Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B. R. NICHOLLS
TIME FOR A BREATHER as the half-way point in the season is reached and there is a four week gap for the 500cc moto-cross men and five weeks for the road race challengers. For the 250cc motocross title chasers the pressure is still on, or would be if the title had not already been decided. This contest has an early finish with the last round held in August. Interest now is purely academic with the Czech ace Vlastimil Valek (C.Z.) consolidating his second place, but the third berth looks like being in doubt right to the end of the season. The battle here lies between Grigoriev, Johansson, Pilar and Loof with only seven points between the four of them, and the Russian Grigoriev has shown such improved form this season he seems the most likely bet for third.
Whilst the 500cc moto-cross boys were fighting it out at Hawkstone Park in the British round of the championship, the road racers were battling it out in the Belgian Grand Prix, a full report of which appears elsewhere. But since that meeting Yamaha have decided to stick to their original plans and have gone home, despite Fumio Ito’s brilliant win in the 250cc class of that meeting. The irrepressible Fumio has always maintained that this year’s machines were only practice bikes and with an inscrutable smile would say “wait until next year.” It is an intriguing thought. Bert Schneider and Isao Morishita became the latest Suzuki teamsters to win a Grand Prix so if Perris wins the 125cc class of the Ulster it would leave Ichino as the only team man without a classic to his credit. Mike Hailwood’s 500cc win puts him at the front of the title chase with Phil Read’s Güera.
This blue riband scrap is going to be really hot from now on as Derek Minter, whose staggering recovery from a broken back has amazed his doctors, is already back in the saddle of the Güera and in practice at Monza is said to have broken the lap record. He will race again for the first time at Oulton Park in the British Championships. It will be no easy first outing for he is intent on being the first man to gain three 5()0cc titles on the trot, having won in 1961 and ’62. His opposition includes Hartle on another Güera, Read and Hailwood (Nortons) and Alan Shepherd (Matchless). A week later is the Ulster Grand Prix with Hailwood on the lone M.V. against the full Güera might oí Hartle, Minter and Read — it will be an interesting scrap and given good conditions, the lap record of 99.99 mph must go and the prospect of one at 103 mph is not impossible. With a competitor’s best five rides to count for the championship and five meetings to go, Minter still has an outside chance of the title but Hailwood must be favorite to retain his world crown. He will not defend it in 1964, however, for Mike has already made ambitious plans for car racing next year and there is little doubt he will excel on four wheels as he has on two. Proof of this
came recently in the British Grand Prix race when, driving a Lola, he finished eighth in his first ride outside the Formula Junior category.
Reverting to the Belgian Grand Prix, it was there that Florian Camathias threw away his chances of becoming world champion, for he shot away from the rest of the field and led by half a minute at the end of the second lap, having added four mph to his own lap record. But it was his undoing for he retired next time round and Deubel’s second place to Scheidegger meant the third title in a row for Deubel.
The sidecars this year had only six meetings and one of these, the French Grand Prix, was cancelled because of weather. There has been talk of adding a sidecar class to the Italian meeting to make up the number to six again but I cannot see how the F.I.M. could allow such a thing to happen, for the same could be said of the 250 class which was also cancelled at the French. No, there can be little doubt that Max Deubel’s win will be confirmed and with the most fantastic record of ten consecutive wins in the sidecar class, B.M.W. have something of which they may be justly proud. Just for the record it has been a German driver every time, as follows: 1954 Noll, 1955 Faust, 1956 Noll, 1957 Hillebrand, 1958-9 Schneider, 1960 Fath, 1961-63 Deubel.
Although there is a gap in the international classic calendar there are still plenty of smaller road race meetings taking place, the .most important of which was that held at Zolder in Belgium. This meeting marked the opening of a circuit made especially for racing, where previously it took place on dangerous, treelined roads. Solo star was Fred Stevens on his Nortons, whose riding over the past two seasons has shown a steady improvement that now makes him an ideal prospect for a works team — next year should see him as just that. Camathias was the sidecar winner from Scheidegger and Deubel, whilst the other solo star was Swiss Gyula Marsovsky, who chased Stevens home on his Matchless and set the absolute lap record at 85.42 mph. Also in the news are Suzuki teamsters Anderson and Perris; they are leaving a trail of broken lap and race records in the 50 and 125cc classes wherever they race.
Point of interest at Brands Hatch recently was a film being made for an American television company, to be screened in the Philadelphia area in the Sunday series Sports Spectacular. To give an idea of the circuit, this month’s “Top Man” Tommy Robb did a lap with the camera fixed to the handlebars. Other solo aces that some readers may be lucky enough to see on their screens are Perris, Anderson, Read, Dunphy and Redman, but their brilliant riding will be eclipsed by the fabulous drifting of Chris Vincent on his BSA in the sidecar events. •
