Benzina World (2024)

16/10/2022

The shock (for me at least) of today’s Bonham’s’ sale was this, MZ's 250cc Grand Prix racer in its ultimate form: estimated at £3500-£5500 the eventual buyer paid a whopping £35,650. Suddenly eastern European race bikes are in the news, not least I’d guess because Mat Oxley’s fabulous book Stealing Speed looks likely to make it onto the silver screen.
Introduced in 1955, the first MZ 250 racer - effectively a doubled-up 125 - was air-cooled and fitted with a four-speed transmission. Maximum power was 25bhp at 8,000rpm. Water-cooling was adopted in 1962 on the RE250, boosting power to 48bhp at 11,000rpm. By 1970 a six-speed gearbox was standard, and with 50-53 horsepower on tap the RE250 was good for a top speed of 140mph. Silvio Grassetti rode one to a win in 1971 as well as a couple of runner up spots before the factory's racing effort folded in 1977, when all the existing bikes and parts were sold off to privateers.
This ex-works example formed part of the Warrick Blackwell Collection since at least 1992 and has been displayed at both the International Classic Bike Show and Midland Classic Bike Show. Sadly, nothing is known of its in-period racing history. Accompanying history includes photocopied marque-related literature; a selection of photographs; and an invoice/letter from John Mossey dating from November 1992 in which he states that "the bike starts good and runs up a treat and sounds sharp and clean on both cylinders".
MZ authority Manfred Woll advised that the front fork is from a 1977-onwards production roadster, while the rear suspension struts have been modified to a later specification. The covers for the expansion chambers are also incorrect. Otherwise the machine is believed to be as it should be, and a minor backwater in the history of 250GPs. Until today’s sale – proof that if you get the knowledge out to prospective buyers wallets get opened in remarkable ways

16/10/2022

Stafford sale has been live since 10am and after the mayhem on the money markets this week it’s great to see some financial stability in the classic motorcycle world. The Honda NSR250 made over £16k with premium, and most sales are just where we’d have hoped. You can watch live via my bio link or on the Bonhams Ap. That’s my Sunday sorted even if I’m trapped at home in Covid induced confusion

15/10/2022

I couldn’t resist this photo, even if it’s ©Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA so likely I’ll have to take it down very soon. Used in The Times’ generous obituary on Phil Read it claims to show his “first TT win, the(350cc) Junior on June 15, 1961 at 22 year old. Phil Read gets a congratulatory kiss from his mother… looking on is his girlfriend, Margaret Sheene [16, later Maggie Smart] and her young brother, Barry (in cap)”.
Yet most interesting was this comment below the line by “M Scott” – (past editor of Motocourse?)
“In the picture of Phil after the TT, kissing a fan, the small boy on the right in the cap is Barry Sheene; the girl between the pair is his older sister Maggie Sheene, later Maggie Smart after marrying late bike racer Paul Smart. I think Phil is hugging their mother Iris Sheene, but not sure. [So is that Frank/Franco Sheene behind her?]. Phil told me how, at that TT, Barry had been a constant presence in his garage, "all over everything - like a rash".
Sorry if it seems mercenary but it allows a placeholder if Instagram (not unreasonably) remove the period image: so swipe left for the replica of Phil’s RD56 and (the surprisingly well received at the time) Honda UK/Colin Seeley CB750F2 based tribute to Phil’s RCBs, lots 630 and 434 respectively, available to view by searching in my bio link until Sunday 16 October

