Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B.R. NICHOLLS
DUCATI SNAPS UP GRANT
Ducati has snapped up hard riding Mick Grant to ride its big 750cc V-Twin at the all important Imola meeting. The only snag is that the Italian concern has been held by strikes in Italy and the first machine will obviously go to home rider Bruno Spaggiari, who finished 2nd to Paul Smart last year. But optimistic Grant is sure Ducati will sort out its problems and have a bike ready for him.
Rather more certain for Mick is the chance to ride John Player Norton machinery in the Isle of Man, as John Cooper, who has signed to ride the bikes in 1973, does not want to race at the TT. Just to make sure that there is something to ride, Mick’s name has also been linked with a two-man team to be run by Colin Seeley, using his frame and 750cc Kawasaki engines. The other rider will be Pat Mahoney. Seeley already has the power unit that Smart used in his 1972 Ontario win and this will be built into a frame similar to that used by Smart last year, which came from the Seeley workshops.
So in the short space of a month Mick Grant has become the man of the moment. He rode a new 350 watercooled Yamaha at Daytona and came in 8th.
'73 SEASON BEGINS
While some of our top flight riders were in the U.S. for the Daytona meet, the 1973 racing season started in England with its customary very cold meet at Mallory Park. The exit to the very fast Gerards Bend was covered with mud which had to be washed and brushed away before practice could start. As a result, there was an hour and a half delay.
Not only was it the first national meeting of 1973, it was also the first round of the newly vamped British championships, which now constitute the ACU 250 Star, British 750cc championship and the sidecar championship. There is no championship for 125s, the 250 has been downgraded to “star” status and the solo championship is for machinery over 250cc but not over 750. In the sidecar class there is plenty of scope for engine power, as the capacity limit is over 350 but not over lOOOcc.
So far the Yamahas have not invaded the sidecar field, but they certainly called the tune in both the solo title rounds. At the start of the 250 final, Alan Barnett shot ahead on his Yamsel and stayed there all the way. Surprise > 2nd placeman was Phil Carpenter (Yamaha), but perhaps he was equally surprised himself with his performance, for Re fell off at the hairpin, letting Tony Rutter into 2nd place ahead of Bob Heath, both on Yamahas. Heath now has two brand new Yamahas, sponsored by Reg Gower, and was anxious to cash in on his good fortune.
Heath really set the place alight in the 750 final, grabbing the lead soon after the start of the 15 laps and staying well ahead of 2nd placeman Rod Scivyer, who was also 350 Yamaha mounted. Just when it looked as if he must have the race in his pocket, the bike sprung an oil leak and he slowed sufficiently to let Scivyer sneak past on the last lap to grab victory. Heath took 2nd ahead of John Newbold (Yamaha). Fourth place went to Dave Potter (745 Kuhn Norton). Strong favorite for the race was Barry Sheene on the 500cc ^luzuki powered Seeley monocoque, but Re was eliminated while leading his heat when a piston holed, caused by water in the tank making the engine run weak.
The wide range of power allowed by (Continued on page 128)
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the sidecar capacity rule means that there is a wide variety of engine power available in different forms. One of the most popular is the 750 BSA Twin, but the four-cylinder 998cc and 875cc Imp automobile engines are becoming more used and present quite a threat to the more conventional bike engines. Indeed, there is a school of thought advocating that sidecar racers should only be allowed to use bike engines to power their outfits.
It was the 998 Imp powered outfit of Peter Hardy that nearly caused an upset in the sidecar final, for he battled strongly for the lead with Roy Hanks (BSA). Hanks eventually fought through to win and show that he is not going to surrender the title he won in 1972 without one helluva struggle. Hanks could well go on to win the sidecar class for the second year in succession, but both Barnett and Scivyer, who have won British titles in the past, will find the going much tougher in the ensuing rounds of the championships.
LUMMEN OPENER
Belgians like motocross, so the first big meeting of each new season is always well-attended both by the public and the top motocross men. The first meet that mattered went to Lummen. The lineup sounded like a world championship round with DeCoster, Aberg, Velthoven, Mikkola, Kring, Bauer, Jonsson, Robert and Geboers among the entrants.
But the surprise of the day came from Finnish rider Kalevi Vehkonen on a 360cc Montesa, for he won his heat and then led the final from Aberg and DeCoster until the barrel said goodbye to the crankcase and he was sidelined.
With Vehkonen out of the running, DeCoster (Suzuki) took over the lead and went on to win from former world champ Aberg, riding a reed valve Husqvarna. Then came Bauer (Maico) in 3rd place ahead of Velthoven (Yamaha) and Hansen (Kawasaki) to make it five different machines in the first five to finish.
To get to the final, riders had to qualify in a heat. For those unlucky enough not to finish in their heat there was a second chance to get to the final by riding in a non-finishers heat. One such qualifier was Ake Jonsson, now mounted on a Yamaha, but he did not have a very impressive ride, as he was 10th in the final.
