John Player Transatlantic Trophy 1974

John Player Transatlantic Trophy 1974

Wasn't It Supposed To Be Our Year?

D. Randy Riggs

IF YOU HAPPEN to be an American road race fan who thrives on handlebar-rattling action, where virtually every rider in the field, right down to the last-place man, is on the same lap, wobbling, wiggling, pulling wheelies, scraping the boots right off their feet, even leaving the ground at points on the track where the surface throws them into the air, all to gain a precious few feet advantage over their competition, and you’re able to stand close enough to the track to actually see all this going on...where do you go for your thrills?

Do you take in the action at Ontario or Daytona, where most of the excitement is viewed through a pair of highpower Bushnells? No. How about Talledega...is that your kind of track? Nope. Then there’s Road Atlanta. Yeah. That’s a lot closer to what you’re looking for, but still not spot on. So where do you head to really watch some bucks-up road racing...the kind you like?

Ah ha. We knew it! Louden and Laguna Seca, where the twisty, curvy, over-hill-and-dale, short-course atmosphere really gets you off. There you can walk around on the hillsides and get plenty close enough to see what’s really happening out on that track. And, if your appetite for that kind of road racing isn’t quite satisfied, maybe you could go for a stronger dose of something similar but better.

The answer is the annual Anglo/ American Match Races, where you can view, on spectacular short courses, many of the best American and British road racers, scratching for the Transatlantic Trophy victory. The “Us versus Them” concept of team racing does wonders for the atmosphere, and the beauty of England’s countryside doesn’t hurt much either. In the end you have some of the wildest pavement racing to be seen anywhere. The only catch is that you have to travel all the way to England each year to witness it. But is it ever worth it!

BSA/Triumph stood 100 percent behind the first running of the series back in 1971. That year they sent over Gary Nixon, Dick Mann, Don Castro, Jim Rice, Dave Aldana and Don Emde, who tried hard against the likes of British challengers Paul Smart, Percy Tait, Ray Pickrell, John Cooper and Tony Jeffries. Everyone was aboard either a Triumph or BSA Triple, so it was basically a rider’s duel, and the British went away with the victory.

Nixon never really had a chance to compete in the events, as a practice spill broke his wrist and cancelled him out of the running before it even started. Even without Nixon, however, the Americans had made one heck of an impression on the enthusiastic onlookers, so the threecircuit series had a promise of return. And return it did. Easter 1972 saw the late, great Cal Rayborn become the star of the series, and British fans had themselves a new hero. Suzuki was the first Japanese manufacturer to support the events; Norton was in there as well.

Cal’s Harley-Davidson was a private machine with no factory backing; something that no doubt embarrassed Harley later when they saw the results and how the press chastized them for not supporting Cal. By this time, all of the important groundwork had been laid, not only to insure the future of the series in years to come, but to establish it as a lookedforward-to tradition; a state hard to come by in just a few short years. The teams were increased to eight riders in 1973. This time H-D backed not only Cal, but Mert Lawwill and Doug Sehl, as well. Kawasaki wanted its green colors spread around a bit, so they added Gary Nixon, Yvon DuHamel and Art Baumann to the US roster. Ron Grant and Dave Aldana had been the route before and were included once more.

The British team was tough with Paul Smart, Barry Sheene, Tony Jeffries and John Cooper, just to name a few. In fact, too tough, because the Americans lost the series for the third year in a row. . .but it was a squeaker! So, everyone was saying, 1974 was going to be our year. How could we possibly lose? The US team, with the likes of Ken Roberts, Gene Romero, Gary Fisher, John Long, Gary Nixon, Dave Aldana, Art Baumann, Yvon DuHamel and reserve rider, Jim Evans, couldn’t be better. After all, five of these riders had raced the Transatlantic series before, and each had a fair knowledge of the three tracks, Brands Hatch, Mallory and Oulton Park.

