OFF SEASON FUN

[TwoStroke Institute]

OK Who and what

Who and what?

A sad one but name the people front row L to R

[Gustav O]

I'd say the guy with the biggest mouth who came up short on silverware could be marco melandri.

Even though he had a lot of SBK success the biggest talker that did not back his talk up is Fogarty. Hands down.

[frankrizzo]

Even though he had a lot of SBK success the biggest talker that did not back his talk up is Fogarty. Hands down.

without doubt

[Zaphod]

g.John Kocinski..obnoxious even when winning..Fogarty would run him close but did not ride really in the class.Though to hear him talk he was there!!

...I thought of Fogarty straight away when I read that. Then I thought , no ....he wasn't just obnoxious, he moaned as well !

As for GP's....if memory serves me correctly, he had a few races. Before he arrived GP riders were all over paid pussies, and he was gunna kick their arse.

When he left, GP riders were all over paid pussie's, and he would have kicked their arses, except that the bike/tyres/team was shit.

[WayneG]

Who and what?

Jan Thiel and I'm assuming an engine from a 50cc Piovaticci?
Maybe something like this -


Didn't Bryan Hindle hold a 50cc land speed record in the late 60s / early 70's? I seem to remember him giving a demo of the bike at Amaroo when I was a kid.

[CLX]

These pictures make me feel ignorant.

[Zaphod]

Yes, there is that CLX.

.........to make myself feel better, and take the "glass is half full" approach................it's 'cause they're older than us !




We should know our history though, and there is no better source of information than people like we have here.

...........I didn't even know there was a 50 cc land speed record !!


What I am really envious of are things like ".......giving a demo of the bike at Amaroo"......that stuff just doesn't happen these days, unless it is to a huge crowd, at a safe distance......and costs us a fair amount of $$$$.

I would bet they saw all sorts of things like that, for not many $$$$, and were close enough to the action to touch, smell and taste it !


I am also pissed off that (although Amaroo was fairly narrow and dated by the end) our most historic circuits are being bulldozed to make way for housing estates.

Or , in the case of Lakeside...Yuppies move into an area that has always had a race circuit, and complain about the noise until it is shut down. ( we also have people that buy house near an Airport, and then protest about the noise and want flight paths changed...........what, you didn't see the airport/aircraft before you bought the house ??!!??


Sorry.........back to the fun.


RIP Oran Park.

[TwoStroke Institute]

Well a pet hate of mine Zaphod is motorsport has no lobby group, next to V8 Supercars convincing politicians that expensive street races are what 'everyone' wants.

1)Jan Thiel and his Jamathi
2) Jan Thiel and the Piovaticci
3) Jan thiels retiremnt from Aprilia
Fausto Gresini, Jan Thiel,Piaggo CEO who's name escapes me, late Marco Simoncelli, dunno, 'Gigi' Dall' Igna

[Zaphod]

I have always been a motorsport fan..........and once we hit the early nineties, locally, all of a sudden it wasn't the warm experience it once was.

You can't get up close to the machines or people, it costs a fortune to go and watch, and the racing programs have become much less diverse.

The money has been good for the sport in some regards, but now we can't have the characters we used to...........it's all so corporate and money driven that, for example with our chosen passion of motoGP, they not only have to be exceptional riders, they have to be excellent corporate spokesmen......

Sure, I have a particular love of machines from a certain era.......but I'm not crotchety enough to thump on about returning to the good ol' days in that regard..........I do miss riders being allowed to be themselves charachter wise, and just let their talent do the talking.

Maybe that's what makes riders like Marquez, Iannone..............and Simoncelli...........so special.

Screw the corporate image..........I'm here to ride.

I have( maybe false) hope that with the new blood, we are seeing a swing back to days past in that regard.


I will not rant again......in this topic .......back to the scheduled program.

[Oscar]

Jan Thiel and I'm assuming an engine from a 50cc Piovaticci?

Are you SURE it's not something to do with Orthodox Jewish religious observance? I seem to remember seeing the manual version in Robin Hood - Men in Tights.

[WayneG]

Who is the passenger?


Who is this and what his relationship to the picture above?


This is fun. At least it gives us aussies something to do while the other half of the world is asleep.

[TwoStroke Institute]

Graeme McGregor is on the Kawasaki and I'm sure his dad was a crazy sidecar swinger

[WayneG]

Graeme McGregor is on the Kawasaki and I'm sure his dad was a crazy sidecar swinger

You are half right.
They are actually both Graeme McGregor. He first started racing as a monkey for Steve Bayliss and together they won multiple Australian Sidecar Championships. Then in 1982 (from memory) he showed up at Bathurst and out of the blue gave up the rig and started riding solos. At his first attempt he won the Australian Junior TT (250cc) by over 30 seconds. He ended up racing in Europe and in 1984 won two IOM TT's (250 & 350?).
It would have to be one of the most unique career paths for any top level racer. He used to say that learning the tracks from 3 inches above the surface gave him an advantage.

[Tumi]

What track has rolling stock so close ? ( top of the pic......train wheels).
I'm on an Imatara bend............but that's because I know they had to cross train lines........I don't know if the train lines were located at other points of the circuit as well.
Not sure of the year Imatra was removed from the calander, was it before cecotto's time ??
edit: I am now convinced it's Imatra.

I was born 60 kms away and last time drove past it last Sunday but I'm not exactly local. That gravel bank baffles me somewhat as the train line seems to be higher than the road / track. I have to Youtube some period films and look at Google Street View. Anyway I agree that's from Imatra circa 1979 unless someone proves otherwise.

[TwoStroke Institute]

Name as many as you can bonus points for getting the 2 Aussies

[WayneG]

The riders are Mamola, Crosby and ?
The bearded gentleman at the far left is a young and spritely Mr Jeremy Burgess. The gentleman of ample proportions 2nd from the right would be Mick Smith who went on to run Honda Racing Australia.

Still thinking.

[WayneG]

Martyn Ogburn would have to be one of them so I'll guess at the bearded bloke to the right of Mamola??

[TwoStroke Institute]

Yes doing very well Wayne, I'll give myself an uppercut and say the 3 Aussies

[WayneG]

Ok getting frustrated now.
The short man 3rd from the left would be "Little George" Vukmanovich. I know he worked out here in the late 70's spannering for Warren Willing but he is American (from memory).
The one that is really bugging me is the guy next to Jerry. He is really familiar to me but I can't put a name to him.

[TwoStroke Institute]

on track for bonus points there Wayne. I'll give you a hint, he's between Mick and Croz. Been known to pull shocks apart and has had a bit to do with Superbike racing here(that's practicaly giving it away)

[WayneG]

Bingo!
Dave "Radar" Cullen. Self face palm for not getting that sooner.

Who is the 3rd rider? Roger Marshall?

[TwoStroke Institute]

John Newbold. Little George is still working in the CEV championship in Spain last I heard. Team Manger is Rex White and a interesting aside JB aquired the moniker 'Blossom' around this era. Spewing I did'nt yell that out when I saw him at the GP

[WayneG]

I read somewhere once that Dave Cullen was given the nickname "Radar" by Mike Hailwood when Dave worked for him at the IOM. Apparently it is not so much for his resemblance to radar out of MASH but because he was never seen anywhere without a clipboard under his arm.

[oldboyonrgv]

Using the Lawson Kanemoto reference - wouldnt AKi Ajo qualify as well - Marquez won the 125 champioship on board his Aprillia/Derbi in 2010, I believe the Ajo squad were the only team 'allowed' to modify the bike.....

[TwoStroke Institute]

Depends what they did