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1° the past the motor-cycle
events held in conjunetion with the Lady Wigran
Trophy international cal
racing meeting have lacked
the attraction of their four-
Exciting
Motor
Cycle
Contest
wheel counterparts. But
this year, with the entry of
the world 125 c.c. world
champion, Hugh Anderson
(Ohinewai), interest in the
two 25-mile races for the
New Zealand airfield chanpionships promises lo rival
that of ibe major car race.
Anderson, New Zealand's
only reigning world chanpion in sport, will be pitting
his tiny 125 cr. works
Suzuki against the Dominion's leading riders, who will
be racing machines up 1o
four times the capacily.
And yet he is expected 10
be untroubled to win the
title for every class, 250 c.e.,
350 e.r., 300 c.c. and open,
all with the same bitle
machir
Unfortunalely this
possibly he one of the last
opportunties for Christchurch enthusiasts 10 sec
him in action on bis incredible Japanese machine,
for he is considering retiroment or a switch lo motocross racing.
Anderson has now won no
less than four world motor-
cycling road racing titles,
two in the 50 c.c. class and
two in the 125 c.c. class. 1€
is, nevertheless, only recently that his fellow-countrymen have become aware
of his tremendous achievements in the esceptionally
competitive fields of the
spori overseas.
I'ress reports of his races
overseas appeared too farfetched. It was dificult lo
beliere that in 1963 Anderson lapped at the same
speed on his 125 c.c. Suzuki
in the Uister Grand Pris
as former multiple world
champion, Geoff Duke, had
achieved on a works 500 c.c.
Norton 10 ycars earlier.
How was it possible that
such a diminutive machine,
apparently little more than
a inotorised bicycle, could
set the 125 c.c. lap record
on the Isle of Man at 96
miles an hour when the big
four-cylinder M.V. Augustas
were struggling to break the
100 miles an hour barrier.
Only now is Anderson
beginning to receive recog-
nition from New Zealanders
for the ability which has
almost started a revolution
in favour of the smaller
machines.
fortnight ago, Anderson demonstrated for the
first time in New Zealand
his great ability on a 123
c.c. Suzuki, loaned to hun as
a personal favour by the
Japanese firm. Al Pukekobe
he look a tumble in the
in race for the nationa
But he renoun-
ed when in twentieth posi
tion and procceded to carve
his way through field
hich inclued several iste
of Man representatives, and
finally finished few
seconds behind the winner,
N. J. Landrebe (Dunedio).
on a 500 c.c. Matchless.
had to reach more than
iles an hour.
Motorcycles have been
Anderson's life. Al the age
of 12 he learned to ride lus
first motorcycle and by the
tine he was 16 he was a
regular competitor al grass
track and scramble meetings around Ohinewai. He
competed in the Isle of Man
T.T. for a composite leat
containing one Atstralian
1960 and the followin
ycar was chosen in the
official New Zealand teal
He then Joined the
Suzuki works and his firsl
big international wins came
in 1965 when he led home
talented fields in both the
50 c.c. and 125 c.c. classes
of the Argentine Grand
Prix. This led to his promotion as Suzuki's team leader.
A year later he won the
world 50 c.c. and 125 c.c.
titles. On his 50 c.c.
machine, capable of speeds
in excess of 90 miles an
AETT
19-1 - 66
WORLD CHAMPION —The reigning world 125 c.c. motorcycle road racing champion, Hugh Anderson,
of New Zealand, lays his 125 c.c. works Suzuki over on a corner during the French Grand Prix.
In this race Anderson was
officially timed al 136 miles
ao hour down the straig
while Landrebe's fastest recorded speed on the much
larger Matchless was only
123 miles an hour.
The Suzuki is capable of
even greater speeds. lt ha
been timed at 160 Illlles an
hour in Japan and can reach
10 miles an hour in a very
short straight. There is not
another machine in New
Zealand, regardless of size,
that can get anywhere near
this.
In a later race at Pukekohe for the New Zealand
junior T.T. title, Anderson
walked away from a held
containing machines up lo
350 c.c. and to do so never
hour, he won only iwo
events, lhe German and Argentine Grands Prix, but lie
finished in the first three in
practically every race.
In the 125 c.c. class he
swept all before hin. His
string of victories included
lie classies of France, Isle
of Man, Holiand, Northern
Ireland, Austria and linland.
He retained his work
50 c.c. title in 1964 with
wins in the American,
French, Isle of Man and
Finish Grands Prix, He just
missed out on the 125 C.C.
tille after winning the
American, Austrian and
Northern Ireland classics.
Last year he comfortably
defeated the defending
worid 125 (.l. champion,
Luigi Taveri, of Switzerland,
to win his second world
tille in the class. Had he
not crashed in the Japanese
Grand Pris ho would have
won the world 50 re. ttle
as " ci
The machine whach \1derson will ride at Wigram
has a (wo-stroke watercooled engine. Yet Il can
produce a maximum of 35
b.h.p, similar to that pro
duced by a small family car
of about eight times the
sive. This, the equivalent of
280 bhp a litre, compared
with the 100 boh.p. a litre
produced by the 23 Hre
Coventry Climax molors
which power many racing
Lit
It peaks at about 10,000
revolutions but its usable
power range is only between 12,000 and 15,000 revolutions, Because of this
a nine-speed gearbox, foot
operated, is fitted.
Anderson says he often
does not know what gear he
is in. "I just keep an eye
on the rev. counler and
when another geal IS
needed 1 just bang it in.
But it gets wearing having
to come right down through
the gears for the corner."
hie Its
maus power, the complete
machine weighs only 190.bs
and can be lifted by one
nun.
The great respect in which
top New Zealand road
racers hold Anderson was
clearly demonstrated when
"The Press" asked the current national senior and
junior grand prix champlon,
T. R. MeCleary, jun., what
he thought his chances of
beating Anderson were. "l
won't have a show in lic
wide world," he said.
While Anderson. will
naturally seal muce of thie
Imelight in the two 25-mile
New Zealand airfield championship races at Wigram it
will be a pity if other riders
are not given recognition
for their ability, because the
Gelds are among the most
talented ever 1o assemble
for one meeting in New Zealand.
One of the most important
entries is that of W. "Ginger" Molloy, who has been
racing in Curope for the
last three sears with spectacular success.
He is currently a works
nder for the Spanish Bullaco factory and will be riding a 250 c.c. works machine
in holl races. a similal
achine he look Tou
i lo Malian Grand
al Monza last scar. 1
powered by a twin eglin
der water-cooled
capable of doving the lightweight frame to speeds well
in excess of 100 m.p.l.
Mollos plans lo return to
lèrrope in time for te pest
raring scason.
Two members of the New
Zealand leam which conpeted at the Isle of Man
last season, A. Dobbs
(Napier) and B. Scobie (Te
Awamulu), have entered on
a 144 e.c. Bultaco and a
500 c.c. Norton, respectively.
The New Zealand senior and
Junior Grand Prix winner
last scason, T. R. McCleary,
jum., of Christchurch, is
another notable entry. lle
will be riding the same 500
c.c. Mans Norton which carried him to such a convincing victory in the senior
race last year.
N. J. Landrebe (Dunedin),
who won the New Zealand
senior T.T. at Pukekohe a
fortnight ago, barely a few
seconds ahead of Anderson,
making up ground after an
early spill, is another condidate for high honours. J.
Wales (Hutt Valley) should
also make his presence felt
Both riders are nominations
for this season's leain do the
Isle of Man.
lintries for the due race
which will be held over 1
laps are.—
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