Z
Fun in the sun
THE 1974 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
#182
SIVE AMERICAN U L C X E LO G N A E TH
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Everyone is equal HONDA 125 SERIES
E D THORY A E R L ST FUL THE FORST TIME FIR
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T THE ELDEE VELOCETTE
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CLASSIC RACER MACHINES _040
Eldee Velocette
_050
Moto Martin Suzuki
_022 Phil Wain tells the story of the Honda 125 Series and explains how its legacy lives on today.
A mechanical marvel
A French fancy
CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE _022
The Honda 125 Series
_030
The Anglo-American match races
Packed grids and great racing
Transatlantic racing
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1974 Italian Grand Prix Jan Burgers reflects
CLASSIC RACER SPORT _066 The Classic TT
_030 The Anglo-American match races introduced the Americans to Europe. Bruce Cox explains.
_076 CRMC Donington _080 Mallory Bonanza _084 CRMC Snetterton _088 Jurby Festival ON THE COVER Dick Mann leadss the USA team in the first-ever n Anglo-American match races.
__040 Chris Swallow, a young man brought up around Velocettes tells the story of one with a difference.
November/December 2016 Issue 182 EDITOR
Malc Wheeler mwheeler@mortons.co.uk Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk
PUBLISHER
CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE Alan Cathcart, Julie Wheeler, Graham Lawlor, Jan Burgers, Russ Lee, Frank Weeink, Barry Clay, Phil Wain, Chris Swallow, Bruce Cox, and John Watterson. PRODUCTION EDITORS SarahWilkinson, Sarah Palmer SENIOR DESIGNER Kelvin Clements DESIGNERS Michael Baumber, Libby Fincham PICTURE DESK Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield
_050 Alan Cathcart tests a French Superbike still making a name for itself down
under.
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_060 Jan Burgers reflects on the Italian Grand Prix season of 1974.
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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_066 John Watterson brings us all the action from the Classic TT, both on and off
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CLA LASSIC A RA RACER A PEOPLE Photographs: Mortons Archive and Russ Lee
A level playing field At the beginning of the 1977 road racing season, an all new championship was added to the road racing calendar – the Honda 125cc series. Phil Wain reflects on a game changer.
Mez Mellor, 5, leads a talented field away.
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T
he series was designed to produce close racing on an equal playing field, Honda wanted to get involved in the 125cc scene and spent a lot of money thrusting their 125 series into the limelight. The UK press, and public, were slow to respond but it’s fair to say they were both completely won over by season’s end. The chosen bike was the single cylinder two-stroke MT125R2, which Racing Services Corporation had developed from their 125cc
motocross engine. The air-cooled engine had an output of 26bhp at 10,750rpm, and weighed just 55lb. Honda UK purchased 45 of the machines and, in conjunction with Motor Circuit Developments, (MCD) an eightround series was launched. With 35 bikes on the grid, all of them supplied through dealer/entrants, the series came with a £10,000 prize fund, which, at the time, was one of the biggest in racing. The whole idea was that identical bikes would
take to the grid with all the riders in with a chance of winning. However, it didn’t come without controversy as although the 125cc scene in England wasn’t all that healthy, riders who owned a Morbidelli, Yamaha or Maico found that they couldn’t compete. They were understandably upset as they could now only contest club races. Even before the series started at Oulton Park in April, people were said to be cheating!
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CLA LASSIC A RA RACER A MACHINES
Eagle-eyed observers visiting the Honda museum in Motegi, Japan, will notice soon after paying their yen there is a racing motorcycle devoid of the familiar winged Honda vector. The emblem is distinctly Italian and proudly informs that you are ogling over an ‘FB MÒNDIAL’: made 1957, Milan, by the Counts Boselli (‘FB’ being Fratelli Boselli or Boselli Brothers) and their firm Mondial. Words and photographs Chris Swallow
TT course veteran Bill Swallow presses on aboard the Eldee Velocettte.
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CLASSIC RACER EVENT
THE CLASSIC TT
ISLE
OF
John McGuinness won his first Classic TT after four years of trying, the day after he had his maiden fall on the Mountain Course.
Words: John Watterson Photographs: John Watterson, Peter Faragher, Louis Porter, Richard Radcliffe and Mike Quayle.
