Woodley ready for return to Europe

Press, 28 February 1980, Page 21

Woodley ready for return to Europe

By

ROD DEW

-. The last 12 months have .'not been full of joy and success for the experienced New Zealand international motor-cycle road racer, John Woodlev. He spent most of the last northern season recuperating from a wrist badly broken in a crash in Penang on the way to Europe, and since his return ;to New Zealand he has, in .his own words, “hit the deck five times.” Last season, Woodlev won the New Zealand 500 and open championships. This summer he was leading both these classes, and the 350 cu cm champion.ship as well, until ne crashed heavily in the Timaru meeting and cracked his collarbone. He resumed racing at Wigram in January only to crash again. This time he broke three bones in his right foot. “The wind got me,” he explained. “Then my foot got jammed under the bike.” . Fortunately, Woodley is not a person who gives up easily. “It hasn’t affected my confidence,” he said. He is hoping for better things when he leaves on 'March 2 for another European campaign. His spon-

sor, Guan Hoe Suzuki, has a new Mark V RGSOO Suzuki valued at about $15,000 (retail) which he will take delivery of in Malaysia on his way north. The new bike is not markedly different from the Mark IV model he has been using. It has a slightly bigger radiator, a stronger swinging arm, and some minor refinements to the forks. The four-cylinder two-stroke engine is identical to the machine it replaces. However, a new machine is a psychological ope early, he knew he had little chance of retaining his titles. His main aim is to consolidate his financial positon in Europe. This year, for the first time, he will race a TZ3SO Yamaha in addition to the Suzuki. This, he feels, will increase his earning power. His brother, Bruce, will travel as his mechanic, and he will have another supplied by Guan Hoe Suzuki. In England, he already has a diesel transporter and caravan waiting for him. His first major meeting will be at Tilburg, in Holland, on March 30. “A lot of the European riders use

this meeting to blow away the cobwebs. Having been racing in their winter, I am hoping I will have an edge.” successes last season, Woodley is still regarded as New Zealand’s foremost road racer. The fact that he leaves this time without a single title to his name does not concern him unduly. Knowing that he was returning to Eurboost for any racer. “It is always nice to have a new bike,” said Woodley. There are only two Mark V Suzukis in New Zealand. One is being raced by Rodger Freeth, of Auckland, and the other is in the hands of the Christc h u r c h rider, Paul McLachlan, who is also planning a European tour this year. On the strength of his This year, Woodley plans to compete in only a few selected world championship events, and possibly one or two of the rebel world series meetings. His intention is to concentrate on major international meetings where prize money is high. He joined up with the rebel racers planning the world series in opposition to the world championships. But he has never received any correspondence from the organisers. “I have decided to stick with the devil I Know.” Chas Mortimer, the English rider who became a familiar figure during the now abandoned Marlborough international series in New Zealand, is helping Woodley organise starts for the coming season. Above all, Woodley will be anxious to avoid the broken bones which ruined the last year. His w'rist was broken in six places in the Penang grand prix accident, and it took a long time to heal. The northern season w'as pra-

ctically over when he finally returned to racing. He finished fourth in the Ulster grand prix, ninth in the French grand prix, and, on the way home, won the Selangor grand prix in Malaysia. He went to Australia almost immediately in a bid to try and get fully race fit. Unfortunately, this proved to be a mistake. There were one or two organisational problems, and the bike was not quite right. “I had to

wait until I got back to New Zealand before I started to come right.” Even then, there were problems. Woodley attempted to race in the 350,500 and open classes. It was too much,. considering he only had one mechanic to look after the three bikes. There were suggestions earlier this year that Woodley might stay in Europe at the end of the northern season because of dissatisfaction with

the promotion of the sport in New Zealand. He says that organisers have got to buck their ideas up to make the sport more attractive to spectators and more attractive to sponsors. However, he will be back in time for next season, although he will restrict his racing to the 250 and 500 classes. “I will come back because I want to help the sport in New Zealand as much as I can.”