Isle of Man Tt
ISLE OF MAN TT
Uphill's Trident Wins The Production Race, Which Is Fast Eclipsing The Grand Prix Classes In Popularity.
B.R. NICHOLLS
THE 1970 TT RACES round the 373/4-mile mountain circuit, for which the Isle of Man is famous to motorcyclists throughout the world, took place in what were probably the finest conditions ever experienced. During the 11 practice sessions, only once was there mist to contend with on the mountain where the course rises to its highest point of 1500 feet from virtual sea level in Ramsey. At all other times it was fine and dry, a point which is particularly welcome for the morning sessions which start at 4:45 a.m. and finish at 6:30 a.m. The rather more civilized evening practice starts at 6:30 and lasts until 8:15 p.m., whilst on the Thursday of practice week there is an afternoon period where solos and sidecars each have one hour.
Many riders were complaining about the bumpiness of the course, which seems to be getting worse each year. This point was made by Kel Carruthers when collecting his trophy for winning the 250 race. With the hot weather, melting tar was also a problem for competitors and is a hazard they should not be expected to face on a course that has to be seen to be believed.
Such hazards as plunging down Bray Hill at over 130 mph between curbstones, riding airborn machines at over 100 mph, walls, trees, houses and steep mountain drops down a hillside for the errant rider are enough to contend with, without the added risk of melting tar. Barry Randle blamed the tar as the cause of his fall at the 11th milestone during the Senior race, when he was in 6th place. Fortunately, he escaped with only cuts and bruises.
The superb weather for the two weeks of racing only served to bring out in sharp relief the stark tragedy of five
deaths on the circuit. The first happened during the opening practice session, when Les Iles crashed at Kates Cottage on his Bultaco. Then Wednesday morning Mike Collins died after crashing on the Verandah section of the mountain, just when it seemed he was making a name for himself riding Seeley machines. That same evening a sidecar driver, Dennis Blowers, also died on the mountain. These names are probably unknown to American readers, whereas Santiago Herrero, the fearless Ossa ace, is familiar to all who read the world grand prix reports. In the 250 race he crashed on the fast downhill left-hander at the 13th milestone and died of multiple injuries two days later. As a result, Ossa has retired from road racing. Finally during the Senior race, the climax to the whole two weeks of the TT, John Wetherall crashed at Glen Auldyn bridge just after Milntown cottage. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital where he died of his injuries.
American representation in the races was confined to one solo rider and a sidecar passenger. Riding with an AMA/ FIM international license, 29-year-old John Black, a teacher at the University of Oregon medical school, rode a 350 Yamaha sponsored by Ray Garner of Portland, Ore. Robert Burns no doubt turned in his grave at the thought of such a perfect Scots accent riding under a Yankee license, but nevertheless, he kept the Stars and Stripes flying by gaining a silver replica with a speed of 86.11 mph. Edward Fletcher of Glenolden, Pa. went to the Island to passenger for Maurice Candy, a season campaigner there, but found himself with-
out a ride when Candy did not race. He transferred to the chair of Charlie Freeman, and although they retired in the 750 sidecar race, they went on to gain an excellent 8th place in the 500 class with a speed of 79.86 mph. So Ed will have a silver replica to declare to the customs man on the way home.
First race of the TT was held on Saturday at the end of practice week. As it was expected to be the race, it was unfortunate that it was held at a time when holiday makers and enthusiasts were still arriving.
PRODUCTION MACHINE TT
Daytona showed that what the public is really interested in is production machine racing. To meet this development in the racegoer’s taste, the TT race was upped in stature to that of an international event and run over five laps instead of three, as in previous years.
Some riders were against this, as they felt that five laps of the mountain circuit would place too great a strain on brakes and other components. All the more reason for five laps, for that is what it is all about; racing improves the breed.
The race is divided into three classes: 750cc, 500cc and 250cc. A practice crash had left the favorite Malcolm Uphill, last year’s winner, with a badly bruised and septic foot, so for the Le Mans type start he was allowed to stand astride his machine whilst Percy Tait, fully kitted up in leathers and crash helmet, ran across the road for him. Had Uphill not been allowed a runner he would have been handicapped out of the race; the fact that he stood astride and not beside the bike was of vital consequence.
Riding Triumph Tridents in the race were Uphill, Alan Barnett and Paul Smart. Brian Steenson rode a BSA Rocket. The opposition to the three-cylinder machines came principally from the Honda Fours of Peter Darvill, John Cooper and Tommy Robb, and Norton Commandos ridden by Ray Pickrell and Peter Williams.
