WHAT’S INSIDE
006 ARCHIVE
Aquicklookbackinthearchivesof Classic Racer overthe many decades:whathavewe discoveredthis issue Iwonder?
012NEVER ACROSSWORD
Ourregularcrosswordisanothermix ofclassic racingcluesandallwiththe carroton astickof thechancetoawinan S100Clothing Care Kit worth£69.95. Go forit!
014READERSWRITE
We welcomeall feedback, good,bador indiferenthereat Classic Racer towers.It’sYOUR magazinesoletus know whatyouthinkabout CR’s content, and telluswhatYOU want to seein YOURmagazine!
016 PADDOCKGOSSIP
What’s happeninginthewildworldofclassic racing,withshows,productsandeventsup-andcoming.
022SUBSCRIBEANDSAVE
Thebestplacetobuy yourfavouriteracing magazine is to doitthisway –SUBSCRIBE!Not onlydo yougetitdelivered to yourdoorBEFORE ithitstheshelves,it’scheapertooand youwon’t need to ventureoutof yourshed/garage…
024 HPMULLER
Fred Pidcock examinesthe careerofHP‘Happy’ Muller:ariderwhonotonly racedpre and postwar, but also wasa notablebreakerofspeed records.
028BEAUTIFULBUTTERFLY
…from aChr ysalisBMWF650Supermono racer. Neil Morris restoreshisdad’sT T-winningbike withhelp fromfriendsand former teamstaf.It’s alabouroflove.
0381957 ROYALENFIELDSUPER METEOR700
Alan Cathcar trides avenerableproductionbike fromwhenBritishmotorcyclemanufacturers would ‘winonSunday andsellon Monday.’
050 LINEART:1967HONDARC181
Mick Ofeld’s pen re -createsHonda’s big challenger to thelikesofMV Agustainthe blueribandclass:the RC181500ccGrand Prix machine,asridden by MikeHailwood and Jim Redman.
052BESTOFTHEBEST
Do youknowwhich19 racershave wonbotha 500cc Grand Prixor MotoGP race ANDa World Superbike race?We’ve gotall19here, but we obviously concentrateontheolder, classicones!
OVERIMAGE: Main coverimages by DonMorley,Kel Edge,Mor tons Archive, Terr yJoslin,IanGreene.
Thanksagainthismonthto: DonMorley forthemanyimagesin various features.Andthe following: Terr yJoslin,BillSnelling,Neil Morris,VinceRank,Mick Ofeld,FredPidcock,Stuart Barker,Ben Rumbold,CliveChallinor,TonyandClaireGreenslade,andnot forgetting ourbrilliant archivist JaneSkaymanand reproman Jonathan Schofeld.
058ICONICMETAL:1975SUZUKI
TR750
Terr yJoslin’s cameraand VinceRank ’s wordsgive usthelow-downonTepi’s tremendousTR750, which he campaigned at Daytonathatyearand intheF750series.
066PHIL ‘MEZ’MELLOR
If popularityalone wonchampionships,the legendar yMez Mellor wouldhave beena multipleworldchamp. Stuar tBarkergivesus thestor yofthetalentedandmuch-loved(and missed)Mez.
074V&M RACING
In thesecondinstalment, JackValentinetalks about howV&Mbattled to beatthehandling woesofHonda’s RC45,andhowthey tookon thebigfactoriesatthe TT with Dave Jeferies and won!
082TEAMALLSPEED
Tony Greensladeand Team Allspeed were going racingwith aHondain 2025…But Tony ’s aYam man at hear t–soguesswhathe’sdone‘just to seeifit’s fasterthanthe CBR?
086THEFRED
CLARKE COLUMN
In thethirdofhis columns,our Fred recallssome ofthefunniest anddramatic stories fromhis 50-year-pluscareerbehind the motorcycling microphone…
088BUTWHYGREEN?
Yeah… whyare racing Kawasakis(and road bikes)oftenlime green? Andwhocameup withthename‘Ninja’? Andwhy is RobMuzzy suchanimpor tant nameinthehistor yofracing Kawasakis?
096 BACKIN THE DAY
YOURpicturesandmemories frombike racing days gone by!