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MAN August 27-29
Words: Graham Lawlor Photographs: Russell Lee
CLASSIC RACER EVENT
CRMC
Donington Classic Festival August 5-7, 2016
T
his is the fourth consecutive year in which the CRMC has taken part in Donington Park’s Classic Motorcycle Festival and with the weather behaving impeccably the crowds flocked to the East Midlands circuit to enjoy what has become one of Europe’s biggest celebrations of motorcycling. With massive display areas, big parades, and star names including guest of honour Steve Baker, Jim Redman, Steve Parrish, Sammy Miller, Stan Woods, Charlie Williams and Chas Mortimer, the thread running through the three days was the CRMC’s 49-race programme, with nearly every race fully or over subscribed.
Top: Unstoppable! George Hogton-Rusling (Suzuki XR69 1300) blitzed his way to the top step of the Wheatcroft podium, collecting the superb trophy and £500 of Classic Racer’s overall £1000 prize fund.
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Above: The Wheatcroft podium. Donington Park managing director Christopher Tate and Classic Racer editor Malc Wheeler flank the top three. L to R, Alex Sinclair (second, Luigi Moto Ducati), winner George Hogton-Rusling (Hercberg XR69) and Ant Hart (third, Harris TZ350).
CLASSIC RACER EVENT
MALLORY BIKE BONANZA July 30-31
Mallory Park’s popular Bike Bonanza ran over the weekend of July 30-31 and attracted a line-up of stars past and present and it produced some great on-track action. Barry Clay went along and shares some of the highlights. 1
1 & 2: A prolific provider of great machinery, John Chapman put out Garry Dickinson on his RS250 Honda and Mick Grant on the RS500 triple from his extensive stable. 3: Current sidecar World Champions Tom and Ben Birchall enjoyed the experience of the classic BMW outfit. 4: The Mallory Bonanza hosted a round of the ICGP championship and provided some good racing, illustrated here by Guy Bertin on his Kawasaki 250. 5: Ron Chandler had the misfortune to be knocked off his immaculate Rob North Triple sending him to hospital with a nasty leg injury. 6: What a line-up of experience, left to right, Tommy Robb, Alex George and Jim Curry. 7: Steve Leadsum gave the ex-Dave Potter TZ750 a canter. 8: Les Whiston, testing his own product, a Rob North BSA Rocket 3. 9: Another from the John Chapman stable, his beautiful Italian-made MV3.
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CLASSIC RACER EVENT
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CRMC SNETTERTON AUGUST 27/28, 2016
Graham Lawlor was at a sunny Snetterton to report on all the action at the CRMC’s penultimate 2016 meeting. With regular photographer Russ Lee over on the Isle of Man, Pete Morris (PJM Motorsport Photography) stepped in to take the pics. Words: Graham Lawlor Photographs: Pete Morris.
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1. The Open Class post-classic 125s were hugely entertaining all weekend, with 17-year-old Aiden Greenshields (24, Honda RS125) grabbing his first two CRMC wins and Saturday’s Rider of the Day award. 2. Ant Hart (TZ350) celebrates his victory in the Hercberg International Classic Race of Aces, flanked by second-place man Gary Thwaites (left, Weslake Titchmarsh 750) and Carl Adams (Kawasaki 1170). 3. You don’t see many of these! James Walker delighted the crowds by turning out on this incredibly rare 1967 Ex-Works Jawa 350 two-stroke four. Riding it just the way it was intended, he grabbed a pair of second places behind Richard Molnar (T3 Molnar Manx) in Sunday’s European 350 class races.
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CLASSIC RACER EVENT
JURBY FESTIVAL OF MOTORCYCLING Despite a fairly typical Manx weather forecast, which thankfully proved to be wrong, you could barely have squeezed another person into the Jurby race circuit for the Isle of Man Section Festival of Motorcycling. With one of the leading members of the organising team, Tony East, still in hospital after his major motorcycle accident, which left him with both legs badly broken, the rest of the team went that extra mile and put on yet another spectacular event, which was very well supported by TT and Manx Grand Prix stars. Words: Malc Wheeler and Russ Lee Photographs: Russ Lee
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1. The man synonymous with BMWs on the Isle of Man, Seventies legend Helmut Dähne 2. Original Classic TT winner, Dave Roper, gives Peter Williams’ Arter Matchless a run 3. Freddie Spencer and Graeme Crosby, two of the nicest guys you would ever wish to meet. 4. Dave Molyneux & Dan Sayle give the old TZ750 Yamaha outfit a blast among the solos 5. Freddie Spencer on the 500 Honda Twin 6. BMW legend Helmut Dähne
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