Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
TOUR OF ITALY REINSTATED
ONE OF THE BIGGEST national events in post war years was the "Tour of Italy" for sports machines up to 175cc, racing on open roads (some days, 250 to 300 miles had to be covered, with the event lasting one week) like the "Carrera Mexicana" for cars. There were from 500 to 600 participants. The first race was in '53 and the last one in '57, when, because of that year's "Mille Miglia" tragedy, racing on open roads was forbidden by Italian authorities.
This year, however, a "Tour of Italy" revival has been attempted with a new formula, the only one possible nowadays. Bikes and scooters must be real production jobs; each day's run was on schedule speed (similar to the ISDT), including, however, several speed tests, such as acceleration, racing on a circuit and hillclimb racing. Held from May 4th to 10th on a 1,570 mile course (Roma-CasertaCosenza-Taranto-Termoli - Pescara - Senigallia-Imola), mainly in middle and southern Italy, where traffic is scarce. This year's Tour counted 123 starters, 67 of them on scooters.
Weather stayed fine and the event wasn't particularly tough, so only 28 retired, while of the 95 finishers, 51 lost no marks. Scooters put on the best show, with 60 finishers, 32 of them with no marks lost! So points gained in the various special tests came in to decide the winners.
Winners were Lombardi (Gilera 125), Conti (Motobi 175), Chiavolini (Motobi 250) and veteran Nello Pagani (Norton Atlas 750). The two scooter classes, 125cc and over 125cc, were won by Vailati on the brilliant Vespa 90 (described and tested for CW) and Masserini on the Lambretta 200. Particularly impressive was the Gilera success in the 125 class with the new five speeder model — also described and tested some time ago for CW — which filled the first five places.
RIMINI AND SANREMO INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
With the Rimini and Sanremo races, held May 14th and 28th, the Italian international meetings season is now over. The two races proved both thrilling and interesting, although the last one suffered considerably from the nearness of the Isle of Man TT, and could not have at the grid such famous aces as Agostini, Hailwood, Ivy, Pasolini, etc., who at first had promised to come.
At Rimini, there was a hot scrap for the 125 race between two world champions, Anscheidt on the Suzuki twin and Taveri on the Honda five. Finally the Swiss won. and this story was repeated at Sanremo. Another interesting match (for third place) at Rimini was fought by Kelvin Carruthers (Honda twin) and Bergamonti, the young and rising Italian star on a pushrod production Morini, home tuned. The fact that Bergamonti and his mount lost to the Australian champion only after suffering a loosened throttle twistgrip, speaks highly of the riding and tuning ability of the Italian. Another good show came from Zubani riding the home made DRS, described some months ago by CW. Last away, Zubani stepped up to fourth place after Bergamonti dropped back, and was already breathing down Carruther's neck when he was slowed by a broken front brake cable. With more cash to "work" around it, the DRS could do great things!
In the 250, with no Walter Villa on the miraculous Morini single (he crashed with no serious injuries in practice) and with the Benelli four of Grassetti clearly inferior to the Honda six, Hailwood had a comfortable win on the Japanese fire engine, ahead of Grassetti and the Aermacchi H-D duo of Milani and Pagani, who had succeeded in crushing the opposition of Gallina and Parlotti on the Ducati "desmo" single. In the closing stages, Milani suffered a broken shock absorber, but he managed to retain third position.
The big Italian success in the "three fifties," with Pasolini (Benelli four) keeping at bay world champion Hailwood (Honda four) for about half the race, then widening the gap and continuously improving the record lap. Also, there was the thrilling battle for third place between Parlotti, Milani, Pegani, Williams and Carruthers. Parlotti had the Ducati desmo single, Milani and Paeani, of course, the works Aermacchis, Williams the superfast Arter-AJS and Carruthers the Metisseframed (described by CW) Aermacchi.
On the finishing line, much to the . . . delight of Mr. O'Brien, Harley Davidson racing department chief, Parlotti beat Pagani, while Carruthers had the best of Williams, and Milani was left well behind with a broken rear brake lever.
