Innehållsförteckning för March - April 2021 från Classic Racer

On December 20, 2020, my good friend Peter Williams said his final goodbye and passed into the history of motorcycling’s greats. Peter and I became friends in the mid-1980s well after his brilliant career as a passionate rider and development engineer was ended prematurely by equipment failure at Oulton Park. Despite serious injury he continued to develop innovative ideas for Cosworth, Lotus and for people like me. We frequently met for a coffee at London Heathrow during my many flights between New York and Milan. Every conversation with Peter was an education… Peter’s collaboration with Tom Arter produced the world’s most successful Matchless G50s which were notable for innovative designed frames, fairings, and air management systems. The unique ‘Wagon Wheels’ (there was only ever one built) was the very first…

The destination of the 2000 World Superbike Riders’ crown was conceivably altered by Yamaha rider Noriyuki Haga’s ultimate three-week ban after a failed drugs test at that season’s first round in South Africa. During the off-season Nori-chan had apparently embarked on an extensive fitness regime, which resulted in his turning up at Kyalami some 15kg lighter than before. He’d used a commercially available Japanese dietary supplement named Ma Huang to help trim his weight, which contained a higher natural concentration level of ephedrine than permitted under FIM rules (12mcg vs 10mcg allowed). Despite the best efforts of Yamaha to overturn the decision, his Race 2 victory at Kyalami was forfeited, and he was forced to miss the final October 15 Brands Hatch round entirely, thus sacrificing a theoretical 75 points,…

IN DE TA IL : With the Iconic Metal from Phil Aynsley last issue, we figured we’d take another view of this amazing machine: if you have ever owned an across-the-frame four-cylinder motorcycle, you can thank Carlo Gianini and Piero Remor for the 1923 concept and Gilera for developing it in the 1950s. WHEN POACHED FROM NORTON, GEOFF DUKE WAS CRITICAL OF THE GILERA'S HANDLING AND SET ABOUT 'NORTONISING' IT. A DOUBLE-LOOP FRAME HAD THE STEERING HEAD AND SWINGARM AREAS HEAVILY BRACED.IT WORKED: DUKE, REG ARMSTRONG AND ALFREDO MILANI TOOK THE FIRST THREE 500CC CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS IN 1953. After the Second World War supercharging was banned from GP classes so Remor, now working for Gilera, created a naturally aspirated engine.The cylinders were inclined 30 degrees forwards exposing the heads to…

For the race that put him on the map, Johnny Cecotto wore a pair of Giacomo Agostini replica boots from which he had removed the signature of the Italian rider, who at the time was the man to beat. It was a telling move… It was the 1975 Daytona 200, and that detail proved that the 19-year-old from Venezuela, South America, had no awe for the factoryYamaha and former MV rider, who had more than 10 world titles under his belt and who was widely considered – perhaps alongside Mike Hailwood – as perhaps the greatest motorcycle racer of all time. Cecotto, who rode a private Yamaha, started the race from last position: 80th. And yet he finished on the rostrum, racing against people like Kenny Roberts and Steve Baker,…

Hubert Auriol – who sadly passed away in January, aged just 68 – was not only a three-time winner of the Dakar Rally, but the first to win it on both two wheels and four. He won the race for BMW in 1981 and 1983 as well as winning the 1992 event on four wheels. Little wonder that a statement from the Dakar organisers after his passing said: “He inspired generations of riders and drivers and has been an integral part of the rally throughout its history.” Born in Ethiopia on June 7, 1952, the Frenchman was to become a force to be reckoned with during the early years of the Paris-Dakar Rally as it was originally called. Auriol would take part in that first event in 1979 and would…

Tinnitus Awareness week began on February 1 and it is worthwhile telling the classic race and parade brigade how ear plugs can help. Specialist manufacturer Auritech marked the beginning of Tinnitus Awareness Week by explaining the dangers of riding motorcycles without adequate hearing protection. Research has shown that riders risk causing permanent hearing damage through the wind noise generated at just 50mph, and this damage can occur with less than four minutes exposure at motorway speeds. God forbid what a race bike can do with open cans at fill chat! It’s thought that around half of all road riders in the UK do not wear ear plugs while riding, with many unaware of the damage they may be causing to themselves. So, get plugged-up and check out our website at:…

The World Superbike fans took the Samurai of Slide to their hearts, as no Japanese rider had ever been before. It came thanks to the Yamaha star’s all-action style, in which nothing less than 100% was ever on display. After my ride on hisYZF-R7 OW-02, who better than Norichan himself to ask about the short-lived fuel-injected 20-valve four? So, how much better a bike was it in 2000 than the year before? “The biggest change this year were the tyres,” said Haga. “I think these made the most difference this season, even thoughYamaha engineers of course worked very hard to develop the bike successfully. Dunlop tyres suit my style so much, so I have extra confidence with them over the Michelins in 1999. My cornering style gives much pleasure to…

