Three pics of the endurance Hercules-Wankel on my friend Pierrre Gabriele's site - circuit is Le Mans, but I'm not sure about the year


http://homepage.mac.com/pierregabriele/Cir...ides/briel.html

http://homepage.mac.com/pierregabriele/Cir...elhercules.html

http://homepage.mac.com/pierregabriele/Cir...uleswankel.html

Oh yeah!! thanks GD

Nowt wrong with 'ull.....apart from Prescott that is.

Yeah, the downside of our then entertaining, but outrageously tabloid, motorcycle press.

Hard to knock 'em though Russell....Mick Woollett, LJK Setright, Bob Currie, John Brown, Ian Speller, Alan Aspel, the great Nick Nicholls, John Holder, Ray Knight, Chas Deane, the amazing Vic Willoughby,the awesome Phil Irving, Don Morley,Slide Rule, Nitor etc....the current mob of drama queens wouldn't hold a candle to them....

Yeah, some excellent journos listed there GD - including blokes that were then current or ex racers and/or sound on the technical stuff - but do you not think that in the years leading up to their demise, the weekly 'comics' became increasingly sensationalist? Ironicaly, I think this was in part due to MCN's influence; as a late comer to the market, this paper strove to deferentiate itself from the Blue'un and Green'un with a more tabloid approach (as befitted its format), and after grabbing a large chunk of the market, the other titles attempted to compete by themselves becoming more senasationalist, not to mention tabloid in format. Doubtless, some sociologists and political comentators will tell us there's a link between the tabloidization of the press and what is claimed by many to be a more egalitarian society.

[img][IMG]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4656/exworks.jpg[/img][/IMG]

what machine is this[img][IMG]http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4656/exworks.jpg[/img][/IMG]

Hi again Arthur, Is it John Kidson's Renmax/ SprotsMax? I can't remember which was which. This one looks like a pukka ex factory bike, perhaps with Reynolds frame and forks ?

Good evening Andy
Here a pic of the Linto you are talking about taken at Dijon last year.
Beautiful looking thing !
Every part is a brand new copie and I would think the engine too I'm afraid. Probably made in Holland or Japan !

MCN Muck Crap & Nonsense, I have not bought it for years,(quick look in the local newsagents to see if its improved every now & then...it aint!!) it is just piss poor, but sadly with the younger generations less than five minute attention span thats what they want, that and big colour pics, absolute shite!!

I dont have a problem with these new bikes, I hate to call them replicas, coz really they are the same bike but made now with modern technology, OK it might not have the history of a period Linto, but to still see & hear one now..great stuff, the same goes for New Manx Nortons and Walmsleys Matchless, etc, it would not be safe to race the 50/60 year old original bikes. But its almost as good.

Hi Philippe,
Good photos,I don't recognize this one.The photos of racing ones are rarer than the bikes!Although I recognize the name Breil on the fairing.I think he was a factory rider.
Talking to Henri-Michel about the Linto's last night.The example in the photos may be a fake,but what a beautiful fake.I don't really have too much of a problem with the exotic 'replicas'.They are usually ridden by top blokes and are great to watch.Most (all!) of the leading G50s/Seeleys/Manx's are all reps. these days anyway.

Without forgetting the recent official Paton rebuilds ! Here is a link to a picture I took of the one ridden by Phil Read at the Moto-Légende meeting in Dijon last year , it's in the original enormous 1969-1990 thread which is now closed so I can't copy or quote the image directly

http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php...nde#post3263777

And now for sale! offers over £50,000.

HW

Hi Arthur, appreciate your pictures of the bike with the Rennmax engine. The engine is the '53 version with separate bevel drive for each camshaft. The last version (of '54) had one drive to the inlet camshaft and gear drive between inlet and outlet camshaft. Do you know how John Kidson or whoever got hold of the engine?
Did he have success or was it to delicate to maintain/handle ? Are there any traces of the bike ?

Thanks and regards

Yes Russell it is an NSU Rennmax (twin cylinder) early 1950s era previously owned by Armstrong/Duke , Carter John Kidson ect and now I believe an Italian collector. The frame is a Ken Sprayson Reynolds but i believe the original frame is with it.

Heres a pretty impressive and valuable Velocette Engine
[img][IMG]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6307/velocetteroarer.jpg[/img][/IMG]

The roarer (supercharged)

was tried out in IOM TT 39 practice, but never raced IIRC

John Kidson is also linked to this bike, since he's one of the few people ever to have ridden it.

it' s the one and only from the Rhodes collection, I suppose.

Are these deflectors to the rear exhaust region original ?? (sorry for being picky !)

A click on here will blow this lovely shot up......the line down the middle is an optical illusion

'57 Lightweight TT on Clypse Course ?

I have a confession to make: I copied this ages ago and have now misplaced the picture..... But I'm with you Rennmax - gotta be '57. How about some names though?

6 Carlo Ubbiali MV
4 Sammy Miller Mondial
29 Cecil Sandford Mondial
44 Tarquinio Provini Mondial (one of my alltime favorits)
36 Arthur Wheeler Guzzi
11 Pery Tait

Front row, Luigi Taveri, Carlo Ubbiali, Sammy Miller, Cecil Sandford, Tarquinio Provini. Others - Arthur Wheeler (36), should know 26 but can't think at the minute, Bob Brown behind, Dennis Craine?? (10) and is it Percy Tait (11)

Is 26 Johnny Grace? I did think Dave Chadwick but I think he was taller

Hi,

have never seen Taveri using a blue painted helmet but always the one with the Swiss cross, therefore my doubt with this MV rider

re Tait - the helmet looks familiar of course, but I checked with

http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/Events/Ra...LL&ride_id=1577

and thats why I wonder

Guess that the guy on the outmost left is Roberto Colombo (finished 3rd in the race)

Hi Renmax.
I thought that Columbo might be No 26

Yes, I agree

Compare helmet design with

http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/competito...d=1787&filter=C

and there is a certain resemblance.

