Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
CARLO PERELLI
THIS YEAR'S GOLD CUP RACES, held Easter Monday over the twisting, fast 3.2mile Imola course (now improved in various details and deprived of the slow chicane soon after the starting grid) were marred by bad weather. Rain fell during the first half of the 125 race and the second half of the 500 race, the track was always wet and tricky and the wind also blew. Notwithstanding, speeds were quite high, especially in the smaller classes and attendance was over 40,000.
The one-two-five race was completely dominated by the two-stroke water-cooled Suzuki twins of Ernst Degner and Frank Perris. The best Italians couldn't do very much. Last year's winner Francesco Villa (two-stroke Mondial single) had a terrific fight with Spanish Champion Ramon Torras (water-cooled Bultaco) but was forced to let him go. Giuseppe Mandolini, on the other Mondial two-stroke in the race, after a very slow start regained much of the lost ground and won a prolonged battle with Ralph Bryans (Honda twin) but nevertheless couldn't finish higher than fourth. The promising Walter Villa, exMondial works rider, and recently engaged by MV, was out with one of the fabulous 1958/1960 World Championship winning single cylinder, double ohc jobs. But he also suffered a slow start and although he displayed brilliant riding that enabled him to come up to sixth position in only three laps, on the following lap he was knocked out by ignition troubles. He soon expects to ride the new MV two-stroke rotary valve which has been readied, but still has to be tested on the track. A new hope for Italy in the tiddler class, together with the 4 cylinder double ohc (not "desmo") Ducati which is about ready.
When it seemed that Ernst Degner, who had already won at Imola, would repeat that 1960 performance, he braked a little too late for a rather sharp bend on the wet track and went straight on! He didn't crash and rejoined the race, but he had lost no less than nine positions! He then rode desperately to the limit, setting up a fantastically high fastest lap and the finish of the race found him in sixth position.
In the 250 race as it frequently happens to him, Provini had an unhappy start with his Benelli four cylinder. This allowed Grassetti to slip ahead on his Morini single with quite a noticeable margin. However, Provini closed the gap in a few laps, cranking over at an incredible degree on the wet track. On joining his rival, setting up in the meantime a fastest lap equal to what Hailwood would record in the 500 class with the MV four cylinder (!), Tarquinio overdid braking for a bend and although he held the machine on the track, Grassetti again escaped. And again Tarquinio started a terrific "hunt." By midrace he was again close to Grassetti, having lapped all the other competitors, including the World Champions Taveri and Redman on the Honda four. At this stage, with the crowd getting more and more wild, a valve in Grassetti's engine cried "enough," so Tarquinio could walk over to the finish. Much to the despair of Comm. Morini (who had prepared a four valve head to improve the performance of his single cylinder model) the Benelli has clearly proved to be superior!
Other interesting facts from this event: in the early stages Ramon Torras with the Bultaco two-stroke tried desperately to stay in the Redman-Taveri slipstream but had to let them go, being assaulted soon after by Pasolini on the works Aermacchi. When it seemed that Pasolini could have the best of the Spanish rider, the Aermacchi developed ignition troubles and dropped back to be overtaken by Ralph Bryans' Honda twin. At the finish Redman built up a small advantage over Taveri and so secured himself second place.
After having tried out in practice the all-new 350cc MV three-cylinder (double ohc driven by train of gears on the right hand side, primary drive and multiplate, exposed clutch on the opposite side, sixspeed gearbox, wet sump lubrication, 18" wheels), in the 500 race the young Italian star Giacomo Agostini rode the well known four cylinder model. Hailwood, who arrived the morning of the race after competing in English events the day before, was riding a similar model. Having made only a few practice laps the morning of the race, he had to start in the last position on the grid. But with one of his rocketing getaways he slipped miraculously through the whole field at the fall of the flag and jumped into the lead! He was evidently too enthusiastic and in fact he braked too late for the first bend and had to go straight on instead of cranking over with the others. This mishap enabled Agostini to build up a 20 second lead, while on rejoining the fray Hailwood also had to work hard to crush the resistance of Grassetti, on the 350 Bianchi twin. Anyway, in 17 of the 25 laps the World Champion was on Agostini's tail and gradually pulled away from him, having recorded in the process the fastest lap. Stimulated by this, Agostini still improved his tempo, riding very well; but Hailwood controlled the situation and finished again as winner with a six second lead.
After Grassetti crashed without harm, owing to a locked gearbox, the fight for third place was fought by 350cc riders Mandolini (Moto Guzzi), Pasolini and G. Milani (both Aermacchi). With only a few laps to go, Milani was put out by broken contact breakers, Mandolini suffered fuel starvation and was therefore overtaken into fourth place by Ahearn (Norton) while Pasolini, left with no more challengers, easily placed himself third. •
