ALANCARTER ALAN
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Part two
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WHAT’SINSIDE 006 Classic Racer Archive Three great images from moments in time when the racing was pure and those who did it took no prisoners. These photos come directly from the Morton’s Media Archive and you can buy your own copies of any image in there – details are throughout this very magazine. Check it out.
012 Readers Write Another passage of time has passed us by and the Classic Racer postbag once again bulges with missives from the masses about all things racing and classic. A fine combination.
044 Tangerine Dream: The Roy Hanks story Sidecars aren’t the easiest of things to get going well. The Hanks clan could do it on three wheels and two. It’s a dynastic tale that has long needed to be told.
052 The first Ducati 350 It was the creation of a Californian road race champion and it showed Ducati and the racing world just what happens if you give the Italian metal some extra size, which, in the 1960s, was something of a novel idea. Frank Scurria saw the potential…
015 Paddock Gossip Malc’s been out and about and buried deep in conversation with many like minds for another slice of racing life from the four corners (plus that grubby bit by the bins) of the paddock. Here’s what he found out.
020 Line Art: Mr Schwantz’s GSX-R750 Seldom will you see a more perfect example of lines that cause an emotion in men and women of a certain age. This particular motorcycle was just made to be remembered.
026 Mick Doohan: In his own words So Mick Doohan was a great rider but not much of a racing motorcycle developer right? Wrong. Mick was the complete racing package, which is why he stood on top of the pile for so long. The five-times 500GP World Champion explains how he did what he did on some of the meanest motorcycles on Earth.
036 Hailwood’s BSA-3 An up close and personal look at the 1971 motorcycle that was instrumental in the rise of Hailwood. Mechanical prettiness laid large for all to see.
060 Alan Carter’s book: Part two More from the monumental book about Alan Carter’s life on and off track at a time long lost to history. When a young Carter was tagged ‘The Next Barry Sheene’ it was either going to go well or go bust. Read this.
066 The 1975 Dutch TT Significant for one reason above all else – the1975 Dutch TT at Assen was the first time a Sheene, B had stood on top of the podium in the 500cc class. Jan Burgers tells the story.
072 Radar: Wrenching for the best Dave ‘Radar’ Cullen is the man whose face you almost certainly recognise, even if you have no idea who he is. His story though, now THAT really is a recollection full of the glory days.
078 The 25th Anniversary Phillip Island Classic Our man Hamish headed out to the ‘other’ Island to take in the sights, smells and sounds of a quarter of a century of classic fun Down Under. Lucky sod.
ISSUE190 MARCH/APRIL2018 EDITOR Tony Carter jclements@mortons.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Paul Deacon
PUBLISHER Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk
CIRCULATION MANAGER Steven O’Hara
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Malc Wheeler, Mick Ofield, Alan Cathcart, Stu Barker, Don Morley, Kel Edge, Pete Crawford, Bruce Cox, Alan Carter, Jan Burgers, Norm DeWitt, Hamish Cooper, Phil Aynsely, Russ Lee, Graham Lawlor.
MARKETING MANAGER Charlotte Park
PRODUCTION EDITOR Sarah Wilkinson SENIOR DESIGNER Kelvin Clements DESIGNERS Michael Baumber Libby Fincham PICTURE DESK Paul Fincham Jonathan Schofield DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Billy Manning ADVERTISING Leon Currie 01507 529413 lcurrie@mortons.co.uk
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
Kieron Deekens 01507 529576 kdeekens@mortons.co.uk
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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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Photo by: Mortons Media Archive YEAR: 1954 (CR THINKS)//CORNER: QUARRY CORNER//HOT AND DUSTY IT MIGHT BE EARLY ON, BUT THOSE IN FRONT IN RHODESIA ARE GETTING ALL THE BENEFITS. THOSE BEHIND ARE STRUGGLING A BIT IN COMPARISON. IT’S not the most pristine of circuits, granted, but the old racing maxim ‘it’s the same for everybody’ has never been more true. The results of the race have been lost to the sands of time (unless you can help us out and you know who graced the podium) but what we do know from the CR archive is that Jannie Stander leads B Ferreira and G MacArthur. Our sage photographer from the event has left a nice note with this image. It says: “This is the first lap of the race. The control tower on the hilltop enjoys a view of all of the track. The dust that’s visible in the photograph wasn’t too bad and didn’t really spoil the rider’s view.” Try telling that to number 112. You can’t see number 112? Exactly.
