Remembering the fallen

Current motorcycle racing related news, information and discussion.
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Andy
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#211

Post by Andy »

Bottom post of the previous page:

I've just got the sad news that classic racing stalwart Jeff Ward, 56, succumbed to a heart attack he suffered 5 minutes after he got off his bike past a qualifying session to the Barry Sheene Classic at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough Friday night.
The pics below show Jeff on his way to win the 250 classic lightweight race at Billown, during the 2019 Pre TT Classic.

My heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends.
Ride in peace, Jeff :rip:

ImageImage
*pic source: my pics, pre TT Classics, Billown 2019
"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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Andy
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#212

Post by Andy »

On October 21, 93 year old sidecar world champion Stan Dibben (1953, with Eric Oliver) sadly passed away.
I've got to meet Stan once in the Isle of Man. A lovely chap and a great source of racing memories from ye olden days.

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Rest easy, Stan
:rip:
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#213

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

RIP Stan Dibben. :rip:

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


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Andy
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#214

Post by Andy »

"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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#215

Post by DoubleFart »

I tried to post that yesterday, but it wouldn't let me.

Very sad, because it just seemed so so avoidable.
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MonteCristo wrote: 2 years agoVettel: Not a fan at all on track. But off track, good guy.
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Andy
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#216

Post by Andy »

DoubleFart wrote: 3 years ago I tried to post that yesterday, but it wouldn't let me.

Very sad, because it just seemed so so avoidable.
Yes, indeed!
"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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#217

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Very sad. Also needless. What came back to me seeing the footage was he needed to do what I think it was Vinales did at Austria when his brakes failed, and he just climbed off the back and skidded along the ground, letting the bike hit the barrier alone. A few bruises and grazes but better than.....
Then you have to question the actual track safety at that point, with no protection from the structure he hit.

RIP Matheus Barbosa :rip:

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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#218

Post by Andy »

It is with deep regret to announce the passing of Kenneth Lambert, a passionate sidecar racer and father to sidecar racer Greg Lambert as announced on Greg's facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 1045774798.
I got to know both Ken & Greg in my times over in the Isle of Man, so this comes as shock.
Rest in peace Ken :rip:
https://www.greglambertracing.co.uk/ wrote:1988... this was the year it all began, with me and my father Ken Lambert who had always wanted to do sidecar racing. We ventured to Knock Hill circuit in Scotland for our very first outing on our Derek Rumble 650cc BSA sidecar outfit with Dad as driver and me in the chair, both complete novices not knowing what to expect.

After 6 laps of practice my Dad said to me if he knew it was this good, you wouldn’t be here today!!! And we had a smile from ear to ear all day long. Just missing out on our first trophy on our first meeting ending third in our first year's championship.

Since then I am proud to say after 20 years of dedication by myself, to sidecar racing with full support of my Dad (best friend). We have achieved moto grand prix results, formula one championship winners, formula two road race championship winners, Isle of Man Southern 100 record holders and winners, numerous club championship winners – current, and also podiums at the road racing capital of the world Isle of Man TT – and still striving to achieve my ultimate dream to win the Isle of Man TT races.

Over the past 20 years very little of this would have been achieved if it wasn’t for family and friends with their help and dedication. Through good times and bad I have found so many true and loyal friends and followers to whom I am deeply indebted and very grateful.
"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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Andy
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#219

Post by Andy »

After 2 time Manx GP winner Alan Homes and TT winner Peter Williams I'm truly shocked to report the passing of 2 time 50cc world champion Jan de Vries who has left us on Thursday, January 14, exactly one year to the day, after his wife Rommie.
I knew both personally, but never have heard about Rommys passing. Truly shocked here.

My sincerest condolences to Jan & Rommies family and friends.
Ride in peace you two.
:rip:
ImageImage
pics: Jan on his van Veen Kreidler / Rommie, Aalt & Adrie Toersen, Technorama Hildesheim 2017
Last edited by Andy 3 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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#220

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Sad news indeed.
RIP to both Jan & Rommie

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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#221

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Chris Vincent RIP


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Chris Vincent, one of Britain’s most successful sidecar racers, passed away on Thursday at the age of 86.

Vincent is most fondly remembered for his win at the 1962 Isle of Man TT Races on his BSA outfit, breaking the BMW stranglehold in the process, but he was much more than that with five British Sidecar Championships to his name as well as being a formidable solo competitor.

Indeed, 1965 saw him win both the Sidecar and 50cc British Championships making him the first man ever to win British titles on two wheels and three. He also took two top 12 finishes in the solo races at the TT.

Born in Birmingham on 20th January 1935, Vincent left school at the age of 15 and immediately joined the BSA factory before joining Norton’s race shop in 1954. It was whilst working at Norton that Vincent met 1952 Sidecar World Champion Cyril Smith and his interest in sidecars was sewn.

He eventually returned to BSA as a bike-tester but his sidecar career, like many before him, started in speedway and on the grass, becoming National Sidecar Champion in the latter in 1958. He soon switched to the tarmac though with an early result coming on two wheels when he took seventh in the Thruxton 500-mile Endurance race in 1959.

His first foray to the Isle of Man came the following year but he failed to finish in both the 1960 and 1961 Sidecar races although he did score his first World Championship points in ’61 with fifth place at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

However, he had quickly established himself as a fearsome competitor on the short circuits, his speedway background allowing him to be particularly quick through the corners where he could drift the outfit and get the power on sooner, and he didn’t have to wait long for success on the Mountain Course.

Having taken third at Clermont Ferrand, France and sixth at Montjuich Park, Spain, Vincent came into the 1962 TT in good form although the race was expected to see the BMW outfits of Max Deubel/Emil Horner and Florian Camathias/Heinz Burkhardt dominate. Indeed, they slotted into first and second on the first lap but Vincent, with Eric Bliss in the chair, was holding onto third ahead of Colin Seeley.