098NEXTISSUE
Plenty inthenext issue of ClassicRacer, including the fnalpar toftheJackValentine/ Valmotostory,a profleof topBritracer Rob McElnea(par t1)andsomuchmore!
SUBSCRIBETODAY!
Payjust£3.83peredition.That’s a22%savingwhen paying by directdebit. Seepage22 formoredetails.
EDITOR
Bertie Simmonds bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk
PUBLISHER TimHartley thartley@mortons.co.uk
DonMorley, AlanCathcart, Stuart Barker,Neil Morris, IanGreene, FredClarke, CliveChallinor,MickOfeld, Fred Pidcock, TerryJoslin, Vince Rank andTony Greenslade. PRODUCTIONEDITOR SarahWilkinson
EDITORIALADDRESS
WEBSITE www.classicracer.com
GENERALQUERIES AND BACKISSUES
01507529529 24hranswerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk
ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES Jane Skayman 01507529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk
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CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
RadioT T!
Noothermotorcyclerace-trackisquitelike theIsleofManTT,andthereforeitstands toreasonthatthecoursehasinspired someunique featuresofits own.
Evenbeforethecurrent37.73mile course wasfullyestablished,theneed foradifferentbreedof‘marshal’around thecourse wasrecognised. Therefore,in 1935,theorganisersoftheIsleofManTT racesestablishedthe‘TravellingMarshals’. This wasatimewhenthelap recordstoodataround86mph –today PeterHickmanholdstherecordat 136.358mph… Back in 1935there were only twotravellingmarshals,onebasedat thestart,theotherin Ramsey. Whilethe telephonehadbeenontheIslandsince 1889,this wasstillsometimebefore effcient two-way radiocommunication wascommonplace.Insteadthemainjob ofthetravellingmarshal wastosearchfor missingcompetitorswhohadn’t checked inatthestart-fnishline.
Fast forwardto 1956andfnally thetravellingmarshals werenotonly equippedwithnewTriumph650cc twins,
butalso atwo-way radio.
Preliminar ytests were conducted ontheIslandbeforetheraces themselves. FrankNurdin oftheBritish CommunicationsCorporation –the manufacturersoftheequipment –came alongtohelpsetupthenewsystem for ChiefMarshal PeterCrebbin. Triumphalso ensuredthekit wasproperly packaged on thebikeandsenttheir ownsalesmanager NealeShiltonalongtomakesurethis was done.Seetheinsetpicture.
Thetests were acomplete success and thetravellingmarshalteam found thatthe speedandhandlingofthe Triumphs were hardlyaffected by the extra weightofthe radioequipment,butthe kititselfmeant thattheycouldeasilycommunicate to othermarshalsorpartsof thecourse in caseofanemergency.
Whiletheleap forward intechnology waswelcome,comparethat totoday, wherethetravellingmarshalshave modern,Bluetoothconnectivity/4or5G phonesandmachinesboasting morethan 200bhpandaround 190mph…
CLASSIC RACER ARCHIVE
Sheene 1975
Itcould wellbearguedthat –50years agoin 1975 –things werefnally coming together forthe25-year-old Barr ySheene, buthismostsuccessful year to date wouldn’t comewithoutcost…
Barr ywasoneofthe favourites forthe Daytona200heldinFlorida,inMarch: arace that wasatraditionalprecursortothemain Grand Prixseasonand aratherprestigious oneatthat.
It washerethat –perhaps –goodandbad luckcombinedto sendSheene’s popularity intothestratosphere. Badluck,because Barr y’sSuzukiTR750 would suffer the lock-upoftherear wheel atan estimated speedof 178mph:thebike wasgeared foraround 180uponthe Daytona circuit’s notoriousbanking.Initiallythethought was thattherear tyre delaminated,butother explanationssuchasa failed chaintensioner
whichthendugintothe tyretread(see page58)have beenmooted.Whateverthe reason, Barr ywasthrownuptheroadand onlookers fearedhe wasdead.