14/10/2022

V-twins can be divisive – I know plenty of Japanese sportsbike fans who bought a Ducati in the wake of the 916’s success and hated it. So with the 999 Ducati created a hybrid that was part ST4 and part 998. Lovey to ride but somehow a bit vanilla to the cognoscenti. And let’s be honest – plain ugly from certain angles: my then 6 year old lad said it looked like a pig from behind, with huge nostrils.
To say that the arrival of the 999 struck like a thunderbolt would be an understatement, so different was the styling from what had gone before. The model was introduced in 2002 as the 999 and 999S, both of which used the 998cc Testastretta engine of the superseded 998, before being joined for 2003 by this, the homologation special 999R, powered by the 999cc short-stroke motor of the 998R.
Poor sales soon led to an update with a red frame and dropping two of the upper fairing intakes which worked in a wind tunnel but not for one T Bayliss on the trail of the WSBK championship. Despite race wins coming thick and fast Ducati revisited the styling wholesale with the 1098 which was (to my eye) the 916 revisited by committee.
We interviewed the 999’s designed Pierre Terblanche in a (sold out) back issue of Benzina and he was livid. His initial brief was “It mustn’t look like the 916”, followed by a sit down with the race department. They wanted the single sided swing arm gone, those fairing wings and intakes, and a much reduced frontal area. The stacked headlights might have (sort of) mimicked Tamburini’s MV 750 but they fitted the brief; proof of the pudding was that the 999 far outperformed toe 916-series on track.
But the sales department’s pointy elbows consigned the 999 to history. In its place came the 1098 with showroom friendly single-sided swingarm, Buddy Holly headlights and a formulaic “modern 916” look that broke my heart .
So was the 999 the last real Ducati? I’ve a friend who bought a Laverda 750SFC in 1974 because the 750SS “Just looked weird”. We’re used to it now of course, and success mades it beautiful. Might that one day be true of the 999? This one’s lot 491 in Bonhams’ Stafford sale this weekend. My bio link leads to the online catalogue

11/10/2022

Here’s a thing – the last motorcycle Barry Sheene ever raced. It’s a Fred Walmsley Manx Norton recreation ridden to victory by Bazzer in his final motorcycle race, at the Goodwood Revival in September 2002. Sheene had already scored two wins on one of Fred's bike at Donington Park earlier in the year before receiving his cancer diagnosis in July. His request for Fred to provide a machine for the Goodwood Revival came out of the blue. Fred and his rider John Cronshaw were at Most in the Czech Republic having just won the InCA European Classic Series when the call came in, and of course Fred made an overnight dash back to the UK to get a bike prepared for Barry in time for Goodwood.
Both of the engines used in the European Classic Series were rather tired, but Fred managed to put together a motor using the best bits of the two. Unfortunately, the cobbled-together engine wasn’t up to supporting Barry’s talent so, on the Friday after practice, Fred had to borrow one of his '90-bore' motors that he'd sold to Norton specialist, the late George Cohen. Barry used George's engine at Goodwood that weekend, finishing second in the Lennox Cup on Saturday and winning it on Sunday to take overall victory. Barry Sheene died in hospital in Australia in March 2003 aged 52. The Lennox Cup was later renamed the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy in his honour.
The engine Sheene raced with was returned to George Cohen, and this bike retains the InCA European Classic Series winning motor. Even so, it’s estimated at a £55,000-£75,000 hammer price in Bonhams’ Stafford sale this weekend, much more than an original 499cc Manx 30, let alone other Fred Walmsley recreations. But, as I’ve posted before, a cast iron connection to a famous rider and a great story always does something amazing to open collectors’ wallets.
For this week only my bio link goes to Bonhams online catalogue home page where you can download it as a PDF and/or use the search box to find something that tickles your fancy. It’s as monster sale and there’s more Barry Sheene bits and pieces in the memorabilia sale, much courtesy of son Freddie

06/10/2022

RIP Phil Read. One of my all time favourites

27/09/2022

Cefalu seafront, northern Sicily. Even the locals dismiss the Benelli as”solo una motocicletta cinese” (just another Chinese bike) but we quite liked the Caballero even if it’s Piaggio 500cc single is built you-know-where…

23/09/2022

The Bonhams Stafford auction catalogue is now available online: rather fancy this HD/Aermacchi to live out some Renzo Pasolini fantasies and love those Campagnolo brakes. Full listing at https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27434/the-autumn-stafford-sale-the-classic-motorcycle-mechanics-show/
Or just Google Bonhams October Stafford sale 2022. See you there

19/09/2022

Parked outside our hotel in Sicily tonight.looks more fun than the usual plastic plunderers

