Retro Racer Profile: Bill Ivy

Bill Ivy, not usually talked about as much as the likes of Read, Sheene and Agositini, but Ivy could hold his own amongst the best of them.

Bill Ivy, over 20 GP wins

William David Ivy better known as Bill Ivy (27 August 1942–12 July 1969) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Maidstone, Kent.

Bill Ivy

Ivy started racing motorbikes at Brands Hatch in 1959. He raced in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship towards the end of 1965, where he finished fourth in two 125 cc races and third in a 250 cc race. In 1966, he raced for the works Yamaha team, won the first race of the year at the Montjuich Circuit in Spain, and took three more wins—not enough, however, to beat Swiss rider Luigi Taveri, who beat Ivy to the title by six points.
In 1967, Ivy dominated the 125 cc championship: he won eight out of twelve races to claim the World Championship by 16 points over Phil Read. On top of this, he won two 250 cc races in France and Belgium.

In 1968, Ivy and teammate Phil Read controlled both the 125 and 250 cc championships. In the process Ivy also became the first 125cc rider to lap the famous Isle Of Man TT Mountain Course at over 100 mph. As the season progressed, Yamaha ordered them to win one title each, with Ivy scheduled to win the 250 cc championship and Read the 125 cc championship. After securing the 125 cc title, Read ignored Yamaha's orders to tie with Ivy on points. The tie break was decided on overall race times, and Read took the title.

Bill Ivy

Ivy announced his retirement from motorcycle racing, stating he would race Formula Two cars during the next season. Despite showing some impressive results in Formula Two, he was enticed back to motorcycling by an offer from Jawa in 1969 to race their 350 cc motorcycle. The season started promising, as he took two second places behind Giacomo Agostini. 

However, during practice for the fifth race, on the Sachsenring in East Germany, Ivy was touring back to the paddock with his helmet resting on the tank when his motorcycle's engine seized. He was thrown from the bike, sustained massive head injuries, and died in hospital.


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Beautiful Custom Royal Enfields

Former Royal Enfield franchised dealer Bruce Maconochie has turned an interest in custom bikes into a full-time business. Last year he sold his family bike and car business (established 40 years) in Didcot, Oxfordshire, and set up BMCC (Bruce Maconochie Classic Custom) at Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire.

He and engineer Al Charlton are concentrating on creating Bobber-style Royal Enfield singles, but will also customise other machines. So far they have produced 12 Royal Enfield Bobbers, two of them sold to the Rockabilly fraternity. They also buy an sell, repair and service motorcycles.

“Interest is growing and it’s becoming harder to source bikes" says Maconochie, whose 500 RE Bobber, with hand-change, hard tail rear and electric speedo in the tank,  retails at about £8,500 depending on the cost of the donor bike. “We build the bikes to be ridden,” he emphasises.

Here's a 500 Classic E-Start Bobber, 2004, just 1300 miles covered- £3,495.

Details: tel 01235 847345 www.oxfordshireroyalenfield.co.uk

Story as seen in British Dealer News www.dealernewsonline.co.uk 

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Now that's the way to do a bike test!

Our buddies at TBM- Trail Bike and Enduro Magazine- decided on a  very different approach when testing a new KTM 690SMC-R against a classic Honda CR500 hybrid.

Girls, bikes, a 57 Chevvy, a 1941 Tiger Moth and a Norfolk airfield to be exact. Here's how the 'Planes, Trails and Automobiles' feature from earlier this year panned out-

Everyone rocks up in the Chevvy. Bikes and all.  Tiger Moth arrives and the race is on.

Fly Girls Caz n' Sophie- TBM got our attention at precisely this point...

Both bikes were remarkably even over the 1km course. The CR500 got the jump but the KTM 690 eventually reeled it back in by the end of the runway. Both were miles quicker than the Moth though, apparently!

Wait for the Moth- and they're off!

Very cool way to run a feature chaps. Well done! 

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Plans to bring MotoGP to Wales

Plans for a £250m race circuit complex in South Wales were officially unveiled in August.

The Heads of the Valleys Development Company scheme to build a circuit from
scratch is the brainchild of infrastructure specialist Peter Thomas and former Honda MotoGP motorcycle race team manager Chris Herring. Project CE is Michael Carrick, founder of Aventa Capital Partners.

How the track may look

Planning permission is being been sought for the Circuit of Wales to be sited next to the Rassau Industrial Estate north of Ebbw Vale on an 830-acre site. It is anticipated that Work on the complex will start next spring with a view to completion in 2015. The goal is to host world championship racing at the complex including MotoGP, World SuperBike and saloon car racing.

“The development will represent the most significant capital investment programme in automotive and motor sports infrastructure in the UK in the last 50 years,” said Thomas, chief executive of Insight in Infrastructure Ltd, of Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire.

Initially Thomas and Herring had investigated the possibility of taking over an existing race track, before deciding that a new complex to include two off-road motorcycle racing tracks and a kart track was the way to go.

The complex is also due to include a medical centre, motor sports academy and technology park. Only two purpose-built race circuits have been built in the UK so far - Brooklands at Weybridge, Surrey (1907- 1939), and Rockingham Speedway, Corby, Northamptonshire (opened 2001).

Source: British Dealer News Magazine, September 2012

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