Nixon could be counted as a threat on his big Suzuki, since it was his third go in match racing, even though he really didn’t get any time in on the first trip due to that practice injury. Last year he earned several points for the US team on a Kawasaki, but he has never won a race in any of the trophy meets “They don’t pay enough money make it worth breaking your neck for. I’ll just ride hard enough to get us some points,” is the way Gary sums up his match race philosophy.

It was also Dave Aldana’s third chance at the series; he was riding one of the John Player Norton machines Drat are so well suited to short-circuit Being. There was, however, one catch with the bike. It didn’t have one of the new short-stroke engines like those in the trick Player Nortons being ridden for the British team by Dave Croxford and Peter Williams. In theory, it wouldn’t be as competitive, although Aldana really never got to find out.

One of the Norton mechanics “assumed” he was running the same shortstroke engine as Croxford and Williams; he instructed Dave to, “Shift at 7500 rpm.” Aldana did just that at the first practice on the 1.24-mile Brands course, and promptly readied an entire Norton lower end for a Sears compactor. Aldana pulled onto the pit road with oil pouring out of the holes in the crankcase.

The first mechanic to reach him said, “What did ya shift at Mate?”

“75 hunert. . .why?”

“Why? Because this is a long-stroke motor and you can’t take it past 6700.

Aldana hopped off the bike and pointed to another mechanic running toward them. “Don’t tell me. . .tell him. He’s the one that told me to shift it at 75.”

Both mechanics looked disgruntled. Aldana got to use Williams’ spare and was happier on it, so it all worked out in the end. But why do things like that always happen to Aldana?

Gary Fisher was spectating at the 1973 events when he was pressed into action to replace Doug Sehl who had spilled and put himself out of the remainder of the races. Fisher had to borrow leathers and a helmet, as well as Sehl’s Harley and permission from Yamaha to ride it. This year he would make the rounds on a privately-owned 700 Yamaha.

Fisher is either hot or cold when he rides, but he had been on a cooling trend going into the British matches. Not many thought he would prove his skeptics wrong.

Art Baumann and Yvon DuHamel were the only other match race “vets” on the American team. Both rode Kawasakis. Last year the “green team” earned the majority of United States points and an awful lot of respect for a fine effort. This year the exact opposite was true.

Because of a reduced racing budget, both Yvon and Art were forced to ride machines that had no business even being shipped to England. The team had no spare parts to speak of, and Kawasaki jeopardized the safety of its two best riders by even letting them on the things. The end result was interesting.

US Team Captain DuHamel’s bike ran for one race at Brands, which he won, but he spent time on the ground more than once at Mallory because of piston seizures. His frustration was shown in the final round at Oulton when he gave his spot on the team to reserve man Evans, who rode a 700 Yamaha in his place.

Baumann had it worse in a way. He had problems with carburetion and usually made only one or two laps a race before dropping out. Mechanic Randy Hall was doing everything possible with the little he had to work with. “We have no parts at all.”

A mechanic on another team put it thusly: “Kawasaki’s problem really isn’t all that complicated. It’s just that the bikes are put together with bailing wire and the bailing wire keeps breaking!” So the very team that had earned so many US points last year now was costing them so many. It had plenty of people flat disgusted.

Don Castro was the only member of the Yamaha factory team who wouldn’t be in England for the races. He had hurt himself the month before at a half-mile event and was home mending. Roberts and Romero, however, were big threats for the series. Both were fresh from 2nd and 4th-place finishes at Italy’s richest road race, Imola, where Roberts’ duel with Agostini made him a household word all over Europe. One of England’s major cycle papers picked up on the phrase “Watch Roberts,” and used it as their headline for the edition going on sale just before the Transatlantic Trophy. The avid British fans did just that, and he never let them down.

First-year Expert, John Long, was originally scheduled as the team’s reserve rider, but was pressed into fulltime action to replace Castro. Jim Evans was then made our reserve man. As strong a team as we had, however, the Englishmen couldn't be disregarded for one second. Paul Smart was their team captain. He's a rider who is well known in the U.S., unlike some of the others who haven't made much of a splash here.

