Hi Russ, as far as I've got it, Mr Gilbert Smith wasn't amused about his car racing activities ? or just false pretences to get rid of him because Duke wasn't satisfied with the status quo, i.e. single cylinder bikes ??

Hi Phil, Yes, as you probably recall, he also raced a 350 Manx at the time and struggled to get anywhere on it. He did better at Lydden cos few hotshots went there at that time ?

I had to watch it again Renn - yes, he implies that he had declined to ride the bikes from late '52. The attitude of the factory bosses has a perculiar British ring to it......

In one of the other vids you've presumably already watched, Ken Kavanagh tells about the offer he had got from Moto Guzzi ( a healthy 3500 GBP ??) and the "no way" reaction from Gilbert Smith when he asked for the same amount if he stayed with Norton...on the other hand, these costs for running a team on that level were affordable only for a couple of years even by the Italian teams.... I remember faintly that the Italians had ( or still have ?) tax laws that provoked these ventures, in that case a marvellous one of course

Click on this WWW doozie, courtesy of Gilera expert, Paul.

Certainly a 'mobile chicane ' on the Manx Russ , probably one of the first ' over - hyped ' riders
I actually saw him lapped during open practice , admittedly , for the ' Hutch ' by Bill Ivy on the 125 Yamaha 4 , while he was on the Harley
So yes , your comments fit the bill..........................

Left to right : Albino Milani and Passenger (Rossano Milani?), mechanic, then Martino Giani??, Libero Liberati, Romolo Ferri, ??, Enzo Vezzalini (he's still around ), mechanic, Gilera, Alfredo Milani and Giovanni Fumagalli

As usual, an excellent response Graham....only a few astray. My impecable source tells me : l to r, Albino Milani, Rossano Milani; Claudio Galliani; Libero Liberati; Romolo Ferri; Giancarlo Muscio; Enzo Vezzalini; and Alfedo Milani.

Hi Larry,
Sorry,bit late in responding.Entertaining friends over from New Zealand at the mo.Could it be Phoenix Park or am I too far south?
HW
P.S.Are George (Millar) and Ian Boyd still about,and whatever happened to Paddy Smyth's 'Macchi.Last seen with Fred on it at the Manx?

Another of Paul's....WWW?

Daytona '64, Caldarella and SMBH

On the money Renn.....

certainly no big deal on that occasion...I think that was the race SMBH got the stiffest opposition from him, more than in any following race... well, he got additional satisfaction by clinching some world records later on in Daytona. Had the Conte been informed or was it just a "project" of Mike and Stan ??

Hi Andy

Ian Boyd turns out occasionally on a Manx, while brother Norman even more occasionally on a Varese Dinosaur.

No idea what happened to Paddy Smyth's - indeed, I've no idea whatever happened to Paddy!!

As Gary has rightly said, you were indeed too far South - it's Meghaberry, which now has a prison built on it. When that happened, the Road Racing Club moved to Aghadowey, which itself hasn't been used for a few years.

Sorry Andy - I missed George Miller! Sadly, the leathers are long hung up - he did a service on a 50 in his shop, took it for a road test, fell off, and hurt himself big style!

And George never fell off . . . . . . .

back row left to right: designer/chief engineer Sandro Colombo (now editor of Legend Bike magazine), mechanic Cazzaniga, Ercole Villa of Regina chains, Giuseppe, Guaschino - a Gilera agent, and Piero Bernasconi, Gilera's brother in law and company accountant.

Kneeling, left to right: Luigi Colombo the mechanic of 50s and 60s who still lives in Arcore and was a guest at the recent Gilera 100th birthday celebrations in Arcore and Monza, Costante Galbusera, Giovanni Fumagalli, Ernesto Tremolada and Luigi Meda.

Armstrong and Dale were team members but not present for the photo.

First right is Fumagalli, next to Alfredo (who still works every day in his Milanese shop called Bike Doctor) is Roberto Persi who was team manager in 1957 after Ferruccio's death and to his right is Luigi Colombo.
The photo can be found on page 90 of Motociclismo's Gilera history published in 1999.