From the drop of the flag Tait hurled across the road to set Uphill on his way, but Darvill was first away using the push button start of his Honda to good advantage. However, three miles out at Union Mills Uphill led, with Smart in his slipstream a couple of lengths away.
So the battle developed between these two all the way round the 37%mile course, thrilling the many thousands of spectators basking in the evening sunshine.
At the end of that first lap Uphill and Smart were credited with the same time, a standing start lap at 99.30 mph. Then came Steenson and Williams followed by Pickrell with Barnett 6th, slowed by a loose tank strap.
Eighteen miles out on the second lap Smart gave up with a flat front tire believed to be caused by a loose valve cap which let the air escape when the centrifugal force lifted the valve from its seat.
With the immediate pressure off him, Uphill was unaware that Steenson was closing and at the end of the second lap was only 4.2 sec. behind. Steenson took the lead on the road when Uphill pulled in to refuel, as did Williams who was some 46 sec. behind the leader.
But Steenson was soon beset with gearbox problems. Pickrell, too, fell victim to the same problem and eventually limped home in 3rd place. For the Irishman it was more serious, and he retired at the end of the third lap.
Now it was obviously a battle between Uphill and Williams, who had closed the gap to 14 sec. at the end of Lap 4. He set off on the fifth and final lap determined to win. Seventeen miles out at Ballaugh there was only 10 sec. between them; eight miles later in Ramsey it was down to six. Then, on the frightening rush down the 1500-foot mountain from Kates Cottage to Cregny-Baa, Williams out-braked Uphill, only to lose his lead on the fast stretch from the Creg to Brandish. He regained it again on braking and set off for Hillberry, confident that he could hold Uphill at bay for the last couple of miles.
Drama came in the dying moments of the race when Williams’ engine spluttered at Hillberry, momentarily starved of gas. An amazed Uphill nipped past to lead through to the end. Even though the engine picked up again, it was impossible for Williams to close the gap, which at the finish was 1.6 sec. after some 186 miles of racing.
Had Uphill had to stand by his machine at the start . . . Had Williams not lost a valuable couple of seconds on his pit stop . . . But ifs do not win races and all credit to the Welsh ace for his brave ride. He was in constant pain from his ankle injury to the gear-shift foot and went to the hospital immediately after the race for treatment.
Run concurrently with the 750 class, though starting three minutes later, was the 500 race with the 250 a further three minutes after the 500s.
Frank Whiteway had a start-to-finish easy win on a 500 Suzuki Twin. He finished a minute and a half in front of a desperate battle for 2nd between the Triumph Daytonas of Gordon Pantall and Ray Knight, split by 0.4 sec. at the finish. It must have been particularly galling for Knight to drop to 3rd after 2nd place last year, and the winner the year before that.
The 250 class provided a tense struggle on the first lap which ended with 1.2 seconds separating John Williams (Honda) from last year’s winner, Charles Mortimer (Ducati) and Stan Woods (Suzuki). In the ensuing struggle it was Mortimer who came home the winner by some 5 sec.
The much fancied Honda Fours, ridden by John Cooper and Tommy Robb, never reached the competitive stage. Although there was little doubt about speed of the machinery, the handling was reminiscent of Hailwood on the 500 Honda when he set that fabulous lap record of 108.77 mph in the 1967 senior race, which many think will stand for a great number of years to come. Even through the fast swervery of such smooth corners as Union Mills, the production Fours appeared spongy, and the fast bumps of Hillberry and Cronkny-Mona left the spectators breathless.
PRODUCTION RACE RESULTS
750 CLASS
500 CLASS
250 CLASS
MONDAY
First of the two races was the 750 sidecar class, where the main question was whether the big BMWs would last the race. World champion Klaus Enders had a brand new R 75/5 engine with special camshaft, but he had not figured on the practice leader board, which was headed by compatriot Georg Auerbacher (BMW). Another notable absentee from the practice board was last year’s winner, Siegfried Schauzu (BMW). When it comes to the nitty gritty it is the race that pays the prize money, and off on his first lap went Enders to set a new record for the class at 92.37 mph, which served as some consolation for his retirement on the second lap with ignition problems.
On that first stupendous lap Enders had pulled out a 20-sec. lead over Schauzu with another German, Heinz Luthringhauser, 3rd. Auerbacher was already well down the field with mechanical problems. Then, just when it seemed that the Germans would have a 1-2-3 at the end of the first lap, Luthringhauser struck trouble half a mile from the finish and Peter Brown, 744 BSA moved into 3rd spot. With Enders’ retirement on the second lap, he moved into 2nd place.
