DEBUT ROAD RACE WIN
Newcombe gained a West German race licence and won his very first road race in September 1969 at Avus, Germany, on the first Konig 500. The bike was developed in parallel with Newcombe’s rookie road racing skills as he raced the Konig 500 around West Germany. Australian racer John Dodds rode the Konig several times from 1970 but, the 75hp Konig experienced its share of early two-stroke failures. Newcombe was forced to do his own development riding to improve the machine. By 1972, Newcombe was building batches of the Konig 500 for sale in kit form, using a spine frame he designed and built himself, with a box section swingarm. The Konig was offered without wheels, brakes or forks, leaving purchasers to choose their favourite brands themselves. The engine received a redesign and the crank was beefed up. At the season-opening Nurburgring, Newcombe surprised the world by finishing on the podium in his debut 500cc world title race, behind the factory MV Agustas of Giacomo Agostini and Alberto Pagani. The result cemented the Kiwi’s riding ability and development skills. Despite not competing at every round, Newcombe still managed a third at the Sachsenring (East Germany), a fifth at Anderstorp (Sweden) and a 10th at Clermont Ferrand (France) placing him 10th in the 1972 world 500cc championship. While in the UK to see a specialist, Newcombe met friend Rod Tingate, who was preparing for his own season in Europe on a Yamaha TR3. Tingate explains: “I had the TR3, £100, the Ford Thames van and off I went to the French GP!” Newcombe said if Tingate didn’t get a GP start he could work as his mechanic. “It worked well for both of us. I got quite a number of starts, which was really good, and Kim got the muchneeded help with his three bikes. If I didn’t get any start money they would pay for my petrol to the next race meeting and Janeen would give me a feed. “Kim was a very determined but an unassuming bloke. He was a quiet achiever with a good sense of humour, and got on with people really well.” The Konig 500 was revamped for the 1973 season but for all its power, the outboard engine had no radiator, clutch or gearbox. A heavy double-core brass radiator handled the cooling, while a separately mounted six-speed Norton (later Quaife) gearbox was used, with Austrian-made Schafleitner gears. Primary drive to the gearbox was originally done by chain, but consistent breakages determined that a Morse toothed-chain was required, which proved reliable. The length of the engine meant that it was necessary to keep the gearbox as close as possible to the engine. This kept the wheelbase to 1422mm but left little room to remove the rear spark plugs.
“NEWCOMBE GAINED A WEST GERMAN RACE LICENCE AND WON HIS VERY FIRST ROAD RACE IN SEPTEMBER 1969 AT AVUS, GERMANY.”