Not bad , matey , ta , winter sucks , , just had me 'puter fixed , hopefully , but lost piccies for the mo , and seems some don't like a bit of banter , , so some of us go on FB most of the time !!
Admit some of the banter was OTT , but , hey-ho

The man in the blue overalls is Ago's mechanic Nobby Clarke

Nobby wishs he was that cool looking

Not Nobby Clark. But in blue ovaries, so likely an MV mechanic nonetheless. Hartog probably TZ-mounted in those times. Readie's MV with mags, Ago's with wire wheels, so it's probably 1973. And in the Fruit and Veg shot, the redhead Honda mechanic standing inside the fence is kiwi Graeme Watts : George Rawlinson just past him.

A couple from the TT:

Croz on #11, chasing....is that Jon Ekerold ? Mick Grant approaching in the distance.


And Yer Maun from 1977...

Jon Ekerold correct - other riders wrong

It is Yer Maun but not 1977

Reg on the diesel, then...Haslam in the distance ?

That's better! 1982 Classic race, Greeba Bridge

The one of Joey is from the 1980 Classic race when he had the big tank fitted and beat the works Hondas of Grant and Haslam.

Lovely pic of Steve and ' Noddy '

1982 Senior? 11 Roger Marshall with strange yellow tape on helmet....Greeba bridge? Haslam was number 14 that year so it could be him behind?

1980 classic Joey at Sulby Bridge

Love the TT shots keep em coming please

Spent too long thinking about it before answering .doh

Better go and have another coffee

More TT pics please Mr Ravo

it was the 82 Classic race but everything else spot on

I think the picture of Steve and John was taken at Oulton Park

My Dad's photos run from about 1980 to 1988 with a few from the 70s so will have plenty to share with you all.

I have done a little research on this pic and initially I thought that it may be the end of the 1972 season as in Mick Walkers’s biography on Giacomo Agostini shows (pages 142 & 143) two pics of Ago riding this bike with wire wheels and disc brakes, and the same race number 10 and where Mick refers to it as ‘Brands Hatch October 1972‘.

If it is Barry Sheene bike to the left it looks to me like a TR500 Suzuki twin that he rode in 1971 (‘72 he was with Yamaha) and 1973. I asked Colin Seeley if it was possible that Barry rode it in October 1972 at Brands, but he is sure he did not, only 1971 and 1973.…

Phil Read has the same photo on his web site and suggests its 1974, and as we know Ago joined Yamaha at the start of 1974 season.

As to the MV mechanic’s (its not Don Mackay or Nobby Clark) name: Apart from Magni & Carrano, it appears that in most shots I have they are either: Lucio Castelli, Ruggiero Mazza, and Fiorenzo Fanali, though our mystery mechanic does not resemble these guys.

However, though not named - I have found another photo of him in Jacques Busillet book of Agostini & MV (in French) on page 96, where Ago is taking delivery of a new Triumph Trident road bike at what looks like maybe Mallory Park in 1969. The chap is wearing the winners Laurels that I guess Ago has just won, and holding Ago’s crash helmet, and Ago, with just his goggles on is trying to start the Trident and take it for a spin

After all that, I am still not sure what year the pic is and I have not yet got the name of the MV mechanic - Yet…….!

I can't pick him either Jim, but the bikes are four-cylinders, which means 1973. If it was 1972, they'd be triples, and I think Read's few MV outings that year were confined to 350s. Also many of the shots of Ago battling with Saarinen in '72 have him in the red and black leathers rather than the white uppers seen here. As you say, Sheeney was Yamaha-mounted in '72 as well, Ago was likewise in '74...

Right crew , prog in front of me , Brands , October 28 , 1973 , #20 , Paul Selleck , on the Jeffs Motor Spares Manx , #3 , Barry Sheene , next to Ago , Wil Hartog 354 Yamaha ,
#18 Terry Gardiner , Manx , race the final round of the ' Shellsport ' 500

Well, that sorts out the year though I did think that there were fours about and being used at the end of '72. They are both fours in that shot, but also in Mick Walker’s book there is a pic of a 500 MV (with a number 10 on it as it happens) and Mick Says in his caption: 'A new four cylinder 500 MV Agusta used by Agostini and his team mates from the end of 1972. With the engine producing 70 BHP at 14,800rpm. ?

