Commentary On Competition

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 16

Commentary On Competition

There was a time not so long ago when the aim of every motor-cycle road racer was to compete in the Isle of Man T.T. Sadly, this is not so today. The lack of financial incentives has been one of the main reasons for the diminishing of popularity of the event, but after the recent 1970 races the appeal of this once great classic has hit an all-time low. The T.T. fatality total this year was six. One English newspaper labelled the T.T. “the most dangerous sporting event in the world.” It is no wonder that top New Zealand competitors are more interested in the American Daytona 200. * ♦ * The dashing 28-year-old Italian, G. Agostini, won both the junior and senior Isle of Man T.T. races for the third successive time on his M.V.-Augusta machines —a feat never before achieved in the 63-year history of the meeting. Agostini’s T.T. victories now total seven. A miss-fire in one of the three cylinders of the M.V. slowed the Italian champion in the senior event but he was still able to average 101.52 m.p.h. The 250 c.c. T.T. was won by the Australian, K. Car-

ruthers (Yamaha), the production T.T. by a Welshman, M. Uphill (Triumph Tri-

dent), the 125 c.c. T.T. by the West German, D. Braun (Suzuki), the 750 c.c. sidecar T.T. by the West German, S. Schauzu (passenger H. Schneider), and the 500 c.c. sidecar T.T. by yet another West German, K. Enders (passenger W. Kalauch). ♦ * ♦

The New Zealand road racer, W. (Ginger) Molloy, might yet earn a bonus of more than $4OOO from the Japanese Kawasaki factory. The factory will pay this amount to the Kawasaki rider who finishes highest in the A.M.A. championship this year. Molloy gained 56 points for bis seventh place at Daytona and so far no other Kawasaki rider has more. * * *

The brilliance of the British trials champion, S. H. Miller, was displayed recently in an observed trial at Whiteman’s Valley, Wellington. Miller, riding a Bultaco borrowed from former national champion, M. Harris, won by a margin of 114 points. He dropped only 40 points in 10 laps of the six-section course, which riders agreed was the toughest they had experienced. The top New Zealand rider was R. Rush, of Christchurch, who seemed to like the rocky sections. He dropped 154 points to head Palmerston North's D. Turnbull by one. C. Harris, aged 16, of Wellington, was third. K. Hoskin, of Christchurch, dropped 243 points to win the non-expert section.