Classic Racer - January 2021 - Preview

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GARY NIXON

Yamaha’s R6 1990s Supersporrt contender ridden n!

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SLICK SUZUKIS! ZUKIS! Barry Sheene’s heene’s X XR R45 R and nd K Kevin Schwantz’s XR84 B arry S 45 a evin S chwantz’s X R84 rridden! idden!

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WHAT’SINSIDE 006 Archive

This issue we look at Mick Doohan’s 1986 racers and Triumph’s return to racing in the Noughties – they’re coming back in 2021. And, we ask – were you up a tree at Oulton Park in April 1976?

012 Crossword

Our regular crossword is another mix of classic racing clues with the carrot on a stick being the chance to win a Weise Outlaw Jacket!

Go for it!

014 Readers write

Eagle-eyed readers spot a racing legend in one of our pictures! And our Hailwood feature ruffled a few feathers, too.

016 Paddock Gossip

Fabrizio Pirovano replica makes money for charity, shows change dates and you can win a racing legend’s bike for a tenner!

022 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

In these traumatic times, the best way to buy your favourite racing magazine is to SUBSCRIBE! Not only do you get it delivered to your door BEFORE it hits the shelves, you won’t need to venture out of your shed/garage so you get more ‘you’ time with the bike/s.

024 Brian Steenson

A racer who was taken from us far too soon: Brian Steenson is looked at in this ‘whatever happened to?’

026 Yamaha YZF-R6

044 Two Brothers Racing

Back in 1999, Yamaha developed a supersport machine like no other: the track focused R6. In 2021 it effectively disappears from Yamaha’s range.

Here’s Alan Cathcart’s ride on the World Supersport contender.

A family affair part two. Losing their parents just days apart, Chrysalis Racing carried on racing. They would win an emotion-filled Singles TT in 2000 and race in superstock, but more love, laughs and tragedy was to come.

036 Gary Nixon

052 Iconic Metal: Gilera 500/4

‘Tougher than a bank vault door’ said Paul Smart of his team-mate Gary Nixon. Bold, brash and full of talent and charisma, read part one of this amazing story.

042 Line Art: 1967 Velocette Thruxton

Enjoy the beauty of the Thruxton over two pages.

This legendary machine may have appeared dated and been derived from older models, but what machines! A stock Venom once averaged over 100mph for 24-hours back in 1961.

MAIN COVER IMAGE: Joe Dick, courtesy of Suzuki GB. THANKS AGAIN THIS MONTH TO: Don Morley for the many images in various features. And the following: Double Red (James Wright and Sue Ward), Pete Morris (with Graham Lawlor), Ronnie Weir, Lenny Hartley and Kel Edge. Not forgetting our brilliant archivist Jane Skayman!

Beautiful and long-lived, the Gilera 500/4 raced from 1948 through to the end of 1966 taking six rider and six constructor’s championships along the way. Enjoy this photographic record of one legendary machine.

ISSUE207 JANUARY/FEBRUARY2021 ACTING EDITOR Bertie Simmonds bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk PUBLISHER Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Neil Morris, Stuart Barker, Gary D Chapman, Alan Cathcart, Phil Aynsley, Jeff Ware, James Robinson, Mick Ofield, Fred Pidcock, Pete Morris PRODUCTION EDITOR Sarah Wilkinson DESIGNERS Michael Baumber, Charlotte Fairman DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Tom Lee ADVERTISING Kieron Deekens 01507 529413 kdeekens@mortons.co.uk

060 Yamaha Pro-Am

Back in the early 1980s, there was one race series that was like no other. Hooligans on two wheels, the Pro-Am threw together the brightest future stars up against seasoned racers and all hell broke loose!

066 Yamaha R6 Cup

The second in our ‘one-make madness’ features this issue, we look at the R6 Cup. MotoGP retiree Cal Crutchlow made his name in the series that aimed to find the stars of the future. They succeeded! Another champ – Tommy Hill – eventually became the BSB champion.

072 Darlings of Darley

It’s nice to look back on some action from 2020 – as there wasn’t much of it! All we can do is hope that 2021 is better and that we see more from the CRMC next year. Fingers crossed!

076 Mountain Men

Two events late in the summer are recalled in Classic Racer pages this issue. We hope to bring you more from Oliver’s Mount and the legendary Scarborough race circuit in 2021.

080 I dream of Sheenie

Stuart Barker is a lucky man. From drawing pictures of Barry Sheene’s XR45 when bored at school he’s only gone and got himself a ride on it… Oh, and he’s even allowed a pop on Kevin Schwantz’s XR84 from 1994, too. The git.

