1968 Isle of Man
1968 Isle of Man
B. R. NICHOLLS
WITH THE two greatest names in present-day motorcycle racing missing from the Isle of Man this year, easy wins were predicted for MV in the 350 and 500 classes, with Yamaha ruling the roost in the smaller capacities. With Hailwood and Honda absent, few expected that records would be broken. Agostini and Ivy, however, had other ideas. The handsome Italian ace set a record race speed in the 350 class, and the diminutive Ivy, all 5 ft., 3 in., of him, set record laps in both the 125 and 250 classes.
That the 125 record would rise above 100 mph had been shown in practice for, as reported in the TT preview (CW, Aug. ’68), Ivy, halfway through training, put in a lap at 100.14 mph. One question remained unanswered. Would the little four-cylinder machine withstand three laps of that sort of treatment? The magic ton, as 100 mph has been called, now is the yardstick by which all performances over the mountain course are measured. Bob McIntyre, in 1957, on the fully streamlined 500-cc Güera works Four, was first to achieve the 100-mph mark. Then, in 1960, Derek Minter became the first man to lap at 100 mph astride a production Single, a Manx Norton tuned by Steve Lancefield. Minter’s speed was 101.05. Then, in 1961, Hailwood showed his ability by averaging over 100 mph for the entire race on his Bill Lacey tuned Norton. No other rider ever has emulated that feat. A lap at the magic ton remains the ambition of all the Single riders.
Only one such lap was run in 1968, but it will not go down in the records as it was achieved in practice by Alan Barnett, riding a 500-cc Kirby Metisse in his first TT. During the Thursday afternoon practice session, he hurtled around the course in 22 min., 37.2 sec., to record 100.08 mph.
It was the end of the serious stuff because the Friday and Saturday sessions were spent running in tires and chains for race day. For some of the riders race day was a week away, but not the sidecar people. They opened proceedings on Saturday evening with an international race for 500-cc machines, counting toward the world championship. Starting 5 min. later was a 750 class which attracted the cream of the British short circuit aces.
Klaus Enders (BMW) scorched away from a standing start to set a lap record at 93.73 mph and led the race by just over 38 sec. at the end of Lap 1, well ahead of last year’s winner, Siegfried Schauzu (BMW), and Johann Attenberger (BMW). Everything was in Enders’ favor for fast motoring as he was No. 1 on the grid. Conditions were ideal for racing. On Enders sped into Lap 2, to complete it in exactly 24 min. and set a new record lap at 94.32. This knocked 39.6 sec. off the previous record set by Max Deubel (BMW) in 1965 and gave Enders a lead of over 80 sec. over Schauzu and Attenberger. However, Helmut Eath (URS) had moved into 4th place with retirement of Georg Auerbacher (BMW). Then, as last year, disaster struck Enders on his final lap. Less than four miles from the finish, a connecting rod broke, but Enders coasted and pushed in to finish 8th. So, “Sideways Sid,” as Schauzu has been affectionately nicknamed, found himself a clear winner by 81 sec. ahead of Attenberger, with Heinz Luthringhauser (BMW) moving into 3rd place ahead of Hath whose clutch had given up. Once again BMW had shown supremacy, finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
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With Schauzu safely home as winner, all eyes were now on the 750 class in which Chris Vincent (654 BSA) had stormed off on Lap 1 to set the pace at 89.07 mph and pull out an 18-sec. lead from Terry Vinicombe (654 Kirby BSA). But, as had Enders, Vincent encountered trouble, with oil pouring from the timing cover. Though he attempted repairs, he was forced to retire at Ramsey on Lap 2. The affair began to look for all the world like a meeting at Mallory or Brands. Norman Hanks (672 BSA) moved into 2nd place, with Peter Brown (654 BSA) 3rd. As the final lap started, Hanks led Brown by 29 sec., but was in trouble with a fractured rear mudguard loop that acted as spacer for the suspension units. Hanks slowed, but held off Brown by 4 sec. The ACU must be very happy with the result of this experiment which must surely be repeated as a feature of the TT program.