15/09/2022

Is the Gold Star the ultimate off road big single? It’s easy to forget that, despite the love showered on the later DB32/34 Clubman’s bikes, it was most often a machine aimed at winning ISDTs. I interviewed Stan Dibben – most famous for co-piloting a Norton to the 1953 sidecar world championship with Eric Oliver - for my BSA book, and he started in BSA’s Gold Star workshop, including building UK team captain Fred Rist’s Six Day machine. The only comparable place to the Gold Start workshop was the experimental department, with tight knit teams pretty much working autonomously from the rest of the factory.
BSA had avoided road racing since the disastrous 1921 Senior TT when all their motorcycles had failed to finish, so the off road Goldies became the jewel in the factory’s crown. And this is the oldest surviving matching numbers BSA Gold Star in wonderfully original condition, and probably my favourite lot in the Bonham’s Stafford sale on 16 October.
Nothing is known of the bike’s history until December 1947, when the ownership trail begins. From 1962 until 1994 it lay unused in a shed where it was discovered by the family of the last known owner, a Mr Tony Price. His sons Rob & Dexter Price, both ex-TT and Manx GP riders, recommissioned the bike in 1996, and it was ridden again for the first time in 34 years at the Silverstone Classic Motorcycle Festival, and displayed on the BSA Gold Star Owners Club Stand. The bike saw little use after that until 'Rocket' George Wander – acknowledged as the global authority on pre-war M24 Gold Stars - acquired it in April 2000. He used it regularly on the road, and it appeared every year since 2001 at the Coupes Moto Legende at Montlhery and Dijon and on two occasions at Cadwell Park at the Beezumph Rally. It remains 100% original and unrestored, and, arguably, is the finest and most interesting of the 30 or so M24 Gold Stars still in existence around the world.
But I just think it’s a wonderfully patinated motorcycle that would be perfect for riding on the Ridgeway above my house.

13/09/2022

This is the MTV Yak 410 as shown in April 1979 at the Barcelona Motor Show, a Mototrans Ducati Scrambler in place of the 1977 stillborn Ducati Utah 350 single I’ve posted about before (swipe for an aide memoir courtesy Phil Aynsley). The Yak was next shown at the Paris Motor Show, in September 1979, on the Ducati stand.
MTV (MotoTrans Virgili) rose in 1978 from the ashes of Mototrans. In 1975 Eusebi Andreu Virgili, one of the founders of Mototrans, returned to the company with the aim of consolidating Mototrans and Sanglas in the two-wheel market. Unfortunately his ambition went unrealised, but not before completing the Yak 410 project.
The Yak’s desmodromic head was clearly derived from the Pantah engine but the cambelt was on the left as per Ducati’s original prototypes and with the peculiarity of the belt running in an oil bath. The 406.41cc capacity came from an 86mm bore (as with Ducati’s 450 single and the 860/900 twins) and a 70mm stroke. The gearbox was 6-speed and the start was electric. Clamed power and weight were 35bhp and 128Kg respectively.
But the Yak soon gained a reputation as a troubled newcomer, mainly from the unusual oil bath cambelt probably due to the lack of development despite Pirelli’s collaboration. The Yak’s failure led to the demise of MTV in 1984.
When MTV closed its doors all rights passed to Merlin (another Spanish brand created in 1980 by Ignazio Bultó, son of Francesco Bultó who was co-founder of Montessa and later of Bultaco) who put into production a much updated version, dubbed the DG-11. At the end of 1985 the bike went on sale but again mechanical unreliability led to Merlin also failing; GasGas will be born from Merlin’s ashes and survived autonomously until bought by KTM in 2019. Small world, isn’t it?

