Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B. R. NICHOLLS
BACK ON THE International Six Days Trial map for the first time in many years, the British Trophy team tied with the East Germans (both teams having lost no marks), but victory went to the M.Z.-mounted Germans by virtue of their superior performances in the special tests. It was a "big 'uns versus littl' 'uns" battle where the hosts made every use of playing at home and performed brilliantly to win the Trophy battle for the second year running. Next year the trial could be in England; if so, we can expect it to favour the bigger machinery.
In the National Grass Track Championships the evergreen Alf Hagon. well-known in the dragster field, notched another 350 class win to make it eleven titles since he started racing. Reg ¡.uckhurst retained his title in the 500 class for a repeat of last year's results as far as solo winners were concerned. But in the sidecar battle. 1962 winners Brian Rust and passenger Dennis Heath rode to a splendid win on their 650 BSA outfit after reigning champion Nigel Mead smashed his sidecar wheel in a start line pile-up in the final. Since losing out in his grass track title hid. Mead has had his first success as a road racer, wanning the sidecar class at a small meeting at a new circuit in the north of England called Croft. This could become a major course, situated as it is in an area woefully lacking in road race facilities, hut like all commercial ventures of this nature, good crowd support is necessary to make it a paying proposition. And to get a crowd the organisers must attract the star runners — next season wall show us whether or not it will be a success.
Jeff Smith 50()cc Moto Cross Champion of the World! In the all-important last meeting held in Spain. Smith notched his seventh win in the fourteen-round title struggle to make it a maximum points victory (a rider's best seven performances count). It wats almost an anti-climax; after a few laps of the first race Rolf Tibblin’s front wheel collapsed and with it went all hope of retaining the title, for he had to win to do just that. With Tibhlin out it would not have mattered if Smith had subsequently retired, hut he went on. and after a real ding-dong of a battle in the second race, the gallant Tibblin crossed the line first because Smithey refused to heat h i m !
Although the final points difference in the scores between these two great riders is only two. it belies the superb record that Smith and his 420cc works BSA have set this past season. Remember that for the title only the best seven performances count: Jeff Smith in fourteen rounds won seven, was runner-up on six occasions and third once. On the other hand Tibblin failed to score at five meetings though he won six: his fellow countryman Sten
l.undin was the only other rider to win a round. In the final table given below, all the leading riders except Smith are Swedish, which shows just how strong that
country is in the exacting sport moto-cross.
While Jeff wus making history as the first Englishman to win the world motocross title. Phil Read was sewing up the 250 world road racing title in the Italian Grand Prix at Imola. Anil that is where Honda came out with the best-kept secret of racing for many a year, the brand new 250cc six-cylinder which was obviously a do-or-dic attempt to retain the 250 crown for Redman. The attempt failed. Although the machine showed fabulous acceleration and speed early in the race, it later went off song and eventually finished third when passed by Mike Duff. Duff set a record lap on his Yamaha in getting by Redman to take second place behind his teammate Phil Read.
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With this meeting came the confirmed news that Alan Shepherd will be Honda mounted next year, as hinted in last month's column, and he will start riding for them at Suzuka. With Shepherd out will M. X. continue racing? This is the $64.000 question and the answer is not yet known, but there are two significant facts; the first is that Derek Woodman rode the machine in the 250 class at Monza and finished seventh so must be a possible replacement runner, and the second is that Mike Hailwood is all set to take an M. Z. plus mechanic to challenge the Japanese on their own ground at Suzuka. It would be fantastic if the M. /,. were to win and the only man capable of pulling it off is Hail w ood.
Monza marked the return to racing of Ernst Dcgner. so badly burned about the face at last year's Japanese Grand Prix, anil he showed that the old skill is still there for he finished third in the 125cc race. Third place in the 350 race at Monza went to Stanislav Malina, the (7. works rider, on an overbored 250. I he machine won its class in the Czech Grand Prix and is ;i very useful little tool indeed; at Monza it beat the Ajay of Mike Duff and the Norton of Jack Abeam. Secret of its speed is no doubt the light weight, about 225 pounds, and six-speed gearbox in other words a very nice scaled-up two-fifty.