Other serious books are
Moto Gilera by Brizio Pignacca, 1983
Gilera Road Racers by Raymond Ainscoe, 1987
Gilera Quattro by Sandro Colombo, 1992
Gilera Racers: Singles and Twins by Raymond Ainscoe, 1997
Gilera: Cento Anni di Storia by Confalonieri and Losito, 2009
Gilera: Una Storia Lombarda by Massimo Lucchini Gilera (Giuseppe's grandson), 2009

In the late 50s/early 60s Masetti went to live in Santiago Chile, where he indulged in a variety of business ventures, e.g. selling cars, bikes, running a bike racing team and winning championships (Chile, Venezuela, Argentina) on predominantly Motobi and Morini machinery. He married a much younger Chilean girl and they returned to Italy for the first ever Imola 200. He flopped in practice and then retired from racing

Hello Serafini, welcome to the site and thanks for the informative posts.

Hi Serafini welcome to the forum , your nick implies a sound Gilera knowledge....
So Masetti was still active in 72, the year of the first Imola 200 at the age of 46 ? Quite amazing..



pic taken in Schotten, where he took part a couple of times

[quote name='Rennmax' date='Oct 14 2009, 21:36' post='3925544']
Hi Serafini welcome to the forum
And welcome from me also

Fancy a go at this ??? WWW ...... small clue , Not the uk

I seem to recall that he made the front page of the weekly mags by publicly offering his services to Yamaha as a works rider around 1971, to widespread amazement.....

Oooh a sneaky one.... N. America, Mosport ? with Mike Duff chasing a Yank on a 500 Triumph. The fifth guy looks very European.....did Kirby not send some of his bikes over?

Hi Serafini Welcome


What was it like winning the Mille Miglia? Read a great book about him years ago, fascinating.


David

Actually, I think that might be Ron Grant in his brief career as a Triumph 500 rider. But what is running third, Russell ?

Looks a bit road bike like . It must be around '68.....dunno GD On reflection could be slightly later as it does appear it could be a HI Kawasaki triple....

It sure is wide between the ankles. Is Duff on a Paton ?

I reckon that's a BMW running third - Ed la Belle or George Rockett?

Guys , you're having a good debate on this piccie , i'll let it run a couple more hours

#32 Dick Mann?

Is it nearly time yet...?

Sorry Russ , had a bit of work to do

Right , you were on the money from the off . It is the Canadian GP of 1967 , i'll quote from the text from MCI . At , Mosport Park .

" Ex - Londoner Ron Grant on a works Triumph ( 32 ) leads Mike Duff ( 59 Matchless ) Fred Simone ( 37 OL Special ) and Mike Manley ( 94 , 450 Honda Special ) around corner 9 . The Honda was devoloped for Daytona and is now owned by the Ontario Honda Distributers . "

Well done crew , I have quite a lot of material which should last quite a while

Ps , I have found a pic of # 37 , which i'll scan later

Wow, that should be of interest, Phil. The OL Special, BMW-based, was built beautifully by Oscar Liebmann and later ridden ridiculously quickly by his son, Kurt, even after the first of the 750 racers broke cover. Hope the pics do it justice, keep 'em coming....

Well Glenn , et al here's the pic and text from MCI , i'd never heard of it , but well done Glenn
Oh , it's lost it's ' Renn ' ---hope we don't lose our ' Renn '

still alive and kicking....

nice read covering this venture

http://www.beemergarage.com/documents/renns4.pdf

Try this for size , not to taxing , I think WWW

Helmut Fath on left?

and Wolfgang Kalauch on the right, somewhere in the UK with the Ferodo banner in the background ?

Well chaps , you're both right but where , and who's the infiltrator ??

John Robinson in the middle?

Hi RS John Robinson is the correct answer . Well done

The journo John Robinson?

Fritz Scheidegger's passenger I guess....

That`s right, the passenger.
Mayby grounded because of an earlyer accident?
PE

Quite sure, Scheidegger's fatal crash was in early '67, this pic is of 68 or 69 and John Robinson never raced again after that crash in Mallory

Fritz Scheidegger and John Robinson's last race. Mallory Park, 26th March 1967

What style, makes the small hairs stand up.
PE

Doesn´t it ever.

Evening All Give this a go WWW

Ken Cavanagh, 125 Ducati ?

Clypse Course, maybe....