SALES AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Carl Smith MARKETING MANAGER Charlotte Park PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Dan Savage COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Nigel Hole EDITORIAL ADDRESS Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR UK WEBSITE www.classicracer.com GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES 01507 529529 24hr answerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTION Full subscription rates (but see page 22 for offer): (12 months, six issues, inc post and packing) – UK £27. Export rates are also available – see www.classicmagazines.co.uk for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value AddedTax. DISTRIBUTION Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP USA SUBSCRIPTIONS

CLASSIC RACER (USPS:706-150) is published bi-monthly

by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $30 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC RACER, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@ classicbikebooks.com Printed by William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton ISSN No 1470-4463 © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

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Mighty Mick!

Photo: Courtesy of the Mick Doohan Archive/Mat Oxley.

// YEAR: 1986 // LOCATION: SURFER’S PARADISE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY In the mid-1980s Mick Doohan’s race career was raising a few eyebrows.The young Aussie hooked up with Jon MacGillvray who owned a Yamaha RZV500 that he ended up putting Mick on.The two would become firm friends and Jon would later become Mick’s manager.

In 1985 they had a great idea: paint the bike in camouflage, make Mick ride in leathers with camo overalls on (‘I’d puff up

like the Michelin man,’ he’d say) and erect a military-style tent where the team could hang out and enjoy some beers with a barbecue –Team Camo was born!

A year later the camo was gone and instead the team got some backing and became ‘GaythorneYamaha’, now complete with an RZ250 where they would enter whatever races they could – including the Surfers 3-Hour endurance race.

In Mat Oxley’s superb biography: Mick Doohan – Thunder from Down Under, Mick talks about his riding style on the proddie RZs: “I’d get the thing sliding with the momentum, then have it bouncing around. All the top guys were passing me on the straights and I’d be passing them back in the turns. I was leaving black lines, hanging it out.” Michael Dowson – a handy Aussie racer himself of

the time recalls: “Even on the RZ250 he had this crazy style he’d got from dirt riding – all the emphasis on the front. He just let the rear look after itself!”

Mick was on his way: he’d win two rounds of the World Superbike championship in 1988 for his MarlboroYamaha team and be snapped up by the Rothmans Honda team for 500cc Grand Prix duty for 1989.The rest, as they say, is history…

ClassicRacer 7

CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE

8 ClassicRacer

Tree huggers! // DATE: APRIL 19, 1976 // LOCATION: OULTON PARK Now here’s an evocative image of the John Player-backedTransatlanticTrophy series from the Easter weekend of 1976.

It was the traditional clash between the Americans (and sometimes the odd Canadian or two) versus the Brits, and the events had been held since 1971.

In that first year the riders were on Triumph/BSA three-cylinder machines and the British riders – including a certain Paul Smart – won by 183 points to 137.The American team would not have an overall series win until 1975, when the USA’s line-up was a formidable one, featuring Dave Aldana, Steve

Baker, Kenny Roberts (who made his debut in front of a British crowd at the 1974 event), Gene Romero and Pat Hennen.The British team included PercyTait, Stanley Woods and Mick Grant.TheYanks won by 278 to 243 points.

This 1976 shot from Oulton Park on the Bank Holiday Monday shows Hennen (40) leading Stevie Baker (32), with the likes of Roberts (2), Barry Sheene (7) and Gary Nixon (9) in hot pursuit.

After the first event at Brands Hatch that spring, the US team led by 15 points as they went to Mallory Park for Easter Sunday’s

clash. But by the time they arrived at Oulton Park, the tables had been turned and the Brits led by a slender five-point margin. Eventually it would be a home win for the British team, 415 versus 384 points – thanks in many ways to the debut of a young Ron Haslam who took a second place finish – but the warnings were there as both top individual scorers were Yanks: Steve Baker and Kenny Roberts.

We love this shot as – if you look closely – you can see some very adventurous fans who have climbed the nearby trees to get the best seats in the house… Were you one of them?

We’d love to know…

Photo: Mortons Archive.

ClassicRacer 9

CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE

Triumphant return!

Photograph: Mortons Archive

// DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2003 // LOCATION: CROFT After 30 years away,Triumph returned to British racing with a full-on tilt at the 2003 British Supersport championship.

Triumph teamed up with Jack Valentine, formerly of V&M Racing and the resulting ‘Triumph Valmoto’ team was a mix of youth and experience.

At the helm was Jack who had a wealth of experience in drag racing, British Supersport and Superbike as well as successes at the Isle of Man TT and other road-race events.

