Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
CARLO PERELLI
TWO GUZZIS FROM BENELLI
Benelli and Moto Guzzi boss Alejandro De Tomaso has decided that the 350cc sohc four-cylinder under development for about a year alongside a similar 500cc will be offered under the Moto Guzzi trademark, together with an improved version of the 250 two-stroke Twin.
These two new mounts under the Moto Guzzi eagle symbol are called the TS 250 and the GTS 350. The TS 250 differs from the Benelli 2C by having light alloy, chrome bored cylinders (instead of iron), somewhat “hotter” porting and 25mm carburetors instead of 22mm units.
The light alloy, chrome bored cylinders have lowered the weight of the bike, and this, coupled with more power (from 25 bhp at 6800 to 30 at 7400), has, of course, upped performance.
The new Moto Guzzi TS also features some esthetic improvements. De Tomaso intends it to be more sporty and of a higher class than its Pesaro manufactured counterpart.
The GTS 350 has an oversquare engine instead of a long stroke (50x44mm instead of 47x50mm) with a slightly inclined cylinder, and 38 bhp at 9500 rpm instead of 34 at the same rpm. It features less piston linear speed, better breathing and cooling and, of course, more performance.
The front wheel is fitted with a, classic four shoe, 180mm drum brake, but Alejandro has said that as soon as the national industry offers him a disc brake of superior performance, it will be fitted.
DUCATI SUPER SPORT 750
Ducati is going to market replicas of its 750 Twin, so successful in last year’s Imola 200 Miles with Smart and Spaggiari. A batch of 300 units has been planned for 1973.
Called “Super Sport” and featuring the famous desmo heads from the Bologna factory, the bike comes with a fiberglass head fairing and larger tank, this latter with transparent stripes on the sides to reveal the fuel level at a glance. Credited with 72 bhp at 9500 rpm with five-speed gearbox and a dry weight of only 396 lb. it is particularly suited for production racing. However, factory executives have stated that it will be fielded officially in two events only (Imola 200 Miles and Le Mans Bol d’Or), but a great deal of assistance will be given to purchasers. (Incidentally, this new racing policy, introduced by new director Ing. De Eccher, has led Ducati to scrap the water-cooled 350cc three-cylinder under development last year for GP racing.)
The Super Sport’s only difference from the Smart and Spaggiari mounts is a slightly lower valve lift, necessary for the silencers (mufflers), and, of course, all the roadster requirements (lights, horn, etc.); the oversquare engine (80x75) with 90 degree V cylinders is fed by two 40mm PHF Dellortos featuring booster pumps.
There is full disc braking, with two units at the front and one unit at the rear. Suspension is Marzocchi, wheels are light alloy Borrani and tires are Dunlop KR83, 4.10-18 front and KR84, 4.25-18 rear.
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A SHOCKING MODENA
Twelve time world champion Giacomo Agostini and his MVs got a shock at the traditional European season opener at Modena. In the 350, Ago, after a furious fight aboard the fourcylinder model, simply had to let Saarinen and his water-cooled Yamaha march triumphantly toward victory at record speeds. Not only that, but midway Ago was also left behind by Pasolini, fastest in practice, on the air-cooled Harley Davidson. So, he only managed a meager 3rd. And perhaps he would have lost this position as well if Walter Villa hadn’t crashed in the early stages while leading the MV super-star on his Benelli Four. Phil Read, astride the second MV Three (fitted with Italian made disc brakes), never was leading.
In the 500, Ago could play his usual winning role on the Three but only when Walter Villa, fastest in practice on the four-cylinder Benelli, retired during the 8th of 22 laps. Read, on the second MV Three in the race, could never support his teammate and had to be content to finish 2nd. Perhaps forecasting what was going to happen at Modena (and other future events), a few days before the European season opener MV had issued a press release stating that preparation of the 1973 racing bikes was far behind schedule owing to the metal-mechanic workers frequent strikes in the past four months and that they were even considering missing some races. But at Modena they were down in force as usual with three 350 Fours and three 500 Threes, all in tip-top condition for Ago and Read....
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Getting back to the 500 event, the debut of the new works Suzuki (accompanied by a team of Japanese mechanics) was not a lucky one. Mandracci dropped from 3rd to 6th position at the very last lap with combined clutchgearbox troubles while Findlay only managed a 7th place, owing to ignition troubles.
Fastest in practice on the HarleyDavidson and very close on Saarinen’s tail at the start of the 250 race, Pasolini crashed on the second lap at the same bend where he has had similar adventures in past years. He remounted to finish 3rd from a miserable 22nd position, but of course could do nothing more against the scintillating Saarinen and his Yamaha. In the closing stages the “Flying Finn,” just back from his Daytona success, even slowed his pace and let Walter Villa on another Yamaha close the gap. But it was just for show and he spared no effort in crossing the finishing line first, again at record speeds.
