Anglo-American Match Racing of the 1970s

[Blackbird]

Is anyone old enough to remember (errr... like me ) the annual match racing series between the U.S and U.K, featuring such greats as Nixon, Romero, Cooper and Tait?

I was privileged to actually attend some of these meetings and they still rate as some of the most thrilling racing I've ever seen over 40+ years. The howl of 10 factory-prepared Triumph/BSA triples with 3 into one open exhaust systems will stay with me forever.

Here's a link to some photos I took of the 1971 series and a further link to a booklet which a British couple have just produced on the series which brought back lots of memories: http://geoffjames.blogspot.co.nz/201...cing-1971.html

Small wonder that at 64, I'm riding a Street Triple after those early influences !

[Berries]

Is anyone old enough to remember (errr... like me ) the annual match racing series between the U.S and U.K, featuring such greats as Nixon, Romero, Cooper and Tait?

No. But old enough to remember going down to Donington as a teenager to watch the transatlantic series in the 80's with names most people on here will be familiar with, Schwantz, Sheene, Gardner and my Grandmas favourite Ron Haslam.

[Blackbird]

No. But old enough to remember going down to Donington as a teenager to watch the transatlantic series in the 80's with names most people on here will be familiar with, Schwantz, Sheene, Gardner and my Grandmas favourite Ron Haslam.

Hey, thanks for the fantastic link - great to see the 2 strokes again! Wayne Gardner representing the UK???

Have never been to Donington, Silverstone and Mallory were my local circuits and my girl friend at the time (now wife of 40 years) used to live not far from Brands Hatch so those were the circuits I used to frequent. Great memories

[Scruffygit]

No. But old enough to remember going down to Donington as a teenager to watch the transatlantic series in the 80's with names most people on here will be familiar with, Schwantz, Sheene, Gardner and my Grandmas favourite Ron Haslam.

Fit in between you two.

Remember wringing the neck of my AP50 trying to stay with my neighbours (GT380, KH250 & Z400), and failing miserably, down to Mallory Park to watch the '77 match races.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLovgYl0Tec

Donnington was (is) only 13 miles from home and I was there for the first meeting when it was reopened.

[Blackbird]

Fit in between you two.

Remember wringing the neck of my AP50 trying to stay with my neighbours (GT380, KH250 & Z400), and failing miserably, down to Mallory Park to watch the '77 match races.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLovgYl0Tec

Donnington was (is) only 13 miles from home and I was there for the first meeting when it was reopened.

Hi John,
Great to hear from you and hope all is well

I started on a Suzuki 50 which got an absolute hiding at my hands trying to keep up with a Tiger Cub and an Ariel Arrow belonging to my mates!

Don't suppose those match races still take place but they were great events. Somewhere in unopened household boxes in our shed, I have heaps of slides of other match races and of the 1969 Isle of Man TT - must have a poke about this winter.

[eliot-ness]

I don't remember much about the 70s series, but I do remember when it first started in the 60s. Cooper and Minter were the UK stars back then, and a guy called Mike Duff was, I believe, the American captain. Some very close racing then, mostly on Manx Nortons. Mike Duff was later known as Michelle Duff after a sex changed I think, and he/she, was still riding to my knowledge up to the 90s, as was Percy Tait, who is even older than me. I think John Cooper, was the first rider to use cast alloy wheels in that series. Minter,a great character, who always wore a top hat in the pits, was one of very few who, on a Manx, could beat Hailwood on the MV at Mallory Park where handling was more important than top speed. He later joined up with John Hartle to ride the Gilera 500 4s run by the Scuderia Duke team, but with little success. I'm too old to remember much more but the 60s was a great time when only a handful of riders made big money and most rode purely for the sport.