Thefactthattheaccident wascaughton camera waspartofthegoodluckthatday. Sheene wasbeingshadowedbya Thames Televisionflmcrew, headedup by awardwinningflmmaker FrankCvitanovich, andtheywereonhandto chart Barr y’s miraculousrecovery fromhisinjuries. These included: abrokenleftfemur,brokenright wrist,brokenright forearmandcollar-bone, as wellassixribs.Ontopofthis were compressionfracturesto anumberof vertebrae, asplitkidneyand(as Barr yputit) ‘…losingenoughskinon my backandarse toupholster asettee…’
Amazingly,Sheene wouldbebackracing within twomonthsoftheincidentand
Words: BertieSimmonds Photograph: MortonsArchive
wouldwinhisfrst500ccGrand Prix raceat Assenthat June –justthree months after thecrash.He wouldwinwith alast-gasp overtakeofGiacomo Agostini and both riders wouldreceivethesame ultimatera time. Barr yw Grand PrixatAnderstorptha OfcoursetheTV documentar afterhisDaytonacrash popularityofB bikeracingitselfintheUK especially ta ItsetSheeneuptobecome ahouse-holdnameinthe 1970s,andespecially thankstohis championshipswhich camebacktob 1976 and 1977.
CLASSIC RACER
ARCHIVE
Wild Boys!
We would welcome thereturnofthe added excitementthathome-townheroes addto aMotoGPor World Superbikegrid. Fordecadesriderscouldgetthemselves onto aGrand Prixgrid, asmachinery raced athome wouldberaced abroad. Eveninto the 1990s, youcould see125ccand250cc two-strokesridden by eagerBrits at their homeGrands Prix. You’dalso seeprivatelyentered500ccV4 two-strokesbacked by Medd, Padgett’sorothers line-up against the exotic factor yMarlboro Yamahasor RothmansHondasintheblue riband class…Italladdedto theexcitement. WorldSuperbikesinthe 1980s-2000s offeredan evengreaterchanceofglory:
thehome-grownhot-shotscould take the four-strokeproductionbikesthey’dbeen racingall yearand take onthe world’sbest riders,oftenthreatening forpodiums. One excitingseasonsummedthisup morethanmost:2000.Youmaythinkthis is‘toorecent’histor y, but we’retalkinga quarterof acentur yago. That year,wehad asuperbtooth-and-nailbattleintheBritish SuperbikeChampionshipbetweenNeil HodgsonandhisDucati996, versusChris WalkerandhisSuzukiGSX-R750 –alsoin themix wasJohn ReynoldsonhisDucati. Withsuchtop-qualityridersandwith threehomeWSBracesthatseason(oneat Donington Parkand twoatBrandsHatch)
it waslittle wondertheywere up atthe sharp-end,battlingtheregulars such as NoriyukiHaga,ColinEdwards,TroyCorser and FrankieChili.
Hodgson –who wouldgo on towinthe 2000 BSBtitle –would take hisfrst two winsinWSBatDonington andBrands, Reynolds wouldwinraceone inthefnal eventofthe year(Brandsagain) while Walker would take 2ndatDonington and two3rdsatthe twoBrands meetings. Impressivestuff and exciting racingtoo. Todayofcoursethe rules between the currentBSBseriesand World Superbikesis disparate,soitcan’t happen quiteas easily asitusedto –butmaybeone day, eh?
S1 00CLOTHING CA REKIT WORTH£69.95
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Across
1: 1980sGPteambackedbyacoolgreen ‘smokelesstobacco’brand.(5,6,6)
9: Bigoldfairingthathadtobedismissed,as rubbish?(7)
10: MrLawton,Hampshirepostwaracewho earned aTTpodiumforMotoGuzzi.(3)
11: It’sbestifthisfollows atuck,ifyoucome offathighspeed.(4)
12: See27Across.