Engine characteristics dictate that the winning BMW was 4.5 min. faster than the first 750 home. Thus there is no question of the two classes competing on equal terms.
Should Enders have eased off when he had such a big lead? He says that in fact he did on his final lap, but with the 10-sec. starting interval, being No. 1 has a distinct disadvantage, inasmuch as it is essential to build the sort of lead that no other machine can surpass in a single lap. Had Enders been granted a later number, with proper signaling, he could have controlled his race speed to his own advantage-and possibly could have won. As it stands, he has now retired in his past two TT races when leading. What is worse, as reigning world champion Enders has failed to score this year in the two sidecar championships contested so far.
It was a sympathetic crowd that applauded Enders home, but the biggest ovation was for the beautiful Rose Arnold who passengered for Norman Hanks, 2nd in the 750-cc sidecar class.
SIDECAR RESULTS
500 CC 1. S. Schauzu/H. Schneider, BMW . . . *91.09 2. J. Attenberger/J. Schillinger, BMW . . 89.47 3. H. Luthringhauser/G. Hughes, BMW . 87.60 4. H. Fath/W. Kalauch, URS ........87.28 5. J.S. Brandon/C.A. Holland, BMW . . . 82.43 6. M. Tombs/T. Tombs, BMW .......82.20 * Record Record lap: K. Enders/R. Englehardt, BMW, 94.32 mph.
750 CC 1. T. Vinicombe/J. Flaxman, BSA .... 85.85 2. N. Hanks/Mrs. R. Arnold, BSA.....83.10 3. P. Brown/D. Bean, BSA..........83.03 Fast lap: C. Vincent/K. Scott, BSA, 89.07 mph from standing start.
THE 50
It is one thing to put forward negative criticism. It is another to suggest improvement to a situation. One race of the week held little interest for spectators. This was the 50-cc class, run over three laps of the mountain course on Monday. Last year, it was reduced to a farce by the antics of the Suzuki works team members, riding to orders as to who should win. This year, two eight-speed single-cylinder Spanish Derbi machines were entered. These were ridden by Angelo Nieto and Barry Smith. Their only possible challenger was Rudolph Kunz on an ex-works 12-speed Kreidler. Of 33 starters, only 12 finished, but the race was simple to follow as it was a mass start.
Smith soon snatched the lead and, with little over one-third of a lap completed, forged well ahead of the pack. Kunz retired with engine trouble. Nieto went out with a broken ankle, result of a 100-mph crash at Baaregarroo. The latter location is one of the most exciting spectating points along the 38-mile course; it is a flat-out left-hander at the bottom of a hill.
A nice scrap for 2nd place between Brian Gleed (Honda) and Chris Walpole (Honda) ended on Lap 2 with a seized engine for Gleed. Smith went on to win by over 7 min. ahead of Walpole, with 54-year-old Les Griffiths (Honda) 3rd. Smith’s fastest lap and race speed were about 13 mph down on the respective records, but these were set by Ralph Bryans on the exotic little Honda Twin. Whether the FIM’s restriction of the number of cylinders and the number of gears on 50-cc machines will do anything to improve racing remains to be seen. If not, then the 50-cc class is the easy way to win a TT replica and to insure spectators do not rush breakfast.
Perhaps extension of the piston displacement limit to 80 or 100 cc might be the right move, in view of the number of machines now sold in those groupings.
50 RESULTS
1. Barry Smith, Derbi............ 72.90 2. Chris Walpole, Honda.......... 67.26 3. Les Griffiths, Honda........... 66.20 4. Dave Lock, Honda............ 65.66 5. Jim Pink, Honda.............. 64.14 6. Robin Udall, Honda........... 62.28 Fast lap: B. Smith, Derbi, 73.44 mph
THE 250
The warmup area is no place to be prior to the start of the 250 race. Yamaha Fours, the Benelli Four, the MZ Twin, and a swarm of privately owned two-strokes scream in throttle blipping agony. Anxious mechanics make frenzied last-minute adjustments, and recheck the machines to assure themselves nothing has been left undone. The warmup area is no place to be unless, that is, the spectator is a true enthusiast. In this case, the high-pitched din, the hyperactivity are sounds and sights to be savored, to be stored in memory. Then the board goes up, engines are cut and riders line up in pairs on the roadway, to start at 10-sec. intervals.
