West German Grand Prix

WEST GERMAN GRAND PRIX

HEINZ-JURGEN SCHNEIDER

HONDA AND KREIDLER TOOK a beating and Camathias set a new sidecar record, all watched by over 120,000 spectators gathered at Hockenheim Ring near Heidelberg, Germany, during the running of the second event on the World “Classic” Grand Prix calendar.

Tarquinio Provini snatched another surprising victory on his 250cc, single-cylinder, overhead cam Morini, a repeat of his Spanish GP win two weeks earlier.

The incredible Gilera fours were back, managed by the immortal Geoff Duke, MZ brought a half-completed works team into a Western country and Werner Mal try tried his production racer-to-be, a 350cc twin made up of Motobi bits. American entries Charles Fairbrother (350cc AJS) and P. L. Schimpf with T.O. Shields (BSA sidecar) failed to qualify.

50cc RACE

Again the tiddlers received greatest at tention from the organizing Badischer Motor Sport Club who have won de served merit by bringing this class to In ternational importance since 1959. One time speed record holder on an NSU, Rennleiter W. Herz, lost support when he dropped the big bangers in favor of the 50cc class. Fastest man in practice, Hugh Anderson with 82 mph, led the 22 man field from the start, closely followed by his teammates Ernst Degner and Isao Morishita, all riding the new nine-speed Suzukis. The three of them battled furi ously for 7 of the 8 laps until Degner slowed down and Anderson passed Mori shita to win at an incredible 89 mph, only 0.6 seconds ahead of the second placer. Best Kreidler rider H. G. Anscheidt took a disappointing fourth place and Mitsuo Itoh's Suzuki was fifth. Neither Spain's Derbi, headed by substitute Dieter Ged lich, nor Dieter Kramer's very Zundapp looking "Eigenbau" were fast enough.

125cc RACE

Three Suzukis, under Degner, Canadian Frank Perris and Hugh Anderson, shared the front row of the 34 man field, with Luigi Taveri's and Robb's Hondas and Laslo Szabo's East German MZ, a watercooled model with air-cooled cylinder head (! Ed.). Senor Bulto himself man aged his Bultaco team under Grace and Gonzales, Austrian Bert Schneider was on a fourth Suzuki, while Takahashi and Redman completed the Honda team. Szabo's screamer was first off the line, followed by Anderson's Suzuki. During the first lap Degner forged ahead, never again to relinquish his lead and setting a new lap record of 105.6 mph for the 125cc class. Perris' gallant efforts to make up for a slow start kept the race from be coming a procession as did the scrap be tween Walter Scheimann on the first pri vate entry Honda and Mondial works rider Francesco Villa, which was decided in the very last curve for the German. Cunning Szabo out-accelerated the slip streaming Taveri on the last kilometer, taking a good third. England's Alan Shepherd beat Tommy Robb's Honda into 7th place, thus completing the beating Hondas had to take that day. Redman retired in lap 7.

250cc RACE

Silvio Grassetti on a Benelli four grabbed the lead at the start, Takahashi, Redman and Robb on Honda fours with wild Tarquinio Provini's amazing Morini in close pursuit. Laslo Szabo and Stani Malina on Jawas worked for 6th place. Poor Luigi Taveri could not talk his Honda into running on more than three of its four cylinders so he retired. Shepherd on the second-running MZ lost a lap in the pits, then tucked into the leader's slip-stream and sportingly joined the fight. After half the distance of the 20lap event Provini passed the remaining Honda riders, Takahashi having dropped it at the Ostkurve (East Curve), and gradually closed in on Grassetti's Benelli. Szabo crept up to Redman's Honda, overstraining his engine, and had to nurse it to even complete the distance. After having ridden a spectacular 120 mph lap, Provini reached the Benelli's slip-stream and passed the four on the. 17th lap. Sounding like a 125 twin, the Benelli gave in and allowed the Hondas a lucky 2nd and 3rd place, with the Benelli com ing in 4th; unfortunate indeed.

(Continued on Page 53)

continued

500cc SIDECAR RACE

Florian Camathias shot off of the line first with champion Max Deubel, both on BMW rigs, passing him in lap one only to be repassed on the next tour. New man Ludwig Hahn attacked third place man Otto Kolle, both on fuel injected BMW's, so wildly that he ran on top of him braking for Stadkurve, eliminating two serious contenders for third place. Scheidegger retired his ultra low space frame machine (see CYCLE WORLD, June `63), leaving the way clear for Ger man George Auerbacher on another BMW kneeler.

Making the best of his beautiful fairing and smooth running ex-Helmut Fath en gine, Camathias increased his lead over Deubel who was not driving his new Reynolds-built kneeler he had tried in practice. Beating the Germans on their own grounds, Florian received just the shot in the arm he needed so badly.

350cc RACE

Works team Honda, Bianchi, Jawa and the famous Gilera fours lined up for the fastest event of the day, the 350s having to run on the course made slippery by the sliding sidecars; no 500cc event was run. Jim Redman led from the start to the fin ish on the Honda four, their only win for the day. Remo Venturi on the Bianchi twin and Robb on the Honda production racer scrapped for second place until the Japanese twin turned silent on lap 18, let ting Phil Read motor the Gilera into third. Read had been given Derek Min ter's Gilera contract after the star of Brands Hatch had a severe crash on "his" track. John Hartle on the other Gallarate four had to leave his bike in the pits on lap 6.

A bunch of Continental Circus men hung together closely behind G. Havel's Jawa. These riders, on equally fast ma chinery, gave an exciting display of stream lining and outbraking. Gilberto Milani on an over-bored Aermacchi finally headed this group, beating Fred Stevens and Ginger Molloy by a few yards. The other members of the once seven strong fell back or off, on the slippery surface. •

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS AS OF WEST GERMAN GRAND PRIX

50cc, Hugh Anderson, 14 points; 125cc, Luigi Taveri, 11 points; 250cc, Tarquinio Provini, 16 points; 350cc, Jim Redman, 8 points; 500cc sidecar, Max Deubel, 14 points.