08/09/2022

Never complain, never explain

06/09/2022

I’ve posted before about how I think the Ducati 450 is the perfect Motogiro bike, and if you fancy a shot at the ultimate Italian bike nut’s holiday this might be the bike for you. Because this particular 450 MkIII Desmo completed the 2019 Motogiro D’Italia, winning the Ducati Museum’s Eleganza prize with Livio Lodi calling it “a most original and well preserved motorcycle”. And it’s for sale…
By the mid-1950s Ducati was facing closure, so in a final throw of the dice hired Fabio Taglioni to design a bike to win the Motogiro. This and the Milano Taranto were known as the Gran Fondo (big ride) races, travelling across Italy as the ultimate high speed marketing machine, regularly making newspapers’ front pages. Taglioni’s bevel drive overhead cam Gran Sport was the result, taking every place but one in the 1955 giro 100cc class, and fifth overall, only beaten by 175s.The following year a 125cc version would win outright, ultimately being developed into 250 and 350 versions.
Next up were the 1967 'wide case' models. Changes weren’t confined to the wider rear engine crankcase casting: Taglioni and his team also incorporated a stronger con-rod and big-end bearing, alongside improvements to the lubrication system and gearbox. There was also fulfilment of a Taglioni dream, with desmodromic valve gear available on production models, not just the racers. These top-of-the-range variants were distinguished by their extra chrome and restrained 'D' decals on the side panels. Late in 1968 the Ducati single appeared in its largest '450' (actually 436cc) incarnation, which offered considerably more torque, and additional frame bracing to allow a rider to make the most of it. They are a joy to ride, especially on Italian mountain roads. Bike magazine wrote in 1975 that they offer “that rare blend of two wheeled excitement, satisfaction and safety”.
This very motorcycle is in Bonhams’ Stafford sale on 16 October with a hammer estimate of £8500-10000. Original parts, including the Borrani rims and heel/toe gear-lever, are included, as the 450D is currently fitted with stainless steel rims and a conventional gear lever, as well as a 12v conversion. Go on, you know you want to…

02/09/2022

Giancarlo Morbidelli had a particular passion for Benelli, the oldest Italian motorcycle manufacturer and, like Morbidelli, founded in Pesaro. This ex-works 1950 world champion winning Benelli 250 GP racer sold for £138,000 at the Bonhams’ 2020 Bicester summer sale: it was a world record price paid for a Benelli until the 250 Quattro was sold less than 10 minutes later, testimony to the quality of Giancarlo’s museum collection.
Benelli became an international force when Ted Mellors won the 1939 Isle of Man Lightweight TT. But the factory was destroyed by Allied bombers and then looted by the Germans, meaning that Benelli took time to re-establish itself after the war. Fortunately the racing machines had been hidden away and survived intact, helping re-establish the race shop and allowing Dario Ambrosini to become 250 world champion in 1950, with wins in Switzerland, Italy and the Isle of Man. Sadly, Ambrosini's death in 1951 effectively put an end to Benelli's international efforts and it would be 1959 before they returned.
Giancarlo Morbidelli tracked down Ambrosini's historic Benelli in the UK with the help of John Surtees, buying it from Norman Webb in the late 1980s. It’s believed that Norman had bought the bike directly from the Benelli factory and had raced it. Although the fuel and oil tanks have been repainted, the frame, forks, and mudguards retain their original paintwork, and it is just possible to discern the outline of the number '23', which was Ambrosini's, on the rear mudguard. A nice touch, and shows the importance of never overdoing a restoration

31/08/2022

One of my favourite Bonhams lots of all time was this - the 1964 250 Quattro ridden by Tarquinio Provini (another favourite) and winner of the Spanish GP at Montjuic Park (you guessed it – I love the place). We (well, the Bonham’s team with me making tea off set) sold it in August 2020.
It was a sale tinged with sadness, because this was part of the Morbidelli museum collection. I only visited once but Giancarlo Morbidelli was a charming host and (as previously posted) insisted I was photographed astride his magnificent V8. The museum was in some of his old factories in a fairly nondescript industrial estate; most folk know that Giancarlo made his fortune from woodworking machines, but these didn’t turn out garden furniture or kitchen tables – they could make violins. Little wonder the man loved this jewel like racer. As a local boy Giancarlo grew up in love with Benellis, built in a church-like factory a few miles south in Pesaro.
This 250 GP bike had a remarkable second life. It was initially used by the great Provini (yes, he of model kit fame) to win the Spanish grand prix in 1964, the second round of that year's championship. Provini completed three more GPs that season, finishing 4th at Assen and 5th in both the Belgian and German rounds, ending up 5th overall in the Championship at the season's end. The factory wanted the machine to be as fast as a cannonball, hence the drab iron-grey colour scheme.
The machine's engine then ended up being used in a road bike by Marco Benelli, from whom it was purchased by Giancarlo Morbidelli (the two men were friends). Other parts, including the frame, were bought from the Benelli family, and the machine was then restored in the Morbidelli museum's workshop, Snr Morbidelli fabricating the exhaust system himself. At the 2020 Bonhams’ Bicester sale in the middle of Covid restrictions it sold for £149,500. This was the most expensive lot of the weekend and remains (I think) the priciest Benelli ever sold. In these turbulent times is it wrong to say it’s worth every penny?