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The two smaller classes, 50 and 125, were both won by the new rotating disc, water-cooled Malanca ridden by Otello Buscherini.
World champion Angel Nieto, first time out on the renovated Morbidelli, suffered bad luck. He retired from the 50 with clutch troubles and from the 125 with brake problems. In the 50, he could do nothing against Buscherini, but in the 125 he pursued him hotly and recorded the fastest lap before calling it a day. Another unlucky Buscherini challenger was Charles Mortimer, sidelined with ignition troubles on his watercooled Yamaha.
HARD LIFE FOR AGO
The two other big events of the Italian season after Modena brought quite a bit more pain than joy to Agostini and the MV camp.
At Imola, under the rain and without Benelli, Saarinen again showed his supremacy in the 350. Much to Ago’s relief, however, Saarinen was sidelined by a slide. So Ago could trot on to win aboard the four-cylinder model while teammate Read, on a similar mount, was just beaten to the finishing line by Pasolini on the air-cooled Aermacchi Twin. In the 500, with his Three slightly off tune, Ago had to give best to Read.
At Misano, under the sun, without Saarinen but again with Benellis, there was a repeat of the historical Ago-Paso scraps in the 350. And, for the first time since Riccione in 1970, Paso beat Ago! This happened right in the last bend, after a race-long duel which made the crowd delirious! After the race Renzo reported that the MV Four showed superior acceleration but his Twin enjoyed a slight edge in top speed. Lap and distance speeds, all records, were the fastest of the day.
The reappearance of the four-cylinder Benelli was not a lucky one. Walter Villa had to retire in the early stages of the 350 event with magneto trouble while fighting with Ago and Paso. And again, Walter Villa disap peared with magneto trouble while actu ally leading Ago in the first part of the 500 race! So the MV super-star had the consolation of the 500 win where Man dracci, fastest in practice and serious contender for the final success, was relegated to 3rd berth, owing again to clutch troubles, like at Modena.
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In the other classes it was just about like Modena-the 250, Saarinen first at Imola and Walter Villa first at Misano, both on Yamahas and in both cases with Pasolino close 2nd, especially at Misano; 50 and 125, Buscherini-Malanca con tinue their domination, interrupted only by a retirement in the 1 25 at Imola with ignition troubles while largely leading. Bothered by mechanical troubles and still not accustomed to his new Morbi delli mounts, world champion Angel Nieto is surely not having a happy season so far. But there are so many and more important events to come....
NEW HOPIS ARE COMING
Felice Agostini, younger brother to Giacomo, is competing successfully with the Aspes Hopi MX mount and has intensely co-operated in producing the ISDT-type trial version, just on delivery here in Italy and also distributed in the U.S. through the Broncco company.
In the multitude of Italian models fitted with national and foreign pro prietary engines, the Hopi stands out for its own power unit. This has been designed, developed and is built by a small factory associated with Aspes and conducted by one of the most notable Italian two-stroke specialists, Ing. Con siglio. The name of this factory is therefore Asco (A Spes-COnsiglio) and has several interesting projects under way. Dynamism and ingenuity are, in fact, the keynotes of both firms.
The 125 Asco engine, built with excellent materials and machining as well as being hand-assembled, also fea tures extra wide head and cylinder finning, sturdiness of components, hori zontally split crankcase, well finned around the crankshaft chamber, light alloy cylinder with iron barrel and four large transfers, balancing light alloy in serts in the crankshaft flywheels, straight cut gear primary drive on the right, flywheel magneto on the opposite side, 29mm diameter concentric type Dellorto carburetor and five-speed gear box.
Bore and stroke of 54x54mm, com pression ratio 11: 1, and 20 bhp at 9000 rpm are the vital statistics of this engine. Unfortunately, the engine is not very flexible. The expansion chamber passes under the crankcase without the protection of a bash plate, and in taking off the rear wheel, the chain and sprocket come off as well. Also, there is no center stand.
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The frame is very strong and well executed and is fitted with Girling shocks at the rear and Aspes telehydraulic front forks. Aspes started over a year ago to build its own forks for perpetual scarcity of Cerianis and they have made a good product; in the future it’ll introduce an electron slider and clamp model to further reduce weight.
Wheels have Borrani light alloy rims and hubs with special steel flanges for the spoke attachment; tires are Pirelli, 2.50-21 front, 3.50 or 4.00-18 rear.