But i still wonder about the other guy, cause neither helmet, goggles or even nose reminds me of Luigi.

What about our different views re #11 Pery Tait ?

Hi mates,

for a quick compare between 2 stroke and 4 stroke sound !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyG8IopYgs


Hope your speakers are working

It is indeed the 1957 250cc Lightweight TT, starting 10 laps of the Clypse Circuit.

On the left is Roberto Colombo, on a works 250 MV - that's a star on his helmet.

Next:

6 Carlo Ubbiali 250 Works MV
4 Sammy Millar 250 Works Mondial
29 Cecil Sandford 250 Works Mondial
44 Tarquinio Provini 250 Works Mondial (late entry - not in programme)
36 Arthur Wheeler 248 Moto Guzzi
37 Jim Baughn 248 Moto Guzzi
39 Fron Purslow 247 NSU
26 Dave Chadwick 203 MV
10 Jack Wood 247 NSU
1 Franta Stastny 250 Jawa
25 Len Tinker 203 MV
24 Dudley Edlin 250 EMC
11 Bill Smith 248 Velocette (not Percy the pig farmer!!)

Can't pick up any of the others

Larry

Thats cleared that up then. I did have a look on the TT website at the pic of Colombo and realised that Rennmax was right. Should have stuck with my original thought of 26 being Dave Chadwick. Assume that it is Bob Brown behind and to the left of Chadwick.

Thanks larryd, that Taveri/Colombo thing made me dizzy. Read last night the respective parts of Luigi's biography to find any hint about a non regular outfit at that meeting.....well, it's cleared.
Anyway, that's the race where Sammy Miller almost clinched a TT win if he had not dropped it in the last lap at Governor's. Florian Camathias took 9th place on a NSU. Any other sidecar specialists known who were fine on both 2 and 3 wheels except Chris Vincent (on par with Bill Ivy in the mid sixties, both an Honda CR 93) ? Didn't Eric Oliver give it a try as well ?
Any clue why Percy Tait apparantly to over W.A. Smith helmet design ?

Regards

I have a feeling that Darren Dixon competed on solos as well as sidecars. Am I right?

He was World Champion on the sidecar in 1995 & 1996, I think he was British 500 Champ on solo to, but not 100% on that , but was one of the top 5 solo riders on 250/500 in UK, not so successful on a 750 in BSB but never had a "factory" ride, usually a top privateer on it though.
But to be twice world champ.... top guy!!

He was British F1 champ on Padgetts 500 in 1986, just checked!

Thanks for your comment, Yendor. Darren Dixon is a rider/driver from the eighties/nineties, I guess.

Sorry about my meagre knowledge of this era, esp the sidecar business, but I lost interest in the chairs when guys like Biland and their constructions began to rule the roost. Nothing on the personal side of course, because they only used the non-existing rules (FIM fast asleep...). The technical solutions and their craftsmanship might hv been brilliant, but as soon as passengers just crouched down in a somehow embryo shape and not leaning out in front of the sidecar wheels and engines placed behind the drivers, there was no point for me attending anymore. I remember watching Biland using his Beo in the IOM in 78, it was just ridiculous and IMHO most unfair to the other competitors who were really working on their chairs and not just driving around in a 3 wheel car.
Well, now I have to admit that I'm obviously a rather conservative guy at least when racing is concerned.
I still appreciate the skills and guts of anyone (esp Darren Dixon) who is involved in racing these modern outfits, but the thrill is gone....

Rant over and awaiting harsh replies

Arthur, have you got any photos of you on the Royal Enfield GP5? I believe there's an amusing tale about you going out to practice at the TT on it with a file strapped to the frame...

Very impressive gentlemen.... The caption with the pic says: 1, Colombo; 6, Ubialli; 4, Miller; 29, Sandford; 44, Provini. 38 is clearly Arthur Wheeler, and that must be Bob Brown with the red roo on his helmet, top right of Sanford's head. And 11 is surely Percy's crash hat? The tt database doesn't include him in the lightweight of '57 - is it accurate though?

The dudes on a certain publication have, I think, got this one wrong. Rennmax may be of particular assistance here ;)

The big shot.

Is that Derek Minter #3 on the Gilera?

My proposal:

1 complete unknown
3 Mint Gilera
31 Gyula Marsovsky (?) G 50
John Hartle Gilera, hidden by Mike

Rest unknown

Sachsenring, East Germany 500 cc (Mike named this place as "Russia"

Just watch the spectators in the background on their self-constructed "tribunes".

Quite scary

31 ? (Kirby Matchless)
3 Derek Minter (Gilera)
9 Jack Findlay (?)
1 Mike Hailwood (MV)
? John Hartle (Gilera)

East German GP, Sachsenring ?

1963, I guess

This one is for Arthur. I took this at Brands in 1963 - it was brand spanking new. Oh, click to go big....

Hi Russell, can' expand this pic. See only pic with "upgrade to pro today, bandwith exceeded"

Merry old Germany...

Honda CR 110, I suppose

I'm a convicted bandwidth exceeder...... It was up there a moment ago, mmm.... interesting, I'll have to take my free picture hosting custom elsewhere..