This is the TT. The rider pits his skill against the world’s most arduous circuit. The rider knows that as soon as he catches a rider with a lower number that he has made up 10 sec.; or he knows that if he is caught, he has lost those precious 10 sec. The rider knows that a well taken pit stop may put him up a place or lose him a place or two if, in anxiety, he overshoots and must wheel back.
Then comes Lap 6. With it comes that final 1360-ft. climb up the mountain. Will the machine do it? If it makes the top, at least it is possible to finish by coasting.
First off in the 250 race were Malcolm Uphill (Suzuki) and Derek Woodman (H-D Aermacchi), followed 10 sec. later by 50-cc winner Barry Smith (Thompson Suzuki), complete with lights. Then came Renzo Pasolini (Benelli Four) and Phil Read (Yamaha Four), followed by Frank Perris (Crooks Suzuki), out of retirement. Perris had lapped at over 93 mph in practice, and was running alongside Heinz Rosner (MZ Twin).
Superstitious? No. 13 never appears at the TT, so there is no bother on that score. Bill Ivy (Yamaha Four) started No. 21, so had the advantage of all the opposition in front of him. His signaling station was able to keep him well informed of race progress.
Ivy really set the pace on the first lap, searing around the course in 21 min., 27.4 sec., to break Hailwood’s lap record from a standing start. And, Ivy set a figure of 105.51 mph to lead teammate Read by 14.2 sec. That was 1.5 min. better than Pasolini, with Rosner 4th. To complete the leaderboard at the end of Lap 1, Rod Gould (Yamaha/Bultaco) led Perris by 3.6 sec. Ivy’s record lap, however, was not achieved without damage to the machine. His enthusiastic cornering ground away an expansion chamber, which slowed his machine drastically. By the end of the Lap 3 Read was leading. Perris, who had moved into 5 th at the end of Lap 2, retired after lapping at over 94 mph. Refueling stops upset the leaderboard. Malcolm Uphill moved into 5th and Tony McGurk (Yamaha) took 6th. Pasolini overshot the pit, but found himself 2nd at the end of the Lap 4, as Read had punctured his rear tire when leading the race. Ivy pitted again at the end of Lap 4, and on Lap 5 engaged in a painful argument with a curb at Milntown, damaging the toes of his right foot. However, with the retirement of Read, the race pattern had settled down and victory went to Ivy, who had to be helped from his machine 2 min., 20 sec., ahead of Pasolini, who, in turn, had over 4 min. in hand over Rosner, whose MZ definitely was not delivering full power. He had fully expected to lap at over 100 mph. Uphill beat Gould for 4th place, but this would have been a very close thing had Gould not been forced to pit twice for fuel. Bill Smith (Yamaha) completed the leaderboard almost half a minute ahead of Santiago Herrero (250 monocoque Ossa). Herrero turned in a very good first TT ride at 91.97 mph.
250 RESULTS
1. W. Ivy, Yamaha ................99.58 2. R. Pasolini, Benelli..............98.00 3. H. Rosner, MZ.................95.04 4. M. Uphill, Suzuki...............93.86 5. R. Gould, Yamaha..............93.61 6. W.A. Smith, Yamaha ............92.26 Record lap: W. Ivy, Yamaha, 105.51 mph from standing start.
PRODUCTION CLASSES AND JUNIOR
Weather had been perfect for all the races so far. The two-strokes had jetted for fine, sunny, weather of the previous three days. How wrong they were! Wednesday dawned cloudy with a suggestion of rain and low mist on the mountain. The rain held off, but there was trouble for riders on the mountain with mist.
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Big race of the day was the Junior, but before that event came the three national production races for machines in 250-, 500and 750-cc classes. Bikes are started at 5-min. intervals, with the 750s setting off first, LeMans style.
