Continental Report

CONTINENTAL REPORT

B. R. NICHOLLS

SALUTE Fritz Scheidegger and John Robinson who have won the world sidecar road racing championship title of 1965. For Fritz it is the reward for persistence as he has been winning classic grands prix for over six years but until now the world title has always eluded him. At 34 years of age, his riding this season has been magnificent. Sheer consistency won him the title with three first places and three seconds in six races, four of which count for the title. Probably only Fritz’s Swiss compatriot Florian Camathias has had a larger slice of bad luck in the sidecar championship over the years. I imagine Florian will be putting a lot of time and effort during the winter into preparing the Bianchi unit for next year’s series. By that time exchampion Helmut Fath may well have that four-cylinder device of his running competitively; it is ready to be race-tested within the next few weeks.

Looks as though there will be plenty of technical interest in the three-wheeler class, if not for grands prix, then at English meetings, for that controversial mini-engined three-wheeler of Owen Greenwood has won a couple of races. The second time it got within six-tenths of a second of Chris Vincent’s lap record, and that’s really motoring. But as technical editor Gordon Jennings asked when over here for the TT, “Why don’t they use a Saab engine?” Someone is already playing with the Hillman Imp unit so it should not be long before they get around to the Saab, especially as it might sleeve down to 500cc and qualify for all international events. In the racing game the sidecar boys take a lot of beating when it comes to ingenuity and adaptability.

Of the other road race titles, the 50cc will not be decided until the Japanese Grand Prix in October and then the two rival home concerns of Honda and Suzuki will fight it out. Hugh Anderson, the reigning champion, and Ralph Bryans, the challenger, both have 32 points. The Ulster Grand Prix organizers must be wishing they catered for the fifties so that the crowd could get the chance of cheering on their local lad in this exciting championship struggle. It is the one class where Honda could notch the title, for Anderson can only add two points to his score if he wins, while Bryans picks up the title if he finishes in the first three. Only half the 125cc'qualifying races have been held and here again Anderson leads by a clear 18 points from teammate Frank Perris.

With so many races yet to go, Yamaha could prove a threat, if they decide to stay in Europe and battle it out. The machines are still a new design and race chief Hasegawa, plus half the mechanics, have already returned to Japan. No doubt Phil Read and Mike Duff have been talking hard to keep the little one in the title fight. Two years ago Yamaha were similarly placed in the 250 class but packed up and went home. Read needs only two more wins to retain his 250 title but received a setback when Redman beat him at the Belgian. It will be a helluva turn-up though if Redman regains the 250 title he lost last year. He is more likely to retain his 350 crown despite the efforts of Agostini and Hailwood to stop him. Hailwood needs one more win to clinch the 500 class. Californian Buddy Parriott is still 3rd place in the 500cc world championship.

Point scoring for these titles is: eight for a win, six for second, four for a third, down to one for sixth place. There are manufacturers’ titles as well as those for the individual rider and both are usually decided on the “half plus one” basis. So this year with eight qualifying 50cc events, a rider or manufacturer’s best five performances count; with thirteen 250 races, seven will decide. This system only serves to underline the superiority of BMW in the sidecar class. Four results counted out of six and the formidable Munich concern won the manufacturers’ award with 32 points. Tied for second with one point each came Norton and Matchless, so there is no doubt who is über alles in that section.

Points are similarly awarded in the moto-cross titles and the battle is hotting up now in the 250 class, with Victor Arbekov failing to score on home ground in the Russian round because of a broken chain in the second race, after winning the first. This gave victory to Joel Robert (CZ) with the determined Ake Jonsson runnerup whilst Igor Grigoriev (CZ) was third. But Arbekov’s win in Poland the previous week keeps him in the lead by 15 points over Robert who now has 34. Dave Bickers has not added to his total of 30; he fell heavily at the Polish meeting and did not ride in Russia.