Besides Smart, Barry Sheene was the man who worried most of our riders. He’s won so many races in Europe that it’s hard to keep track, and he was in the hunt at Daytona this year until his bike let him down. The remainder of the riders, like Smart and Sheene, know the three tracks as well as they know their back yards. Percy Tait, Peter Williams and Mick Grant have run the series before. Barry Ditchburn and Stan Woods were rookies, as were Dave Croxford and Ron Chandler, the reserve man. Rookies to the series, but anything but rookie in ability.

Weather always seems to be a factor in England, but the riders weren’t worried much as they left London on Good Friday morning for the hour’s drive to Brands Hatch. The sun was shining and the possibility of rain seemed remote. Brands is a tricky little circuit that riders either love or hate, but it's a super place to be for a spectator. Especially when Roberts is riding. But if you're at all use to AMA events, where the entire programs are somehow drawn out and prolonged for days at a time, English racing will throw you for a loop.

The organizers over there manage to run off anywhere from 10 to 15 complete events in a day’s time, including of the inspections and practice. . .the entire gamut. . .all in one day. And it all seems to go off without so much as a hitch. It’s not at all hard to wonder why the AMA sent Competition Director Bill Boyce and referee Charlie Watson over this year to see what they could learn about possibly improving our system over here. But Charlie seemed to have a closed mind about the whole thing. “I don’t think they can show us anything.” Right on, Charlie. . .right on.

DuHamel shot to the lead during the first leg at Brands, with Roberts and Smart right behind. It was painfully obvious right from the start that there was a trememdous difference in machinery this year. There was just no way that a Triumph Triple was going to stay with a decent rider on a 700 Yamaha.

Roberts managed to catch and pass Yvon, but the lead was short-lived. The Yamaha blew a head gasket, which forced water into the overflow tank that then collected in the fairing’s underpan. When Kenny dropped the 700 over for the tight right-hander at Druids, water poured out from underneath and Roberts found himself in trouble and half crossed up. Ken didn’t know what happened, and let Smart by and into first. Yvon followed closely, but broke a piston a lap later and retired; he was just the first of many. Baumann had dropped out on lap 2.

Some 30,000 people watched Smart hold a comfortable lead to the finish of the 22-lap event. Roberts held off Barry Sheene’s fast closing Suzuki, which was followed by Stan Woods, Dave Croxford Barry Ditchburn and Peter Williams.

The British scored heavily thanks to the solid mid-field placings.

Romero had been involved in a tangle on the start line that held him back; John Long had a flat tire on the warmup lap, so Evans filled in; and Gary Nixon never really got cooking on the track he dislikes so much. Britain led 77 to 59 under the match race point system (see table).

The second leg went better for the Americans, as we wound up tying Britain, 68 to 68. DuHamel’s “Kow” stayed together for the entire segment and he zoomed to a brilliant win over Roberts (now riding his spare TZ700). Yvon managed to equal the new lap record set by Roberts in the first leg, while Kenny was kept busy holding back Paul Smart. Nixon and Barry Sheene diced furiously for 4th, but Sheene’s Suzuki got the edge at the end. Again, British midfield placings allowed them to stay even, and they could travel to Mallory Park with an 18-point advantage. Mallory is slightly longer than Brands (1.35 miles), and has another one of those first-gear hairpins. Roberts was getting serious here; a good thing, because so was Sheene. Kenny managed to blast away into a fair lead during the first segment, but “Sheeny” caught him on lap 10, outbraked him at Shaw’s Corner on lap 1 1, and took the lead. The British crowd went nuts, but only until lap 16, when Roberts, seemingly possessed, got by for good. Smart got 3rd, Nixon 4th, and strong-running Stan Woods aced out Romero for 5th. The Kawasakis dropped out once more, Gary Fisher and Aldana both crashed (Aldana was able to continue, of course), and John Long had yet to get it together. Britain got us again, 81 to 55. In the second segment, Roberts again showed Britain that American Grand National Champions are not to be overlooked. Another strong lead. . .another victory. . .and another record-equaling lap. By now they were calling him “Mr. Dash.” Nixon held 2nd for much of the race, but Sheene’s Suzuki had the edge in the hairpin and out-acceleráted Gary to Devil’s Elbow. Second place was once again Sheene’s.