Sprinting across the road in fine form, Tony Smith (654 BSA) was off before anybody else. He led the rush down Bray Hill, hotly pursued by Ray Piekrell (745 Dunstall Dominator). Some 7.5 miles out at Ballacraine, last year’s winner John Hartle (649 Bonneville) took the lead and increased it steadily as he charged up the mountain-until he came to Windy Corner. Here the mist was at its worst, elinging to riders’ goggles. Hartle entered into Windy 5 mph too fast, clouted the bank and went over the top. When he awoke he found himself in good company. Rod Gould, on another works Triumph, had executed the identical caper. That left Pickrell well out on his own, ahead of Billie Nelson, who had taken over the Norton Atlas of Steve Spencer, injured in a crash during practice. In 3rd place came Smith. That order was maintained to the finish. Piekrell, however, had a real go on his final lap and smashed the lap record set by Hartle last year. Piekrell completed the tour at 99.39 mph, carving 21.2 sec. off the previous fast time. The race speed also was a record-45.6 sec. quicker than last year.
Not to be outdone by Piekrell, the 500 class winner, Ray Knight (490 Triumph Daytona) took the lead early, when Chris Vincent (Suzuki Cobra) retired with gearbox trouble. This put Perris out of the Senior race as the same machine was to have been raced by him on Friday. Behind Knight came John Blanchard (Velocette), while dicing for 3rd, separated by 0.2 sec., were Ron Baylie (Triumph) and last year’s winner, Neil Kelly (Velocette). This scrap ended at Brandywell on Lap 2 when Baylie came off without injury. This put 500-mile race winner David Nixon in 3rd place, and that was the order at the end. Knight shaved fractions off both race and lap records.
The 250 race provided a start-to-finish race order that resulted in a spate of protests, and highlighted the difficulties under which production racing is conducted. Classic example of this was the 250 Honda entered by Bill Smith. He was not allowed to fit a larger tank than standard, as such is not listed among Honda production items. The rules prevented a gas stop during the production event, so Bill completed one lap, just to see what the road conditions would be like for the Junior race that afternoon.
Trevor Burgess (Ossa) was the winner over George Leigh (Bultaco), with Barry Smith (Thompson Suzuki) taking 3rd. Immediately after the race, protests were lodged against 1st and 2nd placemen on grounds their machines’ exhaust systems were outside the rules. The protests were not accepted, as officials said they should have been made before the race. However, it seems the matter has not ended yet as the protests may be referred to the RAC stewards.
PRODUCTION RESULTS
750 CC 1. R. Piekrell, Dunstall Dominator . . . *98.12 2. B. Nelson, Norton ..............94.62 3. A.J. Smith, BSA..................... * Record Record lap: R. Piekrell, Dunstall Dominator, 99.39 mph. 500 CC 1. R. Knight, Triumph ............*90.09 2. J. Blanchard, Velocette ..........88.58 3. D.J. Nixon, Triumph ............88.52 * Record Record lap: R. Knight, Triumph, 91.03 mph. 250 CC 1. T.E. Burgess, Ossa ..............87.21 2. G.E. Leigh, Bultaco .............85.23 3. B. Smith, Suzuki ...............85.17 Fast lap: T.E. Burgess, Ossa, 87.89 mph.
THE 350
To the bitter disappointment of the crowd, and to the rider himself, Hartle’s crash made him a non-starter for the 350 race in the afternoon. Many argued that he should not have ridden the Triumph with the MV to ride as well, but a professional cannot afford to ignore rides. Also, Hartle won the race last year, and had agreed to ride the production event long before MV came along with a new offer. It was bad luck, but it did rob the Junior race of what promised to be a classic battle, because Hartle and his teammate, Giacomo Agostini, were starting together, paired at No. 5 and No. 6.
