62 replies to this topic

[Manfred]

Hey guys, greetings from the Jim-Clark-Revival at Hockenheim. Sorry, no bikes

Manfred

[Macca]

Going back to lady riders, here's a b/w shot from 'Motor Cycle News' of Mrs Gina Bovaird..........



Paul M

[Macca]

Originally posted by renzo_zorzi


it cant be worse than "Driven"

ps: does anybody got pix of the 1984/85 harris-suzuki? iirc it looked really good compared to other 500cc gp bikes of that era. since i m too young i only got it in a book thats now out or reach (at my parents place a cupla miles away from where i live now) besides it had interesting technical features - the monocoque-like frame.

Picture of the carbon-composite Suzuki GB XR40/RG500 of 1985:



Rob McElnea riding it, before Skoal Bandit sponsorship:




Paul M

[Macca]

Here's a pic from MCN of the Gallina-Suzuki of 1984; very sophisticated twin-spar chassis made from etched channel-section ali, filled with honeycomb and closed with ali sheet, very low, Suzuki RG500/XR40 engine, and originally tried with geared steering within the headstock to reduce steering effort.

Very pretty; total failure, sadly.........



Paul M

[renzo_zorzi]

marvellous bike macca! thanx alot. that chassis really looks ahead of time indeed. looking back 1984 was technically speaking pointing forward. first 4-cylinder honda nsr 500 with its unconventional fuel tank, then lawsons awesome yamaha.

[Macca]

First, another photo of the Suzuki-GB carbon-composite RG500/XR40, this time with Paul Lewis riding, I think at Easter 1986 at Donington (note the upside-down front forks)




Jimmy Adamo on the Cagiva 500 at the Transatlantic Trophy at Donington in 1985.

(my pics, but anybody is welcome to use them)

Paul M

[Coupe Kawasaki]

First, another photo of the Suzuki-GB carbon-composite RG500/XR40, this time with Paul Lewis riding, I think at Easter 1986 at Donington (note the upside-down front forks)




Jimmy Adamo on the Cagiva 500 at the Transatlantic Trophy at Donington in 1985.

(my pics, but anybody is welcome to use them)

Paul M

This thread is from a while back Paul A few names still here and some brilliant photos...can we carry this one on for bit please, there's probably some more info about now


No funnies thanks Phil.




David

[rio]

In 1980 Gina Bovaird raced in a meeting at Brands on a plain white TZ500, apparently having some financial support from Brands Hatch's owners for the trip from the USA after the publicity she got for Daytona - I may have a couple of photos somewhere.....

[/quote]

http://www.kakeh.com...ges/image38.htm
I took this photo of Gina -this may have been at Mallory

I also took this one of Taru Riine at the 1989 British GP, Donington
http://www.kakeh.com...ges/image55.htm

Taking it back to the original subject, I was actually working at the French Grand Prix, at Nogaro and my biggest memory is that there was a helicopter ambulance landing-pad on the inside of one of a very tight hairpin. One rider was taken away in this air ambulance and when it returned to the circuit it hovered for as long as it possibly could -because the 125cc practice was taking place. Eventually it must have been overheating and it couldn't hover any longer, so when there were no riders for a few seconds it took this very brief gap in the action as his only opportunity to get-down. Just as he touched-down a rider came to the corner and the turbulance from the blades literally blew the poor fella off his bike..............and he wasn't happy.........and let the pilot know that he wasn't ! ! !

I actually think a couple of big \ works riders still raced in 250 or 500 races -they may have been French riders and couldn't afford to upset their home sponsors, but I know that they were not popular for having done so. This put some in an awkward position and I think a couple may have started and then come-in with a mysterious "engine trouble" just to show solidarity with the others

I also remember watching the German GP that was mentioned and the tactics of the French riders -it was really amazing to watch [and they weren't too subtle about it, because the circuit is cut through huge area's of tree's with no spectators, but they seemed to use the arena area to overly look-over their shoulders and slow-up to Jean-Louis], but the German spectators were furious about and whistled and jeered continuously

[rio]

By the way, I'm the highsider.com guy and I do appreciate the feedback in this forum. I haven't even registered my site with Google, Yahoo etc. yet, but somehow you've found it.

