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GREATRACING MOTORCYCLES
1975’sSPA500GP Seized at 180mph!
ISSUE
classicracer.com m where legends live on...
#191
S D N O M DAVE SIM rld champion o w t rs fi s i’ k sa a atsu to Kaw From Itom to Toh
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OFFICIAL PARTNER
Part th
ree ALAN CARTER: ESS LIGHT IN THE DARKN
wson Cheating Rainey and La
HARLEYDAVIDSON
RR500 two-stroke
CHRISTIAN SARRON
In 1985 he reigned supreme
PLUS: JIMCURRY’SCR93//BEEBEEBSAHOWSCRAPMETALMERCHANTSTOOKONTHEWORLD //750CCWORLDCHAMPIONSHIP //
2 ClassicRacer
WHAT’SINSIDE 006 From the Archive More stunning photographs spanning the classic years of racing. From 22 to 50 years ago via an Italian/Swiss legendary master of the tiddlers.
008 Subscribe! Here’s how this great deal works. If you subscribe to Classic Racer you’ll get the magazines for less money than you pay in the shops, you get your issue a few days ahead of it arriving in the shops and you don’t even have to go out to the shops because it’s delivered directly to your door. Win, win, win – you could say.
014 Readers Write Your missives on the classic racing world over the past couple of months. Whatever’s on your mind, feel free to write it to a large audience.
017 Paddock Gossip Malcolm’s got his ear to the ground and brings you everything that’s relevant and what you need to know about the various corners of various paddocks amidst various locations.
tells the story of how it happened and who grabbed the bull by the horns.
051 Jim Curry’s CR93 Classic Racer’s Peter Parnham’s journey to get his hands on this lovely bit of racing kit took almost as long to complete as the work on the motorcycle itself. The end result is a great example of the breed.
056 The Beebees story How two scrap metal merchants decided to keep a foundation of racing going. Step one, get the machines – step two, go looking for riders. Peter Crawford tells the story.
062 Sarron: Sacre Bleu Christian Sarron was one of the big names in 500GP racing at a time when the giants of the sport reigned supreme. On a wet day in 1985 it all came together for the French man in typically Gallic style.
066 Alan Carter: Light in the Darkness Part 3
This issue’s fine example of the art is Mick Ofield’s wonderfully penned rendition of Mike Hailwood’s 1969 Seeley Mk.3. It’s simple, exquisite and worth taking your time over.
Our final instalment of the breathtaking book by Alan Carter. If you’ve not read the book by now, do yourself a favour and get hold of a copy. It’s one of the most honest, revealing, disturbing and enlightening motorcycle race books you’ll ever read. Details of how to get your own copy of the book are included with this article.
028 Stroke of genius
072 1975 Spa Grand Prix
The story of Harley-Davidson’s RR500. A short-lived but oh-sopromising two-stroke racing motorcycle that really was something of a technological pointer for other factories to launch from.
The ups and downs continued for Barry Sheene and a fair proportion of the grid at Spa. What started out as a race amongst equals turned into a war of attrition. Including a particularly hairy seize-up at 180mph!
036 Dave Simmonds and the Kawasaki story
078 Radar Part 2: On the roads
Dave was one of the greatest motorcycle racers that this country produced. A family man who was as liked off the bike as he was feared on it, he proved his worth at riding and wielding spanners to eventually give Kawasaki their first world crown. Bruce Cox explains Dave’s contributions and how they fit into the larger story of the Red Tank Racers.
The other part of his professional life saw Dave ‘Radar’ Cullen get out on the roads working for the likes of Crosby under the watchful eye (literally) of Pops Yoshimura.
024 Line Art
044 The 750 World Championship It was a sign of the times that as the new 750s started to emerge in the 1970s, so a series to contest them in should appear. Phil Wain
084 On Track And so with a bang, not a whimper, the year’s CRMC championship gets underway. Classic Racer’s Graham Lawlor and Russ Lee were on hand for the fun and games.
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ISSUE191 MAY/JUNE2018 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 Malcolm Wheeler, Don Morley, Alan Cathcart, Bruce Cox, Philip Wain, Peter Parnham, Peter Crawford, Frank Weeink, Mick Ofield, Alan Carter, Jan Burgers, Norm DeWitt, Graham Lawlor, Russ Lee
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
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CL LASSIC RACER (USPS:706-150) is published bi-monthly by y Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lin ncolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $30 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Ba ancroft 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 y Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@ cla assicbikebooks.com Printed by William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton ISS SN No 1470-4463 ©M 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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CORNER: PARLIAMENT SQUARE // YEAR: 1966 // TRACK: TT MOUNTAIN CIRCUIT // LUIGI TAVERI It’s fitting that we start our tour of the CR archive with this image of the now late Luigi Taveri. The year is 1966 and the Italian/ Swiss rider rounds Parliament Square on the tiny 50cc Honda twin. Stylish, fast and when he spoke, many listened. The three-times 125cc world champion will be widely missed. Grazie e arrivederci, Luigi.
Photo: Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive
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CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE Photo: Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive
CORNER: CASCADES // YEAR: 1968 // TRACK: OULTON PARK // WILLIAM DAVID IVY William David Ivy wasn’t a big man, physically – he stood just 5ft 3in tall – but his skill and sublime style on a motorcycle was hugely admired. A stalwart of fair play and sportsmanship, Ivy started out on a 50cc Itom, getting his racing underway at Brands Hatch in 1959. A mere eight years later he was crowned 1967 125cc world champion, winning eight out of 12 races in 1967 to beat Phil Read by 16 points. This photo, taken at Oulton Park on September 2, 1968, shows Ivy's neat style in full effect. Nothing wasted here in the pursuit of another fast lap.
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CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
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