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Percy Tait
Percy Tait (9 October 1929 – 17 November 2019) was an English professional motorcycle road racer and senior road tester for Triumph motorcycles, where he was estimated to have covered over a million miles of road testing. He later became a farmer specialising in award-winning rare breeds of sheep. National Service Tait gained useful knowledge of motorcycle handling during his National Service, when he was a member of the Royal Corps of Signals White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team. Motorcycle career Tait joined Triumph at the age of 21 in 1950 on the assembly line but was soon promoted to the Experimental Department and was encouraged to go road racing by his manager Frank Baker. Tait joined the Triumph works team and worked under Doug Hele on Triumph's chassis development programme through the early 1960s. He became the main test rider for the development of the three cylinder motorcycles which meant clocking up high mileages in all weathers and grueling sessions at MIRA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1968 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Season
The 1968 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 20th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of ten Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 21 April, with German Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix on 15 September. As the sidecar race was cancelled at the Nations Grand Prix, it was announced that a replacement race would be held at Hockenheimring in October alongside the German national championship. Season summary With the departure of Honda from the Grand Prix scene, MV Agusta proceeded to dominate the larger classes with Giacomo Agostini winning every race in the 500 and 350 classes. The 250 crown went to Phil Read amidst a controversy between Yamaha teammates. Read was supposed to take the 125 title while leaving the 250 crown for Bill Ivy. After Read captured the 125 title, he ignored team orders and went after the 250 title as well. As a result, Yamaha would disch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has held a Grand Prix every year since 1985 (except 2003 and 2006). Spa also hosts several other international events including the 24 Hours of Spa, the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. It is also home to the Uniroyal Fun Cup 25 Hours of Spa, one of the longest motor races in the world. The circuit has undergone several redesigns through its history, most extensively in 1979 when the track was modified and shortened from a circuit using public roads to a permanent circuit due to safety concerns with the old circuit. Despite its name, the circuit is not in Spa but lies in the vicinity of the town of Francorchamps within the boundaries of the municipality of Stavelot, with a part in the boundaries of Malmedy. Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. In 2016, Suzuki was the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, eleventh biggest automaker by production worldwide. Suzuki has over 45,000 employees and has 35 production facilities in 23 countries, and 133 distributors in 192 countries. The worldwide sales volume of automobiles is the world's tenth largest, while domestic sales volume is the third largest in the country. Suzuki's domestic motorcycle sales volume is the third largest in Japan. History In 1909, Michio Suzuki (inventor), Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) founded the Suzuki Loom Works in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built loom, weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry. In 1929 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BSA/Triumph Racing Triples
The BSA/Triumph racing triples were three cylinder 750 cc racing motorcycles manufactured by BSA/Triumph and raced with factory support from 1969-1974. There were road racing, production racing, endurance racing and flat track variants. The machines were based on the road-going BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident. BSA/Triumph reputedly had a $2 million racing budget for 1970/1. Background The Triumph Trident was designed by Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele. The Trident's three-cylinder design was developed from Triumph's 1959 5TA unit-construction 500 cc parallel-twin (which had origins in Edward Turner's 1937 Triumph Speed Twin). The Trident has an extra cylinder and, following Triumph practice, its OHV pushrod engine has separate camshafts for the inlet and exhaust valves. Although the prototype was ready by 1965, the factory delayed for years for a cosmetic redesign and designing a BSA version which meant that its eventually introduction in 1968 was overshadowed by the apparent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Pickrell
Raymond Pickrell (16 March 1938 – 20 February 2006) was an English short-circuit motorcycle road racer who won four Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. Pickrell was born in Harrow Weald, Middlesex. During his early career, Pickrell rode for tuners/race entrants Francis Beart, Geoff Monty and Paul Dunstall. ''Motor Cycle'', 9 March 1967, pp.290-291 and p.302 "''Ray Pickrell gave Geoff Monty's Bultaco a spectacular 250 cc win, with more to come''". Accessed 1 February 2018Recollections of 'Quasimodo', ''Classic Racer'', Winter 1988, pp.6-12 (EMAP) Accessed 24 December 2017) As a member of the Triumph factory racing team, he rode the famous racing motorcycle named '' Slippery Sam'' to victories at the 1971 and 1972 Isle of Man TT races. Pickrell teamed with Percy Tait to win the 1971 Bol d'Or The Bol d’Or is a 24-hour endurance race for motorcycles, held annually in France. The riding of each bike is now shared by a team of three riders. History The Bol d’Or, f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bol D'Or
