Report From Italy

REPORT FROM ITALY

CARLO PERELLI

FURY AT RICCIONE

Irresistibly attracted by the prospect of a new, ferocious Ago-Paso scrap, not only in the 350 but also the 500 class (which Pasolini was facing again after two years with an improved version of the Benelli Four), no less than 60,000 passionate fans, armed with flags, cameras and posters, invaded Riccione on a beautiful Easter Monday.

The happy organizers sold every ticket to the 2.02-mile circuit bordering the Adriatic Sea, and after that just couldn’t hold back the people who still wanted to enter. Tension for this third Ago-Paso match after Rimini had risen to the extreme, and the wild Riccione spectators got just what they wanted!

In the 500, usually run before the 350, Agostini and Pasolini flashed around, changing positions, but were neck and neck for seven of the 28 laps. Then, much to the delight of Ago’s fans, Pasolini slowly lost ground and four laps later retired with gearbox trouble.

But it was in the 350 that the battle reached its peak. Pasolini rocketed into the lead and would give no ground to his rival, fearing a repetition of the Modena trick, where Agostini passed him on the inside of a bend, forcing him to the outside.

Still on the three-cylinder MV, in spite of rumors that he would be on a new Six, Agostini was hard on Pasolini’s heels for 14 of the 28 laps. It was perhaps the toughest scrap they’ve ever had, with nothing being spared to gain an inch on the treacherously slippery circuit. Then Pasolini, who had never let his rival pass him, opened up a small gap which grew to 13 seconds by the finish.

Immediately after the finish, Paso was taken in triumph by a huge mass of people who had invaded the track, despite the efforts of police. And other riders were still racing! While the winner was paraded in front of the TV cameras over that undulating sea of fans, the Benelli mechanics had to fight hard to save their precious four-cylinder machine from the enthusiastic hands of the jubilant spectators!

But Riccione offered more than the memorable Ago-Paso match. In the 250, there was a fine scrap between last year’s world championship arch-rivals, Santiago Herrero and Kel Carruthers. The Spanish rider again was on the unorthodox-framed Ossa Single (aircooled version), while world champion Carruthers was making his European debut on a Yamaha Twin after his Daytona victory; his Benelli Four is now illegal in this class.

Herrero flashed into the lead, closely followed by Italian champion Gilberto Parlotti (who retired early with a holed piston on his ohc Ducati Single), but Carruthers recovered from a rather slow start and was soon challenging the Spaniard. The other famous Yamaha exponent, Rod Gould, clearly was not at ease on the slippery, tight-cornered circuit (on which he had crashed in practice the previous day) and gradually lost more and more ground. He finally finished 8th, amid booing from the crowd.

Under strong pressure from Car ruthers, Herrero went straight twice while braking for corners; although he stayed upright, the Australian wasn't to be caught.

A furious scrap for 3rd berth be tween Silvio Grassetti (Yamaha), Walter Villa (Villa Single) and Giuseppe Man dolini (Montesa Twin) saw no survivors because of mechanical problems, so the young and promising Italian rider, Luigi Anelli, who had hit the straw bales on the second lap, gained ground consis tently for 3rd place.

In the 350, Gould retired from 7th place with front suspension trouble after another modest appearance. There was a race-long scrap between Car ruthers and Angelo Bergamonti, with the Yamaha-mounted Australian again getting the best in spite of the truly heroic efforts of the Italian Aermacchi works rider. Third place was taken by Silvio Grassetti on the four-cylinder Jawa, clearly not the best machine for these Italian racing grounds.

The 500 race was marred by plenty of mechanical and ignition troubles. After Paso's disappearance, Roberto Gallina retired from 2nd place with a broken contact breaker on his Paton, while the other Paton in the race, straddled by Franco Trabalzini, suffered gearbox troubles and retired. Alberto Pagani, who was closing on Gallina, stopped to adjust some wiring in the electrical department of his Linto and then was definitely put out by a sheared generator. The fly wheel magneto-type generator literally shot out onto the finishing straight, luckily hitting the strawbales after a long and fast run!

