself without help from the works mechanics, who fettled only the Czech riders’ works bikes. He has the will, the ability and the reason to want to make Yamaha the top motocross machine.
At the British meeting the riding of the three Belgians made it clear that they will have a very strong team when it comes to the Motocross des Nations and Trophée des Nations events at the end of the season. Only the Swedes look capable of beating them. Though they are not so strong in the challenge for the 250 world title, they are right there in the 500 chase. Arne Kring and Bengt Aberg, both riding Husqvarna, headed the table with 72 and 55 points respectively, despite having missed the Russian round where Paul Friedrichs (CZ) gained his first win of the season. The Czech Otakar Toman (CZ) took 2nd place. The first 10 places in the results failed to throw up one rider from outside the iron curtain; it seems that none competed.
WELSH TWO-DAY TRIAL
The annual Welsh two-day trial is treated as a warm-up for the ISDT each year, so it was unfortunate that this year’s event was bedeviled on the first day by fog in the Welsh mountains. But conditions were the same for everyone, so all credit must go to Mick Wilkinson (Greeves) in winning with no marks lost and gaining most marks on the special tests. Motocross ace Andy Roberton (AJS) was 2nd and, like 3rd-place man Brian Hutchinson (Sprite), lost no marks.
Victory in the sidecar class went to CW contributor Graham Forsdyke, passengered by his wife Ethel on their 650 Triumph outfit. It was a narrow thing, however, for one mark behind them
came the German brothers Horst and Falk Hartmann, with their 750 BMW outfit suffering serious engine trouble. In the last hundred miles it guzzled down nine liters of oil and still suffered a seizure.
The trial should have been a try-out for the special Cheney Triumph machines that will be used by the British trophy team in the ISDT, but minor mishaps, including a strike at the Dunlop plant, delayed the completion schedule. The machines are now ready, however, and will gladden the hearts of all Triumph lovers everywhere. One photo can say -more than a hundred words so take a look at the accompanying picture to see just what these machines look like.
As Trophy teams must have two different capacities in the makeup, two of the basically 490-cc unit construction engines will be bored out to 504cc. Running on an 8:1 compression ratio, carburetion is through a single 28-mm Amal concentric carburetor with air filter under the seat. Frame is the Cheney motocross pattern with Cheney forks and Cheney elektron front hub, whilst the rear fork leg houses the chain oiler, and the main frame holds the engine oil. An air bottle is carried on the left-hand side of the rear sub frame, and a crankcase bash plate is fitted, as is a center stand and spring-loaded footrests. Claimed weight is 285 lb., and if looks are anything to go by, then we have already won. But there could be a problem with Italians, Germans, Swedes, or any other country for that matter, to understate things. [Ö]
