Classic Racer May - June 2018

CORNER: PARLIAMENT SQUARE // YEAR: 1966 // TRACK: TT MOUNTAIN CIRCUIT // LUIGI TAVERI It’s fitting that we start our tour of the CR archive with this image of the now late Luigi Taveri. The year is 1966 and the Italian/ Swiss rider rounds Parliament Square on the tiny 50cc Honda twin. Stylish, fast and when he spoke, many listened. The three-times 125cc world champion will be widely missed. Grazie e arrivederci, Luigi.…

CORNER: CASCADES // YEAR: 1968 // TRACK: OULTON PARK // WILLIAM DAVID IVY William David Ivy wasn’t a big man, physically – he stood just 5ft 3in tall – but his skill and sublime style on a motorcycle was hugely admired. A stalwart of fair play and sportsmanship, Ivy started out on a 50cc Itom, getting his racing underway at Brands Hatch in 1959. A mere eight years later he was crowned 1967 125cc world champion, winning eight out of 12 races in 1967 to beat Phil Read by 16 points. This photo, taken at Oulton Park on September 2, 1968, shows Ivy's neat style in full effect. Nothing wasted here in the pursuit of another fast lap.…

CORNER: CURVA ANGEL NIETO // YEAR: 1995 // TRACK: ALBACETE // ANTHONY GOBERT Twenty-two years ago the racing world went a bit silly for the man on bike number 17 – Anthony Gobert. Simply put, the Aussie with a penchant for shooting from the lips a bit too often was making the established guard of World Superbike look a bit pedestrian. He turned up, crashed the party and set out his stall against anyone who looked at him sideways. His talent was, without question, of another level. A natural skill that comes across once in a generation. Unfortunately, Anthony’s own demons eventually won the battle for control of the kid and those left on the sidelines could only ponder at what might have been. Our admiration for those who can…

On the subject of Kerby’s G50 Metisse Dear CR The reference to Tom Kerby’s G50 Metisse (letter, cracking read, issue 190) reminded me of a day many, many years ago when a friend, who will be nameless for obvious reasons, asked if I and my good pal Tony Collison would accompany him to Romford to collect a G50 Metisse he had purchased from Tom Kirby. So off we went, arriving at Tom’s shop at Roneo Corner, meeting Tom and after a quick nose around the bike was loaded and homeward bound. Now, I can’t say in any certainty that it was ex-Alan Barnet but it had modifications that pointed in that direction, but it was without doubt a genuine Tom Kirby Metisse as raced. Although I have lost touch with…

HELP, PLEASE, CR READERS Dear CR Greetings from America. In the early Seventies I lived in your wonderful country as the son of an Air Force officer based at RAF Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire. As we were close to Silverstone I attended as many race meetings as I could at nearby Silverstone and at an event I believe was called the 1973 Silverstone International, I snapped this photo of a very unusual motorcycle. Obviously it has four cylinders but if memory serves, it wasn’t a CB-750 lump (though I may be wrong). It’s not the clearest photo but there are some other strange details. Goodyear tyres. Who used Goodyear tyres back then? How about that rear hub? Very strange looking. So I thought your magazine would be the perfect place…

Here at Classic Racer towers we like to think that our magazine offers the best racing articles and motorcycle stories on the heroes of the past, the current classic racing scene and the iconic motorcycles that made history. But we realise that we’re a bit biased... and that’s why we want to hear your thoughts on the magazine. Whether you’re a regular subscriber or have just picked up your first copy now, we want to know what you think about it. What’s hot and what’s not? What do you want to see more or less of? So, we’ve created a simple online survey at www.classicracer.com and if you could take a few minutes to complete it we’d really appreciate it. As a thank you for completing the survey, all respondents…