As it was, there was no race at all. Ago simply fled from the start as if pursued by 40 mothers-in-law, to lead Pasolini at the end of Lap 1 by over 46 sec. Heinz Rosner (MZ) was 3rd; Australian Kel Carruthers (H-D Aermacchi Metisse) was 4th. Bill Smith’s exploratory lap on the 250 Honda obviously helped because he was in 5th place on the 305 Honda Twin, with Jack Findlay (Beart H-D Aermacchi) completing the leaderboard. For Findlay it was really a hot ride, for slowly but surely the saddle was being worn through by the rear tire. All hell erupted in battles for 6th to 12th places as fewer than 16 sec. separated Alan Barnett (349 Kirby Metisse), Terry Grotefield (234 Padgett Yamaha), Malcolm Uphill (Crooks Suzuki), Derek Woodman (Aermaechi Metisse), Tom Dickie (Petty Norton), and Martin Carney (TSR Kawasaki). By Lap 3 things had started to sort themselves out a bit, with Rosner out at Kirkmichael. Then Carruthers also retired, as the result of a broken crankpin. This put Smith in a secure 3rd place, while Woodman had secured 5th behind Findlay, who was experiencing misfires, as well as seating problems. Barnett was among the first six at the end of Lap 3. These placings stood the same at the end of Lap 4, by which time Ago had 1 min., 50 sec. in hand over Pasolini, who, in turn, led Smith by over 6 min. John Cooper (Seeley Matchless) then displaced Barnett on the leaderboard, while Jim Curry and Brian Steenson pulled through the field. This was a particularly good effort on the part of Steenson as he was victim of a monumental prang at Union Mills. He crashed during the 250 race, fortunately without serious damage to his person, though his pride was somewhat shattered. On the final lap, Findlay’s misfire dropped him to 6th place and an oil leak put Barnett down to 8th, a mere 7 sec. behind Curry. It was really a tight finish as Barnett held only 1.8 sec. over Steenson who, in turn, held 9th by 0.6 sec. over Uphill. Barnett could easily have finished in 10th place had he not completed one of the best pit stops of the race, refueling in Only 26 sec.
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350 RESUL TS 1. G. Agostini, MV..............*104.78 2. R. Pasolini, Benelli.............102.65 3. W.A. Smith, Honda .............95.02 4. D. Woodman, H-D Aermacchi......93.46 5. J.H. Cooper, Seeley .............93.35 6. J. Findlay, H-D Aermacchi ......93.04 * Record Fast lap: G. Agostini, MV, 106.77 mph.
THE 125
The final day of racing broke with the sun shining in a clear blue sky. The three-lap 125 race was a two man duel, and, with Read already leading the world title hunt, he was expected to win. However, there was no doubt that Ivy was to run the 100-mph lap. He led Read at Ballacraine, but by unofficial timing Phil had pulled it back by Ballaugh, for he was riding on the absolute limit, but about 1000 rpm below maximum. He then realized that his mechanics had slightly over-jetted his engine for safety. By Ramsey, Ivy held a 5-sec. lead. At the end of the lap he was 4 sec. ahead. Dave Simmonds, running 4th, had his Kawasaki seize, so he retired, as did Derek Chatterton when he threw his Mondial away at the Bungalow.
Heinz Rosner was 3rd on the MZ, almost 2 min. down on the race leader, while the remaining leaderboard men were Kel Carruthers (Honda), Tommy Robb (Bultaco) and Gordon Keith (Montesa). Ivy tore into Lap 2, riding with no sign of Monday’s injury. He completed the circuit in 22 min., 34 sec. at a speed of 100.32 mph. Try as he could, Read was unable to contain Ivy. Read was lapping at 99.76 mph, and 11.6 sec. down at the end of Lap 2. Rosner had retired following a plug change, so Steve Murray (Honda) moved onto the leaderboard in 6th place. Then Ivy began to slow on the final lap. There was little doubt in the minds of spectators that a team order led to the reversal of fortune. To Motor Cycle went the plum of having a man on the spot at Creg ny Baa when Ivy coasted to a halt on the final lap to ask who was leading the race. Told it was Read, Ivy fired the engine and went away with it sounding crisp and beautiful to finish 2nd, 56.4 sec. behind Read.
125 RESUL TS 1. P.W. Read, Yamaha ............*99.12 2. W. Ivy, Yamaha ...............*97.78 3. K. Carruthers, Honda............86.69 4. T. Robb, Bultaco...............85.80 5. G. Keith, Montesa ..............84.80 6. S. Murray, Honda...............83.19 * Record Record lap: W. Ivy, Yamaha, 100.32 mph.