WHIT’S WISDOM ON… Growing up…. I was brought up on best bit of land and with lots of room. Back in 1972 dad bought an airfield from David Brown tractors – dad took it from them for £12,000. It had a hangar, many acres of rough Yorkshire moor, which meant me and my sisters could pretty much do what we wanted on that land. They went for the horses and I went for the bikes… you had so much room that you’d only ever really hurt yourself if it went wrong. I now live there. WHIT’S WISDOM ON… Smashing up aeroplanes Dad was a milkman at one point and we got our milk from a farm down a private road from us. I could drive aged nine (with some cushions…

I’d seen Steve Hillary’s 888 Ducati Corsa tucked away in the corner of his workshop after many a trip to his Devon based workshop, Redmax Speedshop and it had always appealed to me… I guess it’s the 1980s/1990s styling, bold Oxford Products racing livery and the hints to its history that Steve had briefly mentioned to me as I’d had a gander round his garage. It really stood out amongst his eclectic collection of bikes. I’d persistently asked to do a feature on it, at the very least photograph it and much to my patience and Steve’s kindness here it is. Steve is nothing short of a Ducati expert and mechanical wizard, having worked on the Italian motorcycles for virtually all of his working life and has become a well…

James Whitham rates him as one of the most amazing talents he’s ever shared a track with, so it seemed natural for us to use this excuse to share this picture of Anthony Gobert and the Bimota SB8-R from 21 years ago… Bimota has a rich history in World Superbike (see Davide Tardozzi’s recollections on page 60) and this was the machine which took its (currently) last win in the class. Using a Suzuki V-twin powerplant, this bike would claim a surprise World Superbike win. Despite ‘WORLD SUPERBIKE’ being emblazoned on its flanks, Suzuki’s ownTL1000R never actually got to race in the championship proper, although some race versions did take to the track courtesy ofYoshimura in the US. However, the Suzuki V-twin motor would win a World Superbike race, courtesy…

Gary Nixon’s racing years divided neatly into two chapters. The Triumph years in the 1960s saw him win the Daytona 200 and two successive Grand National Championships on a mixture of dirt and tarmac tracks as well as surviving a major crash that could have ended his life, let alone his career. The 1970s saw him master the fearsome 750cc two-strokes of the era to the extent that he was the most successful road-racer in American racing in 1973. He survived another life-threatening crash in 1975 and even appeared to have become World Formula 750 Champion in 1976 before being, in the eyes of most, robbed of that accolade by a decision of the Federation Internationale Motocycliste that seemed to be wholly politically motivated.This is the story... At the end…

THE BEAUTY OF SIMPLE LINES AND MINIMALIST DESIGN! THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NS500 IN 1982 SAW HONDA CAMPAIGN A TWO-STROKE GP BIKE FOR THE FIRST TIME, AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL YEARS WITH THE FOUR-STROKE NR500. FREDDIE SPENCER WON TWO RACES AND TEAM-MATE TAKAZUMI KATAYAMA, ONE. SPENCER WON THE TITLE THE FOLLOWING YEAR BEFORE SWITCHING TO THE FOUR-CYLINDER NSR IN 1984. THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NS AND RS500S WERE THAT THE RS WEIGHED 125KG COMPARED TO 108KG FOR THE NS, DUE TO LESS EXOTIC MATERIALS BEING USED, AND THAT MAXIMUM POWER WAS ABOUT 5HP LESS THAN THE NS AT 120HP AT 11,500RPM.…

Oxford Products’ famous logo has been seen on short circuits and pure road circuits for almost 50 years. The company has always believed in developing their products in the crucible of racing as well as backing some top talent. The company was formed in 1973 by Alec Hammond and from 1976 they’ve been in racing paddocks across the UK and beyond: names such as eight times World Champion Phil Read,TT winners Steve Hislop, Robert Dunlop, Jim Moodie andTrevor Nation, Grand Prix winner Jeremy McWilliams in addition to British Championship stars Mark Farmer, PaulYoung, Glen Richards, Asa Moyce, Geoff Johnson, Les Burgan and Bradley Smith feature on the Oxford Products Roll of Honour. Three years after the business was set-up, racing backing came along for the likes of Asa Moyce, Mike…

Britten motorcycles became so iconic in such a short period of time during the 1990s that several buyers put them straight into their private collections, or museums: this is where some will rightly remain to immortalise one of the world’s greatest motorcycle builders, and artists… Yet the Brittens were created to race, by a racer, so what were the Brittens really like to ride in those heady days under the gaze and later the shadow of the late, great John Britten himself? For the decade they were in production, lessons were learned and improvements were made.These were not mass-produced motorcycles, so not all Brittens were created equal: some riders learned to ride around the bikes’ unique handling issues: here are their stories. Gary Goodfellow Kiwi test rider New Zealander Gary…