27/08/2022

Six cylinders at the TT? Honda didn’t have a monopoly on the idea. This is Joey Dunlop racinga a Benelli Sei in the 1979 Formula 1 TT. Being a production bike in a race class intended for modified road bikes, the Benelli 750 could circumvent the FIM’s ban on six cylinder engines. 1974 had seen the limiting of 350cc and 500cc machines to four cylinders, a rule extended to endurance racing in 1978.
The only significant alterations to Joey’s bike, provided by UK importers Agrati, were new bodywork and the exhaust system, the latter as much for ground clearance as any extra power. Sadly Dunlop only managed two laps before his Sei snapped. Early Seis weren’t especially reliable, with long crankshafts some say could fail if the triple carburettors weren’t correctly set up. But Joey made amends in the F2 race, bringing home the 500 Quattro in fifth. Right behind him was Pete Davis on a Laverda Alpino, the pair the only non-Hondas to finish the race. Not a lot of people know that.
And then Joey’s Sei disappeared. I’d guess it was turned to standard and sold on: whop knew how desirable an-ex Joey Dunlop TT bike would become. So a handful; of photos – this one from Bill Snelling/TTracepics – are about all that’s left of Joey’s Sei – or indeed the 500 Quattro.
Actually, it’s not entirely true to say “that’s about all that’s left of Joey’s Sei”, because swipe for a photo of a replica with a tweaked 1040cc motor. The bike is owned by a French collector, Georges Morokowski, and built by Philippe Marti. Marti studied the few pictures he could find detailing Joey’s Sei and went to work. A reimagining of an Italian motorcycle, raced on the Isle of Man by an Irishman and living in France. That’s what I’d call a European superbike

24/08/2022

This is a pre-production CBX, of which it’s reckoned just six examples survive. Honda originally built 41 prototypes for testing, press and display duties, including the CBX's debut in November 1977 at Suzuka.
Many think that the four-valve head Hondas of the late-to-mid seventies represented a rebirth of Honda’s motorcycle division after stagnation while the car division took precedence. I believed it myself, for it was what the magazines wrote back in the day, but having spoken to some of those folk and people at the top of Honda, it turns out it was a smokescreen. Honda was highly miffed that that they considered their trademark transverse fours (carefully brought to market in the wake of their racing fours) had been copied by their Japanese rivals. And when Phil Schilling coined the phrase UJM (universal Japanese motorcycle) in a Kawasaki Z650 test Honda were determined to move on.
The end result would be their V4 range but that was still a work in progress. So rather than launch the 16 valve transverse four range – designed largely by the team responsible for the original single cam fours - with an 1100, that bike was initially slimmed down to the CB900F and a new range topper – the mighty six cylinder CBX - was created. Honda was no longer about inline fours; Honda was about the shock of the new.
In truth the CBX was a disappointment away from the road tests and double page advertising spreads. In the UK it was at least 30% pricier than its four cylinder competitors and more than a handful on twisty roads. A reinvention as a sports tourer was an even poorer showroom performer: the CBX-B with less power, a fairing and UniTrack suspension finished up being donated to technical colleges in the US to train future auto technicians, who ironically were unlikely to ever see one in a commercial workshop.
But today the original CBX is prized, not least one of these hand-built prototypes, which differ in many ways from the series-production version, most obviously with their sand-cast crankcases. Another beauty in Bonhams 16 October sale with an estimated £20-25k hammer price.
And if you’re thinking of selling it’s not too late to consign to that sale – DM me