With the current season hardly finished, rumor is already rampant regarding plans for next year. Regarding MZ signing Derek Minter, rumors can he discounted, although he could ride at selected meetings such as the 1 I Replacement for Alan Shepherd, providing the move is approved by the East German Government, will. I believe, be Derek Woodman. It this falls through he may well end up on the very fast and reliable l.ancefield 350 and 500 Nortons.
Another International partnership appears in the offing for H. G. Anscheidt. who will again ride for Kreiiller. but also stands an excellent chance of a factory loan of a 125cc and 250cc MZ. In the larger classes. Bianchi are out. anil Cillera is now faced with the possibility that the Hailwood MV partnership is invincible. Benedicto Caldarella is the right man for their bike but the present engine is just
not quick enough. So it seems to me that they must build a completely new engine that will be faster than the MV if they are to take next year's racing seriously.
The climax of our end of season racing is without doubt the Race of the Year at Mallory Park. Ibis year a post-war record crowd of over 60.000 spectators turned up to see Mike Hailwood (M.V.) win the classic 40-lap event worth over $2,800 to the winner. The much-publicized appearance of Benedicto Caldarella came to naught hut nonetheless the crowd saw' some cracking racing, especially in the 350 event, as Jim Redman (350cc Honda twin) and Phil Read (251 cc Yamaha) continued the struggles that hail engaged them all season in the 250 class. Read put in the fastest lap of the day at 90.67 mph in beating Redman by a length, hut then in the big race went out with gearbox trouble just when it looked as if he might press Hailwood. \\ ith Read out. John Cooper (Norton) consolidated his second place which he may well have lost if Derek Minter had not been left on the line with his Norton reluctant to fire: this misfortune meant he could only fight his way through to third place. Pip Harris (BMW)
won the sidecar race from Chris Vincent (BSA) with Max Deubel (BMW) third.
Unfortunately Chris Conn was hospitalized in the 350 race final, and this will keep him out of the last meeting of the year at Brands Hatch where he was to have ridden one of Syd Lawton's 350 Acrmacchi machines. Conn, at present serving in the Air Force, had a good 350 and 50()cc double win at Cadwell recently and is due for a posting to Germany which will give him the opportunity to race in plenty of the continental circus meetings.
As mentioned before in this column, the Russians are taking an ever-increasing part in the sport of motorcycling, but never more so than in the speedway branch. This year in the world championship final held in Sweden, New Zealander Barry Briggs was on top form to take the title but the race of the night was the run-off for second place for the two riders who tied on points at the end of the contest. They were Ove Lundin of Sweden, possibly the greatest cinder shifter there has ever been, and the Russian Igor Plechanov, who beat Kundin in a spectacular last bend passing movement on the outside to win by the proverbial tire’s width. Another Russian. Boris Samorodov. was fourth.
And so. last hut not least. to the series of drag meetings which have been taking place between teams from the United States and Great Britain. At the outset it promised to he a great contest beween the cycle aces of the two countries in this very specialized branch of the sport, hut difficulties arose which were impossible to overcome and consequently we have only seen tw'o of your riders over here. They have both been defeated almost as heavily by our cycle aces as our four-wheel fanatics have by the fabulous United States ear dragsters. But do not get me wrong, both Bill Wooil (Harley-Davidson) and Don Hyland with his more exotic tw'in-engincd Triumph 650cc twin have ridden hard and well. Fspecially Don. who at the fifth of the six meetings made a perfect start and looked to have the beating of world record holder George Biown when he hit a hump and got the mother and father of all wobbles to ruin his time.
But more of this fascinating series in next month's column for it has taken place too close to press date to be able to deal yvith it and some of the machines in the detail that they deserve.