14: SprawlingnationwhosefrsttwoGPs wererunatthe Sentulcircuit.(9)
15 &18Down: Multi-functionalvenue that fr sthostedthe JapaneseGrand Prixin 1999. (4,4,6)
17: Federico,businessmanwhoturnedaround thefortunesof Ducatiafterthebrandcameout ofCagiva’s ownership.(6)
19: Groupthatlooksoutforthebestinterests ofthosefundingthebikesatGrand Prixlevel. (4)
21 &13Down: How aridercomesoff the circuit,especially when thedestinationis the pit lane.(4,2)
22 &25Down: Scot whotookthelastBritish Superbike titleforNorton.(3,7)
27 &12Across: Hermann PaulMuller ’s steed
during hisexploitsintheprewarEuropean Championships. (4,5)
28: Reg, the only winnerofa 500ccGPfrom the Republicof Ireland. (9)
29: Former250ccBritishChampion witha famous fatherandeven morefamous uncle. (5)
30: Thesortofhelmetfeaturethat means it’s defnitelymeant for off-roaduse. (4)
31: Monsieur Malherbe,thebiggestrival for Britain’sDaveThorpeinearly 1980s Motocross. (5)
32: Intake,compression,exhaust…for example.(6)
33: Oneofhistory’smost talented racer swho isstill Finland’sonlyGP World Champion.(8)
34: The mostimportantcomponent in passing anoise test!(8)
Down
1&24Down: Massivelyimportantcomponents inthebattle againstheadshake!(7,9)
2: Generally knownasthe wideline.(7)
3: ShortKentishcircuitownedby theMcLaren Group.(6,4)
4: Swedishvenue thatsaw the fnal three wins of TuevoLansivuori’scareer,the lasttwo occurringonthesameday! (10)
5: Failuretofollowtherulescould ultimately lead tothis.(16)
6: Akira, Japanese 125ccpodium fnisher in the 1990s. (5)
7: To take out,lik eascrewor bolt, for example. (4)
8: Dennis,oneofonlythree winner sofa500cc Grand PrixfromNewZealand. (7)
13: See21Across.
16: Thesortoftyresyou reachfor when precipitation occurs. (4)
18: See15Across.
19:Enginecomponent thattransfer sfuelinto the cylinder. (5,5)
20: HelditsfrstGPtwoyear safter its fr st World Champion wascrowned,and of cour se thatguy wonit!(9)
23: Graeme,formersidecar passengerfrom20 Downwhowentto wintwo TTs in 1984. (8)
24: See1Down.
25: See22Across.
26: Whether it wasa30ora45, it wasone of themostlustedafterSuperbikes of all!(5,2)
HOWTOE NTER
To beinwith achanceofwinning,fllin yourdetailsand returnthecompletedcrosswordto: ClassicRacer March/April2025Competition,MortonsMediaGroup Ltd,MortonWay, Horncastle,Lincs LN96JR Competitioncloses:9am,April 16,2025
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The
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Theanswerstolast issue’s Classic Racer crossword: Across 1&4 Suspension Travel, 10 Klaff, 12 La, 14 Spanners, 15 Ago’s Leap, 17 Drum, 20 Hungary, 22 Bell, 23 Sensor, 26 Zschopau, 29 &7 Across EuropeanDrag Race, 30 &18 AcrossLeMans, 31 Bimota, 32 Cable Tie, 34 Ramsey, 35 DiscBrakes
Down 1&19 DownSidecar Passenger, 2 Ear, 3 Nikasil, 5 AlfonsoNieto, 6 Louisiana, 8 Aldo, 9 Ariel, 11 Academy, 13 Spain, 16 SoundStories, 20 Herrero, 21 Rossi, 24 Finland, 25 Burgess, 27 Hobl, 28 Part, 33 Bob
LOVED LADY LUCK
Dear CR
While ficking through my copyofthe latest Classic Racer Iwas alittle perturbed to see pictures Ireally don’texpect to see in amotorcycle racing magazine. Pictures of horse jumping, footballers, politicians, boxers, TV stars and the like… What on earth! Andthen Iread thefeature. Well, as a former owner of all the Motocourse annuals up until the mid-1990s (I was
made an offerI couldn’t refuse some years back forthe collection when Idownsized)ofcourse I wasfamiliar with Don’s work,but Ididn’thave aclue about everything else he haddone. Whata great story,and it wasfantastic to read about howhegot some of those special shots. Lovely stuff!
John Reeves
The editor says: “Glad youliked it John!”
STAR LETTER PRIZE
PRAISE FOR PATAGAIN
Dear CR
Ihave to compliment youonthe Pat Hennen stor y. It wasver ywell done and one of my favourite reads so far.
It struckmeint wo ways.Firstly,asa Yank Ineededtoknowhis stor yand his part of US histor yin500cc Grand Prix racing. So forthat Ithank you. Secondly, it wasHIS stor ytold by his pit crew, family and friends, so it wasperfectand I loveditfrom theirviewpoint.