It looks as if the Russians are really keen on winning the title now for they are late entries at the British round which could be a pretty decisive one, as both Bickers and Robert must win to stay in the hunt and, even more important, give them confidence for the final rounds. After last year’s runaway win for Robert it is good to have the title still in dispute at this stage of the season. Gone are all the young Belgian’s ideas of two world titles in one season. He will be hard-put to win the 250, let alone the 500 where Jeff Smith has taken a 28-noint lead from teammate Vic Eastwood. It is in this class that the young brigade are beginning to assert themselves and bring more interest for the crowds. Star attraction at the British round, although a disappointment, was Paul Friedrichs, the 25-year-old East German mechanic from Erfurt who, riding a 360cc CZ, was second to Smith in Finland and then won the Czechoslovakian round. This was a display of strength by CZ as they took the first six places. In the first race Smith broke a chain and Robert retired after falling, so neither placed.

The following week at the Russian round, last year’s Red ace Igor Grigoriev, who is now obviously out of favor and not allowed out of his own country, won on the ubiquitous 360cc CZ. Smith was second but most significant was ex-champion Rolf Tibblin’s third place on, yes you guessed it, a 360cc CZ.

So to Hawkstone Park for the British round, where 28 of the world’s top motocross men from ten countries met to compete for the magnificent trophy donated by The Sun, a national daily newspaper that sponsored the event. Tibblin in the first of the two twelve-lap races got a dreadful start but fought back magnificently to finish third behind Smith and Eastwood, and then went on to win the second leg. But Smith’s second place assured him of first place overall and another eight points toward retaining his title. Friedrich’s seventh and ninth places gained him no points but he could still take the championship, as could Sten Lundin if either of them won all the remaining six rounds to be held; but the odds are so heavy against it happening that it looks like Smith again. However, the man who is going to give him some hard rides in the future must be Tibblin, for the more he gets used to the CZ the quicker he goes.

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500 MOTO-CROSS TABLE J. SMITH ................ ........BSA........ ......Britain ...... ........46 V. EASTWOOD ........ ........BSA......... ......Britain ...... ........18 S. LUNDIN ............. ...Matchless.... ......Sweden ...... ........17 P. FRIEDRICH ........ .........CZ.......... ......E. Germany ........16 0. PERSS0N ........... .....Hedlund..... ......Sweden ...... ........12 C. JOHANSSON ........Lito......... ......Sweden ...... ........10 R. TIBBLIN ............. .........CZ.......... ......Sweden ...... ........10 G. scon................ ........BSA......... ......Britain ...... ........10 250 MOTO CROSS TABLE V ARBEK0V ..... CZ.......... _______Russia ...... ........49 J. ROBERT .............. .........CZ.......... ......Belgium .... ........34 D. BICKERS ............ .....Greeves...... ......Britain ...... ........30 A. J0NSS0N .......... ...Husqvarna.... ......Sweden ...... ........27 G. DRAUGS ............ .........CZ.......... ......Russia ...... ........22 V. VALEK ................. .......Jawa........ ......Czecho..... ........22

To return to road racing. Was the heart cry of the editor in “Round Up” last month too much of a dream, to hope that a world championship winning American should be forthcoming? This could and more than likely will be a matter of international prestige. Russia has entered a field where there is a vast following, especially in the so-called Iron Curtain countries. The Vostok four is fast and in the Jawa frame may well prove very con> petitive. Chances are this combination will be seen at the Czech Grand Prix later this month. On the way to the Isle of Man Gordon Jennings and I met the Jawa/ÇZ contingent and Franta Stastny said then he hoped to have such a machine for the Dutch Grand Prix but this did not materialize.

Now to surmise a little further on Gordon Jennings’ comments about Giacomo Agostini last month. If this brilliant 23year-old does improve to become a real threat to Mike Hailwood (and there is no reason to think he will not), then it is obvious, as already stated, on the ground of national pride, that he will get the goodies as far as machinery is concerned in an endeavor to get an Italian world champion. Hailwood’s brilliance leaves him having to ride second fiddle to no one, so his availability could well bring back Gilera with something to offer or, even more probable, Honda. I imagine that Calderella must have lost a big opportunity by not doing the grand prix circus this year to get experience. An intriguing situation might arise.