West German Grand Prix
WEST GERMAN GRAND PRIX
HEINZ J. SCHNEIDER
MEN WERE SORTED from the boys in West Germany's Grand Prix. And some of the men had to give in too when rain, fog and bitter cold hit the 4.74 mile long Sudschleife of Nurburgring race course in the Eifel mountains. Count Agusta's latest release, the 350cc MVThree, scored a first start, first win under 22-year-old Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood having done in his new engine in practice and riding an oil-spitting old hack of a four to second place. America's Tony Woodman rode himself to a reputation, leading the privateers in the 500 event until his Matchless' clutch sidelined him after nine laps of 23.
125cc RACE Honda's streak of bad luck started on Saturday, when the one-two-fives opened the two-day event, the asphalt steaming after a shower. Walter Scheimann, private Honda, Frank Perris and Ernst Degner, Suzukis, and Ralph Bryans, Honda four, led the 31-strong field off the line.
From the half-way point, Hugh Anderson led Degner, and Suzuki's number one man stayed ahead 'til the end of the 13-lapper, setting a race record of 78 mph. Both works Hondas retired after a lap. Taveri said the engines just were not running — no more reasons given.
350cc RACE A startling front row promised thrills for the 350cc event, first one in the series. Endel Kiisa on a Russian Vostok four, much neater than last year, held a pole position. Now developing some 55 bhp at 13,000 rpm, the bike is as fast as an MV on the straights, but handling still seems to be tricky. Next to him Giacomo Agostini parked the MV-Three, which made its first official outing, having been in the gossip for a couple of years. New frame and 18 in. instead of 19 in. wheels make it lower than the four. According to Mike Hailwood it develops the same power as the four (which?) but smoother and with a wider spread.
Mike started with the back-benchers on the four, after wrecking his three in practice. The fact that he no longer has his choice of bikes should set the tipsters tipping. Redman rode the only Honda four. Ring-favorite Gyula Marsovszky had fourth place on a Norton, and Franta Stastny, again recovered in time from a last-season injury, closed the line.
Redman and Agostini set the pace from the word go, well clear of Hailwood. Franta and compatriot Gustav Havel on a similar Jawa were right behind. Frantisek Bocek on the 292 Jawa single, which had shattered all the opposition last year at Brno, held off Paddy Driver (AJS) and Enzo Pasolini on a quick Aermacchi. Gilberto Milani on a similar mount joined the group. And amidst the familiar helmets of top singles-riders a black one with a yellow star shone up. Tony Woodman, USA, held his AJS six-speeder among the best of the Continental Circus. Far back in twelfth or so place, fastest practicer Kiisa tried to push through. His teammate, dare-devil Nicolai Sevostianov, made tail-end Charlie. Later it was learned that the tough Russian had come off in the first lap and broken a collar-bone, yet he did not retire before mid-distance of the 20-lapper.
At this stage Agostini had gotten the better of Redman and gradually pulled away from the champ. Redman piled on the coals again in lap 16, which brought him back into the Italian's slipstream. Attempting to pass the MV on the following tour, Jim over did it and went through the hedge at some 90 mph. Miraculously he escaped without injury but was badly shaken, and was kept in the hospital briefly to recover his usual collected self. That made it an easy MV double, with new race and lap records. For fifth spot a tremendous battle developed between Kiisa, who had come up well, Paddy Driver, Australian Jack Ahearn (Norton) and Jack Findlay (AJS), England's Billy Nelson and Tony Woodman. The longhaired American flyer for one lap managed to lead the group, but when it came to lapping the mid-field men, he got lost in the traffic and fell back. So the finish was in the above order.
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50cc RACE
Sunday started with the fifties, and a four-make bid for laurels. Taveri (Honda) tore away from the field with Anscheidt on the 2 x 6-speed Kreidler at his heels. At half-lap Jose Busquets on the Spanish Derbi, an air-cooled two-stroke single with nine-speed gearbox and rotary valve inlet control, snatched second from Anscheidt's 13 bhp Kreidler, Bryans' Honda, Degner's Suzuki and Rudolph Kunz' works Kreidler. Suzuki's Hugh Anderson and Mitsuo Itoh had made extremely bad starts and steamed through the traffic. Luigi finished lap one 4.5 seconds ahead of Busquets, Anscheidt and Bryans, but now Angel Nieto, another Spaniard on a Derbi, had joined the group. Degner, Anderson and Itoh were at the tail of Kunz' Kreidler. Constantly the eight men behind Taveri swapped places, and after four laps of 13 the leading Honda caught a spot of exhaustion, which helped teammate Bryans to the lead, closely chased by Nieto, who really had his great day.
At half-distance Taveri had dropped back to fifth behind Itoh and Anscheidt, with Anderson and Degner in pursuit, but from then on he gradually climbed up the ladder again. Nieto snatched the lead in lap eight, but on lap ten his piston slightly seized. That robbed the Derbi of its edge. Busquets had tried too hard on lap seven and came off without injury.
