Racing Guzzis

[redline]

Guzzi to the front...a 1978 Moto Guzzi small block is still competitive today!

[drdwb]

Nice picture of Guzzis on the dirt circuit.
But just once I’d like to ride like this.



Check out the angle of the headers.
Didn’t mean to hijack your post. But it is about racing.

[guzzi771]

Track day at COTA

[redline]

So why not not jump on one of your Guzzis and go for it. I was riding a friend's Guzzi on a 1/4 mile dirt track a couple of weeks ago in Florida in that pic. It gets the heart racing for sure!

[DavidB]

There’s some good footage on YouTube of Aussie Paul Lewis (The Angry Ant) on a big block Guzzi giving the Britten’s a fierce fight.  In the end (spoiler alert) the Brittens prevailed after tag-teaming the diminutive Lewis on the Guzzi, but it’s still good viewing.

The subtext, too, about how an old iron-block pushrod twin could take it almost up to the Brittens, and give the Ducatis a good seeing-to - with all the mythology around their ‘technical superiority’ - is really interesting......
Even reading the comments on the video there is a lot of mythology around the Britten - “they’re were just playing with him” etc.  All this around Brands Hatch which is hardly optimal territory for a Guzzi, and there were some very obvious downshift torque reaction issues.  Imagine racing a modern Guzzi sports bike (if only they’d make one these days) with quick shift and auto-blip on down change. 

https://youtu.be/McnjxoBQ6TQ

[cliffrod]

There’s some good footage on YouTube of Aussie Paul Lewis (The Angry Ant) on a big block Guzzi giving the Britten’s a fierce fight.  In the end (spoiler alert) the Brittens prevailed after tag-teaming the diminutive Lewis on the Guzzi, but it’s still good viewing.

The subtext, too, about how an old iron block pushrod twin could take it almost up to the Brittens, and give the Ducatis a good seeing-to - with all the mythology around their ‘technical superiority’ - is really interesting......
Even reading the comments on the video there is a lot of mythology around the Britten - “they’re were just playing with him” etc.  All this around Brands Hatch which is hardly optimal territory for a Guzzi, and there were some very obvious downshift torque reaction issues.  Imagine racing a modern Guzzi sports bike (if only they’d make one these days) with quick shift and auto-blip on down change. 

https://youtu.be/McnjxoBQ6TQ

Iron block?  Unless that's a spell check issue, I don't understand.

[Kiwi_Roy]

I must say the Aussie on the Guzzi had his hands full, great effort though.

[Mr Revhead]

Yeah.... the Raceco Daytonas were very good, certainly had the measure of the Ducatis etc of the time. However the Brittens were toying with him. I think its in the Britten book, or something about Stroud I read where the promoter was very thankful of the show they put on.
In Racecos own words they won a lot.... unless the Brittens turned up.

[twowheeladdict]

So why not not jump on one of your Guzzis and go for it. I was riding a friend's Guzzi on a 1/4 mile dirt track a couple of weeks ago in Florida in that pic. It gets the heart racing for sure!

Wow!  Dirt in Florida, who would have known.  Must have been somewhere up in the panhandle or had it imported.  My years in Florida all I ever saw was sand.   

[F-Fred]

A few from the old hard drive:









Ed!

[jwinwi]

Kenosha Wisconsin's own Eric and Celia Trosper. Not sure who owns the rights to this picture...
Would your wife/SO do that? Neither would mine!

[jas67]

Kenosha Wisconsin's own Eric and Celia Trosper. Not sure who owns the rights to this picture...
Would your wife/SO do that? Neither would mine!

I'm pretty sure that is the couple that we met and watched last year at Barber.  They were definitely very impressive to watch, and a nice couple to meet and talk to too.  Check out her tat.

[cliffrod]

Here's more good pics and good reading- 

http://www.fredsgarage.net/the-guzzi-that-gave-yamaha-the-finger/

[guzzi771]

Here's more good pics and good reading- 

http://www.fredsgarage.net/the-guzzi-that-gave-yamaha-the-finger/

Thanks for posting !

[Huzo]

Properly set up “modern” racing Guzzies look as good as anything of their ilk on a track.
When at full lean angle viewed from the high side with just the rider’s leg and part torso showing...
They look as good as comparable Ducatis, Triumphs..et al.
Something like a stripped down V11 Sport or Daytona, Griso type of thing..

[HarveyMushman]

[chuck peterson]

Dave Roper, first Americun to win Isle of Mann...

https://daveroperracing.blogspot.com/2020/03/?m=1

Come to a SLMDRossi Tiddler Tour and meet the man, the beard and his Guzzi

[Turin]

Dave Hull of Daves Cycle Service.









online image upload

[Huzo]

Here’s my point.
A well ridden bike on a twisty road is in that configuration 90% of the time and it would not matter if it had 50% more potential performance, at that point you couldn’t use it.
So.
If that bike had a Griso engine, it could not be ridden any faster than an MGS.
Tell me my Griso engined MGS would not be equal to a (relatively) current sportsbike in amateur hands..(like ours..).

[HarveyMushman]

Here’s my point.
A well ridden bike on a twisty road is in that configuration 90% of the time and it would not matter if it had 50% more potential performance, at that point you couldn’t use it.
So.
If that bike had a Griso engine, it could not be ridden any faster than an MGS.
Tell me my Griso engined MGS would not be equal to a (relatively) current sportsbike in amateur hands..(like ours..).

And here I thought the thread is re: racing bikes . . .

[HarveyMushman]

[Huzo]

And here I thought the thread is re: racing bikes . . .

Yeah fair enough.
I wonder what bit you edited out.

[bad Chad]

Father and daughter racers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-WpaIHTFUY

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Stephen Brenton on his Loopframe racer. 

[HarveyMushman]

Yeah fair enough.
I wonder what bit you edited out.

The rude bit, naturally.   

Mike Tiberio's racer at Nelson Ledges in early 90's:

[Misterb]

A reversed head endurance racer I saw at the Bol D'or in 1985. When I got home, MCN had a small article about the bike..

[Huzo]

The rude bit, naturally.   

Mike Tiberio's racer at Nelson Ledges in early 90's:

I used to like watching his races on WG.

[larrys]

Dave Roper, first Americun to win Isle of Mann...

https://daveroperracing.blogspot.com/2020/03/?m=1

Come to a SLMDRossi Tiddler Tour and meet the man, the beard and his Guzzi

I knew a Dave Roper in CT in the late '70's who was a welder and a motorcycle racer. He was campaigning a Silk at the time, which looked like it was based on an old Scott Flying Squirrel. I remember him saying it wasn't the fastest on the straights but hard to beat in the twisties...
Same guy?
Larry

[Murray]

If that bike had a Griso engine, it could not be ridden any faster than an MGS.
Tell me my Griso engined MGS would not be equal to a (relatively) current sportsbike in amateur hands..(like ours..).

In amateur hands it would be chewed up and spat out backwards, amateurs tend to rely on straight line acceleration over cornering skill, the further behind the bike is in this department the bigger the differnce.

[motoduck]

Hey, that's me.  I appreciate the photo as I don't have any action shots of when I had the 17" wheels on it.  In practice, it didn't work out so well and I went back to 18" wheels. 

That was a while ago for sure...thinking 09ish.

Jeff