Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
CARLO PERELLI
BRUTAL “VALLI”
This year, the “Valli Bergamasche” lived up to its traditional fame of being a brutal event. Celebrating its silver jubilee, it attracted the cream of the European ISDT-type trials specialists, and the best machines from Czechoslovakia, both Germanies, Spain, Austria, and Italy.
There were 264 starters from 10 countries the first day, but only 134 made it to the finish, in spite of an emergency schedule and some last minute “cuttings” of the course, made necessary by terrible weather conditions which lasted until the very start of the race.
The organizers opted for the normal schedule and course on the second day, due to fine weather. So the riders and their machines were faced with an even harder task after the tremendous effort of the previous day. The result was only 28 finishers and four of them were excluded.
There was only one finisher in the 50cc class (Brissoni on a Gilera), in the 75cc class (Brandi on a Zundapp) and in the 350cc class (Jager on a MZ). First in the other classes were Wolfgruber (Zundapp 100), Rottigni (SMW-Sachs 125), Gualdi (Puch 175), Mrazek (Jawa 250) and Willamowski (MZ 400). Czechoslovakian and East German machines continued to monopolize the upper classes, while the traditional Zundapp supremacy in the smaller classes was hotly challenged, especially by the Italian Gilera and SWM machines.
This year’s Valli was the fifth and last round of the European Championship, won by Neumann (Zundapp 50), Brandi (Zundapp 75), Wolfgruber (Zundapp 100), Witthoft (Zundapp 125), Schmieder (Zundapp 175), Mrazek (Jawa 250), Masita (Jawa 350) and Cespiva (Jawa 400). And now the battlefield is the ISDT in the USA. Every European manufacturer interested in this field is striving to make a fine showing in the States. Italian hopes are on Güera and SWM. Güera is a large concern, while SWM is an artisanal enterprise, but both are very capable of producing competitive machinery.
RUSSIAN BUILT MOTO GUZZIS?
Moto Guzzi technicians and executives were recently in Russia to discuss the possibility of building a factory there to produce motorcycles, obviously of Mandello del Lario design. The plan should be like the one actuated by Fiat, the biggest Italian car producer, which organized a plant in Togliattigrad (the town named after the Italian communist leader) for the production of the 124 model.
The basis for this arrangement was laid about a year ago and so is not the idea of new Moto Guzzi boss Alejandro de Tomaso; but of course he pushed the project very hard and stated “if all goes well, we could sell Russian built Moto Guzzis on the European and other markets at lower prices.”
THE END HAS COME
Not even two months after the Italian G.P. tragedy at Monza, three other riders were killed at the notorious “curvone” of the famous Italian autodrome.
It happened during a 500cc amateur race. Renato Colombini, on a Suzuki Twin, crashed (the real cause has not been ascertained, same as with Pasolini); his bike hit the guardrail at the external side of the track and was catapulted back onto the track itself, causing other riders to fall, at speeds well in excess of 125 mph. Besides Colombini, the other two victims were Renato Galtrucco and Carlo Chionio, both riding Honda Fours and both experienced in long distance races.
This new tragedy means no more motorcycles will race on the Monza track and it’s very unlikely that cars will ever race there again, even if the autodrome has government authorization to exist until 1978 before being destroyed.
As explained recently, Monza is old and unsafe. It was founded in 1922 and was partially renovated twice after the war. Since it is located in a park which is a national monument, the course cannot be altered as drastically as necessary to bring it up as present day safety standards. , _
(Continued on page 104)
Continued from page 103
MORBIDELLI 350 FOUR
Morbidelli ultra-lightweight racers, straddled for the first time this year by double world champion Angel Nieto, have not had a brilliant season so far. Not discouraged by this, Giancarlo Morbidelli has just completed a complex 350 Four racer.
With the cylinders paired in a narrow frontal Twin and with waterpump cooling, rotating discs, electronic ignition and six-speed gearbox, the engine is stated to have “about 10-12 bhp more than the best of our rivals.” It revs up to 16.000, with its best performance at 14.000. The four crankshafts transmit the drive to a countershaft, which in turn gives movement to the gearbox shafts and the dry type clutch.
The not-too-usual engine layout has been chosen for limited frontal width and to fit disc valves without complication. Disc valves are believed by Giancarlo Morbidelli (and other Italian specialists) to give a two-stroke unit a great power advantage. Weight of the prototype is 286 lb. but electron castings and detail refinements make Morbidelli confident it wdll drop to 253 lb.
IMPROVED H-D RACERS
Twenty-two-year-old French Champion Michel Rougerie and 28-year-old Italian Junior Champion Gianfranco Bonera have been chosen to get H-D works assistance for national and international races. The Varese factory is therefore not ending racing activity after the tragic death of Renzo Pasolini. In fact, both the 350 and the 250 two-stroke racers have been improved, to the benefit of privateers for whom these models are on sale, as reported prevously.
The new water-cooled 350 appeared at Monza, where it showed great potential. It develops 70 bhp at 9800 rpm but can be safely taken up to 10,800. Pulling power starts as low as 4000 rpm, with the real surge coming in at 7700.
The water-cooled 250 offers 54 bhp at 11,400 rpm and starts pulling at 7000 rpm. The useful range begins at 10,000 rpm.
Most interesting features of these engines are the horizontally split crankcase chamber, the two crankshafts joined by a coupling sleeve with bolts and the gearbox case is quickly detachable. Primary drive by gear is on the right (same side as the multi-plate dry clutch), ignition is electronic with the flywheel on the left, and the gearbox is a six-speed. ]5]