Imyself st artedracing boats when Iwas 17.I’d build my ownboats and motors anddid it all on an (always) empt y
Wina Classic Racer T-Shirt!
Yes, youcan if you’re the lucky writer of theSTAR LETTER of eachissue. Just let us knowyour sizeand we’ll send youone of our lovely T-shirt designs, gratis!
MORE TT STUFF PLEASE…
bank account. My pit crewwere always my friends who volunteered. Ifed them food and beer in exchange forthem working and being wetall weekend, whilesleeping in either one of my old vans or atent.
Some of those guys have better stories of my racing than Ido! Forthat side, Ithank youfor atrip in the ‘way back’ machine. Well done!
Ga ry Wi ll iams
The editor says: “Weare so glad you lik ed it, Gary!”
Dear CR
Loving the old short circuit stuffasIdo, Iam also partial to the roads. My favourite is clearly the Isle of Man TT but I’m also afan of the North West and Oliver ’s Mount,aswell as others. So howabout some more features looking at what happened over aparticular event/year or single race? Betthereare plenty of stories.
And with the Classic TT being back on, why not go over and giveusa big feature on this event?
Ji mPet er s
The editor says: “Lik ewhat you’re saying Jim. Fir stly,wedohave our sister title Island Racer 2025 whichwill be out once more this year just before the TT starts, so you’ll read more on this next issue. As to heading over for the Classic –werather think it would cost afortune, as travelling to the Island seems to do these days!”
AMESSAGEFROMDON
Dear CR
Ijust wantedtosaya sincere thank youfor the wonderfuland much appreciatedarticle about myself, Jomy wife andour careers, printedinthelastissueof Classic Racer
Thefeatureliterallybroughttearstoour eyes,asourmotivationfrom when we frst started wastotry andbestpromoteour own love ofallthingsmotorcyclingnotjusttothe similarlyconverted,but more importantlyto
themasses.
Our motivationfromdayone wastotry and take picturesandwritearticlesinteresting enoughtopersuade eventhenon-believers thatmotorcycling,andespeciallythesports side, werein factso exitingtheyreallyshould comealongthemselvesand take alook.
Personally,Ihavealsolongbelieved motorcyclinggets aver yraw dealfromthe mainstreammedia,andonthisfrontthe ACU
hasnothelpedmucheither,soassuchwe journosandphotographers truly needed to alsobeambassadors tasked with promoting oursport.
Ialwayssaw ourmainrole inlifewasto tr yand take picturesorwrite wordswhich hopefully weregoodenoughtopersuade morethan afew morepaying customersto actuallygotothe events we ourselves loved. Andthis wasn’t justtheUK: in ourfnal year ofprovidingourservicesit costus£69,000 in travelexpenses. ThisincludedJapan, South Africa,theUSA(twice), Australia (twice)and alltheEuropeanGrands Prix.Eventhe two weeksattheTTcost£2000…
We lovedevery moment and often only justmanagedtofundthese tripsthanksto coveringothersporting events.Butthanks to motorcycling we have absolutely no regrets either.
Mind you,it wouldnotbe meif Ifailedto pull youupononeserious inaccuracy.How dare yousay:‘Irodeit Trials until 1999 by whichtime Iwas62’.Irode in TheNational BritishBikeChampionship Trialsseriesright through my 70s,andalso competedinseveral treestage Trials(Endurosas well).Ihoped to continueinto my 80sbutthenbroke my ankle badlyin twoplacesandhad tostop.
Don Morley
Theeditorsays:“SorryDon!But Idid sendyouthewordsto check…”
WHYNOTTHE MANX?
Dear CR
Ihave readthe fanfarewith whichyou welcomethe‘ReturnoftheClassicTT’, includinggivingusqualifying andrace timesetc. Nomentionthatitisbeing run concurrentlywiththeManx Grand Prix, althoughthe threeGPraces arebeing run beforetheclassics. lneedhardlypoint outthattheManx,being over 100years old,mustqualifyas a‘classic’ event.
