Brno August 1984

This is a photo of Tony Rutter (in the middle) which I apparently 'photo bombed' (on the right) in the paddock at Brno for the Czech GP in 26 August, 1984.  We're both on Ducati TT2s.  I've lost track of who took the photo, but it was one of the thousands of East Germans who came to the event.

This is from the same event and I did keep track of who took this photo: H-P Gerschner

'67 Canadian GP Celebration addendum

Mike Gontesky just sent me a bunch of photos he took at Mosport.

On the Surtees Special AJS 7R.  I think this is turn #4

A little further along in the same corner, I guess

Same corner with Frank Camilleriei #33F on the TD1C that he raced back in the '67 race and Peter Hurst #560 on a 750 Norton Atlas

On the Arter Matchless G-50 #59, with Jeff Peters #45 on a CB750 Honda, Louie Raffa #176 (obscured behind Jeff ) on a RD 400 Yamaha and Vin Borbone #860  on a Kawasaki triple, entering turn #5, I think

Chasing Vin Borbone exiting turn #5?
all photos by Mike Gontesky

Douglas

Recently, I took a quick road trip with a friend down to visit my friends Will and Elaine Paley just outside of Asheville, N.C.  Since I had last seen Will in October, he had picked up a new bike: a 1950 Douglas Mk IV.

Will Paley photo

 As far as I know, all the bikes Douglas made were opposed twins.  Before WWII, most Douglas's had the cylinders fore/aft.  In 1934, they made their first transverse opposed twin; after the war, they were all transverse, like a BMW.  But, unlike a BMW, they used chain, rather than shaft, final drive.  And, the bike has unusual suspension with torsion bar springing for the rear swing arm and short leading link front suspension.  Will's bike seems quite straight and original, if not concours.  The Mk IV was followed by the Mk.V, then the Dragonfly, a similarly configured 350 opposed twin, but with more conventional suspension of telescopic forks and coil sprung rear shocks.

The torsion bars for the rear swing arm are in the lower frame tube you see above the exhaust pipe.  Will Paley photo

I helped him change the ancient front tire (3.25 X 19")for a good NOS IRC.  It's quite impressive how many parts the Brits can pack into an assembly.  Changing the tire required removing the front mudguard and one of the two stays.  When Will withdrew the axle, loose parts showered down on the floor.  We found that there was no rim band over the spoke nipples, so we substituted duct tape.  After we got the tire mounted, wheel balanced, and brake de-glazed, we slapped it back together, then discovered another spacer washer stuck to the magnetic parts tray.  But, did it come from the Douglas and, if so, where?  Fortunately, Will had a manual and parts book and, after one false start, we figured out that it did indeed belong to the Dougie and where.

Short leading link front suspension and a modest, but very effective front brake.  Phyllis Aschenbrenner photo

Will offer me a ride on the bike which I readily accepted despite the fact that it was just stopping raining and the bike wasn't registered.  I just took it to the end of his dead end road (known as a 'cove' in those parts) and back, but that was perhaps 2.5 miles each way of very curvy road.  Will had a little trouble starting the bike, which he put down to still learning how to recognize what the engined wanted as far as spark retard, tickling, choke, and throttle.  And, perhaps the jetting wasn't spot on as there was a bit of hesitation at part throttle under load, but otherwise it seemed reasonably lively for a 350 of substantial weight.  It shifted and steered very well and I was quite impressed with the single leading shoe brakes.  Of course, it wasn't a long enough ride to form a definitive opinion, but the initial impression was good.  And, in any case, it's worth having and riding just for the 'odd ball' factor.

I love the cast aluminium tool boxes.  Phyllis Aschenbrenner photo

A Gentleman's touring bike.  Will Paley photo

2015 Classis TT addendum

Mike Peavey spotted me on the Team Obsolete 1954 E-95 AJS Porcupine in a Velocity Channel broadcast of the Classic TT Lap of Honor and spent me a clip.  I believe this is approaching Ballacraine and following me in Jim Redman who, at 83 years old, is still going strong.

