Right riders?
Dear CR
Having just purchased the March/april issue down here in New Zealand, I have a few observations. While it is Gary Nixon on the OW-31, the rider following is actually the late Greg Hansford (killed racing touring cars at Bathurst) on his Team Australia KR750. At home he always raced as 02 but in the US wore 302. The rider behind (25) I believe is Don Emde and they are entering the final left-hand turn on to the pit straight at Laguna Seca, not Ontario – in 1977. This is the same famous corner that shows countless crossed up photos of Eddie Lawson wrestling the big GPZ1100 through the 1981 Superbike Season, with Wayne Rainey who was his team-mate at Muzzy Kawasaki.
I was introduced to Team Kawasaki by a friend in 1973 – Art, Gary and Yvon quickly become my heroes. By the way, I got my brother to sign-off as my guardian on a H2A 750 Triple two years later – and became a survivor of the ‘widow maker' myself!
Talking about Muzzy Kawasaki and Anthony Gobert, I was at Phillip Island in 1995 (Troy Corser won the title) when the Go-show won both legs on his 750 Muzzy Kwaka. It's the only time I've seen a winner peel off all his gear down to his briefs and throw everything into the fans below. He had dyed his hair bright red, while Aaron Slight was sporting his pink Mohawk. Gobert's team-mate that year was Simon Crafar who finished up a credible 6th place in the world standings after having come across from Rumi Honda in 1994. Gobert had already been sacked by Muzzy.
He was a very talented road racer – but like Scott Russell totally wild and out of control! Keep up the good work, and would love to see more of the 1973 to 1984 road racing two-stroke nostalgia.
Johnny Halstead
The Editor says: “Cheers Johnny! And – yes – we’ve heard that it was that corner, thank you! But I’m sure that when Gobert stripped after winning the double it was 1996. I know as I wasn’t there – but should have been! Sorry to point that out, but I hope that shows all the readers how easy it is for us ALL to make the odd boob. To err is human…”