Go Stanley
While I agree that Tazio Nuvolari was the greatest motor racing all-rounder of all time, I think the record of his contemporary motorcycle racer, the Irishman Stanley Woods may transcend Nuvolari in our form of motor racing. Woods won all over Europe for “works” teams Norton, Husqvarna, Moto Guzzi and Velocette and was particularly successful of course in the-then premier event – the IOM TT. He rode mainly in the premier 500cc class, as well as the 350 and 250 events.
Incidentally the beautiful duck-egg blue Bianchi (even their pushbikes to this day are in that colour), was one of the first double OHC machines, only preceded by the amazing 1913 Peugeot designed by the famous Henry. Its specification reads like a ‘60s machine – parallel twin, bevel gear driven twin OHC4 valves per cylinder in a pent-roof combustion chamber – all before WW1! Except for a few “specials” the next with some success after this and the Bianchi, appears to be another French make, albeit designed by an Italian – the Moto-Jonghi which had some little success mainly on the Continent. Of the rest only Velocette, the supercharged BMW and Rondine used double cams before Norton, NSU and the V4 AJS in 1938. Bianchi themselves had a supercharged twin cam four in 1939, but it came too late. Although it could be classed as a “Le Vack special” and mostly raced by him at Brooklands, the TT and occasionally on the Continent, J A Prestwich’s designer Harry Le Vack came up with a double OHC design – in 250, 350 and the unusual size of 435cc for the 500 class. The 1938 DOHC 250 Benelli won the last pre-war 250 TT, and was raced by Ambrosini with great success after the war. This prototype JAP was unusual and complex, and as JAP was having great success with their existing range of parallel pushrod V twins and singles it was not put into production and remained a “works special.” The G50 Matchless, virtually a big bore 7R AJS, used the same 78mm stroke and a 90 bore, so the article about the GB500 Honda should read on P 62 -”coincidentally ALMOST the same as a Matchless G50.” As a very retired automotive historian with a great interest in the development of the racing internal combustion engine, and particularly motorcycles in the period from 1918 to 1939, I believe your magazine is the best in the world, not only for me but its balance focussing on enthusiasts and their interests. Congratulations on an excellent magazine.