There was just no opposition to Schauzu, who had a nasty moment at about 130 mph with a seagull on the Sulby straight. A slight swerve and it smashed the sidecar screen, giving passenger Horst Schneider a bad time. On they went to create a new race record speed of 90.20 mph, with Brown in 2nd place. Then the local Manx people had something to cheer about when, on the last lap, local lad Ernie Leece moved from 7th to 3rd place on his 725-cc LMS special. A notable performance was the 9th place gained by Roy Woodhouse, using a standard Honda Four road bike engine in his outfit.
750-CC SIDECAR RACE RESULTS
1. S.Schauzu/H. Schneider (501 BMW) 90.20
2. P. Brown/M. Casey (744 BSA) .... 85.97
3. E.H. Leece/J. Molyneux (725 LMS) 81.02 Record lap: Enders (BMW), 92.37 mph
Machine mortality in the race was high. Out of 92 starters only 38 of them managed to reach the finish.
250-CC RACE
During practice, Yamaha machines had filled the leader board places. Knee-out specialist Paul Smart was the best at 96.70 mph, 8 sec. quicker than Kel Carruthers, who in turn was about 4 sec. ahead of Rod Gould. Beset by practice troubles, Spanish ace Santiago Herrero (Ossa) had failed to make the first six. However, he did lead the world championship at that stage after three qualifying races with 27 points, a lead of 2 over Gould.
Winner last year on the four-cylinder Benelli, now ostracized by the FIM “two cylinders, six gears” limit, Carruthers had a start-to-finish winning ride. Behind him fortunes varied.
Paul Smart held 2nd place until the third lap, when he forced on with a single cylinder until the crankshaft broke. Gould’s bike lost power due to a cracked piston ring.
Big surprise was the form of Stan Woods, who opted for the use of a smaller gas tank and two pit stops. Fourth on the first lap, he moved to 3rd on the second lap and, by the fourth, had ousted Gould from 2nd. Then he hit mechanical trouble before crashing. Herrero had held 5th for the first two laps, but then took the slip road at Braddan Bridge, and in a simple fall broke his screen. But he sustained no injury, neither did he lose his place.
In fact, at the end of the lap, he moved to 4th with the retirement of Smart and to 3rd on the fifth lap, when Woods hit trouble. Then on that fatal last lap, Herrero crashed and it was reported that Woods, who was following, threw it away in avoiding the crash. Herrero later died. It is inevitable that the misfortunes of others in racing should improve the fortune of those lower in the order, and so it was in the 250 race.
A total newcomer to the TT course, Gunter Bartusch of the German Democratic Republic, riding a works MZ, held 6th place on the third lap, was up to 4th on the fifth and eventually finished 3rd.
Young campaigner Charles Mortimer (Yamaha) took 4th place with a welltimed surge on the final lap. Peter Berwick took the only Suzuki in the first 30 to 5th place, and Alex George (Yamaha) showed the advantage of his experience in last year’s Manx Grand Prix. It is a sobering thought that of the 33 finishers, no less than 25 were Yamaha powered.
250 RACE RESUL T
500-CC SIDECAR
If anything was a racing certainty it was that the BMW riders from West Germany would continue to dominate this race with the Munich flat Twins. No crystal ball was necessary for such a forecast. Bee-Ms finished 1-2-3-4, though 4th-place man was the Swiss Jean-Claude Castella.
Breaking up the BMW formation was Horst Owesle, riding the Munch/URS Four, now that Helmut Fath has retired. In typical style, Enders hurtled off from the grid for a start-to-finish victory with a race record thrown in for good measure.
Second-place man Schauzu also continued his magnificent TT success story. He is the only man to win four sidecar TTs. His record also includes two 2nd places and a 6th on his first outing. Quite a showing for seven starts at the Island.
500-CC SIDECAR RESUL T
350-CC JUNIOR
The junior race which followed was, as expected, a benefit run for Agostini. From a standing start, he lapped at 104.56 mph just to demoralize the opposition of the two works Benellis ridden by Renzo Pasolini and Kel Carruthers. In fact by nine miles out on the first lap, Ago had made up the 20 sec. starting lapse on Pasolini, who could well have been detuned anyway by his Nurburgring crash and the fact that he was following Collins in that fatal practice incident.
