Americ likely American Ron Gr Wigram on Saturday, They will both be mounted on three-cylinder 750cc factory racers. Grant has a water-coolen Suzuki, and Huntly's Molloy a Kawasaki rarer. Neither 1/K° tito machines had auspicus be ginnings in this country. Molloy's !irst 750cr K wasaki was burnt during a practice session on the Bay Park track al Tau- ranga a few months ago. The crash not serious one, but becise 20 elective tire extinguishers could be found. Molloy had to watch what was then the fastest racing motor-evele in the country go up in flames. Replacement The Kawasaki factory sent him a replacement engine. The big Suzuki's first appearance here this season was on the tough Wanganui track when it was beaten to second place by the young Christchurch racel John Boote on a Suzuki 500 twin. Grant had lost his brakes on the ninth lap just after he had taken the lead from Boote. "The brake pads were worn right down to the altminium," said the tail American after the fifteenlap race. "I'm supposed lo change the pads after every meeting, but I had only done one short meeting in Australia on lhese ones and I thought I could get away with it. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." For this race the Shell Race of the Year which classes as the richest motorcycle race in New Zealand, Molloy rode a smaller Yamaha racer and finished fourth. Both the heavy Suzuki and the Kawasaki have twin disc brakes on their front wheels. First time With the national motorcycle series action shifled to Tauranga three weeks ago the two factory 750s met for the first time - after an eight-lap tussle with Molloy on Bay Park, Grant narrowly won the Formula 750 race. an and New Zealander are to continue By DAVID CLARKS rant and North Islander Ginger Molloy on two racing motor-cycles that rank 150mph ON should continue their 150 amongst the fastest in the wo duel -mile-an-hour-plus duel at orld. @Un the tricky Wanganui cricuit American Ron Grant guides his Suzuki to second placing in the Shell Race of the Year. Later in the day they lined up again for the 15-lap Castrol Classic, and it seemed the same thing would happen again. They shot into the lead on the first lap, with Grant just ahead. For half the race they were dicing constantly. Molloy's machine seemęd to have a higher top speed. Time and again he was passing Grant or drawing alongside on the long straight. But each time, Grant would whistle back into the lead as they braked for the next turn. Lap records With the gap to Grant opened slightly to 30 or 40 yards. it seemed Molloy would have to stay in second place. But late in the race he was catching Grant again, and set a new lap record in the process. By the last lap he was well within reach of the flying American. Then on the final corner disaster struck and Molloy went sprawling across the track alongside his bike. What happened exactly was not clear. Some said he was Irying too hard and came unstuck. But an examination of the bike showed that part of the rear brake hub had been ripped away, possibly by the stresses of the hefty braking. If this had happened going into the turn the wheel would certainly have locked and Molloy would have fall- Little help. The Kawasaki fell on the left side yet the damage to the brake was on the right side, indicating that perhaps it was the cause rather than the result of the crash. Molloy himself is littie help on the crash. "I don't know what happened," he said. "First thing I knew I was flat on my ear on the track." In any case he was not hurt, but the Kawasaki was not going anywhere and he had to watch his hardearned second place go to Mike Steele, of Australia, on a 500cc Suzuki twin. Bay Park is a winding, twisting track not altogether suited to the big racers. Should they appear on Saturday at Wigram they will find the open track with its long fast straights is much more to their liking. Both of them have smaller • machines they can race if they do not turn out on the | 750s. Molloy will be on a Yamaha in this case, and Grant again on a Suzuki. Christchurch's in- ternational racer Dale Wylie has not been faring so well n the racing class events. But his Suzuki Centre 750 Norton production racer carried him to victory in the Sawyer Motor-cycles six-lap production event at Wang- ant At Bay Park Stewart Avant, another Suzuki Centre racer, rode the Norton to a narrow first place in one event. It was at that meeting that Wylie won the 500cc Rothmans New Zealand points race on a TR500 racing Suzuki. He beat Boote. Wylie has now been prominent in New Zealand motorcycle racing for many year's, Young rider John Boote, a Suzuki Centre racer, is certain fu be interesting to watch. At 18 years old he has done three scasons of racing and this year is aboard full-race machinery for the first time. He had previously raced only production motorcycles. He brought the first production machine home in one of the races at Wigram last January. Although it does not carry national series points this year, most of the top riders in the country are expected to compete in the 25-mile racing class event. Hamilton's Trevor Discombe has bren entered on a 250cr Yamaha racer. ,limı Landrebe. riding under Watson's Motor-opeles colours. will compete on his 350cc Yanssel. Dandrebe accomplished a ! "grand slam" if the New Zealand Motorcycle Grand Prix meeling at Ruapuna two vears ago. He took In 200ec. 3afder, and S0dce lales. Marty Cropp. on a Walson's 350cr Yamaha, has been compeling on the North Island section of the circuit. He is now beginning fo feel more at home on the racing Yamaba, and tonk al sixth placing in one event at Tauranga. 250cc Yamaha racer. The second motor-cycle race will be an open production event. Christchurch people should get their first look at a 900cc Kawasaki four-cylinder motor-cycle in action on a race track. Trevor Discombe raced one for the first time in this country at Bay Park on January 2. Owen Galbraith, the present production "King of Ruapuna" will race a Norjo 900cc Kawasaki on Wigram, Simon Burton is to ride a 750cc Honda. This season he has become an impressive racer aboard the big fourstroke. : Barry Sinclair, who performed so well in the 250cc class at Bay Park on a Suzuki Centre machine, will start as favourite for the class. Boote and Avant will also ride in this race, on Suzukis. Ian Miles, of Christchurch, is to race one of the new 350cc Yamaha twins which have proved so effective on the North Island tracks so far this scason. Wylie is to race a 500cc Suzuki. Suzuki Centre racer Mike Sinclair will race a 350cc Suzuki. at Duficy will be on : 50cc three-cylinder Kawa saki. Prize money for the races is being put up by the Suzuki Centre. SLALAT CENTEE mas я к • John Boote and his 500cc Suzuki (win on their way to winning the Shell Race of the Yearat Wanganui.