22/08/2022

Come to front, Old Man Soichiro, and show them how it’s done: the ultimate road going 250 stroker, the MC28 NSR250SP in Rothmans/HRC livery
Like Soichiro I’m not a stroker fan, but still I tip my hat to the tech on offer. I’m an unapologetic Honda fan – they started as a motorcycle factory and went from there, unique in Japan. They also started with fewer resources and never took government handouts. Their Swindon car factory site was chosen because it suited them regardless of UK government bribes to build in the north
So to the motorcycle on show: for over a decade 250 two-stroke race replicas were the most competitive sector of Japan’s home market. Honda’s initial offering was the MVX250, its successor, the NS250, almost as short lived, replaced by the NSR250R on sale between 1987 and 1999. Powered by a reed valve 90° V-twin with Honda’s RC-[power] Valve, it mimicked HRC’s NSR250 racers. Starting with Freddie Spencer, Honda would win the 250 world championship seven times during the lifetime of its road going counterpart. Unsurprisingly Honda sold the road bikes as close cousins of the factory racers, culminating in what is now prized as the ultimate 250 race replica of the era: the MC28 NSR250SP seen here
It’s arguably the ultimate road legal 250, thanks in part to the PGM-IV ignition and Pro-Arm single sided swingarm. Also notable was the memory card “key”. The SP model was another step up with a dry clutch, adjustable suspension and Magtek wheels. The ultimate version was this one, in the factory Rothmans/HRC livery, and limited to a production run of 1500. It is not known how many found their way to the UK but they remain vanishingly rare and for some the Holy Grail of 250 race replicas, with 40PS at 9000rpm pushing a featherweight 137kg.
I’ve just consigned this to Bonhams Stafford sale with a hammer estimate of £10-15000. Sounds mad? There might be plenty of other NSR250s, but this is the only MC28 version I’ve seen for sale in a decade apart for a US deal struck at over $24k. If you want one this might be the only chance for years to come. Hard to believe it was a production model when you see it; the most surprising thing is that it has lights…

20/08/2022

I’ve just consigned this replica of Phil Read’s 1964-65 250 world championships winning RD56 to Bonhams’ Stafford sale on 16th October. It really is one of the finest replicas I’ve seen, built as a labour of love in tribute to Yamaha and Read’s first world championships, achieved when Yamaha were the under resourced underdog. When Yamaha celebrated the 50th anniversary of their debut world championship Marco Riva, Yamaha Motor Racing’s general manager, said that “our success with the RD56 wrote a page in motorcycle history. It was very competitive for many years and is still in my opinion the best race bike”
Phil Read added “It’s a little different now, from 1964; I came to Monza with two factory 250 Yamaha RD56s in the back of my car with one English mechanic and a Japanese mechanic who came over for the race in Monza. I think we had our carburettor settings written on a postcard!”
Remembering those remarkable years it is understandable that the owner and builder of this motorcycle wanted an RD56 but, of course, that is all but impossible. Instead he set out to build a motorcycle that would look – and just as importantly ride – as much like Read’s RD56 as possible
Starting with a Kawasaki Avenger motor which replicates the RD56’s rotary disc valve induction and gives a flavour of what the genuine racer would be like to ride, a TR2 frame was modified to accept RD56-style parallel top rails and steering head geometry. Front and rear wheels are fitted with authentic magnesium alloy 4-leading shoe front and single leading shoe rear brakes. The fork yokes were machined using Yamaha drawings, with brake and clutch levers made to the 1964 pattern including the butterfly cable box. Front mudguard and racing seat are original RD56, as is the fairing, a pattern of Bill Ivy’s 1965 machine. The aluminium alloy tank features QD front mountings
Its estimated hammer price is £8-10000 and to be honest the parts alone are probably worth more than the complete bike, as is too often the case. But taken as a whole its new owner will have an almost unique opportunity to parade and show what to most observers would appear to be Phil Read and Yamaha’s debut world championship winner