The Bol d’Or is a 24-hour endurance race for motorcycles, held annually in France. The riding of each bike is now shared by a team of three riders. History The Bol d’Or, first organized by Eugene Mauve, in 1922, was a race for motorcycles, and automobiles limited to 1100cc engine capacity (in the 1950s the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc). Today, the Bol d’Or is exclusively a race for motorcycles, although there are a number of side "attractions", such as races for amateur riders and for classic bikes. Prior to 1953 only one rider per machine was permitted. The record holder with seven victories, Frenchman Gustave Lefèvre, won with an average speed of 107 kilometers/hour riding his Norton Manx for the whole 24 hours. From 1954 to 1977 the teams comprised two riders, and then, in the interests of safety, this was increased to three. Until 1970 the race was held at various circuits, mainly Linas-Montlhéry and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. From 1971 to 1977 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1970 Isle Of Man TT
The 1970 Isle of Man TT, the fourth round of the 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, involved a number of races on the Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. For the third consecutive year, Giacomo Agostini won both the Junior and Senior races, completing the six laps of the latter race in 2:13.47.6 to win by over five minutes. There were three "production" categories; Malcolm Uphill won the 750 cc, Frank Whiteway the 500 cc and Chas Mortimer the 250 cc. German pairs won both sidecar events; Klaus Enders and Wolfgang Kalauch in the 500 cc and Siegfried Schauzu and H. Schneider in the 750 cc. Kel Carruthers won the Lightweight 250 cc race, while Dieter Braun won the Lightweight 125 cc. Braun's victory was notable because he was one of only seven riders to have won an Isle of Man TT race in their first attempt. Due to the circuit's 37.7 mile length, it usually takes competitors two or three attempts before they learn its nuances. There were six fatalities among the competitors, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slippery Sam
Slippery Sam is a British production class racing motorcycle from the early 1970s that used a carefully prepared version of the 750 cc Triumph Trident ohv (pushrod) three-cylinder engine. The "Slippery Sam" name was acquired during the 1970 Bol d'Or, a 24-hour race for production-based machines held in France, when engine difficulties and escaping oil covered the bike of Triumph employee Percy Tait and co-rider Steve Jolly who managed to finish in fifth place to winners Paul Smart and Tom Dickie on another works Trident. 'Slippery Sam' is known for winning five consecutive production 750 cc class TT races at the Isle of Man between 1971 and 1975. The machine, which was displayed at the National Motorcycle Museum, was destroyed in a fire during 2003, but has since been completely rebuilt. History "Slippery Sam" was one of three similar motorcycles initially built by Triumph built for the 1970 Isle of Man Production TT. The bike was created by the engine's desi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endurance Racing (motorsport)
Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time. One of the more common lengths of endurance races has been running for , or roughly six hours. Longer races can run for , 12 hours, or even 24 hours. Teams can consist of anywhere from two to four drivers per event, which is dependent on the driver's endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event. Origins Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Uphill
Malcolm Ernest Uphill (15 April 1935 – 15 August 1999) was a Welsh professional motorcycle racer. He competed in British national-level short-circuit and in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Uphill was the first competitor in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races to achieve a 100 mph average lap speed on a production motorcycle. __TOC__ Motorcycle racing career A native of Caerphilly, Wales, Uphill later lived at Heol, Trecastle and was educated at Twyn Secondary Modern School. Apprenticed at the Rhymney former railway works near Caerphilly, he worked as a fitter/turner/erector for British Rail. In 1965, Uphill achieved a double win in the 350 cc 'Junior' and 500 cc 'Senior' races at the Manx Grand Prix. His best season in world championship competition was in 1968 when he finished in ninth place in the 250cc world championship. In 1969, he teamed with Percy Tait to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race for production (road-based) machines and at the 1969 Isle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MV Agusta
MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The abbreviation MV stands for ''Meccanica'' (mechanics) ''Verghera'', the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese. History 1943–1945: From idea to mass production It all began in the early years of the 20th century, when Count Giovanni Agusta left Sicily for northern Italy, where he built his first aircraft, the AG.1, four years after the Wright brothers had made history in the US. The First World War, which demonstrated the prospects of aviation, prompted the count to act decisively – and in 1923, in the town of Samarate, he founded the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta S.A. (usually shorte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giacomo Agostini
Giacomo Agostini (; born 16 June 1942) is an Italian multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Nicknamed Ago, he amassed 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles. Of these, 68 wins and 8 titles came in the 500 cc class, the rest in the 350 cc class. For these achievements obtained over the course of a career spanning 17 years, the AMA described him as "...perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time". In 2000, Agostini was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a MotoGP Legend, while in 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. He considers himself a "dubious" Roman Catholic. Early career Agostini was born in Brescia, Lombardy. His family was from Lovere, where his father was employed in the local town council. The oldest of four brothers, Agostini initially had to steal away to compete, first in hill climb events and then in road racing, as his father did not approve of his son's motorcycle racing career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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