I was not surprised that no pictures of Michael Schumacher's run on a Ducati GP bike were released, shame though.

It reminded of the story of Patrick Depailler, who sneaked off and had a go on the ELF endurance bike at Paul Ricard (?), complete in nomex. The story hs it that Ken Tyrrell returned to ask where hi driver was, to which all eys swung to the track, albiet that his car was parked outside the garage. Ken was not best pleased!!

I know of motorcycle races that switched to cars, or tried them (Surtees, Anderson, Sheene, Cecotto etc etc) but how many GP drivers have had a go on a GP bike??

And there are loads more out there.

Good question - I'll put my mind to it seeing as I am an equal Bike / Car fan

Bear in mind that Patrick Depailler was a Bike GP racer before he raced cars (I'll dig out the details when I get a chance)

As I said I'm aware that many GP drivers started on bikes, Im curious how many have felt the need to revisit not just bikes, but GP bikes!

Possibly not quite in the spirit of your question, but Damon Hill has raced a 1962 GP Manx Nirton at the Goodwood Revival (1999 at least, I think).

will you count only WC-GP's from 49 onwards or will look to top-line and topline national Motorcycle races then

Behra, Beltoise, Rosemeyer, Varzi, Nuvolari, D.Hill, Loof, Ulmen, Icks, .......

What! They all went back to have a go on bikes?

Beltoise had a serious arm injury on a bike, in fact he culd barely use it to the point he had to put on a helmet with one hand. Some feel his only win at Monaco in the rain was due to the fact he didn't have to use his bad arm as much due to the wet conditions.

Seven replies to date - and none of them addressing the poster's question

I thought surgeons locked Beltoise's elbow after his 1964 Reims accident in his Rene-Bonnet? Surgeons wanted to amputate buthis team mate (Laureau?) persaded them to allow an operation on Paris, or am I thinking of someone else??

Not a problem! It was nice to use my brain regarding Beltoise!

Given that F1 is the pinnacle, the acme, the summit of achievement &c &c, why would anyone go down to a less remunerative series that is probably more dangerous?

Would sidecar racing be in any way closer? A la Jenks (heh) and Rolf Biland.

Paddy Driver MIGHT fit the bill, he had a couple of F1 races in 1963ish and went back to the bikes. Certainly Mike Hailwood would. But again these are bikers who went car racing and back to bikes, rather than someone using F3 as a stepping stone to MotoGP.

Surtees, Hailwood, Beltoise, Hill and Depailler are the only one I know of. Any of em drive a tank like Cevert?

Mike "The Bike" Hailwood, of course.

Of non F1 guys, Al Unser Sr and Jr, Joe Leonard, Rick Mears, etc.

Does this fit?

Is he racing?

No, but that wasn't the question that was asked.

Touché
(Is it Jeck Brem?)

I looked at both pictures, which would I like in my garage, the duke to ride, and the Honda to look at!

Didn't Mario Andretti try a GP (500cc) bike at Laguna Seca in the 1980s? IIRC, didn't he come pretty close to competitive times as well?

Hasn't this come up before ? I seem to remember Darren Galpin interviewing Ian Ashley who had gone back to bike racing

youre absolutly right.

Vittorio Brambilla (together with his brother Ernesto, known as "Tino") raced motorbikes, and did it in the early 70s, when he was very close to F.1, he drove MotoGuzzi in long distance races..

in the past many driver start there career in bike racing at national level like beltoise or depailler for monetary reason and after that shift to car racing. some even did international career like surtees and hailwood. but since the late sixties most if not all drivers come from the karting,so its there that there heart is,and theres a lot top driver who do comeback to kart for fun and training. its just that they are no bikers.

I could give you a list of racers who went from bikes to cars, and maybe back again (and I will) - but I don’t really know of anybody who has done it the other way round. So, not the answer to the question includes:

Anderson, Ascari, Barth, Behra, Beltoise, Biondetti, Brambilla, Cecotto, Driver, Hailwood, Hill, Hocking, Lawson, Nuvolari, Ongais, de Radiguès, Rosemeyer, Rosier, Rymer, Serafini, Siffert, Slight, Surtees, Taruffi, Varzi.

Luca Cadalora tried racing an Italian Touring Car during his motorcycle GP career, and John Reynolds did a Ford Fiesta race a few years ago.

Yes, he stopped off in Japan on his way back to Europe after the 1964 Australian races. According to his column in Motor Racing his main purpose was to try the S600 which BRO entered for Denny Hulme in the Nurburg 500kms later that year. He also says that he drove a "test vehicle fitted with a GP engine" but "never got a smell of the proper GP machine". He gives no clue as to what the test vehicle was.

I think it may have been in 1991. I've seen footage of him coming down the corkscrew on a Marlboro Yamaha with the number 16 (unsure of the significance of the number). Would the ride have happened around the time of the USGP at Laguna?

