Classic Racer takes you so close you can actually smell the Castrol R. With the world's finest archive, and an editorial team who live and breathe the sport, the only way you'll get closer will be to put on your leathers.
Is it really 45 years since Kenny Roberts won his final 500cc World Championship? It seems like yesterday. Kenny was at the front of the American revolution in Grand Prix racing, a revolution spearheaded by the likes of Stevie Baker and Pat Hennen – the first American to win a 500cc Grand Prix race. Of course, Kenny had been around for some time before he finally went to Grands Prix full-time in 1978. His mother lied about his age so he could go racing in his teens on the oval dirt-tracks near his Modesto home – California’s dirt-track central. And he was clearly special, becoming Grand National Champion in 1973 – his second year as a senior. It wouldn’t be his last. He finally raced in Europe in 1974, but…
There have been some strange or quirky motorcycles that have become race bikes over the years and BMW has made a few of them. Remember Nick Jefferies riding the TT on the big K100? This one was probably one of the best: The BMW R1100 S Sport BoxerCup. Back in the 1990s, BMW had something of a ‘difficult’ image to contend with. Its road motorcycles were often seen as those ridden by the ‘pipes and slippers’ brigade. Often ex-coppers, sitting bolt upright and attending IAM meetings and sometimes on ex-cop bikes! For those who recalled the 1960s and 1970s and machines like the very sporting R90 S, it was strange how things had turned around for BMW. But that staid image wasn’t going to last long and in 1998 the…
Every era of grand prix racing has its nearly-men: Those that come so close to reaching the peak in the top class but never seem to get there. Dani Pedrosa is one such rider. Dani would be runner-up in 2007, 2010 and 2012 in the MotoGP class where he’d net an impressive 31 victories with 112 visits to the podium. So why did he fail to make that final step? Luck played its part, as did his physical size. If he’d been born into an earlier era, you can imagine Dani would have perhaps stayed in the smaller classes and dominated, perhaps even coming close to the likes of Angel Nieto and Giacomo Agostini (13 and 15 world titles.) His size (160cm/5ft 2in and around 53 kilos/117lb) was perfect for…
Built to shrug off even torrential downpours, theTempest is crafted from military-grade Ripstop tarpaulin material, with welded seams to keep water out.The padded airflow back panel and shoulder straps keep you comfortable all day long. Find out more at www.weiseclothing.com Across 1 & 3: Northern Irishman who took pole positions and podiums at the start of the MotoGP era. (6,10)9: Not novices, or even intermediates, but better than that. (7)12: Mr Carruthers, a 250cc World Champion who managed King Kenny nearly a decade later. (3)13: World-famous venue that hosted Motorcycle Grands Prix on both its long and short circuits. (11)15 & 33 Down: Belgian racer who took nearly half of all his country’s GP wins, for him in the 250 & 350cc classes. (6,2,8)17: General term for a cylindrical chain…
Classic Racer, Kelsey Media, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR. CRletters@mortons.co.uk facebook.com/ClassicRacerMag/ If you want to get in touch… Then please do. We read every letter, email and comment sent to us and we enjoy hearing from you whether you’ve an event coming up, a motorcycle you own or just want to let us know about something you find interesting in Classic Racer’s world. Star letter TIM LIKED IT! Dear CR Just wanted to say it was a cracking latest issue. The article on Joey’s last TT was great, the Rob Mac article was brilliant too. My first TT visit was 1984 where he won the Senior/ Classic double which was great, and with legend Joey taking the Formula 1 race it was just the icing on the…
Success at Sammy’s! Classic Racer wishes to thank the Sammy Miller Museum for their continuing support with our Iconic Metal series. On page 58 you’ll find the latest machine we’ve photographed from the collection. There is always lots going on at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum down in the New Forest, so why not go and visit? Based at Bashley Cross Roads, New Milton, in Hampshire, the museum is home to more than 500 exotic and rare motorcycles from all over the globe. Best of all, the museum plays host to a wide range of various motorcycle-related events. Our friends at the museum just enjoyed hosting their first autojumble of the year – and it was a sell-out. Visitors were invited by Sammy to look at the new extension to…