Chris was promoted up the order to second when Camathias crashed at Kerromoar and when Deubel retired on the final lap he duly took over the lead, going on to win by 37s from another BMW outfit of Otto Kolle with Seeley in third. It was BSA’s first ever TT victory and the first all-British sidecar win for eight years.

The three Grand Prix results saw him finish fifth overall in the World Championship but the British scene tended to see his main focus over the next few years although he continued to make trips to the likes of Spa and Assen, Holland with second place taken at the latter in both 1964 and 1965. He also took eighth in the 1964 125 TT race.

With his trademark goatee beard, success also came at the Southern 100 before back-to-back British Championships were taken in 1964 and 1965, when he took fifth at the TT, firstly on his trusty BSA and then the inevitable switch to BMW power and he made history in 1965 when he also won the 50cc British Championship on a Suzuki.

The mid-1960s also saw Vincent pioneer a new sidecar design when he repositioned the BMW Rennsport engine so instead of the shaft driving the rear wheel, it would drive the front and sidecar wheels instead. However, the FIM soon outlawed the outfit.

The development took up a lot of Vincent’s time but sixth place was taken in the 1966 World Championship, with top six finishes taken at Clermont Ferrand, Hockenheim and Assen whilst he also took a career-best solo TT finish of eighth in the 1967 250cc Production TT race.

It wasn’t until 1969 that he took his third British Sidecar Championship, once more with his trusty BSA outfit, and the outcome was the same in both 1970 and 1971 as he dominated three-wheel proceedings and 1972 saw him make a surprising full-time assault on the World Championship, the opportunity to campaign the URS-Munch too good to turn down.

Helmut Fath had used his own design to win the 1968 World Championship and after taking a close second the following year, he handed the controls to Horst Owesle who, partnered by Brit Peter Rutterford, took the 1971 title.

Fath wanted a third title and, aged 37 at the time, Vincent knew it would represent his best chance of World Championship success but luck deserted the partnership in the first half of the season with DNFs at the first four rounds, including the TT.

It was only at round five of the eight-round Championship that Vincent scored his first points with second at Assen and although he ended the year strongly with victory at Imatra, Finland, second at Brno in the Czech Republic and fourth at Spa, the damage had been done at the beginning of the year and he had to settle for fourth overall.

Vincent and passenger Pete Casey were all set to go again in 1973 but Munch backer George Bell withdrew his financial support leaving Chris without machinery. He briefly campaigned one of the new Yamaha-engined outfits but he retired from racing in 1974.

After opening a motorcycle shop in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, he nurtured the successful careers of his sons Max and Jason, the latter becoming 250cc British Champion, and continued ride in demonstration events and make regular appearances at Classic parades.
https://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news ... t-has-died

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Andy
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#222

Post by Andy »

Ride in peace :rip:
It should be added that his Southern 100 victory was in either the first or second race the first time sidecars were allowed to the meeting.
"Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing" - David Jefferies
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Andy
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Location: Under a rock somewhere in Germany

#223

Post by Andy »

Unfortunately, I've to add Fausto Gresini here.
Fausto succumbed to C19 for which he was into intensive care since December.

Ride in peace, Fausto.
:rip:
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#224

Post by Jacob »

Speedway star Olle Nygren recently passed away aged 91.
"It´s not a matter of talent, it´s a matter of luck. Pure Luck:" - Jacky Ickx
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#225

Post by Andy »

Following another way too early (Sunday) morning, I just have read the sad news about Murray Walkers passing.

I've been out of school for 4 years and was in the middle of my first year as a plumber journeyman in 1999, when a book by Christopher Hilton called 'Hitler's Grands Prix in England - Donington 1937 & 1938' caught my interest. I never was a good pupil, neither in languages nor in the scientific spectrum and would have left English language education behind when I did leave school. Now said book wasn't available in German language so I would have to read it in English. In the end I read it four times at least, always with an English-German dictionary at hand. You may ask now, what this got to do with Murray Walker. Feel free to read on.

My interest in motorsports caused me buying a bigger sat dish as well as a dish motor to be able to watch a tv channel called MotorsTV on the British Astra 2 satelites as said channel did cover ALMS but also AMA Superbike and the 24h of Le Mans at the time.
I was still interested in F1 but not as much as I used to be but soon would find out about the BBC's 500cc world championship coverage as well as ITV's F1 coverage which still would feature Murray in the commentary booth. My interest in F1 was already dropping but I still would watch it on ITV because of Murrays' commentary. I know, at the time he became a bit funny already and would mix things up but in a charming way. And since I was reading said book above I somehow licked blood on English language again and became interested in how it would sound.

Now, following my interest in motorsports (which I blame mostly for picking up on this language again) I would start to record Murrays commentaries. Not to watch the races again, but for using his pretty clean English for my attempts of pronounciation. It was a start and stop affair in regards to the video tapes. I allowed Murray one sentence and would repeat it. Unbeknown to him, he would become my English 'teacher' on the speaking side of things. A role, which later was continued by Roy Moore of Manx Radio during all these commentaries from the Isle of Man races since roughly 2010.

I would learn a lot, especially that Murray not always has been the British voice of F1. He would script commentaries for his dad Graham as well as doing his own commentaries on the Isle of Man TT races from the late 50s to 1966, which thankfully were recorded.
Today I see these records as a gift, Murrays legacy to me, kind of.

Thank you very much, my first English teacher post school days.
Ride in peace
:rip:
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Murray and Graham, Isle of Man 1931
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Everso Biggyballies
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#226

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

@Andy Great story and picture.
Indeed Murray was a legend and will be much missed for a number of reasons. :bow: :rip:

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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