In the 500, Pasolini tried to repeat his 350 success against Hailwood, but after a multi-lap duel with the world champion which again kept the crowd on their feet, he found his machine suddenly inundated by oil from a leaking crankcase and had to retire. So, Mike the bike won easily. For the first time he was riding the Italianframed Honda (with Ceriani front fork and Lyster double front disc brakes), which showed good roadholding qualities, but had been vetoed by Honda, who has improved the works frames of the 500. But Mike is likely to use it again at privately entered meetings! To finish with Rimini, another fine ride by Bergamonti, who took the 500 Paton twin to second place, having shaken off the menace by Williams.
On to Sanremo or, more properly, on the nearby 2.1 mile twisting, up and down, difficult Ospedaletti circuit, completely different from Rimini, flat, long and fast. In the 250, Taveri (Honda four), who had been the fastest in practice, was last away, and could only manage to step up to second place behind comfortable winner Grassetti (Benelli four). Bergamonti retired from second place with mechanical trouble in his Paton twin.
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CARLO PERELLI
The 500 event was dramatic. Gallina, on the 350 Ducati desmo single, took the lead, but crashed at the second lap, suffering a broken collar bone. Fuel from his machine inundated the track in a difficult bend and this caused to crash, in quick succession, no less than six riders hotly pursuing him — Bergamonti, Marzovsky, Findlay, Carruthers, Campanelli and Zambotti. Luckily, this super pileup caused no injuries, only Carruthers and Zambotti retiring with damages to their machines, the other ones going on with missing footrests, broken screens, scratched enclosures, bent levers, etc. After the accident, Bergamonti took the lead and won, taking his Paton twin to yet another success after the Irish "North West 200." ahead of Findlay (Mclntyre Matchless), Marzovsky (Matchless), Campanelli (Seeley-Matchless) and Patrignani (350 Aermacchi HD, with a "Cycle WORLD" team label on his machine!).
SENSATIONAL NEWS FROM PESARO
The Benelli sports director recently revealed a sensational project going on at Pesaro; a nine (9!!!) cylinder GP racer. Reportedly, the present racing bikes will be last used this season, but already at Monza for the Italian GP on September 3rd, a new four-cylinder 500cc will be prepared. This will have inclined cylinders, battery and coil ignition (to eliminate the frontal magneto which makes the engine longer, causing frame and roadholding problems) and eight-speed gearbox.
In 1968, efforts will be greatly increased. The racing department will be divided from the experimental one, acting practically as a separate factory, with its own high-precision tools, more mechanics, technicians, and so on. As said, main target will be the nine-cylinder affair, while the reported six-cylinder project has been canceled, since it was judged not too convenient to come out with a design three or four years after Honda.
All the above is made possible by the continuously increasing export to the USA. the already announced 650cc twin with electric starter, which has now reached the prototype stage, but thought a bit too monumental and therefore most probably undergoing a "compact cure" before entering production, which should begin in fall, 1967. The new machine is being of-
ficially introduced to the public during the Milan Show next October.
A NEW FOUR CYLINDER G P RACER
Two Italian technicians have recently designed, for the Moto Trans factory of Barcelona (building Ducati machines under license), a four-cylinder 250cc GP racer. The Spanish factory will race (with the Italian rider, Bruno Spaggiari) in national events to try to beat, with a fourstroke machine (Moto Trans produce only four stroke mounts), the hordes of twostrokes, such as Bultaco, Montesa, Ossa, etc.
The Italian school is well evident in the engine layout, with gear drive to the double ohc, the contact breakers, the primary drive on the left, the oil pump. Bore and stroke is 44.5 x 40 x 40 x 4. and 50 bhp at 14,000 rpm with possibility to overrev until 16,000 with no damage; six or seven speed gearbox; dry clutch on the left.
Called "M.T.," the machine has 18-inch wheels (2.75 front and 3.00 rear) and weighs 250 pounds. It will surely have a difficult task on the Spanish circuits against the two-strokers!