Paul Smart crashed heavily just out of the Lake Esses turn, breaking his elbow and finishing himself for the series. Romero got hot and grabbed 4th ahead of Steady Stan Woods and Peter Williams on the Player Norton. Percy Tait, sort of a British Neil Keen, was still having equipment trouble; so were the American Kawasakis. Long had his best placing yet with a 9th. Evans filled in for Baumann, whose bike quit on the warm-up lap, and got 11th.

This was the first time the United States had won an entire segment, and the 72 to 64 victory made our overall deficit smaller. We traveled to the longer Oulton Park circuit (2.7 miles), trailing by 46 points, 290 to 254, a big gap to overcome.

It seemed that if there was any chance at all of beating the Britains, we couldn’t do it with the Kawasakis on our side. And Pete Shick of Yamaha came through. He offered Art Baumann Roberts’ spare Yamaha, if it would be okay with Art and Kawasaki. Baumann jumped at the chance. It was about the first time I’d seen him smile all weekend.

Kawasaki’s Bob Hansen gave Art permission to clash his green leathers with a yellow Yamaha paint job, and the trick was done. Baumann went out and practiced on the Four every chance he got. Was it much different from his Kawasaki? “Plenty,” he replied,

Don’t forget, though, that the British team was having lots of bad luck t Smart was out of it, Mick Grant was pranged from an earlier crash and a few machines were giving them headaches. So we weren’t alone in the hard luck department!

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Something came over our riders at Oulton. None of them were about to give up. The course was a faster one— with long straights and some high-speed corners—but extremely bumpy and on the dangerous side in case of a get-off. Romero found it especially challenging. “I should have dumped it ten times already,” he grinned to Aldana.

Again Roberts surged to the lead in the first segment, but this time Sheene wasn’t about to be outdone. On the way to catching Roberts, he shattered Mike Hailwood’s old lap record set several years before on a Honda. Barry went b Nixon and finally sneaked past the n invincible Number One.

With only two laps to go, Roberts pressed, but ultimately settled for 2nd. Woods managed a 4th this trip, and Nixon a 3rd, but the Americans scored in the mid-field where it really helped. Round five was ours, 75 to 61. But the question was, could we make up 22 points to catch the opposition?

The final race was the most exciting road event that anyone could possibly conjure up in their mind. Roberts led almost from the beginning, and did so with ease at the end. But behind him was where all the excitement was. Halfway through the 10-lapper, people all around the track were scoring the positions as they came by. The US team, if they held to the finish, would tie Britain! Unreal!

And then Romero, coming alive a riding the wheels off his Yamaha, pas Sheene and gave the Americans the lead! Spectators were beside themselves as the announcer kept close tabs on the scoring. Could it really happen?

No, it couldn’t. Sheene got back by Romero and Ditchburn passed Aldana, but if the positions held it would still be a tie. Lap 10 came. Roberts sailed by, Sheene followed, so did Romero and Nixon. But Nixon’s bike sounded peculiar. . .something wasn’t right.

The PA system was silent for a moment. . .and you could hear the bikes approaching from the distance for the charge to the checkered. It was Roberts, Sheene, Romero and Woods! Where was Nixon? Across the finish came Ditchburn, Aldana, Williams, Baumann. . .but no Nixon. He had run out of gas on the final lap. . .and Britain won the series once more. It was over, the best Tra atlantic Trophy yet.

Roberts showed why he will be undeniably the best road racer in the World before long; Kawasaki presented a fine example of, “If you can’t come prepared. . .don’t come at all;” and the British once again proved to be great and courteous hosts. And the racing? The John Player-sponsored Transatlantic Trophy shouldn’t be missed. Racing in the states isn’t quite the same once you’ve taken in the “Matches.” Right, Charlie?