Are youpeoplepartoftheperceived governmentconspiracytohelpgetthe ManxGrand Prix to quietly fade away?lt wouldbeniceiftheSenior Manx andthe SeniorClassic werebothrunonthelast dayasitwouldgivethe classic followers achancetoseethetopManxriders who are notthatmuchslowerthan Michael DunlopandCo.
Ti mM att
Theeditorsays: “AsI’vesaidinan emailtoyou Tim,noconspiracyhere whatsoever.Andyoumentionedsome ofyourracingstories –sharethem withus!”
GRAVE ERRORS!
Dear CR
Ihave justreceived my issuein Australia, tofnd acoupleof very grave errors.On theletterspage,(page 15 MotegiMoan) thephotoofMikeHailwoodishimriding anMV Agusta.Andonpage26DickWyler isriding aHondaCR93,not aNorton. Otherwisethisis agreatmagazine. Jo hnSi mms
Theeditorsays:“Sorry John.The Hailwoodpic wassimplygenericofthe manratherthanthemachine.Andwe doapologiseiftheencryptedcaption saidDickwason aNorton.But,toerr ishumanasyouroriginalspellingof ‘MVAugusta’proves. We alwaystry ourbestsir!Hopefullythispicturewill helpapologise.”
Waynewith‘the hat’backin1987.
PaddockGossip
Compiled by The ClassicRacer team // Send your classicracingnewsto: editor@classicracer.co.uk
WIN
Wayne’shat!
The19875 00 cc GrandPrix champion WayneGardner will be thestarguest at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show over theweekend of October 11/12, 20 25.
And–you have thechance of winningauniqueprize at the show,which takesplace at the Staf ford County Showground. Knownasthe ‘Wollongong Whizz’,Gardner went from ayoung ladridingaroundhis hometown on afve -dollardirt bike to becoming thekingofthe two- wheeledworld.
both shows, CR editor Bertie Simmonds wasatasocial eventand auctionwhere ahat belongingtoWayne Gardner came up forsale.
Bertie says:“Thehat was givenfor auctionbyA nneBrown, wife of thelate- greatGrand Prix paddockjournalistJohnBrown, whowas afriendofmine. As youc an seefromthe picture, on winninghis 19 87 worldtitle Waynegif tedhis famous hat to JB andhekeptitinpride of place.”
ABOVE: Wayne reunitedwiththehatthis year.
LEFT:JohnBrownis giftedthe hatfromWGin1987.
Waynewasthe frst Australian to winthe 50 0ccWorld Championship in 19 87.T he springboardtohis international successbegan when he came to theUKin1981, becoming big pals with multiple Britishbike race champ RogerM arshall.
Wayneand Rogerwowed thecrowdsatT he ClassicBike Guide Winter ClassicatNewark in Januar y, andyou can’tafford to miss them both on stage at the CMM event.You’llalso be able to enjoyhearing some very specialracemachinesroar into life at the ClassicRacer GP Paddock, as well as seeroadand race machines from days gone by alongwithhundredsoftrade stands andauto- jumble stalls.So whynot book ticketsnow?
But–whatisour bigprize? Well,theheadline gave it away, butjustafter it wasannounced that Waynewas appearingat
Anight with JR at thepub!
John Reynoldswill beappearingata Ketteringpubin March,in aQ&A evening hosted by Classic Racer editor Bertie Simmonds.
JRis athree-timeBritishSuperbike champion,winning thetitlein1992,2001 and2004:he’s wonthetitle on a750ccinline four,a1000cc V-twinand a1000ccinline four.He’salso aworldsuperbikeracewinner
and former 500cc GrandPrix privateer. TheJRnightisMonday, March3,and ticketscost£15–don’t worrytheeditor doesn’t see apenny. Thepubisat:48 Woodland Ave, BartonSeagrave,Kettering NN156QP.Formoreinformationgoto: www.thestirrupcupbartonseagrave.co.uk oremail: info@thestirrupcupbarton seagrave.co.uk
At theNewarkshowBer tie askedifWayne recalled thehat andhedid,saying: “JBwasa legend andalovelyfella.” The original auctionBer tiewon saw theproceedsgotothe MotoGP effort to help theValenciaareaof Spainfollowing theirfoods last year.ThistimeBer tiewants to raisefunds forthe BritishHeart Foundation.Hesays: “JBhada fewheart issues towardsthe end of hislifeand we allgavemoney to thecharity in lieu of fowers at hisfuneral back in 2012.Wayne is up forit, cansignthe hatatthe show in Octoberand also says he maybring afew otherthings alongfor thelucky winner.”
