Ulster Grand Prix

ULSTER GRAND PRIX

B. R. NICHOLLS

PHIL READ 250cc water ski champion of all Ireland at F.I.M.-approved meet held on the Dundrod course near Belfast Saturday. August 8th. Jim Redman hokey cokey champion after having a "swing it to the left and swing it to the right" rear wheel say hello to the front in the same 250 race but his moment of glory came earlier in the day with a 350cc win that gave him the world crown for the third successive year. Hugh Anderson push starts three times in winning the 125 race where Murphy's men got at Frank Perris. Phil Read causes raised eyebrows by riding a semi-faired Dearden Norton in winning the five hundred class. Yankee newcomer Tony Woodman (AJS) rides well to take the 350 class open handicap.

Those then are the headlines of this year's Ulster Grand Prix which once again had most people wondering why the meeting has classic status and why it is run at Dundrod. For only the Irish could dream of holding a world cham pionship meeting in the middle of a water cachement area where spectators and riders alike have the pleasure of suffering pouring rain and seeing the sun shining a few miles away.

It is difficult to know what Hugh Anderson thought he was up to in the 125 race which started the day’s proceedings, but it certainly had the crowd at the hairpin entertained. He made a poor midfield start and got tramping to be with the leaders after three quarters of a lap in the rush down to the hairpin, but in the excitement of trying to outbrake the leaders he failed to keep the motor alive and then lost the model on the loose surface on the inside of the corner. He push started before the pack arrived and set off in pursuit of teammates Frank Perris and Bert Schneider, who led the race from the three Honda fours of Jim Redman, Luigi Taveri and Ralph Bryans. Second time around Hugh again stalled at the hairpin and had to push start for the third time in the race but then settled down to the job of racing.

After four laps it was obvious that Anderson could win if Perris was slowed so he was signalled accordingly, though he had already broken the late Tom Phillis’s 1961 lap record with a speed of 92 mph. Frank’s lead was such that Hugh in chasing him set a new record at 93.67 mph and took the lead on the tenth of eleven laps, winning at a new record speed.

So the 1963 champion won his second race to keep alive his 1964 title hopes and also become uncrowned push start champion of 1964.

The 350 race followed and was a certainty with Redman needing only one more win to clinch the world title for the third year.

The fine weather ended with the 350 race. As the 250s stood on the line for the next race the heavens opened and a couple of minutes later the flag dropped and a high speed shower of spray disappeared into the distance led by Tommy Robb on a 1963 works Yamaha. At the end of the first lap Phil Read (Yamaha) led Redman (Honda 4) with Robb third: Beale (Honda twin). Bert Schneider (Suzuki 4) and Shepherd (M.Z.) completed the first six. Read increased his lead over Redman, who became thoroughly detuned after a couple of hectic slides which nearly sent him up the road, and interest then focused on local ace Ralph Bryans who slowly but surely brought his Honda twin through to third place. So Read went on to win, placing him in a very strong position to dethrone reigning champion Redman hut he is a difficult man to beat and Honda will be doing all they can to improve the 250 for the last meeting of the season.

With one race to go. and that the big race of the day, it was anybody’s guess who would win for both the fire engine aces. Calderella and Hailwood, were injured. Read led Duff at the end of the first lap and it looked as if Mike was content to slipstream Phil in the fullest sense of the word for it soon started raining again. But Mike had confided before the race that a sixth sense told him all was not well with the motor. A careful strip-down failed to reveal any reason for the fear but on the fifth lap the con rod went, leaving Read out on his own.

. .. and as someone remarked it is a long time since Norton took first five places in a Senior Grand Prix race. •