everyone gone to bed me thinks....................or some have gone to play skittles

If you must know , my cabbage patch friend , been out for a walk tonight , but now back 'ome

You just don’t know quality when you see it

Well , Timbo , for what it's worth , i've cleaned my 'specs twice , the 'puter screen also , still has'nt made the pic very clear , I thought it was a flock of sheep in a field !!!

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Renew your memory banks.... and stop super poking every one ... John Newbold.. From your memory did his parents win the pools?

the only thing you had on that motor in the 80s ,,, was the motor

Wheres Delboy tonight?.................lost in his scrapyard or maybe playing his harmonica

Think you could be right , my super-poked fiend , also , IIRC they had a butchers shop , so they probably did'nt beef about things , and ' Noddy ' certainly did'nt ' ham ' it up

remember the butchers shop and the pools win but can't find anything on the net ... see Jim's fb page on John

Uncini '82, the year he won the WC, was it a stock Mk 7 or a factory effort? I recall the Gallina team had access to some special bits from the factory.

yep to the above Mick .. me think's it started out as stock and as the season went on it was full work's

I thought it was full works from the get go?

So do I ............... ( whats a get go ?? )

Its a technical term for from the beginning !

gallina was not full works at the start of 82 .... but the way the team was run ... all teams run like that now .. they got full works backing by the time off the british gp

Oh , silly me 'cause it is

But by the time of the Brit GP he had won 4 GP's Austria, Italy, Netherlands & Yugoslavia, all on a private bike? I dont think he did that on a private machine?

just have a look at the history of Suzuki thats how they work bung a few bits nere and there and see what come s

Please look at the french posty in the 250 in 82 ...... none works at the start and full works by the end of the season !!!!

IIRC the Gallina team had all the best bits didn't they? Even to the detriment of the British Heron Suzuki effort

Politics or money at work?

Mick i think as you say politics ... sad way to do thing's but that's life .....lol

Very interesting...that's the first time I've heard that . Could you maybe elaborate ?

Oh, and as far as I know, Tournadre never was a "posty" ( is that the same as "postman" ? ) - you might be making a confusion with Christian Sarron who indeed worked for a few months at the Riom post office .

First back to team Gallina at the start of 82 Suzuki had put all there backing behind HB as the full works team, with Lucchinelli jumping ship to Honda, Suzuki must have thought that they had a better chance with Randy! So with Gallina having Uncini and Reggiani they were going to play second fiddle to HB. Gallina was quoted at the time he was in talks with Suzuki to secure full works backing!! And as the season panned out he got his wish.
Yes team Gallina were a works team at the start of 82 but for politics were not full works i.e. total factory backing

Good morning Philippe
For were the postman name comes from I have no idea but he was always quoted in the British press as the ‘French posty’ and if it wasn’t for my darling wife throwing all my papers away this could be easily settled. Having said the above and searched the net this morning even on the French sites I can’t find anything with posty in it, so as you say it could be a myth!!
As for works bike, he may have had some parts and stuff but at the start of 82 it was not a works bike. With Yamaha looking down the barrel of another Kawasaki one two they waited to see what was the best option, me thinks the turning point to this was at Nogaro were the supposed works boys walked out giving the “the posty” his first and only win!!

My recollection from the time is that he received no works help until the very end of the season. The next year he had full works backing as a result of his title win, and rode like an old moll from then on, ensuring his rapid spiral into historical oblivion ! But I also thought he won the title by a point from Anton Mang, without winning a race...if he won at Nogaro in a boycotted race, technically I'm wrong...but morally, I may be right...

Not 100% sure if or when but by silvertone he must have been getting some sort of help as every time he passed wimmer's crew they went mad !!!
there was alot of talk at the time that yamaha on the QT were behind him??

I think the problem was the paper thin absolute crap square tubed alloy frame. It was the curse of death. IIRC there was plenty of support for Roberto's team and not getting all the factory crap was a blessing in disguise. They were able to exploit a bloody good bike and Uncini ( my team mate in 1976 ) took advantage. Very smart guy.

Can confirm that Tournarde won the boycotted Nogaro race that year, his only win.

