Continental Report

CONTINENTAL REPORT

B. R. NICHOLLS

WELL, the Victory trial has been duly won and lost, with the BSA concern finishing the day well and truly cock of the roost. Ex-Triumph team man Scott Ellis was the solo winner riding a 250cc BSA whilst the sidecar class was won by Arthur Pulman using a 350cc power unit from the same factory. BSA also took the team prize for the best factory trio with Scott Ellis, Jim Sandiford and Dave Langston, all mounted on 250cc machines. Peter Gaunt (250 Royal Enfield) continued to show good form finishing runnerup to Ellis, albeit six marks behind. Also on 22 marks lost was Gordon Adsett (250 Greeves) who was beaten by Gaunt in the special test used as a tie-decider. The usually invincible Sammy Miller had an off day with the Bultaco, finishing seventh overall, and Ron Langston, usually the man to beat in the sidecar section, finished fourth. In fairness to Langston it must be pointed out that his regular crewman, Doug Cooper, was not in the chair as he had broken an arm. Miller plans to add lice’s to his capacity when he rides the Bultaco in the next big trade-supported trial at the end of the month.

It is a current fad over here at the moment to add a few extra cc’s to a 250 unit so as to qualify for the 350 class award, which has not had much opposition of late, but with everyone jumping on the bandwagon the craze should soon cure itself. If not, the police might help to stop it as quite a few are forgetting that engines over 250cc require a different license. Although Miller was not at his best in the Victory trial there is no need to think that he is not mastering the Bultaco twostroke. He has won two important national events, the St. Davids held in South Wales and the Alan Trophy held in Cumberland, and on an annual visit to his native Northern Ireland he won the Hurst Cup for the ninth successive year.

The trials riders on the International side seem to be all at sixes and sevens, and this through no fault of their own. It is because of the Henry Groutars Trophy, which has become a sort of European trials championship symbol. Unfortunately it is all rather poorly supported, partly because there is no start money for mud-pluggers and, more effectively, because only two trials are run to qualify for the trophy. The first was the previously reported Clamart trial held in France and the second the Belgian Experts which was won by German ace Gustav Francke on his 250 Zundapp. So by winning both of this year’s qualifying events Francke took the cup and unofficial title won by Don Smith last year.

So much for the trials side. Road racing has started three weeks earlier than usual this year and very nearly paid the price for the impertinence of impinging on the winter season. Heavy falls of snow during the previous week somehow managed to avoid Mallory Park, the venue for the meet, but a heavy frost and early fog delayed the start of practice by over ninety minutes. It was a very cold day and riders wore pullovers to keep warm. John Cooper on his Nortons won the 350 and 500cc finals, with Derek Minter winning the 250 race on a Cotton. The 125cc class was won by Honda-mounted Bill Ivy and he also finished third in the 350 race on a Norton. Ivy is one of the most consistent

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riders of all solo classes in the game and must soon get the chance of a works ride. The only thing that would seem to hold him back is lack of continental circus experience, and this is true also of John Cooper. The British short circuit races tune a rider for hard elbow to elbow, cut and thrust dicing, but for the big time it is essential to have experience of longer races. In this respect Tony Woodman is going the right way to become a champion, for last season he covered many European grands prix and this year hopes to do a full season of short circuit racing. Making haste slowly is the sure way to success.

Showing a return to form at Mallory was Joe Dunphy, who raced at Daytona last year but then had a very lean season back home. On his Beart-tuned Nortons he finished a comfortable second place in the 350 race and third in the 500. Seventh in the latter race was Chris Conn (Norton), who crashed badly at the last meeting of 1964, and the winter lay-off seems to have helped his recovery.

But the thing that really set the cat amongst the piegons was a four-wheeled three-wheeler in the sidecar race. You think that sounds Irish? Well, it isn’t but it is, if you know what I mean. The point is that three-wheeled cars are able to compete in sidecar events and are allowed to have two wheels counting as one, provided the center lines are not more than eight inches apart. Owen Greenwood, an inveterate special builder of sidecar racing machines, spent the winter building a B.M.C. mini-engined racer that brought a new rule to the books before the season started. This stated that it must start from the rear of the starting grid although an extra pusher would be allowed. At Mallory he finished third in both his races and also third in a heat, with the vehicle apparently handling like a dream. But it will not be seen in world championship events since the capacity of the engine is 1071cc and the limit in capacity for the title is 500cc.

The anticipated world record attempts at Daytona by Florian Camathias will not now take place; neither will the Swiss ace be using a Gilera power unit this season. This does not mean that he will have to rely on his BMW although he has one ready for racing. I have heard from a reliable source that Camathias has bought from the Bianchi concern two of the most up-to-date 500cc twin engine units, plus six-speed gearboxes that Lino Tonti prepared before he left to join Gilera. Plenty of spares go with the purchase and from the figures given on paper by these engines, Camathias will have the most powerful unit available in his attempt to win the world title that has evaded him for so long. If all goes well, then a Bianchipowered sidecar outfit should race at the Oulton Park meeting to be held at Easter.

Neither has Camathias given up the idea of world records. After the Spanish Grand Prix he intends to visit the Miramas circuit near Marseilles to see if it is suitable for records up to six hours. The surface is the main problem, but since the sidecar rules have been changed, whatever speeds are set at the first attempt in 1965 will go into the books as records.In 1963 Fords of Germany used the circuit in successful attacks on time and distance records up to seven days.

Derek Minter has shown an interest in sidecar racing, having declared that he would like to take it up when his solo days are over. He proved very impressive when testing Chris Vincent’s outfit for the first time, but a solo race in this country hardly seems right without “The Mint,” as his fans call him. He has been dubbed “King of Brands” by the press and naturally when at the top everyone is out to beat you. If Mallory is anything to go by, then it looks as if Derek will be suffering a few defeats at the hands of John Cooper this season. Their clash at Brands later this month should be a cracker with Cooper winning the 350 and Minter the 500 (Minter is still trying the back-to-front Petty special in the junior class).

This season will show us whether Chris Vincent will make an ace at solo riding in the 500 class. He won the sidecar class at Mallory and also rode Tom Kirby’s AJS and Matchless machines, but Mallory is not the place to get the message first time out in a 500 race. Chris has also got a 50cc ride later in the season; Suzuki Japan have allotted three machines plus a rider/mechanic for use in Europe during the coming season. The Brussels office will allocate each European concessionaire a number of meetings where they can enter two machines, the third to be kept as a spare. Chris Goosens will ride one in the Leinster 100 and Sammy Miller has been offered one for the North West 200. I feel this is a gimmick as Sam is too big and heavy and has not raced for seven years; far better to put Tommy Robb on it for he is race-fit and the ideal build. Neither race has a ‘fifty’ class so they will be up against the 125s. Chris Vincent’s riders will come late in the season at the Hutchinson 100, British Championships and the Brands International. An interesting publicity idea which will give the fans a chance of seeing machinery which they would otherwise have to travel to a Grand Prix for.