So this time, Paolo Campanelli, on a three-cylinder Kawasaki, was again 2nd to Ago, who won at lap and distance record speeds. Campanelli sustained a long scrap with similarly-mounted Pas quali Bertarelli until the latter was forced down to 4th place when he stopped to change a spark plug.

DELUSION AT CESENATICO

After the furious dices two weeks before at Riccione in both the 350 and 500 races, the new Ago-Paso match at Cesenatico proved a comedown for the 50,000 fans gathered, again on a sunny day, along the 2.32-mile Adriatic coast circuit, which features a spectacular jump on the back straight.

In fact, Paso didn't appear in the 500. In the 350, much to his own and his fans' disappointment, he found himself with 1000 fewer revs from his 500 Benelli right from the start, so he couldn't hold Ago, who won by over half-a-minute on his three-cylinder MV without breaking the lap record, which he set last year.

The reason for the vanishing rpm is still a mystery, but it was quite obvious on the track even from the different exhaust note. Paso quietly accepted the defeat, asserting that it was entirely due to the misbehavior of his mount and not to the athletic supremacy of his rival. Now he's looking to the world champi onship of the 350 class (where he will be officially sided by Kel Carruthers), anxious to prove that he's as good as the MV star on the fast GP courses as well.

The 350 race, although not the big attraction of the day, offered a fine scrap for 3rd place between Bergamonti (Aermacchi), Carruthers and Mandracci (both Yamaha), with the Aermacchi works rider coming out on top.

In the 50 race Italian champion Gilberto Parlotti and his Yugoslavian Tomos confirmed h-is supremacy. After a very poor start, he took only a few laps to gain the lead from world cham pion Angel Nieto, who retired soon after when his Derbi seized. A fine show came from the beautifully prepared Morbidellis of Lazzarini and Ringhini who kept Lombardi (Guazzoni) at bay all the way. In the final rush it was Lazzarini who secured 2nd berth.

In the 125 nobody could challenge world champion Dave Simmonds and his Kawasaki Twin. Bergamonti, on the works Aermacchi (now fitted with elec tronic ignition), tried very hard as usual, but could do no better than 2nd place. There was again a fine show from the Morbidelli, with Ringhini 3rd after a scrap with Villa men Buscherini and Walter Villa. It was not a good day for the Modena-built two-strokes, however, as Walter retired (soon imitated by brother Francesco) with ignition prob lems, while Mandolini, fastest in practice, was out with engine seizure and Buscherini dropped back to 4th place.

(Continued on page 102)

In the 250 Kel Carruthers suffered the same trouble as in the 350, but here it cost him a victory instead of 3rd place. He was leading his arch-rival Herrero (Ossa), who retired with a broken rear brake after an anxious moment, when the rev counter of his Yamaha refused to reach the red line. Although trying to save his initial advantage, he was caught in the final stages by Grassetti and Anelli (also on Yamaha) and in the final sprint he was squeezed in between the two Italians. Silvio Grassetti, on a works Jawa, was the victor.

For over half the 500 event the spectators couldn’t believe their eyes. Ago, on the MV Three, was dueling, and not at a slow pace, with Italian champion Bertarelli on a Kawasaki Three, but the MV star abruptly pulled away and widened the gap every lap and won by a comfortable margin. Bertarelli had the satisfaction of not being lapped, which was no mean feat for a private rider on a production racer.

The promise of a good scrap for 3rd berth between Gallina (Paton) and Pagani (Linto) was wiped away when Pagani found his goggles around his neck after a jump and lost some time resetting them, while his rival started to drop back with rear brake problems. The other works Paton in the race, straddled by Trabalzini, retired with gearbox trouble, while Dave Simmonds disappeared from midfield with a persistently misfiring Kawasaki. So 3rd place was won by Pagani, who was followed home by Spaggiari on the Ducati 450 desmo Single.