Cheers, Manfred

Hello and thank you Manfred

I have been a fan of your site for a while now where I found many excellent photo's of my Finnish racing friends -I think I had found it doing a Google images search, maybe for Tepi Länsivuori or Jussi Hautaniemi ?

.....and then I found this on your site -it the bike I used to help on when I was working for Pekka [Nurmi] in 1982
http://www.highsider...Nurmi_82_01.htm


Thanks again

Edited by rio, 25 April 2010 - 10:04.

[bobness]

Gina definitely raced at the post TT at Mallory in 1980, under number 27, Steve Henshaw's more usual number. Didn't do him much harm though, as he won the opening 250cc race, under #37, his first international win, I believe?
Gina didn't trouble the scorers too much that day, I believe, but I'll see what the prog says later.

[fil2.8]

Gina didn't trouble the scorers too much that day, I believe, but I'll see what the prog says later.

Don't think she ever did , Rob

[stuavant]

In 1980 Gina Bovaird raced in a meeting at Brands on a plain white TZ500, apparently having some financial support from Brands Hatch's owners for the trip from the USA after the publicity she got for Daytona - I may have a couple of photos somewhere.....



http://www.kakeh.com...ges/image38.htm
I took this photo of Gina -this may have been at Mallory

I also took this one of Taru Riine at the 1989 British GP, Donington
http://www.kakeh.com...ges/image55.htm

Taking it back to the original subject, I was actually working at the French Grand Prix, at Nogaro and my biggest memory is that there was a helicopter ambulance landing-pad on the inside of one of a very tight hairpin. One rider was taken away in this air ambulance and when it returned to the circuit it hovered for as long as it possibly could -because the 125cc practice was taking place. Eventually it must have been overheating and it couldn't hover any longer, so when there were no riders for a few seconds it took this very brief gap in the action as his only opportunity to get-down. Just as he touched-down a rider came to the corner and the turbulance from the blades literally blew the poor fella off his bike..............and he wasn't happy.........and let the pilot know that he wasn't ! ! !

I actually think a couple of big \ works riders still raced in 250 or 500 races -they may have been French riders and couldn't afford to upset their home sponsors, but I know that they were not popular for having done so. This put some in an awkward position and I think a couple may have started and then come-in with a mysterious "engine trouble" just to show solidarity with the others

I also remember watching the German GP that was mentioned and the tactics of the French riders -it was really amazing to watch [and they weren't too subtle about it, because the circuit is cut through huge area's of tree's with no spectators, but they seemed to use the arena area to overly look-over their shoulders and slow-up to Jean-Louis], but the German spectators were furious about and whistled and jeered continuously

I watched that helicopter do that mate..unreal and I will always remember what an incompetant bunch of wankers the FIM gave our winning's to!!

[rio]

...................when I started snooping around in Highsider.com, i found a picture of...myself............Oh how the internet is shrinking the world. This is a time in my life that seems so distant now but I was delighted to show my six and four year old children what daddy used to do.

Again sorry for the self indulgence but I thought you might be interested.

mo

I know exactly what you mean Mo, this is mostly how I ended-up going-through some of the racing websites, ], including Manfred's excellent 'Highsider' site [and how I ended-up being diverted to this forum 3 or 4 times, I liked it and so decided to join-in]

A couple of years ago I was looking for photo's of Pekka Nurmi, the Finnish 350cc privateer that I helped for one season, to show to colleagues who were asking about some of my racing stuff. When I Googled Pekka's name the first image was actually of the bike he raced while I was working for him.....and then the second photo was me, with Pekka, our other part-time mechanic and Pekka's bike....and the other odd thing was that it was on a Finnish racing website that had been one of my internet 'favourites' for several years -as most of my racing friends were all Finns and I had found many photo's and information on Kake's exellent site.

This actually prompted me to scan some of my Finnish racing photo's and memorabilia incase Kake or anyone else was interested -and I recently scanned a few more general [Sheene, Sarron, Ferrari etc] ones, which is where the Gina Bovaird one [from my earlier post in this thread] is hosted until I can get this photo-posting thing sorted on here

Sorry everyone, but unexpectedly seeing yourself on the internet really is a FREAKING shock, especially to us non-limelighters ! ! !