As of yetthe precise mechanicsofthe competition areyet to be fnalised,but we will announce theminthenext issueof CR andonourvarious social mediachannels.
Formoreonthe shows, go to: ww w.clas si cb ikes hows .c om
TommyRobb: 1934 -2024
ClassicRacer wassaddenedtohear of thepassing of former TT and Ulster GrandPrixwinnerTommy Robb,aged9 0.
HailingfromNor thern Ireland, Robb joined theHonda factory racing team in 19 62,winning his frst worldchampionship race in the250 cc classatthe Ulster Grand Prix in that year.Tommy wasone of thefrstwesternriderstobehired by thefactory Hondateamand he repaid that trust, fnishing runnerup toteam -mateJim Redman in the196 23 50 cc championship.He wouldwin theLight weight TT in 1973 andwould winthe NorthWest 20 0fve times.
Hisdaughter, NatalieRobb, said:
“Dad’s funeralwas such alovelyday andabsolute‘celebrationofhis life’ anditwas such an honour to see so many of hislovelyfriends there on theday.Hehad askedmetoride my bike andescor thim on hisfnal journeywearing hiscrash helmet. Iescor tedhim to theAnglesey Circuitfor hisfnal‘lapofhonour!’I watchedhim do hisfnallap with my family andthenIescor tedhim back to thecrematorium andthatwillbe thebiggest honour Ithink Iwillever achieveinmylife.”
We will be publishing afeature on Tommy’sc areerinalater issue of ClassicRacer. We send our condolencestohis family and friends.
RonWilliams: 1941-2024
RonW illiams, respectedrace engineer andsuspension expert hasdied, aged 83.
Williams worked foranumber of race teams–mostnotably Honda/ HRCfrom1980-19 89
andNortoninthe early199 0s. Ronwould be instrumental in designinganumberofHonda race frames as well as therotar ypoweredNortonthatSteve Hislop took to the1992SeniorTTwin.
Always afor ward -thinker, he wouldalsoget into wheel manufactureand founded Maxton Engineeringand Maxton Suspension.M anyof hisproductsoverthe decades
Ron(secondleft) wasatalentedengineerwho workedwith bigteams.
Kwak champsearch
Dave Simmonds wasa legendar yracerwho took Kawasaki’sfrst world championship whenhe wonthe 1969 125cc world championship. Tragicallyhedied in afreata racepaddockin1972. TheSimmonds family andKawasaki aretryingtoorganise apermanentdisplay atKawasakiEurope in Amsterdam, torememberandcelebrate Dave’s achievementsandlegacy.Hisdaughter Jenniesays:“We’retouchedthatKawasaki wanttodothisandtolaunchthedisplaywe’d liketotry andborrow oneofdad’sracing
bikes –beitoneofhisKawasaki 125cc bikesor a500ccmachinetohelpkick-offthe display.”
Ifanyonecanhelp,pleaseemail jsimmonds734@msn.com e jsimmonds734@msn com
were must- have itemsfor racers that couldaffordthe best.He star tedout fabric atingframes for MatchlessG 50 sbeforemoving on to Japanese machines,most notablyYamaha’st wo -stroke twin racers.
In laterdec ades he concentrated on suspension andbythe endofthe 19 90 sit wassaidthat9 9% of Maxton’s suspension components were actually made in -house thanks to Ron’sdedic ationtoquality controland excellence.
RonW illiamsleaveswife Mary andstepsonsRichard and Matthew. Richardtookoverthe runningofM ax tonin200 4and thefrm continuestomaketopqualit yroadand race suspension unitstoday. www.max tonsuspension.co.uk
TommyRobb: legend
DaveSimmondstookKawasaki’s frst ever worldchampionship.
Selwyn Griffths:atribute
FormerManx Grand Prix winner SelwynGriffths haspassed away, aged83.