I have to beg to differ with you though about the leathers. Ago was indeed using the white upper ones too in 1972 (we watched him in his last TT in '72 and he was wearing them then) and there are numerous shots of him racing in them against Jarno in the book by; Klaas Tjassens - 'Jarno Saarinen' in 1972.

Right then. Now the MV mechanics name...?

another old one from Scarborough

55 forum member Donnie Mcleod

Is 34 a Cotton?

Yep , with Clive Horton

Neil Tuxworth next to him

Love to hear the moto gp lads thoughts on the grid spacing

was probably a push start too......

The first 500/4 MV of the new generation had in fact a capacity of 433 cc and was completed in March '73. Re Mick Walker's statement: The 70 bhp figure is surely taken from the 350 bike, it would have been disastrous if the new four had produced 10 bhp less than the 500/3.....

Don't start me on that , Bren

No, it states in Mick's book: 'The New four cylinder 500 MV Agusta as raced by Giacomo Agostini and his teammate from the end of 1972. The engine produced 70 bhp @ 14,800rpm giving the bike a top speed of over 165mph' (under the pic of a 'four')

Though according to the book MV Agusta by Mario Colombo/Roberto Patrignani; as you suggest: 'It claims that in 1973, MV hastily prepared a 433 cm3 four cylinder engine (56 x 44 x 4) which developed about 80 hp at 14,000'

I can only quote what is written in both cases... Maybe Mick has made an error or got confused but he is too poorly for me to call him and ask him sadly.

Quite a few more on the Scarborough pic I'd expect you guys to get

Mez Mellor front row?

John Newbold second row?

Bit before my time im afraid...........now if it was the TT id give it more of a lash....especially proddie racing

I was only 6 years old at the time but can name 6 more

78 maybe Derek Huxley 4 Pete Hubbard 48 maybe Alan Stewart

#51 Mick Chatterton, #48 Alan Stewart

Pete Hubbard and Mick Chatterton are correct - a few clues

No48 isn't Alan Stewart but someone from the same part of the country
There's another Scandanavian rider directly behind Tuxworth
The person whose helmet you can see above Hubbard was a solid 250/350 runner from the late 70s
There's an Australian rider in yellow, red and white behind no 78.

Graeme McGregor in the yellow Kershaws leathers, thought that was Newbold at first but can just see the red on Graeme's helmet.
Only scandinavian I can think of at Scarbro was Nurmi & Eero, so I go for Hyvarinen?

Barry Woodland for helmet far left?

Alan Duffus#48?

Hej,

The Scandanavian rider is Lennart Backstrom from Sweden

Cheers,
Leif

Graeme McGregor and Lennart Backstrom are correct

48 is bugging me, first name John, real flyer at Croft, cant remember his last name, doh!!

John Davidson?

Nearly 20000 posts on this thread!!!

Not Davidson, arrgghh its bugging me now!! i'm off for a soak in the bath and a bloody good think, i'll remember it before bedtime tonight!!!!

Webb

Hope i'm right after all that?

Whos going to be the 20000th poster?

Glynn Marriott. A real character.

I remember that meeting. It was my last Scarborough race. There was a speed trap through the start finish 'straight'. I was second quickest at 123mph. Never realised it was so fast. That was scary. I never went back.

Still enjoying the forum. Rode a racing bike for first time in 22 years at Mallory Festival and second time at Assen Centennial. Both thanks to Richard Tracy at Rave Motorsport,

Good to see you are still looking in Donnie, I saw some photos from those recent rides. You did look a bit apprehensive before you went out, but looked happy afterwards.

Great to see you out there again.


Nigel

...and 500 pages doesn't seem that long ago that Twinny fired up The Sequel because it was all getting a bit ungainly. Many thanks to all contributors for keeping alive this and associated two-wheel threads, where would we be without our daily squirt of nostalgia ? Great stuff.

Regards GD.

John Webb, that's right, I think him and Alan Stewart were referred to as the 'Middlesborough Mafia'.

Glyn Marriott is spot-on too - I think no 78 is Tony Smith as well

nearly!

nearer!

20,000!!!

a couple of Alan Stewart here: