And Godd morning to you Renn ,wow what a gem that is good stuff

1969!,seems so long ago yet the next year i was in my first mgp ride there
was it 40 years ago allready.
sigh :\

The same one ridden at Snetterton in september 2007.

Thanks for posting this Renn - nice peice of history. I think the decision to not enter it for the Cannes Film Festival was the right one though.

Not enough sex in it, I suppose

Always have your hand near the clutch lever when riding a smoker....

Absolute.... Is that not right Michel ?

It was pretty dire......and they smuggled John Blanchrd on a Seeley into the prouction race

Never mind the details , Russ

Like to see Malcolm Uphill performing so well...The reason for it: As a 15 year lad, I wrote him a letter wishing him a good recovery when he was in Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast after a crash in the Ulster GP '70 riding a Suzuki TR 500, the actual bike which was campaigned by Barry Sheene after that, IIRC
Still have the reply, hope to scan it in the next few days....

Oh yes ! Little Bill learn it too badly ...

I thoroughly enjoyed the video (despite much of the sound being Senior race overdubs!). Malcolm was my boyhood hero and I followed his career closely. It made my day !

Dutch TT 1968, my friend Herman Meijer did the whole race without a hand at the clutch.

Short after the start the gascable broke, he pulled out the inner cable, wound it round his left hand and finished the race in 15th position.

"We zullen doorgaan....altijd maar doorgaan" - "We will continue...always continue"

Did Malcolm ride again after that before mentioned crash at the UGP ?

Again, I think, courtesy of Colin Seeley: the jockey of choice for the TR Suzuki ride at 1970 TT was Stuart Graham. Apparently, a solitary practice lap was enough for him to refuse to ride it again, leave the island and announce his retiremrent from racing ! Malcolm Uphill then got the ride after offering his services with the the claim that he could ride anything.

Don't think he did?

.... which brings my mind to another Welshman... Selwyn Griffiths

In my faint memory, he ran a garage in Pontypool....popped in there on my way to the IOM TT 78 when the front brake on my bike became spongy...

Have a feeling that it was Selwyn, but not for sure

That last pic of Phil Read. You have to give it to the bloke, that helmet design has got to be one of the all time great designs and still looks superb today

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Paul Rochdale
That last pic of Phil Read. You have to give it to the bloke, that helmet design has got to be one of the all time great designs and still looks superb today [/QUOTE

I think he was a little bit inspired by the helmet design of Bill Lomas, wasn't he ?

Yes similar, but I think he claims the colours at least are those of Luton Town Football Club. It's changed a bit over the years as well - the chequered stuff didn't appear until the early sixties. Me an anorak.....how very dare you.

Thats interesting Rennmax.I did the same to Tony Woodman after his crash in the NW 200 and got a lovely letter back he had dictated to his mother after he had been repatriated back to the States. Some people had the Rolling Stones as heroes....others motorcycle racers.

Re Malcolm Uphill - no, he never raced again after his UGP crash. Although he was acknowledged as a gifted natural road-circuit rider, he was pretty handy on the short-circuits too. He was often to be seen wandering around the paddock at Aberdare Park and Pembrey in his latter years, his mode of transport being one of those baby Honda RC30's (NC30?). He passed away a few years ago from lung disease which was attributed to his former work as locomotive fitter.

Re Selwyn Griffiths - I believe he still manages the late Ray Cowles's shop in Pontypool.

Thanks for info, Barry

Can anyone ID this bloke ?

WWW

Brian Steenson, factory tripple, IOM, 1970. My one too difficult then?

Yes , but not saying p.s #89

2nd sentence: too difficult, for me at least....

any hint ??

So early Renn......OK, its a decade earlier than your pic and unfortunately the guy is no longer with us.

More clues for the bloke on the Manx.

your hint reminds me of the the oracle of delphi

have to lean back and let the experts have their go ...

Thanks for sharing somehow equal memories, Bernard....but the Rolling Stones weren't bad either, at least in the Brian Jones era

Sorry, out of thread

Does this help?

Dave Downer?

Is this pic showing the tragic Minter/Downer battle at Brands early 63 ?

Yes gents, Dave Downer, first at the Manx 1960, then in that race, Brands '63. Where you there Rod?

A delicate matter, I know... but whose fault was the crash ?

I was reading something recently about this (yes, Seeley's book) and it seems Minter was/is of the opinion that Downer may have given his back wheeel a nudge..... I think though that the inquest decided that oil on Minter's rear tyre was the cause. It's all a very long time ago, but I well remember hearing the news and telling my dad.

For me to be giving advice on anything to do with this sort of stuff is a bit of a laugh but, 'Imagehost' allows bigger pics than most, and its free. Anyway, is it Keith Turner? Or maybe Maurice Hawthorn......?

Thanks, Russ.

I use photobucket and it should be no problem as well... the problem is not the computer but the one sitting in front ..

Nope, not Keith.

There is a long story connected with this rider/bike, some kind of myth about technical "know-how" transfer from Japan to Italy.....

On Photobucket click on edit, go to the percentage option and stretch that mother.........

Yes, me too...thinking about it, I think may have had that problem in the past... As a temp measure you could whack it up on image host where it's automatically blown up big style, well depending on the original size. You don't have to register, just dowmload instantly. No, I dont have shares in this outfit.....

As to the rider....erm don't know I'm afraid.

Works triple it is, but unusual in that it is a Small Heath-built Rocket 3, built not long before the merging with Meriden. Steenson retired at the pits at the end of lap 3 with gearbox woes, while Bob Heath on the sister bike finished fifth behind Uphill, Williams, Pickrell and Dickie. Info from the TR3OC mag Triple Echo...what about the state of that fairing ?

Renn this is originally about 4 inches square. But on Imagehost.........Bleedin enormous - after clicking of course.

Yeah, he was a trier alright and a brain too - QUB, Bsc (hons).

Thank you...resorting to wild guesses - Karl Hoppe? He looks the part, whoever he is.

Thats a try with imagehost, at least you can expand it to a bigger size

Now the story behind the pic....

It begins with the Japan GP '64, which was won by Jim Redman in the 250 cc class aboard a Honda six , in fact the first GP win with a RC 164, IIRC
This bike came to Germany (they just removed some seatrows in a first class TYO-FRA flight on a 707..) for the IFMA in 65, the biggest motorcycle show in Germany these days.
After the show, the bike more or less vagabonded through Germany until Gerhard Heukerott ( the rider in the pic) was able to purchase it in '68 for DMK 14000 (twice the prize of a CB 750 ...) and entered the GP in Hockenheim in '68, where the crankshaft broke during practice.
Shortly after that race, Heukerott appeared with 2 works Benellis.... and there were some rumors that he got them in exchange for letting the Benelli people have a close look at the Honda six.... ... only a myth with no proof whatsoever.

Anyway, the Honda is the bike which eventually was bought by Team Obsolete

http://www.classic-motorrad.de/winni_2002/...RC/honda_rc.htm

Sorry it is in German, probably you can apply a decent computer driven translator

Thanks for your help, Ton !

Thanks, Russ

Thats you ?

Your welcome, I made a new one much better ^.