[Blackbird]

Mike Duff was a Canadian - you'll have the Americans knocking on your door

I have seen Derek Minter race, but he was close to retirement when I started going to races. Cooper came to real prominence in the early 70's and I believe that he narrowly missed out on a works Honda ride. IIRC, he actually rode Hailwood's 500 - 4 on a few occasions in domestic events. I think it was Peter Williams of Norton fame who first used cast alloy wheels - a world first. John Hartle also rode the early Thruxton Bonnevilles with some success. I knew Percy Tait slightly as I used to drag race with Norm Hyde, a senior development engineer with Triumph. Photo attached of John Cooper's Seeley Matchless in 1968 at Mallory Park and Percy's Daytona at the same meeting.
Guess all that stuff shows me up as a real old fart

[eliot-ness]

I stand corrected one both counts, Peter Williams, and Mike Duff, but he was the team captain of what was regarded as an American outfit so I guess they didn't have too many US road racers in those days.
In the early 60s Cooper was, unfortunately, overshadowed by a number of top class riders and despite his obvious talent he had to wait in the wings for his time to come.
If I remember correctly, John Hartle was a works MV rider when Surtees won the world title for MV for the second time.
Wish I was as young as youi, you can still remember things, I need to be prompted.

[Scruffygit]

Hi Geoff,

All good apart from I don't seem to have had a spare moment since I got residency, too busy catching up with all the jobs I put on hold.

Hi John,

I started on a Suzuki 50 which got an absolute hiding at my hands trying to keep up with a Tiger Cub and an Ariel Arrow belonging to my mates!

Ah, the naivety of youth, and it doesn't stop as you get older.

[Blackbird]

Wish I was as young as youi, you can still remember things, I need to be prompted.

Hahaha, alas not true . My wife is in Europe on a "girlie"trip and I'm really struggling to remember what day the rubbish goes out, what all her "critical"instructions were and so on. It's a wonder I remember to go to bed

Hi Geoff,

Ah, the naivety of youth, and it doesn't stop as you get older.

Jennie says I never got past a mental age of 5, so what's new.....

[george formby]

No. But old enough to remember going down to Donington as a teenager to watch the transatlantic series in the 80's with names most people on here will be familiar with, Schwantz, Sheene, Gardner and my Grandmas favourite Ron Haslam.

Did they have a series of trans Atlantic races on RD 350's? I can remember watching a race, Schwantz won I think, just, with a leading pack of 20 bikes. It was insane racing. Them's was the days.

[Berries]

Did they have a series of trans Atlantic races on RD 350's? I can remember watching a race, Schwantz won I think, just, with a leading pack of 20 bikes. It was insane racing. Them's was the days.

Not sure, wasn't that what Niall MacKenzie raced on?

Found some more video with an intro showing some very young looking riders - http://wn.com/1986_Transatlantic_Challenge

[JakeDodds]

Is anyone old enough to remember (errr... like me ) the annual match racing series between the U.S and U.K, featuring such greats as Nixon, Romero, Cooper and Tait?

I was privileged to actually attend some of these meetings and they still rate as some of the most thrilling racing I've ever seen over 40+ years. The howl of 10 factory-prepared Triumph/BSA triples with 3 into one open exhaust systems will stay with me forever.

Here's a link to some photos I took of the 1971 series and a further link to a booklet which a British couple have just produced on the series which brought back lots of memories: http://geoffjames.blogspot.co.nz/201...cing-1971.html

Small wonder that at 64, I'm riding a Street Triple after those early influences !

I attended the Anglo-American Match races and have thousands of negs of the series. My best memories were Barry Sheene at speed. Ron Grant smiling. And especially Cal Rayborn with the wreath around his neck. Great memories. I even visited Ron and his wife in California and use to buy my Suzuki race equipment from him

[george formby]

Not sure, wasn't that what Niall MacKenzie raced on?

Found some more video with an intro showing some very young looking riders - http://wn.com/1986_Transatlantic_Challenge

That's my interweb viewing for the day. Thank you

[Blackbird]

I attended the Anglo-American Match races and have thousands of negs of the series. My best memories were Barry Sheene at speed. Ron Grant smiling. And especially Cal Rayborn with the wreath around his neck. Great memories. I even visited Ron and his wife in California and use to buy my Suzuki race equipment from him

Great to hear from you Jake! They sure were spectacular racing days with the riders being pretty accessible. I bet that the authors of the booklet would kill to get a look at your negatives! Somewhere, I have a slide of Nixon, Romero and others (maybe even Rayborn) all lined up on the dummy grid. It's a close-up head and shoulders shot of them all. I really must go through all my boxes of old stuff, but that's a major mission.

Thanks for dropping in!

Geoff