Ulster Gp
ULSTER GP
B. R. NICHOLLS
IN TRUE IRISH FASHION, the first of the two days' practice for the Ulster Grand Prix was held in pouring rain and was of little use to newcomers trying to learn the circuit. The second day, however, saw dry roads and really fast lappery by the works riders, with existing lap records unofficially knocked for six.
Mike Hailwood headed the 500 class leaderboard on his Honda at 108.27 mph,
over Giacomo Agostini, MV 3, whose best was 107.66. None of the other riders in the senior class could match these speeds, although John Hartle, Matchless, was third fastest at 98.79, and newcomer Rex Butch er fourth at 98.65, a most creditable per formance. Agostini was top 350 at 101.89 with a slight edge over Ralph Bryans, who had Hailwood's championship-winning Honda six, and lapped at 101.67. Contrary
to expectations, nobody outside the Honda duo was allowed to try the mount. Heinz Rosner on the MZ was over seven mph down in third place at 94.59, while in fourth spot was the sensation of the meeting, 19-year-old university engineering graduate Brian Steenson, on an Aermacchi, who lapped at 93.85.
It was works men all the way in the 250 class with Phil Read, Yamaha four, top at 104.03, followed by Hailwood at 103, Bryans at 102.84, and Ivy, still learning, at 102.05. Ivy led the 125 at 97.78 over teammate Read at 96.37, Stuart Graham, Suzuki, at 91.91, and Dave Simmonds, Kawasaki, 91.53.
From practice, it was obvious that all the lap records would go if race day was fine. This was especially true for the 250, for in that class both lap and race records had been established back in 1961 by Bob Mclntyre on a Honda four. Although Friday, when riders weighed in, was pouring rain all day and on into the night, everyone kept hoping that the forecast of a fine day would come true, for the 1967 Ulster was critical in three of the four solo classes that comprised the meeting.
Graham had to win the 125 to stay in the title hunt; Hailwood was in a similar position in the 500 class, while the 250 was, and still is, a glorious punch-up between the Yamahas of Read and Ivy and the Hondas of Hailwood and Bryans. The interest in the 350 race lay only in whether local boy Bryans could beat Agostini. It was soon answered, for the 350 race was the first on the program.
350 RACE
Saturday dawned bright and clear with blue skies and the sun shining brightly, but the roads were still damp in places. As the first race drew near, it was very cloudy, but the rain held off, allowing a cracking day's sport.
But if the leprechauns looked after the weather and rode happily on Hailwood's helmet, the devil himself played havoc with Agostini and Read in the all-important 500 and 250 races. From the start of the 350, it was a two-horse race with Bryans on the 297cc Honda six, complete with Hailwood's name on the fairing, leading Ago on the MV for the first five of the 15 laps. Then the Italian moved up and, with a new record lap on the seventh circuit at 105.11, opened up a ten-second lead which he held to the end.
Heinz Rosner had a lonely ride on the MZ, holding third throughout. But there was plenty of action behind him, where teammate Derek Woodman was dueling with Fred Stevens, Paton, until first the Paton blew up and the MZ went sparkless. The fight for fourth then fell to new boy Brian Steenson, Aermacchi, and similarly mounted Australian Kel Carruthers, who only managed to get the better of the young Irishman when his rear brake rod worked loose on the final lap. Another local, Ian McGregor, Norton, was sixth.
In a last lap sort-out, Steve Spencer, Lancefield Norton, lost his seventh place when he found himself surrounded by the Norton-mounted trio of Chris Conn, Joe Dunphy and Rod Gould, who had been dicing throughout the race as if it were just another short circuit scratch. As the four thundered round the last corner and (Continued on page 90) over the line, it was Conn, Dunphy, Spencer and Gould.
125 RACE
No second sight was needed to realize that Stuart Graham, Suzuki, would be saying good-bye to his final chance of staying in the title chase. It took only a couple of laps for the Yamaha teamsters, Ivy and Read, to draw clear of the undergeared Graham, who, although he stopped twice to change plugs, never lost third place. Ivy went on to win from Read, though he had an anxious last lap when the temperature gauge went off the scale due to an empty cooling system.
