Grand Prix of Finland

GRAND PRIX OF FINLAND

BENGT BJORKLUND

IMATRA, A SMALL town near the Russian border, was the scene of the 3rd Grand Prix of Finland. The Finns had moved the race from the narrow course at Tampere which the F.I.M. banned from International racing as being too dangerous. The Imatra circuit is wider, faster, and safer. The whole town supported the event, even the Mayor.

Heavy rain marred race day but it was drying by the start of the first event for 350cc grand prix machines. Honda’s Jim Redman moved to the lead at the start and held it to the end, never bothered by anyone else from start to finish. Public interest was on Alan Shepherd who got a bad start on his overbored 251cc MZ. On lap one he was 8th, 4th on the next, 3rd after four and in the next he was on the tail of Bruce Beale, the Rhodesian pal of Jim Redman, riding a CR-77 305cc Honda twin. Shepherd passed Beale and ran for his life after Redman but on the 17th lap he came into the pits with plug trouble. After a quick change he was back again behind Beale, Russia’s Kiisa on the Vostok four, and Mike Duff (AJS). Shepherd managed to pass Duff but the race was over before he reached Kiisa and Beale. Another Russian, Randla on the Skep twin, also raced but did not finish.

Only 11 machines lined up for the 50cc event, but it was a nice race. Honda’s Irishman Ralph Bryans took the start but had ignition trouble with the twin and returned on the fifth of the ten-lap event. World 50cc title contender Hugh Anderson on the Suzuki fought hard with Kreidler’s H.G. Anscheidt through the first 8 laps, and on the last two laps Anderson decided to win and did so.

The 125cc race was the best race of the day with a crowd of works machines on the line. Suzuki had Anderson, Frank Perris and Bert Schneider, all on air cooled machines that were compromises between their 1963 and ’64 models. They were all faster than Honda's Luigi Taveri, Bryans and Redman, but unfortunately were not as reliable as the remarkable Honda 125 fours. Anderson took the lead on the second lap. after Hans Rosner on the MZ works water-cooled twin got in front at the start. Anderson rode well but after several laps his Suzuki’s carburetors gave him trouble. Taveri took the lead, but Perris, Suzuki’s other good man. hung on and even had the lead for a short time before he also had trouble and retired.

Now it was three Hondas in the lead, Taveri, Bryans and Redman. Three laps before the finish Redman moved ahead but Taveri got by him again and rode to a new World’s title. Suzuki finished only one East Germany’s Rosner on the MZ leads eventual winner Taveri (Honda) in the 125cc race.

man. Schneider, who ended up fourth; MZ-mounted Shepherd had trouble and did not finish.

No 250cc event was run in Finland, but the 500cc race was interesting, with no four-cylinder machines on the line. Front row was Paddy Driver and Jack Ahern on Matchless and Norton respectively. Between these two sat the Russians, Sevastjanov and Kiisa, on 364cc Skeb twins. The Russians took the lead, then Driver led. followed by the Hungarian Gyula Marsovsky who lives in, and rides for, Switzerland. Gyula was on a very fast Matchless, fast enough anyway to lead the field for several laps but unfortunately (for him) he fell off in an “S” bend and by the time he remounted, Ahern’s Norton had taken the lead and the Britisher went on to his first-ever win, beating Canada’s Mike Duff on a Matchless and Marsovsky, who ended up third in front of Sevastjanov. Ahern now lies second in 500cc world standings, tied with Phil Read; both are behind Mike Hailwood, who did not race in Finland. •