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CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
YEAR: 1973//TRACK: SILVERSTONE//CORNER: CLUB//WHEN RACING MEN COULD COME IN A MORE SOLID SIZE THAN THE MODERN RACING WHIPPETS, WOULD YOU REALLY WANT TO MESS WITH EITHER TONY JEFFERIES (32) OR DAVE CROCKFORD (22)? NO, US NEITHER. THIS was when men were men and racing wasn’t the preserve of the delicate or the fearful.Tony Jefferies picks his line on the 350ccYamaha with precision while Dave Crockford uses more of the track (naturally so) to hustle the 750 Norton around behindTJ. Look at the faces. Not a smile among them. Racing is a serious business when you’re on the throttle. Save the light stuff for a beer or two in the paddock later.
Photo by: Nick Nicholls/Mortons Media Archive
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CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
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Photo: Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive
YEAR: 1976//TRACK: MALLORY//CORNER: PITLANE//EDDIE DOW GRABS SHEENE AND ROBERTS FOR A NATTER. You can ask a lot of modern motorcycle racers these days, but you don’t get the top guys in the world coming together for a chat with each other in between races at Mallory Park. Here, a different time, a different era where Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts play up their respective roles to the delight of the huge crowd listening in Leicestershire. Eddie Dow, so long the voice of racing for thousands each weekend, listens intently as Sheene explains something that Kenny (we can only assume, judging by the facial expression) doesn’t entirely agree with.
Classic Racer, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR.
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If you want to get in touch… Then please do. We read every letter, email and comment sent to us and we enjoy hearing from you. If you’ve an event coming up, a motorcycle you own or just want to let us know about something you find interesting in Classic Racer’s world.
IN MEMORY OF TED BROAD Dear CR My great friend and sponsor Mr E R J (Ted) Broad recently passed away (October 17, 2017, funeral November 10). He made my life and times far greater than I could ever imagine. He sponsored many riders including Geoff Tanner, Dave Chester, myself, Charlie Mortimer, Barry Ditchburn and Dave Potter; also an Anglo American Match Race. When Dave Potter was killed in 1981 Ted was so affected by this loss that he gave up motorcycling. But we should never forget the part he played and pleasure he gave to so many. For sure Ted, I will miss you as long as I live, and your memories linger on forever. Ted, thanks for everything. Reg Everett Email
GINGER MOLLOY AND THE LASZLO SZABO Memo on Ginger Molloy. Nice story on Ginger in the last issue, remembering his long and successful career with the ‘continental circus’! As it is with a lot of personal remembering dating far into history, the sight on facts has turned to the very optimistic side, as it is with his leading position at the German GP 1971. He led from Phil Read in the midst of the race just along the straight from the last corner to the first corner, before ignition-problems took him out. But I’m looking to his short ride for MZ. The photo showing him beside a 125 MZ is definitely not at the Sachsenring 1969. The year is 1965 and the location is probably Brünn. The shown MZ is the private built bike of Laszlo Szabo on which he competed in that year after his contract with MZ had ended after 1964. The rolling chassis is an old one from about 1960 and the man working at the bike is Szabo’s long time mechanic Zsigmond Szöllösi. Malloy’s ride on MZ came at Sachsenring 1966, after works rider Derek Woodmann had suffered a broken pelvis at Spa, riding his private 500 Matchless-Metisse and crashing in
STAR LETTER PRIZE
the rain. Molloy had come to the Sachsenring with his 125/250 Bultacos, and there he was offered to ride the 125/250 works-MZ of Woodmann. As he had no contract with Bultaco, he was free to take that offer and he qualified in both classes with the MZ. Unfortunately he crashed the 125 MZ during the first lap of the race, injured himself and thus was not able to start with the 250 MZ. The enclosed photo shows him with the 125 MZ practising at the Sachsenring. This was his one and only ride for the East German factory, though with his two-stroke knowledge he might have been first choice for them. Best wishes Manfred Woll Email Hello Manfred, I am very sorry for the error and thnk you very much for putting me right on the Laszlo Szabo bike. It’s another fascinating part to the Molloy story that I’m delighted we could put right on these pages. TC
Remember to keep sending in your letters. We want to hear your stories and find out what you think of the magazine. Each issue we’ll pick a star letter, the writer of which will win a superb package courtesy of Duke Video!
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CRACKING READ Dear CR The latest issue of the magazine is a cracking read full of interesting articles, stories and letters. For the die-hard true classic era fans you have the Benedicto Caldarella, Ginger Molloy and Dick Klamfoth stories. All excellent reads. Then for the post-classic fans you have the Clive Horton, Aaron Slight and Alan Carter stories with excellent articles about Steve Hislop, Suzuki Katana and Yamaha OW60 family line. I always enjoy the photography of Jan Burgers, like his latest 1975 Italian Grand Prix piece. In the letters section I thought the reply by Mick Chatterton to a previous letter about the TT was one of the most interesting and informative letters ever published in that forum. The letter from Derek Palmer about the G50 Metisse took me back to that great Tom Kirby period and Alan Barnett who was one of my favourite riders mounted on those immaculate Kirby machines. Terry Birch Bulwell