Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126049
The Barry Sheene (7)/P hil Read (2 ) scramble went right down to t he checker afte r Barry Ie! a back-marker cost him some momentum. By C~ris Carter MUGELLO.ITALY. MAY 16s. , Barry Sheene tightened his grip on the 500cc road racing title with his third consecutive victory In this year's series, at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. But it is unlikely that Barr y will ever have to ride so hard to win a championship round again this year. The man who put him under so mu ch pressure was fellow British star Phil Read. who finished the race just inches behind him. It was j ust o ne of several hard fought and dangerous races at the meeting. run for the first time on the twisty six kilometre cir cuit. With the temperature in the upper 80's (F) and the competition so tough falls were inevitab le. but with more th an ;:0 Sheene: " . say. you blokes know how to make a guy feel good .. ." 14 crashes. and two fatalities at the end of the meeting it might be thought that the track is just not suitable fo r this class of competition. Only 60.000 fa ns instead of the anticipated 100.000 lined the hill side of the picturesque trac k. which ap peared to have been built with car racing in mind more th an motorcycles. The two ri ders who died wer e Italian aces Pao lo To rd i, and Otello Busch erin i, Tordi, fifth faste st in the 350cc class. desp ite t wo cras hes in practice fo r t ha t race. die d almost immediately fro m serio us ches t inj uries aft er being hit by h is mach ine. while Busch erini , robbed of second place in the 125cc race when his Malanca sto ppe d j ust two kilo me tres from the finish. died after crashing during the 250cc race. from serious stomach injuries. Spaniard Angel Nieto gave the Bultaco firm. now back at work after a six week long strike. their first GP victory in the 50cc class. beating Italian Eugenio Lazzarini, and West Gennan Rudol f Kunz easily. Pirpaolo Bianchi took the 125cc race. yet again for' the ho me Morb id eIli factory. but his teammate Pileri was st ruggling to beat Buscherin i, un til the Malanca's engine bro ke o n th e final lap, J o hn n y Ceco t to too k his total of cras he s for the year to te n wit h two more du rin g training. but t ho ug h he and his spo nsor h ad hard wo rds abo u t his 500cc form. no one had any do ubt who wo uld win th e 35 0cc eve n t after Cecotto shot off the line like a scal ded cat. He beat Italian newcomer Franco Uncini, a 20 year old with considerable talent. and circuit knowledge. by mo re than 30 seconds. with Australian J ohn Johnny Cecotto (350 Yamaha) notched another win in his bid to remin the 350 t itle . I