In 1981 there were two works Suzuki teams, Heron GP and Gallina, both with XR35s; Randy lost the WC and Lucky won it due to luck.

For 1982 it seems both teams were short of money (or had to pay Suzuki?) as they both got new sponsors, HB for the British team and the blue Canale 5/Ghibli colours for the Gallina team (and the British team had to run Virginio Ferrari, who'd never recovered form after his end of 1979 crash at Le Mans, for financial reasons - I had it straight from one of the Heron mechanics). Both teams got the alloy-framed XR40s, but maybe Gallina didn't get first issue of new bits.

The difference was the tyres - Suzuki GB were nowhere, while Uncini had the front tyre from God, which was made for his front-endy style. If Yamaha had concentrated on the square-4 rather than the v-4 with it's appalling frame design, and backed all their riders rather than throwing all the effort behind Roberts, they might have won.

The 1983 XR45 was the Suzuki where the alloy frame was too light and flexible, also the crankcase volumes were too small IIRC. When the older bikes were handed out to all the many HB-sponsored riders at the end of the year, Sheene was hacked-off that he got Randy's rejected Daytona engines ("wouldn't pull the c*ck off a chocolate mouse...") while McElnea got Uncini's WC winner to ride for 1984.

Paul M

Jeez ! So Suzuki struggling to run at the front isn't just a recent phenomenon...
I understand that Garry Taylor was a good bloke, but his excuse book was legendary. And for how long in recent years have we heard that things are grim, but..."we have an all-new engine package imminent..."

Thanks, got my years wrong with the shit frame!!!

Wasn't the postman Mario Lega in 1977? Had a "part time works ride" with Morbidelli and ended up winning the title? Worked in the Post office in his town in the week? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
PS the 1977 Morbidelli 250 wins my vote for Ugliest Race Bike Ever, whatever the above.

Don't know where you all are this is a bit easy , I think !!

Evening Phil Jeff Sayle and Charlie Williams

Evening to you , Gary , thats the easy bit..............................I think , go on , tell the rest , you know you want to ................

Evening Uncle Phil!

350 GP Silverstone, Copse, 1982?

You are 100% correct. Mario worked for the Post Office in Lugo and a nicer guy you could'nt find.

Good evening all wherever you are......................... ............oooops and evnin to you fil

Garry is probably one of my closest mates and a good bloke. Had to laugh at your comment GD. My opinion, and I have been within the inner workings of the company is that Suzuki is almost a "cottage industry"when compared to Honda and Yamaha. The resources just are not there to try every option like Honda do and throw out what dosent work. I had a theory that they win (WC)every 7 years and I'm not far out. Thats because eventually you get there and then the others pass you again in a technical sense. Garry when cornered always used the word "brave". It was a brave move by Suzuki to try the new layout. Suzuki have new parts coming by May. or June or maybe next year in a brave move to catch up. I see that Denning now use's the corporate Suzuki Excuse book, quoting accurately from it

Would you say it was down to.there research and development/and lack of money input/technical engineering know how/ etc then stu ?

sayle is on a TZ ..... not 82

I agree with GD....Is climbing the corporate ladder brave? Who is Garry Taylor?

Suzuki GP team manager Garry Taylor (retired)

I do know that to get the great RS500 Honda that Mick and Company won on, Honda built many prototypes to get to the end product. Honda had maybe 4 or 5 times as many technition's as Suzuki. Suzuki neded to get it right first time whilst Honda had many options. Big business I guess?

Its 1981.

Good point, it's the numbers game of course. If a company has a huge racing budget their options are many more than a smaller competitor, I think the same applies at all levels of racing i.e. if you have megabucks to throw at it then your chances of success are so much greater.

Big business indeed.

Sorry , Nige , and Worzel I missed your posts !!!
Also , missed Timbo's any way , as Kojak rightly says , it's 1981

Hi all,

Time for a paddock picture. I must admit that I only remember who owns 2 of the cars in the picture

-Leif

Imatra?

Just love this one, James Westmoreland (Came Yamaha R6).

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

Noooo wrong Country, but the paddock facilities were just as bad as in Imatra.

-Leif