Continental Report

CONTINENTAL REPORT

B.R. NICHOLLS

MALLORY PARK

One meeting that road race fans look forward to each season, particularly those that cannot get to the Isle of Man TT, is the Mallory Park event, held two days after the Senior. It is an ideal stopping off point for riders returning to the Continent, and this year the big attraction, of course, was Giacomo Agostini.

But Rod Gould, disregarding the rep utation of this handsome Latin world champion and a miserable week in Manxland, challenged the Italian and his 500 MV with his 350 Daytona Yamaha. Rod left the start line in almost inde cent haste, with a wheelie for good measure. Ago was boxed in and took a couple laps to free himself of the pack. But 20 laps of the twisty little Leicester circuit were not enough, though he equaled Hailwood's lap record. At the flag, he was still several lengths away. Gould won the 250 and 350 events as well. Ago probably was glad Rod had no 500, for that gave the Italian an easy win. Stuart Graham, with his ex-works Suzuki, took the 125, and Helmut Fath (URS) the sidecar class after both Chris Vincent and Peter Brown had retired from the lead with machine troubles.

"GRIP-CELL" DUNLOPS

Nobody could accuse Dunlop of rest ing on its laurels. Even with a virtual monopoly of the supply of racing tires in Europe, the firm continues to de velop and experiment. To many, the production race TT victory, achieved on standard production tires, was the fea ture of the week. The Triumph ap peared steady at all speeds, even on a 100-mph lap. And while Uphill was doing a first-class advertising job in the production event, Agostini was racing with a new Dunlop patented design called "Grip-Cells."

Grip-Cells are small diameter holes molded into the tread pattern during production. Dunlop claims they signifi cantly improve traction in the wet without affecting dry weather efficien cy. As the tire comes into contact with a wet surface, the weight of the bike forces the water into the holes, or cells. This in turn compresses the air already in the cell, which automatically forces the water out as soon as the cell area is no longer in contact with the road; thus, they are self-cleaning.

It is claimed that the new tire has proven faster in the wet, but that the 2000 or so holes that comprise a grip cell cover do not affect the wear or dry road performance. This aspect is of great importance to the four-wheel bri gade, who cast anxious eyes skyward before a big race to decide on "wet or dries." For them it could mean the end to changing tires for wet or dry racing, while for two-wheelers the tire will be safer in the wet and in the dry. The risk of chunking is virtually eliminated as the cross cuts in the tread would no longer be necessary.

BANKS LEADS MOTOCROSS

The 500-cc motocross title chasers have reached the halfway mark, and now have a four-week break before the next round in West Germany.

Just at the right moment, Britain’s John Banks (BSA) has hit form. He leads the table by the narrow margin of 4 points. At the Italian round, however, he failed to score. Banks was sidelined in the first leg by gearbox trouble, but his teammate, Dave Nicoll, kept the BSA flag flying with a fine 2nd place behind the Swede Bengt Aberg (Husqvarna), whose compatriot, Arne Kring (Husqvarna), was 3rd. It was not an easy

meeting. It rained, and the track was very slippery, just the sort of conditions in which Kring had excelled when he won the Swedish round, the second of the series.

The next round involved a trip behind the Iron Curtain to Czechoslovakia, where, in the first race, reigning champion Paul Friedrichs (CZ) mastered the hot, dusty conditions to storm ahead and finish some 50 seconds ahead of Banks. A young Czech, Anton Homola (Jawa) was 3rd ahead of Kring.

The Czech meeting gave Banks his first win of the series. Kring placed 2nd.

However, a week later in Russia (at Kishinev near the Black Sea) both Aberg and Kring were sidelined, the former with no sparks and the latter with a puncture. So, in blisteringly hot conditions, Banks took the lead after a few laps of the first race to win comfortably from Friedrichs, 2nd, and Homola, 3rd. Racing was made particularly tricky by a rainfall which did nothing to soften the iron hard surface, but coated it with a film of slippery mud.

In the second leg, Friedrichs took the lead and Banks was content to hang close behind with a time advantage that ensured overall victory. Aberg finished 3rd, but Homola gained 3rd place overall—a best ever result for the 19year-old. Banks rates Homola highly because of his consistency. A bit of envy is mixed with the praise, because, even with the hard surface in Russia, the Czech had no blisters. Nicoll, who had ridden so well in Italy, severely sprained an ankle in Czechoslovakia and was still feeling the effects in Russia.

At the halfway stage, Banks leads the title table with 54 points out of a possible 90. Second is Aberg with 50 and 3rd, Kring with 42. Another Swede, Jan Johansson, is 4th with 23. Out of the first 10, six ride Husqvarna, two BSA and two CZ. It also is interesting to note that no rider has scored in more than four of the six rounds held. Friedrichs’ 12 points scored in Russia put him in 11th place. Though it seems odds on Banks, Aberg or Kring for champion (they each have two outright wins), it is possible for anyone to win during the second half of the battle.

Things are far more predictable in the 250 class, as only four meetings remain to be held. It is very much a two-horse race. The leaders are Belgians Sylvain Geboers and Joel Robert with 86 and 75 points, respectively. Coming in with a late burst is Suzuki-mounted Olle Pettersson, who has been runner-up in the last two meetings.

First was the Dutch round, held on a hot, sultry day with lightning flashes and thunder rolling in the distance for the duration of the second race. Riders and public alike would have welcomed a deluge before the race. The very loose dusty sand circuit made racing for all but the man out front like a dash through a smoke screen. In the first leg, Olle Pettersson threw his Suzuki into the lead, hotly pursued by Andy Roberton (AJS). Torsten Hallman was a nonstarter because of his back injury. He no longer is the force to be reckoned with that he was a year ago.

However, his teammate, Bengt Arne Bonn, moved into the first six, where Geboers was making his presence felt, and local aces Frans Sigmans (Husqvarna) and Pierre Karsmakers (CZ) also were going well. A crash had sidelined Joel Robert. By three-quarter distance, Geboers seemed to be playing a waiting game behind Pettersson. A Dutch trio of Karsmakers, Sigmans and Jan Roessink filled the next three places. Then, in the final stages, Geboers cut loose and passed the Suzuki rider to win by five seconds.

Robert turned out for the second leg. He led for the first five laps but crashed once again to finish his racing for the day.

This left Geboers out front, and he took no action when passed by Finnish rider Heikki Mikkola (Husqvarna). Mikkola retired in the first race and therefore was no threat. That was the order to the flag.

Behind them came Sigmans, Pettersson and Karsmakers. The three had tied for 2nd place on points so it was necessary to calculate the time total for both races to decide 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. Pettersson took runner-up, his best position in the championship this year. Then came Karsmakers and Sigmans. Roberton, who had started so well, later crashed in the first leg and retired in the second from the effects of injuries received a few weeks earlier.

A week later, in the French round, Robert leapt back to form—he won both races to record his fifth outright win this year. It’s certainly all or nothing, with Joel having gained maximum points or none at all the rounds he has contended. [Q]