Molloy Returning For Road Season

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31760, 17 August 1968, Page 15

Molloy Returning For Road Season

(By Our Motor-Cycling Reporter)

The world-class motor-cycle road racer, W. Molloy, is returning to New Zealand in November and intends to compete in all major events, including all classes of the national championships, before returning to Europe.

Molloy, who is the captain of the Spanish B u 11 a c o factory’s works team, is having his most successful season in world championship competition.

After the recent Finnish Grand Prix he was lying third in the 125 c.c. class, behind the Yamaha works riders, P. Read and W. D. Ivy (England). In the 250 c.c. he is fifth on 16 points, only three behind the fourth man, R. Gould (England), who rides a very fast hybrid YarnahaBultaco. He is also highly placed in the 350 c.c. championship. Races With Anderson

Molloy last visited New Zealand in the 1965-66 season when he had great races with the then world 125 c.c. champion, H. R. Anderson, another New Zealander. His decision to spend next summer in New Zealand should give the road racing side of the sport a considerable boost.

It is unfortunate that there is nobody in the country capable of offering Molloy strong competition. Anderson, who now lives in Holland, has retired and none of the others have either the machinery or the experience to match Molloy. This could be a great opportunity for the New Zealand Auto Cycle Union to intro-

duce an international series on similar lines to that used in moto cross. Any money spent bringing out such world ranked riders as K. Curruthers and J. Findlay (Aus-

tralia), R. Gould and J. Cooper (England) would probably be off-set by increased attendances. Create More Interest As it is, Molloy will probably go through the country and win every championship for which he is eligible. His appearance will certainly create interest, but there would be so much more if there were one or two other top-class riders, as well as

all the leading New Zealand ers in the fields. A former coal miner from Huntly, Molloy has confirmed his decision to return to New Zealand in a letter to the prominent road racing official, Mr T R. McCleary, sen., and the New Zealand 250 c.c. grand prix champion, K. McCleary, of Christchurch. He plans to race in Japan and Australia before his return. Molloy expects to bring two of his Bultaco works machines with him: probably a 250 c.c. water-cooled machine and one of the factory’s new, air-cooled, experimental 350 c.c. racers which have shown such great promise at world level.