Theriderfrom Pontypool, Wales,whopassedaway on Januar y11, wasaroad-racing stalwart.Selwyn madehis Isle ofManroadracing debut in 1961attheManx GrandPrix.He achievedhisfrst podiumfnishin 1963whenhefnished3rdinthe Juniorrace. Better wastocome whenhe wentonto winthe 1964 SeniorManxGrandPrix.
Movingontothe TT races in 1965,he wouldracefor another decade,scoring eighttop-10 resultsincluding an impressive 3rd atthe 1975 Production TTrace.
Hisson Jason is a15-timeIsle
ofManTT podiumfnisher who still worksintheracingpaddock. Classic Racer wouldliketopass onourcondolencesto hisfamily andfriends.
Go -ShowBimotaauction
AnthonyGobert–knownas ‘TheGoShow’to fans, wasan eight-time WorldSuperbikerace winner.
TheAustralian wasrecognised asoneofthe mostnaturally talentedracersofthe 1990s, buthiscareer wasblighted by his ownpersonalissues,andhe neverfullyrealisedhispotential. Sadlythoseissuestook atoll andhepassed away last January agedjust48.
HisfnalWSBracewin was probablyhisbest:ridingan unfanciedBimotaSB8-Rhe won at awetPhillipIslandin2000, some30secondsaheadofCarl Fogarty. ItisthatbikethatIconic Auctioneerswillbesellingattheir eventduringtheMCN London BikeShowinFebruar y. We can’t waittoseewhatitgoes forand willreportback: www.iconicauctioneers.com
YAMAHARACERSUPFOR AUCTION!
Otherlotsintheauctionatthe MCN London BikeShowinclude oneoftheUK’sbiggest private collectionof Yamaha production racebikes.
Thesemachines were introducedinthe late 1960s, produced by Yamahaasfull-onrace bikesbut availablefrom yourlocal dealer.Theycamereadytorace andcompleteandwith aspares package.Noothermanufacturer
Editor’s welcome
‘WinonSunday, sell on Monday’ is amantrathat’s alwaysbeen associated withproductionracing.
Butwhile youmay think thatI’mmentioning this duetoourAlanCathcart racertest ontheproduction racertheRoyalEnfeld SuperMeteor,(or evenour feature on WorldSuperbike andGrandPrixwinning riders),I’m actuallymore thinkingabout Kawasaki green –see our featureon page88.
I’dseen the‘Team Green’boysofJohn Reynoldsand Brian Morrisondo thebusiness around my localcircuitof BrandsHatch.Andthere Iwas,the nextday,a suckerfor themarketing men,drooling atthenew Kawasaki ZXR750Kin thewindowofDaveFox Kawasaki, Ramsgate. There wasjust something thatalways stoodout aboutthe lime-green Kawasakis, evenintheir ‘corporate’ racecolours with dashes ofblueand white. Iwas alwaysabit of aKawasaki boy, as my unclerode themonthe roadand workedin the very dealership Iwascurrently pressing my nosetothe windowof. Thisthingwas gorgeous:single-seat (this wasthehomologation racer,after all)alloytank, close-ratiogearboxand those‘Hoover’ pipesthat didnowtbut looked good. Sadly,Iwas askint 21-yearoldandcould neverafford suchamachine.
offeredthisatthetime.
Thecollection belongsto bike dealerGlynMarriott, an ex-racer whoracedsimilarbikesinperiod. Allthe bikesarerestored,mostly allmatching numbers andoriginal, and have beendisplayedinGlyn’s dealership formanyyears.
Thecollectionincludessome earlyair-cooledmachines, aTD-2 250ccand aTR-2 350cc,anda very rareMaxtonframed TZ750D.
Othernotable bikesinclude TZ500D,TZ250A, TZ700Aanda matchingnumbersTZ750D.The collection’s combinedvalue is estimatedataround £250k.
We’ll keep tabs onthe auction toseehow they do: www.iconicauctioneers.com
When Iworked fora motorcycle magazinefour yearslater the chanceto ridethelaterZXR750M (homologation bikeagain) wasamust. Andit was sadly abitof alet-down on theroad,comparedtothe standardbike.Butit wasn’t by chance that –whenI bought my trackbike–thatit wasanall-green Kawasaki ZX-7R.Seems likethatmarketingmantra workedout afterall…