Riders were teak-tough Scot and former Supersport champ Jim Moodie and youngster Craig Jones, who later lost his life following a crash at Brands Hatch in 2008.

V&M Racing was formed back in 1982 between Jack and the late, great, Steve Mellor. When Jack stopped drag racing with V&M motors, they got into team management.Their engines dominated in the 1990s, winning Supersport 600 championships with Mike Edwards, Dave Heal, Jim Moodie and Ian Simpson.

They would also dominate the Supersport 400 class with the four-stroke 400ccYamaha FZRs. In 1994 the top six 400cc fourstrokes in that series were V&M powered…

For 2003, Jack got in touch with Triumph and they put together a Supersport 600 team with the Triumph Daytona 600. Success came at the Isle of ManTT when Bruce Anstey won the Junior race while in British Supersport the team netted a pole position and a single podium finish.

For 2004 the slimmed-down one rider team with Jones took the final (and dramatic) race win of the year at Donington Park, finishing the series in eighth overall.

Despite this success, the project came to a halt at the end of the season. Whatever, it was a great return for Hinckley Triumph.

Jones would go on to ride for the Foggy Petronas team and move into World Supersport.

Many believe he was going to go all the way: a future world champion in waiting.

ClassicRacer 11

WIN

Compiled by: Ben Rumbold, MotoXwords

11

#

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Want to be an outlaw? Not really, of course, but you can wear this Outlaw jacket. It features tough polyester construction, it’s breathable, windproof and waterproof. It features removable shoulder, elbow and back CE-approved armour and has adjustable collar and cuffs to make it fit snugly. So go on, have a crack at our crossword and see if you are the lucky winner!

Across 1 and 5: Structural design made successful by Peter Williams and last tried on Honda’s NR500 in GPs. (9,7) 8: Old-fashioned racing eyewear.

(7) 9: French oil makers with red branding. (5) 10: The top flight, the highest level. (5) 12: Tight right-hand hairpin on a classic circuit that leads to the amazing Eau Rouge section. (2,6) 13: Massive Japanese facility that hosted many late season World Superbike rounds. (4) 15: The shortest and usually fastest line through a corner. (6) 16: Heinz, Swiss 125cc podium man in the early 1990s, no relation toTom. (5) 19: Nickname for the flag that disqualifies a rider for technical safety reasons. (8) 21 and 14 Down: Garment of choice for Pierfrancesco Chili

when he confronted Carl Fogarty after a close race at Assen. (8,4) 24: Replacement for 8 across when helmet technology improved. (6) 25: Spanish petroleum-company that sponsored Sito Pons in his title-winning seasons. (6) 26: The first proper left-hand corner atThruxton, in front of the main spectator area. (4) 28: Engine technology most recently and famously used by Norton. (6) 29: Circuit section that goes left-then-right, or even right-thenleft! (5) 32: Massive ring circuit built by Fiat and used for speed testing by Ducati. (5) 33: Fortunately not seen recently, top GP riders last had one of these at Misano 1989, leaving Chili to take the win ahead of Simon Buckmaster. (7) 34 and 35: Turn-of-the-century

125cc World Champion, the last Italian to win that title on an Italian bike. (7,9)

Down 1: Element used for engine parts due to its massive strength-toweight ratio. (9) 2: Japanese Superbike star who tragically became the first fatality in the World Superbike series. (5) 3: This sort of faced helmet was needed for the use of 8 across. (4) 4: FrenchYamaha man who won 250 and 350 GPs in the early 80s.

(4,4) 5: The only Australian 250cc World Champ who is just as well known as a mentor to Kenny Roberts. (10) 6: Many of these are needed for a classic wheel design. (6) 7 and 22 Down: Italian 250 and 350cc GP winner who once took

a Jawa to 2nd in the 350 series behind Agostini. (6,9) 11: What a rider does with a throttle grip. (6) 14: See 21 Across.

17: Signor Gramigni, who mainly wore number 39 and won a 125cc world title. (10) 18: Lance, South African who competed in WSB & AMA racing in the late 1990s. (6) 20: Signor Gianola, rival and countryman to 17 across. (4) 22: See 7 Down 23: Famous downhill section that says: “Welcome to the Island – it’s fast!” (4,4) 26: Famous downhill Curves at a mainland British GP circuit… (6) 27: ... and a famous tyre-shaped landmark at the same place that has since been removed. (6) 30: Long-time Honda suspension suppliers. (5) 31: The kind of Bandit you would see on a green 1980s Suzuki! (5)

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