Originally posted by LamboNZ
Yeah the Suzuki T500, apparently his father-in-law who was mechanicing for him at the time, decided after practice that he wasn't going fast enough. The bike was derived from a road going engine, and part of the mods was to put a polyester filler in some of the ports, so his father-in-law took it upon himself to run the bike on alcohol, which had never been tested.
In the race, just starting the second lap, the filler had deteriated and come loose, causing too much air and leaning the mix off too much and seizing the engine. This resulted in Cal tragically having a high speed colision with the barriers at the first turn. (Dec 29th 1973 RIP)
Yes, I can confirm that this happened in the first race heat, at the end of lap 1. Cal had been set to race a Lola T190 in the Tasman Series for F5000 cars, and the Suzuki ride in the Marlboro Series, on a Colemans TR500 twin, came about as he'd been signed to race for Suzuki in the AMA series the following year, having been working his butt off on the Harleys for years against the rising tide of Japanese two-stroke opposition. It's my impression that he'd also made a conscious decision to specialise in roadracing rather than pursue the Grand National tour, as his results on the Harley against Ray Pickrell and the lads in the Transatlantic had confirmed his belief in his tarmac skills. Anyway, through a convoluted set of somewhat tenuous circumstances, he was a starter at Pukekohe on the Colemans TR500, and for sure the bike was converted to alcohol on the day. His father-in-law was chief mechanic, in company with Colemans rep Joe Lett, and Len Perry. At the end of lap 1, when he crossed the start-finish line and sat up to dip into Champion Curve, the bike seized, and the back stepped out wildly, straightened briefly, then stepped out again, spat him off the left side and chased him into the armco barriers, which he hit sitting down and sliding backwards, and then ricocheted back onto the track. The race was stopped immediately, but having seen all this directly in front of me and already fearing the worst for one of my heroes, my fears were ramped up by the repeated calls for anyone on the course who may be a doctor to please assist at the ambulance station.
Looking back now, I doubt whether poor Cal could have been saved even if a doctor had been on hand, but as seconds drew into minutes and time went agonisingly by, the pall of dread spread pervasively through the crowd, and somehow we all knew that this was a bad one. Without question, it raised the inadequacies of the medical facilities in those times, but it was a cruel blow that was felt worldwide in the roadrace community, and it all seemed so needless....
Yes, it's Micke Melander. And the year is 1983.
Silverstone 
?? 1977???
why Sir?
where are you chaps with your Schirtfinkle piccies 
and , indeed nothing was available IIRC for added protection 