Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
CARLO PERELLI
LITTLE SUCCESS FOR DUNSTALL
“Goodies King” Paul Dunstall again met with difficulties at the Monza track. Due to the fact that there are no high-speed testing grounds in England where he could test his completed machines, his attempts to recapture the 10-km, 100-km and one-hour speed
records in the 750-cc class from Moto Guzzi were only fractionally successful.
Paul brought two of his 73-bhp, five-speed Nortons with him to Monza, one fitted with a huge 6 3/4-gal., light alloy fuel tank for the longer distance record and the other with a normal 3-gal. tank for attempts on the shorter records.
Unfortunately, the bigger tank created fuel starvation problems because the fuel taps were too small and too low. so after one day spent in vain trying to cure the problem, Dunstall decided not to use it and had to abandon the one-hour record attempt. The smaller tank wouldn’t have been big enough to carry the required fuel, and stopping for more gas would have taken too much time.
With gearing reduced to a potential of 1 50 mph to help compensate for the terrible surface on the banks, rider Ray Pickre 11 set out early on the morning of July 7 and smashed the 10-km target at
131.1 mph (the Guzzi record stood at
126.1 mph), but when he approached the 100-km mark an oil pipe melted, and he had to stop.
Pickrell then set out on the other machine and again improved the 10-km record, averaging 131.5 mph, but soon after, the primary chain broke and ended his chances because the track is always heavily booked. Dunstall is certain that he can better this time, though, and that he can better the Guzzi record as well (which is 133 mph over 100 km and 134 over one hour), and he has promised a successful comeback in September. Good luck!
NEW LAVERDA SF WINS 500 KM
Strong pressure from Italian enthusiasts to have an event at home for sports production machines only led the Italian Federation to set up a 500 km race on the 5.75 km course at Monza (not the ovai used for speed attempts). I he only modifications allowed were changing the handlebars, controls and footrests. The tires could be changed to racing types, but had to remain the same size. No fairings were permitted. A massive and indicative action from the English bike riders to be allowed to fit better brakes, at least to the front end, finally got success, but not without protests from the others who found out too late that such a modification was allowed.
The marathon soon developed into a short circuit-like, four-cornered battle between a Honda CB750, a Laverda SF (described in this column last month), a Triumph Trident and a Moto Guzzi V7 Special.
The Moto Guzzi, ridden by factory test riders Riva and Rossi, was crashed at Lesmo Bend by Rossi, who received a broken collarbone and bruises. The Honda suffered a punctured rear tire during the closing stages of the race, and amateur riders Galtrueeo and Gornati lost all hope of winning. The Triumph, ridden by amateurs Blegi and Galtrueeo, ran out of fuel with only one lap to go, so the Laverda, ridden by factorysupported Brettoni and Angiolini had no difficulty in snatching the victory with an average speed of 159.359 kph (nearly 100 mph!). The Triumph finished 2nd just in front of another Laverda SF, which was followed by two Hondas.
The meeting was an outstanding success with the spectators and will surely be repeated next year on a European championship basis.
CUSTOM KAWASAKI
Already the holder of an imaginary “Oscar” trophy for creating the best Italian roadster for a number of years is Fausto PereHi from Milan (who is an electronics engineer and not related to Yours Truly).
After customizing a 600-cc MV Four last year to obtain a delightful sports look, which was pictured last year by CYCLE WORLD, Per el 1 i recently went “foreign” in building another exciting special around a Kawasaki Mach III power plant.
The frame comes from the Belletti stable, where the Linto and Paton GP frames are built, has beautiful lines and is constructed of chrome-moly tubing which keeps the weight down to 26 lb. Its sturdy structure (with box-section swinging arm) give high torsional stiffness while placing the engine forward of the normal position. This, coupled with higher first and second inner gearbox ratios, cures the typical tendency of the Japanese Three to “wheelie” when trying to start quickly, and improves the handling immensely. This frame, built for the riders who can’t afford the H1R, proved very good at the Italian spring meetings. It is much lower than the standard type: height at the upper fork yoke is now 36 in. as opposed to 40 in. on the standard model, and seat height has been reduced from 32 in. to 29 in. Wheelbase length and footrest height have not been changed, however.
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Both fuel and oil tanks are larger than standard and are made from light alloy. This also helps keep the weight down to 330 lb. in running condition, some 44 lb. lighter than standard.
Other than the altered gearbox ratios, and the fact that it pulls slightly higher overall gearing than standard, the power train is standard. Soon to be tried is a six-speed gearbox, made by the same firm producing gear clusters for the Linio and Paton GP bikes.
To complete the picture, the machine features Ceriani suspension, Fontana brakes (230-mm front, 210-mm rear), Borrani light alloy rims, hydraulic steering damper, powerful iodine headlamp, Smiths magnetic rev counter, Menani clip-ons and controls and a racing saddle which can be quickly lifted to gain access to the oil tank filler cap and to the battery and electrical components. The tool kit is located under the “tail” of the seat.
How much for this lovely creature? Some $1000, plus a Mach III engine and lots of midnight oil.
NEW 125 DIRT MONDIAL
Winner of 10 world and 50 Italian titles, but now definitely retired from road racing, Mondial has returned to the competition field with an attractive Sachs-powered model incorporating many refinements and weighing only 176 lb. Tires are 2.50-21 front and 3.50-18 rear. Suspension is by Marzocchi. Price in Italy is $600.
AGO-PASO MATCH RACE?
The two Italian arch-rivals, Giacomo Agostini and Renzo Pasolini, are fighting, not only on the tracks but verbally as well. In fact, Renzo has stated1 several times this year that Ago is beating him because the MV Three is better than his Benelli Four. Paso specifies on every occasion that the Benelli fire engine is outdated, so he’s always at a mechanical disadvantage when competing against Ago.
The Benelli Four appeared in 1960, while the MV Three is five years younger and has been developed more during its brilliant career.
Hit by the repetitions of these statements, Ago has now launched a challenge to Paso during a TV interview: a singular match, with both riders either on a Benelli Four or an MV Three, and a prize for the winner of no less than $10,000!
It sounds like the challenge of a medieval warrior and it is doubtful if it will ever be held, but it fascinates the Italian fans who are talking of nothing else during these summer holidays, joj