No, it was later in the year and came about by happenstance. In 1991 the WERA series ran a run what you brung series called Formula USA and Kenny Roberts decided to run a couple of year old YZR500s for Rich Oliver and Robbie Petersen. They dominated the series as one would expect. Number 16 was Robbies bike. Anyway at one test at Laguna they shared the facility with the Newman Hass CART team and during one of the breaks in the workload, Mario strolled over and after a quick call to Kenny was allowed to try one of the bikes. He rode in his driving suit and helmet and was not interested in it becoming a press event. He apparently just did it because he likes bikes and was curious. I seem to recall he posted a respectable lap time.

Mo.

At the end of the 87 season ( or maybe 88 ) there was a "swap" day organised at the Paul Ricard , attended by the Larrousse F1 Team and the Sonauto-Gauloises Yamaha operation. It was all very official and publicised, the press was there, it was probably set up by a common sponsor of both teams but I can't recall which one (Motul maybe ? )

Anyway, Christian Sarron had a go in the F1 Larrousse-Lola, and Philippe Alliot embarked on the factory YZR500 Yamaha .

The reports were that relatively speaking, Alliot ( used to driving two-wheels on the road ) went much better on the bike than Sarron did in the F1 car ( I seem to remember that Christian started off by spinning on the cold tyres as he was accelerating out of the pits ....)

Valentino Rossi's new driving style.....

Now that brought a smile to my face, where would we be without photo shop!!!

Very good indeed Pedro!
Again not a contemporary GP bike, but Berger also had a crack at the Bazza memorial trophy at Goodwood this year.

from 'Motor Racing', Jan 1965, after Big John's WDC victory



and from 'Motor Cycle News' (IIRC) at the end of 1977, after Agostini's last (rather poor) season on bikes and the news he was to drive in British F1/F2 in 1978.

Paul M

Ha! So Sprockett really was funny once upon a time...

Pedro 917,
That is funny!!!

Martin Brundle had a go on a Yamaha YZR 500 at Barcelona when he was driving for McLaren. It was a Marlboro promo filming day with Mamola on the bike and Brundle in the car. Brundle swapped in the afternoon for a bit of a whizz on the bike.
It was a Marlboro Yamaha of Luca Cadalora that he was riding - Randy rode in Luca's colours....

Not a GP driver, and not a GP bike, but I was surprised to learn that Bill Cummings (1934 Indy 500 winner) competed on a Harley-Davidson in the very first Daytona 200 in 1937!!! Anyone else ever attempted that "double"? Eddie Lawson certainly came close, but no cigar...

Well, I obviously forgot Joe Leonard...

My list things:

Ian Ashley 1998 sidecars
Edgar Barth 50s years MZ
Jean Behra 1951 France GP
Vittorio Brambilla 1969 Italy GP(Paton)
Patrick Depailler 1966 France GP-250cc-6th place
Jacky Ickx 1963 Belgian GP 50 and 125 cc
Guy Ligier 50s years France GP
Nello Pagani 1949 WC 125cc
Jo Siffert 1959 sidecar
Kunimitsu Takahashi raced in GP and TT events


and others who raced at bike:

Alberto Ascari, Marcel Balsa, Trevor Blokdyk, Adolf Brudes, Bernard Collomb, Yannick Dalmas, Paul Frère, Damon Hill, Hermann Lang, Arthur Legat, Ernst Loof, Roger Loyer, André Milhoux, Brausch Niemann, Louis Rosier, Ian Scheckter, Dorino Serafini, Piero Taruffi, Toni Ulmen...

Brausch Niemann? That´s news to me. I knew Brausch fairly well and he never mentioned his bike racing exploits. Can you elaborate?

I think he(B. Niemann) was an enduro Champion in 1979(O.K. not GP!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brausch_Niemann
http://forums.autosport.com/lofiversion/in...php/t76755.html
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2003/02/04/features/MOTOR1.HTM
http://www.supersportafrica.com/motorsport...099&print=1

Thanks for that sramoa. I last saw Brausch in about 1973, so I didn´t know about his 2 wheel experiences. One lives and learns.

Who's this then ?

Scheckter?

That´s Jody Schechter. I think that pic was taken at Silverstone where he had a run on Uncuni´s Gallina Suzuki. He was trying to put some sort of super series together I think, along the lines of Robert´s world series. Or am I just imagining this?
His brother Ian was pretty usefull on two wheels. He decided to concentrate on 4 wheels though, and ended up many times SA F1 champion. Nice guy as well.

Edit. Sorry. The Luccinelli Suzuki it is. Not Uncini´s. And it looks more like Donny, doesn´t it. Oh well, I suppose someone will know .

Yes Russ and Rhodie ............sounds like a double act you're both right It's Jody , on Marco's factory RG at Donington , where he lapped pretty quickly , with the other works riders to promote the Jody Schechter Winter Cup which was run the same weekend , Sat / Sun 29 /30 August 1981 , with an entry list of enviable proportions you name 'em , they were there ( try doing that now !! )

Well crew , just found on Utube , via Leif's post on the 1973 thread , the brave Alex Zinardi testing a BMW race bike

I can recall Jody doing more laps than he was allowed and getting off with an ear to ear grin. That was a good event IIRC, as you say a decent starting lineup.