At the end of the first lap Ago led by more than a minute from Carruthers. Paul Smart was 3rd and Alan Barnett (Aermacchi), 4th. Pasolini made an unscheduled pit stop for a plug change which dropped him to 12th. By the fourth lap both the Benellis had retired.
Ago rode on unopposed but the sensation of the race was Alan Barnett in 2nd place on the Aermacchi/HarleyDavidson, for he was wailing the little pushrod Single around at more than 99 mph and came within a hair of a ton lap with his fastest at 99.99. That, from an engine that started life as a 175-cc roadster! He finished 2nd with an average speed of 98.16 mph beating the Yamahas of Smart, Malcolm Uphill and Tony Rutter. Another Aermacchi took 6th place; it was ridden by Peter Berwick, who had taken a good 5th place in the 250 event on a Crooks Suzuki.
Of the 99 starters in the race, 58 retired during the event, mostly for mechanical reasons.
350 JUNIOR RACE RESULT
125-CC RACE
The big question mark that hung over this race was whether reigning world champion Dave Simmonds could beat the jinx that had sidelined him in all three world championship rounds this year, and whether the brand new 125-cc water-cooled MZ Twin would stand the pace of the punishing mountain circuit in the hands of newcomer Gunter Bartusch, who had such a fine 3rd place in Monday’s 250 race. Neither Bartusch nor Dieter Braun, the championship leader on the ex-works Suzuki Twin, had figured on the practice leader board.
It was Simmonds who established a 50-sec. lead by the end of the first lap, but only after some anxious moments when his Kawasaki would not fire properly at the start.
Behind him came Braun, then the Swedish rider Borje Jansson (Maico) and in 4th place, Bartusch.
The second lap climb up the mountain finished it all for Simmonds when his machine seized at the Mountain Box. He will be a very lucky man now if he can fight back and retain his title. His retirement brought about an interesting situation, in as much as the first three men were all newcomers riding in their first TT meeting. To Braun went the victor’s laurels.
125-CC RACE RESULT
500-CC SENIOR
It was ironic that the superb weather of the two preceding weeks should take the edge off the race that is the climax to the TT meeting. Hot blazing sunshine does not give rise to the best racing conditions when the rider’s mind must always remember the threat of oozing tar.
Agostini was starting first and made hard work of the push-off at which he is normally immaculate. There was never a chance of anyone catching him, so it was of little importance.
It had been planned to start the riders in groups of nine for the Senior race. The method was tried during the Thursday afternoon training session when three riders were involved in a crash at Union Mills three miles from the start. Riders were opposed to the idea and following a meeting of the international jury, the scheme was abandoned and the start reverted to the traditional pairs at 10-sec. intervals.
A big battle was expected for 2nd place between Peter Williams (Arter Matchless) and the Seeleys of Alan Barnett, Brian Steenson and Paul Smart. But Smart got no further than Ramsey first time round when his gas feed broke.
At the end of the first lap only 2.6 sec. separated Williams, Barnett and Steenson. Veteran Bill Smith, riding a very thirsty Kawasaki Three, was in 5th spot, 22 sec. down on Steenson. Sixth man Barry Randle (Seeley) crashed next time round at the 11th milestone, letting Jack Findlay (Seeley) into 6th and beginning a race-long battle between him and Smith.
On the second lap, Barnett clocked 101.02 mph and so took 2nd from Williams who also topped the ton mark with 100.15. The two were now racing together on the roads and there was great excitement in the pits as they both came in to refuel and then pushed off together down Bray Hill.
At the end of the third lap Barnett was averaging 100.09 mph and had an 11-sec. lead over Williams. Steenson, who had failed to finish in his previous races, ended the week disastrously with a crash on the mountain, sustaining broken legs and head injuries. Steenson later died. At Dorans Bend Barnett crashed, sustaining head injuries. This altered the leader board at the end of the fourth lap considerably. Williams popped up to 2nd, well ahead of Findlay, who had pulled out 40 sec. over Smith. Two Matchless-mounted youngsters, Tony Jefferies and John Williams, were 5th and 6th, though by the end of the race these positions had been reversed.
At the end of the fifth lap, Findlay took 3rd place from Smith by 11 sec., but could not hold it. Smith fought back on the final lap at over 98 mph to take 3rd place by 24 sec.
During the fifth and sixth laps Agostini was troubled by an intermittent misfire, but with a five-minute lead it did not affect the result. He won at a speed of 101.52 with a fastest lap at 105.29 mph. [Ö]
500-CC SENIOR RACE RESULT