THE 500
Is Hartle fit to ride? That was the main question in conversation before the Senior, though Hartle was to ride one of the outdated four-cylinder MVs, whereas the favorite, Agostini, was to run on the threecylinder model. Still the sun shone—and Peter Humber shook a fist at Sol as his water cooled three-cylinder Crescent would not last long in that weather. (It did 10 miles.)
The Senior was a race destined to be a machine wrecker, with only 37 finishers out of 85 starters. Throughout it all, however, Ago rode in splendid isolation, coursing in front of them all, leading by over 80 sec. at the end of Lap l, and increasing his margin all the while, to win by 8.5 min.
It was not long before the retirements started. F ancied Jack Findlay dropped out with clutch trouble on his Matchless. Then Hartle suddenly wished he had never gone to the Island. Difficulty with gear changing forced him at excessive speed into the fast left-hander at Cronk ny Mona in the wrong gear. He lost the machine. One very secondhand MV and painfully battered rider departed the race.
Rod Gould aged 10 years at the bottom of Bray Hill when his Triumph shook its head like a wild horse. Gould retired at the end of the lap, reporting an oil leak.
With Ago out front, less than 13 sec. separated 2nd to 6th men on the leaderboard. They were Alan Barnett (Kirby Metisse), Griff Jenkins (Matchless), Derek Woodman (Seeley Matchless), Peter Williams (Arter Matchless), and Malcolm Uphill (Norton). None of those five were destined to finish in the first six.
On Lap 2 Jenkins crashed in Glen Helen and was flown by helicopter to a hospital. He had sustained a severe internal bruising. Barnett lost his exhaust system and both Williams and Uphill dropped behind with misfiring machinery. John Cooper put in a fine effort on Lap 2 to move his Seeley into 2nd place ahead of Woodman, with Carruthers (Norton) now 4th, over Percy Tait (Triumph) and Brian Ball (Seeley Matchless).
Into Lap 3, and the wee folk certainly gave the riders a bad time. Tait blew up in expensive fashion. Carruthers developed a misfire, which dropped him to 6th. This let Ball into 4th and saw Tony McGurk (Matchless) into 5th.
With memories of losing last year’s Senior with chain trouble, Ago, when fueling at the end of Lap 3, checked that as well. With 3 min., 40 sec. in hand he could afford a 2-min. pit stop.
McGurk, however, crashed at his pit after locking the front brake. Woodman dropped back with a loose suspension unit. So, at the end of Lap 4, Barry Randle (Norton) had moved into 4th spot, and, surprisingly, Fred Curry (Syd Lawton H-D Aermacchi) had fought up to 5th. However, Carruthers pushed Curry down to 6th on Lap 5; then Curry’s machine seized on the final lap, and he was forced to push in to finish 29th. It was that last lap that really sorted them out, apart from Ago, who had run a perfect 1st place throughout. Cooper went out with a broken crankpin at Ginger Hall, putting Ball into 2nd place. Then Ball’s engine cut momentarily and started to misfire, so Randle caught him and moved ahead, going up the mountain climb, but the Norton was almost brakeless. So, on the rush down the mountain, Ball regained 2nd place by 0.4 sec.; this means Randle had engaged in 22 min. of racing at over 95 mph only to be beaten by less than a half second.
The drama was not finished there. Bill Smith came through on the final lap on his Matchless to take 4th, ahead of another strong finisher, Bernard Lund (Matchless), who only races once a year at the TT, and to beat Carruthers by 2.8 sec. Yes, it was a tight finish, as 7th to 12th were all covered by a 27-sec. time interval.
500 RESULTS 1. G. Agostini, MV...............101.63 2. B.A. Ball, Seeley................95.57 3. B.J. Randle, Norton.............95.56 4. W.A. Smith, Matchless...........95.28 5. B. Lund, Matchless..............94.96 6. K. Carruthers, Norton ...........94.93 Fast lap: G. Agostini, MV, 104.91 mph from lap: standing start.
