Ulster Grand Prix
ULSTER GRAND PRIX
Santi Herrero’s Crash Throws the 250 Title Race Wide Open
BY B.R. NICHOLLS
WITH BITTER, bigoted battles between extremist Catholic and Protestant groups raging in the streets of Belfast, it was touch and go whether the Grand Prix would be held at all; the Dundrod circuit is but five miles from the city. At 11 o’clock the night before race day, an attempt was made by the authorities to stop racing, but race organizer Bertie Mann finally persuaded them otherwise. He must have been very relieved when racing ended on the following day without incident. Cancellation could well have killed the Grand Prix forever, so heavily committed were they financially. But with all the political and religious differences it is rewarding to know that the sport of motorcycling will have no such divisions; one body controls the sport both north and south, and that is the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland.
It was the 41st Ulster GP and included for the first time were a 50-cc race and also a sidecar event, the first held for 13 years. It was also said to be Agostini’s final classic race of the season though the Italian and Yugoslav rounds are yet to be run. The handsome Italian is due to race in England the day the latter event is held, but one cannot help feeling that the Count will make an eleventh hour decision allowing Ago to contest the home meeting even though the venue has been shifted from the Agusta back door at Monza to Imola.
50 CC
Racing started with the tiddlers competing over six laps of the 7.5-mile circuit, it was a battle among the Spanish Derbi factory, Jamathi of Holland and the Dutch-prepared Van Veen Kreidlers.
Initially Angelo Nieto (Derbi) held the lead, but Paul Lodewijkx (Jamathi) set a record on his second lap at 83.39 mph and in so doing caught the Spaniard and the battle commenced. It went on for a couple of laps with the lead changing constantly until Nieto tried to dive inside the Dutchman on a tricky left-hander. The Derbi slid sideways and both were brought down. Nieto slid down the road, but Lodewijkx went over the hedge and his bike was too badly damaged to continue, thus losing his chance at the world title. Nieto, however, remounted without losing his 1st place and went on to win. This gives him a very challenging 2nd place in the championship behind Aalt Toersen (Kreidler), who failed to score as did another contender, Barry Smith (Derbi). Only other man in the hunt Jan de Vries (Kreidler) finished 2nd, with Frank Whiteway (Suzuki) 3rd. A Garelli ridden by Stuart Aspin came in 4th. Third and 4th finishers, though, were both 10 mph down on the winner’s speed.
250 CC
Santiago Herrero had retired on the second lap of the 50-cc race when his Derbi had gearbox trouble. In the next race he fared even worse as he crashed when in 3rd place on the second lap and broke two bones in the back of his right hand. Early news is that he hopes to be fit for the Italian GP. He cannot afford to miss either of the remaining rounds for both Kent Andersson (Yamaha) and Kel Carruthers (Benelli) are breathing down his neck. Pasolini is no longer in the hunt, having crashed again in Finland and been warned not to race again this season.
With Herrero out, Carruthers took the lead and slowly extended it throughout the race. Rod Gould (Yamaha) was a threat until his big end clanked a protest after four laps. Heinz Rosner (MZ) was initially handicapped by an unscheduled gas stop, but a later magneto failure eliminated him completely. So Sweden’s hope for the title, Kent Andersson, moved into 2nd place and held it to the finish, though the bike obviously was not as quick as when he won in Finland two weeks previously. Invariably, the Ulster provides a moment of glory for local boys, and the 250 was no exception when Ray McCullough took 3rd on his Yamaha.
350 CC
It was a similar situation in the 350 race where Cecil Crawford took 3rd on an Aermacchi. Crawford had a grand scrap with Brian Steenson for 10 of the 1 5 laps until Steenson’s Aermacchi seized. This battle really had the crowd on its toes and their excitement had hardly ended when Crawford came through in 2nd spot. Rosner’s thirsty 300-cc MZ had to stop for a quick gas top-up and so he had lost a place. Out in front, of course, was Ago. But while leading by a considerable distance, trouble developed in the last three laps when the MV Three became a Twin. He still won by over five minutes from Rosner, who had half a minute on Crawford.
500 CC
There was never any doubt who would win the 500; the only question was by how much. So when Ago hung around for two or three laps with Steenson in the lead, it seemed he was not interested in the race record. But suddenly he cleared off, giving the timekeepers a hard time. He eventually settled for the lap record at 107.66 mph, just over two seconds quicker than Hailwood’s Honda record of 106.71 set in 1967. Steenson on a Seeley was the only rider not to be lapped, while 3rd on a Norton was Malcolm Uphill, better known for his production machine exploits. Percy Tait (Triumph) was the only real threat to Steenson, but he was soon out of the race when the rear brake and gear linkage came adrift. John Blanchard (Seeley) and Alan Barnett (Kirby Metisse) also tried 3rd spot before retiring.
SIDECARS
The final race of the day saw the new world champions, Klaus Enders and Rolf Engelhardt, race their BMW to untroubled victory and so gain maximum points for the title. The Ulster should have been the decider between Enders and Fath, but a crash at the Finnish GP ended all Fath’s hopes. He suffered a broken leg which could well end his racing career. Siegfried Schauzu (BMW) was 2nd man home with the race enlivened only by the race-long scrap for 3rd between Franz Linnarz and Heinz Luthringhauser, both on BMWs. Linnarz had the edge and took 3rd by 100 yards. He also is 3rd in the world title race behind Enders and Fath, and has all the makings of a future champion. [Ö]