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RESULTS

GR'EAT BRITAIN Barry Sheene (Suzuki)...............88 Stan Woods (Suzuki) ................74 Barry Ditchburn (Yamaha) ...........59 Peter Williams (Norton) ..............49 Dave Croxford (Norton) .............47 Paul Smart (Suzuki) ................45 Percy Tait (Triumph) ...............24 Ron Chandler (Triumph)..............17 Mick Grant (Yamaha).................12 415

UNITED STATES Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) ............93 Gene Romero (Yamaha) .............64 Gary Nixon (Suzuki) ................63 Dave Aldana (Norton) ...............51 John Long (Yamaha) ................33 Gary Fisher (Yamaha) ...............31 Yvon DuHamel (Kawasaki) ...........26 Art Baumann (Kawasaki/Yamaha) .....21 Jim Evans (Yamaha) ................19 401

BRANDS HATCH

FIRST RACE: 1 Smart, 20:22.2, 80.35 mph; 2 Roberts; 3 Sheene; 4 Woods; 5 Ditchburn; 6 Croxford; 7 Aldana; 8 Nixon; 9 Romero; 10 Evans; 11 Fisher; 12 Williams; 13 Tait; 14 DuHamel; 15 Grant: 16 Baumann. Record lap: Roberts, 54 sec., 82.67 mph. Race points: GB 77, USA 59.

SECOND RACE: 1 DuHamel, 20:12.8, 80.97 mph; 2 Roberts; 3 Smart; 4 Sheene; 5 Nixon; 6 Woods; 7 Croxford; 8 Ditchburn; 9 Williams; 10 Aldana; 11 Romero; 12 Baumann; 13 Fisher; 14 Long; 15 Grant; 16 Tait. Fastest lap: Roberts and DuHamel, 54 sec., 82.67 mph equals record. Race points: GB 68, USA 68. Growing total: GB 145, USA 127.

MALLORY PARK

FIRST RACE: 1 Roberts, 17:25.6, 92.96 mph; 2 Sheene; 3 Smart; 4 Nixon; 5 Woods; 6 Romero; 7 Tait; 8 Ditchburn; 9 Williams; 10 Chandler; 11 Croxford; 12 Long; 13 DuHamel; 14 Aldana; 15 Fisher; 16 Baumann. Fastest lap: Roberts, 50.8 sec., 95.67 mph. Race points: GB 81, USA 55. Growing total: GB 226, USA 182.

SECOND RACE: 1 Roberts, 17:22, 93.28 mph; 2 Sheene; 3 Nixon; 4 Romero; 5 Woods; 6 Williams; 7 Croxford; 8 Aldana; 9 Long; 10 Ditchburn; 11 Evans; 12 Chandler; 13 Fisher; 14 Tait; 15 DuHamel; 16 Smart. Fastest lap: Roberts, 50.6 sec., 96.05 mph (equals record). Race points: USA 72, GB 64. Mallory points: GB 145, USA 127. Growing total : GB 290, USA 254.

OULTON PARK

FIRST RACE: 1 Sheene, 17:11.8, 96.34 mph; 2 Roberts; 3 Nixon; 4 Woods; 5 Romero; 6 Aldana; 7 Ditchburn; 8 Long; 9 Fisher; 10 Williams; 11 Croxford; 12 Baumann; 13 Tait; 14 Grant; 15 Chandler; 16 DuHamel. Record lap: Sheene, 1:41, 98.41 mph. Race points: USA 75, GB 61. Growing total : GB 351, USA 329.

SECOND RACE: 1 Roberts, 17:12, 96.32 mph; 2 Sheene; 3 Romero; 4 Woods; 5 Ditchburn; 6 Aldana; 7 Williams; 8 Baumann; 9 Long; 10 Fisher; 11 Evans; 12 Grant; 13 Croxford; 14 Chandler; 15 Tait; 16 Nixon. Fastest lap: Roberts and Woods, 1:41.2, 98.22 mph. Race points: USA 72, GB 64. Total Oulton points: USA 147, GB 125. MATCH POINTS: GB 415, USA 401.