Once again, Kei Carruthers was engaged in a hectic scrap for fourth place, with his Honda finally getting the better of Kevin Cass, Bultaco, by .2 of a second. Then came a lunch break during which the tension built up for the battle of the day — Hailwood versus Agostini in the senior race.
500 RACE
With television cameras capturing every moment of the buildup on the starting grid, Ago looked to be more unsettled than Hailwood, who had plaster across his nose as protection from stones flung up from other competitors' wheels. Could it be he was planning to slipstream the Italian and then pounce on the last lap? If so, it was another case of the best laid plans of mice and men, for when the flag dropped, Hailwood got a superb start and, in no time at all, was 400 yards ahead.
As the field thundered off, John Blanchard was still pushing the Seeley-URS to be last away. But a groan from the grandstands brought all attention to the soli'.ary figure of Agostini, pushing back to his pit with a burned-out clutch. It took 12 minutes of feverish, desperate activity by the mechanics to get the clutch renewed, and off went Ago like a scalded cat. He hadn't a snowball's chance of catching the first dozen men, let alone Hailwood, who was almost four laps up on him. But the Irish crowd always loves a fighter, and rose, shouting and waving programs in encouragement to him for having a go. Ago will certainly have gained a great many fans for the effort he put into getting a lowly 20th place.
At the completion of lap one, Mike saw that the MV threat had evaporated, so cantered home to an easy win, almost two and one-half minutes ahead of John Hartle, Matchless, who put in the only singlecylinder 100 mph lap in getting a secure second place. Blanchard did not hang about after his disastrous start, and inside three laps he was in third place, only to lose this as a result of brake fade and very determined riding by Jack Findlay, Matchless, who seems to go better after each crash. This was Findlay's first ride since his accident in the Czech GP.
The only real scrap went on between John Cooper, Seeley Matchless, and Rob Fitton, Norton, and ended on the 12th lap when Rob lost his chain. The Hannah Paton went out on the first lap with a punctured float chamber, while Percy Tait on the works Triumph retired on the sixth lap with a broken rocker arm. He had worked his way steadily through the field, having started at the back of the grid with a pusher, as his TT injury is still bother-
ing him. Dunphy retired with a dropped valve, but Spencer made no mistake this time and held a good fifth place to the end.
250 RACE
In the last race of the day, two Hondas vied against two Yamahas, Hailwood and Bryans versus Read and Ivy, all four still having a chance at the world title. Once again Hailwood got a cracking start, but Read was not far behind and, on lap two, took the lead from Hailwood and raced into disaster at the hairpin. On the first lap, Bill Smith had dropped his Bultaco there and broken his wrist. Cement powder had been put down, but no oil flag was out; Read, with Hailwood alongside, appeared to leave his braking a fraction too late, locked the wheel and down he went. Even if Stanley Schofield had been there, Phil's comments could never have been included on a CYCLE WORLD disc. Mike virtually stopped and paddled his way round the fallen bike, and then was away.
Simple though the fall had been, Read could not re-start, as the throttle had jammed, so the Yamaha fight was left to little Bill Ivy, racing at Dundrod for the first time. He made a gallant effort to keep Mike in sight, but in vain. When his machine could not make up its mind whether to be a three or four-cylinder, Bill lost his second place to Ralph Bryans. Derek Woodman, MZ, had a lonely ride in fourth place, his teammate Rosner having retired on the first lap.
Once again, Steenson was having a "ding dong," this time with the very experienced Gyula Marsovsky, Bultaco. Riding an Aermacchi, the local lad had the crowd roaring themselves hoarse when he rode 'round the outside of Marsovsky on the last bend to snatch fifth place. It was a close thing — very close — for both riders were credited with the same time and speed. The young Irishman has been racing for just a year, and his performances in such experienced company mark him as a natural. Remember his name, for he is the most gifted rider I have seen since Hailwood started racing a decade ago. ■