17/08/2022

These strokers of the Yamaha Racing Heritage Club (YRHC) were part of the biggest single display at Donington’s Classic Motorcycle Festival, with legends such as Phil Read and Ferry Brouwer wandering around chatting to people. It reminded me of bumping into Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts at the Silverstone GP back in the 70s: now you even have to pay extra and queue to see BSB stars
The YRHC was formed to safeguard and celebrate the Yamaha's rich racing legacy; I suspect it’s Ferry Brouwer’s baby. To be cynical (me?) it’s about time – the Japanese are caught between genuine legacy brands such as Ducati and BMW and cheaper Chinese manufacturers chasing their bread-and-butter scooter and lightweight market
Even for me – not a two-stroke fan - there was also a stunning collection of bikes, spanning Yamaha’s entire racing history from one of their first factory race bikes, the 1957 YD-A 250, through the first Yamaha to race in the UK, Sonny Angel’s YDS-1R (who knew? And do follow Sonny on Instagram – amazing images) all the way up to Taz Mackenzie’s 2021 BSB-winning R1
Phil Read (looking a little frail) was there of course, becoming Yamaha’s first ever world champion when he took the 1964 250cc title. He was reunited with “lovingly rebuilt versions” (? “fakes, then” said someone even more cynical than me) of his 1971 Team Read Castrol Yamaha TD2-B 250 and 350
I apparently missed the great Chas Mortimer, a lovely chap whose achievements seem cruelly unrecognised. He claimed the first-ever 500 class victory for Yamaha at the Spanish GP in 1972, and is also the only rider to have won races in (deep breath) 125, 250, 350, 500, and 750cc world championship classes
It was a horrible drive to and from the Donny Classic, but it’s probably now the best event of its type in Europe. A few years back it looked like Donington Park might disappear but thanks to MotorSport Vision (MSV - basically Jonathan Palmer and Peter Ogden) it better than ever, with events to match. Just wish it could poach MotoGP from Silverstone

13/08/2022

This is Ron Chandler’s 1973 Rouen 200-mile winning, 1973 Triumph Trident 'Rob North' F750, for sale in Bonhams’ Stafford auction this October with an estimated hammer price of £28-34,000. It’s claimed to be the first Rob North framed triple that wasn’t built for the works BSA-Triumph team, so quite a piece of history
It’s also proof of how well Mick Hunt rode to take the Laverda Jota in my previous post to sixth place in the 1977 Formula 1 TT. Just ahead of him was one of these, and in second place an ex-factory Ducati, also part of the Sports Motorcycles’ team that Mick and the Laverda were part of. The other three bikes that beat the Jota were factory Hondas
Yet these BSA/Triumph triples were for a brief moment in the early seventies almost unbeatable, which is why Ron had to build one. As he put it:
"My first outing on the bike was at Mallory Park in March 1973. At the race I was talking to Percy Tait and he asked whether I was going to Rouen, the second [F750] meeting of the year. I managed to get a late entry and went down to Rouen with the former Triumph works team: Percy, Tony Jefferies and Les Williams. There was only enough room in their Transit van for the bike, me, and my leathers bag, so I couldn't take any tools or spares!
"Well, I won the first leg by eight seconds and finished 2nd in the second leg, Tony Jefferies beating me by half a wheel's length. On aggregate I won overall." Reputedly, the £2,200 Rouen prize money was the same amount it had cost to build the bike
Ron used the triple for the rest of the 1973 season, riding in the Transatlantic Match Races (also in 1974) and taking it to continental 750cc races, getting some decent placings. "In '74 we were racing against the 700cc Yamahas and Suzuki 750s and the BSA [sic] was no match for these machines so we decided to sell it and buy a Yamaha."
Yes, the two-strokes were coming, the TZ750 especially completely breaking the spirit of F750 racing as a production based class. It would take World Superbikes in the 1980s to revive interest in top flight production racing

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