In the last few yards little Luigi Taveri came clear of the Suzukis to make it a Honda double with race record of 73.5 mph to the winner, but he had to push the lap record up to 75.5 mph to do it. 250cc RACE
There was no spice left in last year's thriller, the two-fifty. Neither Benelli nor Morini had entered, and the Honda sixes remained in the sheds with both riders in hospital. So champion Phil Read and his Canadian teammate Mike Duff had it out on their own, winning the second heat in a row for Yamaha. Frank Perris held his square Suzuki in a meagre fourth place behind Ramon Torras, Bultaco, until he retired after four laps. That let Gilberto Milani, whose Aermacchi had made a fantastic start, into fourth spot. Teammate Pasolini followed in the slipstream.
Guiseppe Visenzi on a private Aermacchi held off Honda's last hope, Gunther Beer on his own production-racer. Pasolini retired after seven laps of 17, and Milani's single slowed to sixth place behind Visenzi and Beer.
Setting a new race record of 84 mph, the Yamahas crossed the line ninetenths of a second apart, Phil having pushed the lap record up to 86.4 mph. Derek Woodman was a bit out of luck on the MZ twin, which now has fully transistorized ignition. Twice he had to push through the 44-man field after pit stops, then he gave up out on the course. Although tricky Nurburgring suited the Aermacchi's handling, this make's performance gave clue to still improved power output of the push-rod single. A 250cc Jawa had remained in the shed. All one could see was an MZ-type rotary valve air-cooled two-stroke twin with rear facing exhaust pipes. Czechoslovakian models, by the way, were this year fielded under the name of Jawa-CZ.
500cc RACE
With some 150,000 spectators now lining the Ring in light rain, 38 five-hundreds set off for 26 laps. Only 15 were to see the checkered flag when Mike Hailwood had completed the distance. Mike and fastest man in practice, that terrific dicer Agostini, both on MV fours, screamed off abreast, and the Champ forced through at the first bend, never to be passed.
Flashing indicators showed Paddy Driver's Matchless third and Scheimann fourth. Walter's 1957 Norton seems to get younger every season. It now has a Munch front brake, which is said to beat the Oldani in resistance to fading. Jack Findlay (Matchless) and German Heiner Butz (Norton) followed suit and Tony Woodman on a newly acquired six-speed Matchless was seventh.
The leading MVs drew away; after nine laps Agostini lost touch with Hailwood and both had a lonely ride of 125 miles. But the privateers fought tooth and nail for third place money. Star of the opening stages, Tony Woodman led them for four laps, then Scheimann took command for another tour. First to go were Driver and Butz whose engines did not stand the strain; Marsovsky followed.
Til lap eight Tony led Scheimann round the ring, the German's Norton outspeeding the Matchless every time on a long uphill straight. But in sight of the grandstands the American outbraked him for a slow lefthander. Then trouble struck Tony when he changed down the six speeds of his Schaftleitner box. A ball race in the clutch went and sent him freewheeling on an undulated line.
Scheimann could afford to take it easy then, and got lapped once by the leaders. Findlay took it easier still with Ahearn out in lap 15, which saved him another lap, on the way to fourth spot. Gradually creeping up from nowhere, Austrian Eddie Lenz beat Nelson for fifth. Endel Kiisa on the sole CKB-twin had come up well through the field, when engine trouble put him out in lap 16. Surprising was the tenth place of a souped up push-rod BMW, ridden by German Hans Schmidt. Mike Hailwood set his customary absolute motorcycle records with 86 mph for the race and 89.7 for the lap, despite light rain and overall bad conditions.
SIDECAR RACE
Fritz Scheidegger captained his shortstroke outfit fastest in the submarine-andsidecar demonstration, with all his opposition drowned. He has engineered a still slimmer and lower frame around his Fath-tuned BMW, but greatest help seems to have been the under-floor tank, on which Fritz kneels. Apparently it kept the water from the gas-works and held the precious 10,000 rpm tourer revving.
Deubel, who had wrecked two engines in practice, shot off the line first, followed by Schauzu. This fresh German blood in international racing drives a very special pushrod BMW to perfection. Camathias on a new BMW, built on the lines of last year's Gilera outfit, and Scheidegger stayed with them. Georg Auerbacher's expensive crankshaft did not last a quarter of a lap.
Scheidegger led out of lap one, with four-times champion Deubel at his tail, Camathias, Pip Harris, Schauzu and Otto Kolle not much behind. With Seeley and Vincent pushing through, it promised to get exciting. But after four laps the rain changed to a flood, and hailstones hammered the rider's faces. The British brigade of Harris, Seeley and Vincent stopped for good. Kolle's fuel-injection BMW had a dead ignition. And then Deubel drove to the paddock with his engine firing on only one cylinder. Scheidegger made a pit stop to replace his goggles and restarted, still leading when Deubel had gone out. Camathias dropped back and retired with water in the carbs. That shuffled Schauzu's push-rod BMW up to second place, which he held to the soggy finish. •