The first heat saw Jim Pomeroy, from Washington, on his 400cc Bultaco riding really well in the muddy conditions that were brought about by a (Continued on page 130) snow storm during the morning. He finished in 6th place but was not placed in the final.
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TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Members of the Bultaco factory trials team, Martin Lampkin and Malcolm Rathmell, partners in a coal merchants business in Yorkshire, have jointly assumed the mantle of the greatest of all International trials riders, Sammy Miller.
At the end of 1972, Malcolm took the British Trials Championship crown from Gordon Farley of Montesa, and now Martin is poised to rid Mick An drews of his European Crown. Malcolm rides the 250, while Martin prefers the bigger 325, and although they are great friends, there is intense rivalry when the trials start. Andrews has been an Euro pean ace for the past two years, riding a 250cc Ossa, and he used the same machine for the opening events this year. But on March 1st he switched to Yamaha, and he will develop the new machine while trying to retain his title. Much work has already been done, but Mick has not fully recovered from a high speed crash in the U.S. last year when he received severe shoulder inju ries, and he now faces an uphill struggle to keep a grip on the coveted European title, which may well become a fully fledged World Chamnionshit, in 1974.
The 1973 series started in Northern Ireland at Newtonards, just a few miles away from the bombs and riots of Belfast. A 5-mile course covered no less than six times, with 20 sections on each (Continued on page 134) lap, demanded complete concentratio^^ and absolute physical fitness. There was a sprinkling of snow over the course, and a tight time schedule added to the problems.
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Lampkin was in brilliant form and not only shattered the opposition by his performance in the observed sections, but also contrived to finish the course well ahead of his 100 rivals. There was no doubt about his victory, for his loss of 36 marks was 15 fewer than Rob Edwards (250 Montesa).
Andrews finished 4th, but a week later in Belgium, just three days before his Ossa contract expired, Mick could do no better than finish in 6th place, hardly the performance of a champion. Rathmell had his revenge on his teammate and snatched victory by just one mark, but the two were hard presse^ throughout by Belgian Joan-Marie Lejeune (250 Montesa). Again the trial was held in snow and ice, which suited only the Scandinavian contingent.
Trucks, cars and trailers then headed south for 1000 miles for Spain and the next round held in the rocky hills north of Barcelona. With Spanish factories now dominating trials machine manufacture, each competitor headed for his appropriate “master”-Ossa, Bultaco or Montesa. Andrews went to Ossa, but only to return the machine which had taken him to two European Championships and three Scottish Six Days wins.
He now unveiled his 250 Yamaha trials prototype. Mick emphasized the experimental nature of his machine, but he was determined to do well in Spain and was hoping for a successful debut. For^ more than five years Mick had enjoyed^ hero worship from the enthusiastic Spaniards, but now he had deserted his friends and there was a frosty reception for him when he arrived at Tarrasa for the start of the trial. Carburetion troubles plagued him throughout the day, but Mick was bothered even more by thousands of jeering Spaniards who howled abuse at him throughout the trial. Stones were also thrown and whenever Mick struck trouble a derisive chant of “Ossa, Ossa, Ossa” was shouted at him. Try as he might there was to be no fairy tale debut, and at the end of the day he was placed 14th. Mick expressed satisfaction with the bike, but disgust with the people whom he had come to regard as his friends.
Where Andrews was abused, Lampkin was cheered, as he quickly becam the new favorite. Martin led in the earl, stages until Rob Shepherd took charge on his Montesa. The boulders soon had Shepherd in trouble and Lampkin was (Continued on page 138) back in front as the first lap ended, but his lead was only three marks. Behind the two Britons were Yrjo Vesterinen of Finland, and Walter Luft of Austria, who was riding the only Puch in the trial.
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In 6th place after one lap was Ignacio, eldest son of Francisco Bulto, head of the Bultaco factory. Pursued everywhere by father and sister riding 250cc Sherpas, Ignacio was spurred to greater efforts on his second 30-mile lap. Although Lampkin and Shepherd remained unapproachable, Ignacio hauled himself into 3rd place ahead of French star Charles Coutard (325cc Bultaco). Luft came home 5th despite damaging his clutch when a high speed fall smashed the brake pedal into the light alloy housing. There was another surprise behind 6th place Rathmell, for Francisco Paya made the best performance on an Ossa and helped to redeem the loss of Andrews from the factory. After the snows of the first two events, the Spanish trial was held in brilliant sunshine but the rugged day had been spoiled by the hostility directed at Andrews, who stayed away from the prize giving ceremonies.
A 10-strong American team fiew to Spain and found themselves riding in their toughest ever trial, but they acquitted themselves well despite the severity of the course. Joe Guglumelli from Washington, D.C., took his Ossa into 37th place with a loss of 126 marks. Joe’s dashing style earned mixed success on the vicious rocks but his performance was well ahead of second best American, Narland Whaley from San Diego, who took 55th place with 154 penalties. Narland set a new record in International trials when he revealed his age as only 14, three years younger