NEW RACER FROM DUCATI

The new 450 Ducati desmo, which has been ridden by works rider Bruno Spaggiari in the Italian Spring meetings, is very similar to the production roadster from which it was derived. In fact, the main differences from the roadster are larger valves, a 42-mm carburetor with separate float chamber, a 10.5:1 piston, a “hotter” camshaft and double ignition with external coils. The swinging arm is reinforced, and it is fitted with a 210-mm Fontana front brake, Ceriani forks and Marzocchi rear shocks. A larger fiberglass tank is used, but the bore/stroke ratio is the same at 86 by 75mm (435cc).

The gearbox still has five speeds, the multi-disc clutch runs internally in an oil bath and the crankcase is die-cast, exactly’ as on the production machines. The works 250 and 350 racing desmos prepared by Ducati until recently featured a dry type clutch running outside and a sand-cast crankcase.

In spite of its closeness to the roadsters, the engine is delivering 50 bhp at 9000 rpm to the rear wheel, which, coupled with its low weight of 264 lb., slim frontal section and the meager 3.00-18 tires front and rear, has enabled Spaggiari to wage brilliant performances against more sophisticated machinery at Rimini, Modena and Riccione.

Unfortunately, these fine shows were spoiled by teething problems, but there is no doubt that this new Ducati is very promising and a force to be reckoned with on the short and twisty circuits.

Plans are being considered at the moment to produce a small batch of racers, as is done with the 250 and 350 models.

NEW DIRT MOUNTS

The off-road season is opening over here, and Morini, which already has fine competition machines in three displacements (winner of the latest 100, 125 and 175 Italian championships, plus many ISDT gold medals), has now produced a milder machine designed especially for wandering in the woods or attacking steep hills. It is properly called “Country.”

The beautifully linear double cradle frame is entirely new and is fitted with sturdy teledraulic legs (adjustable at the rear). Nicely shaped are the 2.5-gal. gasoline tank, the very comfortable dual seat, and the quickly detachable fiberglass panels, concealing the battery and tool kit. Good looks also come from the rubber-mounted tachometer and speedometer, encased in separate shells above the headlamp.

The traditional oversquare (56 by 50mm) pushrod engine with vertical valves and flat piston is graced by a five-speed gearbox, fed by a 20-mm carburetor, and ignited by battery and coil with the circuit-breaker on the left side, with the gear primary drive also on the left. With wet-sump lubrication, it delivers 10.8 bhp to the rear wheel at 9600 rpm with a compression ratio of 9.8:1.

Saddle height is 30 in., weight is 215 lb., ground clearance is 7.8 in., and wheelbase 49.2 in.

While the first four gearbox ratios are lowered for dirt work, top gear is normal, for quick traveling over good surfaces. Top speed is 68 mph.

MINI-SCRAMBLERS

One-two-five scrambling is tremendously popular in Italy, and since the national industry is taking no interest in it, several small enterprises are producing fine mounts for these events.

One of the latest and best to appear on the hotly contested scene is FB, from the initials of two technicians, Ferrarini and Bagnoli. After working no less than eight years in the Aermacchi racing department, they set out on their own with a colossal knowledge of the subject.

The frame of their machine, victorious right from its first appearances, comes from the 125 Aermacchi Golden Wing racer, but it has been modified at the rear by widening of the two top tubes and reinforcement throughout with gussets, while the swinging arm has also been strengthened and is fitted with Girling shocks.

The powerhouse also comes from the American-Italian factory and has modified porting (as well as a different expansion chamber shape) to produce good pulling power from low rpm right up to the maximum of 8000, at which speed 17.5 bhp is delivered to the rear wheel through a suitably modified gearbox.

Ignition is a Dansi electronic unit, as fitted to the 125 road racers, and the carburetor is a 27-mm concentric Dellorto. Primary drive and clutch are the same as the Harley-Davidson Baja 100, already well known to Americans.

An interesting detail is that the carburetor doesn’t suck the purified air directly from the filter, but from a large, triangular cavity under the seat, avoiding resonances and restrictions in the air cleaner hose.

The rest of the bike is made from the best available components, including Boranni light alloy rims, Morini brakes and hubs, Metzler 2.75-19 front and 3.50-18 rear tires, heavy-duty spokes, 1.5-gal. fuel tank, and a Bonazzi front fork, with breathers, which has slightly over seven inches of travel. Weight is only 165 lb.