Retro Tour addendum

Bob Gould sent me some photos he took from our Retro Tour:

One of the 104, five rider starts to Section one of the Rattlesnake Enduro

The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

L to R: Joel Samick, Yours Truly, Steve Costallas, Pete Elliot, and Bob Gould

Inside Woodward Cave

After following Joel on an intermittently rainy, dusty dirt road

Getting hosed off at the car wash

Early '80s Daytona

A couple of people have recently sent me photos from the 'Good Ol' Days'.
Mike Gontesky sent me this photo that Sam Blanton took at Daytona I'm guessing 1983:

That's the late Karen Hornbecker  and, on the extreme left, Sandy McPherson, two of the angels of road racing.  Sandy's still at it.

Steve Sanders took these from a trip to Daytona with Team Obsolete:

Dick Mann wrenches on the front wheel while chatting with Frenchie Arnaud, a friend of T/O and brilliant machinist.

I don't know who the fellow on the right is.

I look like I've been caught in the act.

My 350 Sprint between two Matchless G-50s with an AJS 7r behind.  I believe that's that's Kurt Liebman in the foreground and John Wiman on the left.  That looks like my brother Doug who I'm talking too.  This is 1984 and probably at Roebling Road before Daytona.

Frenchie and John Wiman chat while Kurt Liebman looks on.

On the grid with Kurt Liebman, OLS BMW, Marco Polo, T/O G-50, and Phil Mahood, T/O 500 Triumph 7 Mar., '84

This is me riding a Ducati TT1 (well, oversized TT2, 706cc) in the BoTT race on the Tri-oval at Daytona passing a nasty oil spill.  I finished 5th, 9 March, 1984.

Rob Iannucci.  I'm not sure why he has the champagne as I certainly didn't win anything that year.

Bill Burke sent me this photo which I'm guessing is 1985:

On the pre-grid with G-50 1709.  I believe that's Rob Iannucci talking with Bob Barker on the left, Don Blair with his back to us and Linda Swanson on the right.  My guess is that this is from '85 as the G-50 fairing has all the stickers form the '84 TT.

Oz III

One more photo.  After the racing Sunday, we had dinner in the same Italian restaurant we had eaten in Thurs. night.  Most of the British International Challenge team happened to be there, too.  We had a brief chat with the master, John McGuiness.  He figured I would be retired by now.  Fat chance.

Photo by Kenny Cummings

Oz II

Here are some more photos from our recent trip to Australia:

Parked outside Deus ex Machina, a Honda VTR 250, a baby Monster, perhaps my ideal of a daily driver.

Also parked outside Deus ex Machina, a belt drive Peerless, someone else' idea of the ideal daily driver

Kenny Cummings at Sydney Harbour with the Opera House in the backround.

Geoff Clatworthy's shop

Geoff's killer ES-2 Norton

With a Fiat 500 at Sydney Motorsports Park, Eastern Creek, during a Fiat track day.

The control tower and front straight.  That's Don Lange on the right.

How could I resist a 'Roper Rd' sign?  That's Maurice Candy riding shotgun.

This is the abandoned Catalina Park circuit we visited in Katoomba

Kenny checking out the run off

Maurice contemplates the possibilities

The circuit is 2.1km./ 1.3mi. long

note the armco behind Don

The front straight finishing the lap

A BP sign in the old pits

A map of the Catalina Park.

A memorial to the fallen soldiers from Bathurst in the Boer War.  It boggles my mind that  colonials  in Australia would go to South Africa to fight for the Empire.  But, I guess no harder to understand than the Great War, WW II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Malaysian War(?) that were added to this memorial.


From the Mt. Panorama Motor Museum:

a somewhat modified AJS 7R

A home made, 2 liter, 90 degree motor in a drag bike

A very original Kawasaki A1R

Maurice looks over the earlier, two valve Henderson Railway Special with a dustbin fairing

The four valve G-50 Railway Spl.

from the other side

from the back

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from the front

front brake

Metal sculpture at Thredbo

A close up.

The view from the top of the chairlift

My H-D ERTT Sprint in the garage at Phillip Island

Racing the ERTT sans windscreen after my get-off.  That's my arch nemesis, Phil Paton on a 270 Bultaco #91.  He beat me by 0.005 sec. in race 2 and I beat him by 0.003 sec in race 3.  #79 is a MT 125 Honda.  Photo by Jake Skate, jakeskateimages.com

Here I'm on Tom Marquardt's 492cc Honda CB400F.  This must be practice or qualifying as #800 (TT 500 Yamaha) and #34 (SR 500 Yamaha) finished well behind me, or didn't finish, in all the races.  Jake Skate photo, jakeskateimages.com