Features

FROM OUR ARCHIVES Ask any of the competitors who raced regularly against Austin Hockley and the most common description they give him is ‘fearless’. Chris Carter charts his varied career. Words: Chris Carter Photographs: Austin Hockley Collection and Nick Nicholls Collection – Mortons Archive In a career lasting 12 years Austin has had a great…

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The performances of Cal Rayborn and Yvon Duhamel, when they shared top individual Transatlantic Trophy Series honours with British riders in 1972 and 1973, had already shown fans in the UK that America could produce road racers who could run with the best. But no one on either side of the Atlantic could have predicted…

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It was a race of extremes. Bikes seized, Barry Sheene was left coasting and Read romped home. Building to the race… The seventh round of the 1974 500cc World Championship took place at the picturesque and ultra-fast mountain circuit at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Phil Read was fastest in practice on the MV- Agusta but there…

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TT podiums, 500GP world championships and a host of other duties. The Dugdale Maxton Yamaha TZ385 that served under Charlie Williams was far more than a one-trick pony. Back in the days before anyone dreamed that Yamaha two-strokes would ever be venerated as prized collectables, the Dugdale Maxton Yamaha TZ385 that took Charlie Williams to…

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British Sidecar Champion in 1968 he may have been, but it was bad luck and worse timing that robbed Peter Brown of the greater success he undoubtedly deserved. Pete Crawford spoke to the man himself and discovered the ins and outs while discussing life at BSA, passenger-ing for a U-boat cook and winning the TT.…

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He raced motorcycles that tied themselves up in knots. He found that extra something that all champions manage to find. He took on – and beat – the best. One big crash and 12 days later the racing was gone. The twice champ from the glory days of US Superbikes had to find his life…

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Like something from a Hollywood blockbuster, what a guy from New Zealand managed to make went out on track and stunned the racing world. This is the story of that motorcycle. Words by: Terry Stevenson Photos by: The Newcombe family, Rod Tingate, Patrick Stevenson, Terry Stevenson If you wrote this as a fictional story for…

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Words and photographs: Jan & Hetty Burgers Over 150,000 race fans went to see the sixth round of the 500cc world championship at the end of June 1974. They were all eagerly looking forward to the battle of the fours between the MVs, Yamahas and Suzukis. The Isle of Man TT results of early June…

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Words and Photographs: Peter Crawford and Mason Collection. Synonymous with BSA there was far more to Devimead than parallel twins. They flirted with Bartons and Morinis but Pete Crawford found out that it was with Honda that they came closest to the big time. “With the F2 Honda we fixed all the problems, had it…

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