Bruce Brown

Wow, very sad to learn of this. I grew up watching his surf films, one of which is the highest grossing documentary film of all time (I think), "The Endless Summer". His son Dana carries on the tradition.
 
I thought this movie has a message for all of us. If you live long enough, this is whom you might become :

 
pantah_good said:
Bruce Brown, "On Any Sunday" filmmaker died yesterday, he was 80.

https://www.brucebrownfilms.com/on-any-sunday
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I am 76, we all take our turn to die. The important thing is to achieve before we go and try to leave the world a better place. 'On any Sunday' gave a lot of people a lot of pleasure and will keep on giving pleasure as long as it is in the data banks. I have only one regret about my life - I did not do enough road-racing. Some things are so bad that they are good ?
I have read a bit about Mert Lawhill - he must have been an excellent rider.
 
Mert was more than a great rider and GNC Champion; he was also a very clever engineer and pretty much taught Kenny Roberts the fast way around a Mile track. He developed wheelchairs and bicycles as well as motorcycles.
 
I think it is rare to find a qualified engineer involved in road racing. I once showed my Seeley 850 to a young engineer who was in charge of one of the sections of one of the large defence factories in which I worked. He said 'I am impressed'. I did not say anything, but I know he could not build that bike. Their life is often very limited by circumstances. What I do with road racing is way outside their usual orbit. I'm not an engineer, but I've often worked within that sphere. My work has been much involved with materials science and engineering testing.
One thing which interested me about Mert - in 'On Any Sunday' he raced an Aermacchi on the dirt. I think that is smart stuff. You did not see it run in the movie, but interesting.
 
Aermacchi 250s were imported by and branded as Harley-Davidsons so the Motor company would have something to race in the lightweight classes. As Mert was a factory H-D rider, he would have raced Sprints as well as XR750s.

Bruce Brown
 
Danno said:
Aermacchi 250s were imported by and branded as Harley-Davidsons so the Motor company would have something to race in the lightweight classes. As Mert was a factory H-D rider, he would have raced Sprints as well as XR750s.
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Nice little knucklehead.

I have one of those 350 engines sitting on my shop floor.
 
The Aermacchi 250 and 350 bikes in road racing trim, filled the gap between the outgoing Boy Racer 7R's and Manx 40M and the Japanese TD's. They were harassed by the Greeves Silvestones and Oultons.
Bruce Brown


It was great to see three generations of privateer race bikes battling it out, with the the winner often being the best rider - until the Yamahas became so fast and reliable and the only machine to have.

For me, that was the end of my real interest in road racing until vintage and classic racing took off. It was always about the machines and technology, but necessarily the latest.
 
I have a pic over my toolbox of Earl and Ron Widman of Widman H-D and local hero Billy Joe Taylor with one of Widman's Sprint flat trackers from about '66 or '67. It was Earl who designed and built the original frames for the Daytona 200-winning XRTT roadracers. Billy Joe was their hired gun.
Bruce Brown


At one time, Widman bought out a local Norton dealer, bikes and parts and I would go there and actually buy stuff rather than just look and bs. One day I walked in to get some valve cover gaskets and from behind the counter Ron looked at me and said, "You know, the worst thing about being a Harley dealer is dealing with all these f*%#in' rednecks!" Years later, Widman became a SuzuKi dealer, so I'd go there for gaskets etc. for my GS 1100E. Walked in one day and there, behind the counter was Ron, 40 lbs heavier, wearing bifocals and all gone gray. He looked at me and said, "You know, the worst thing about being a Harley dealer is dealing with all these f*4%kin' yuppies!" Good times

Later, the geniuses at The Motor Company tried to force Ron into building a new shotglass-and-underwear boutique out by the Intestate. When he refused, they pulled his dealership. So much for loyalty to those who kept your company afloat when build quality was crap and the company was circling the drain.
 
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The Aermacchi 350 was the best ever European single cylinder four-stroke. Many years ago Ken French brought one home to Melbourne from Europe. It was for sale for about $1500. A friend of mine beat me to it. It was a Drixton - frame made by Othmar Drixel. It is still around here somewhere. An original 350 was sold a while back for about $25,000, the Drixton would be worth more. MY friend told me that the Aermacchi racing motor is different to the Harley Sprint, there were only about two Sprint parts that he could use.

 
Don't know if they were made to a differrent spec than the homeland engines, but the Harley Sprint was a production machine. When Vance and Hines dragrace their "VRod" there are no V-Rod or even Harley parts on it. The "Sprint" tracker may have had all sorts of non-Sprint parts. Just racing and all.
 
Early 70's, there was a guy that flattracked a sprint in Wisconsin. I remember what the back of it looked like.
 
pantah_good said:
Dave Roper knows what to do with an Aermacchi.

View attachment 3523
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I think I chatted with him a few minutes before or after that photo was taken, 2008, I forget which track, but seem to remember that exact spot. Super nice guy, we chatted several times during tech and awards.

He flew past me once at Barber's, me on my 650 Bonneville giving it all I had; LIKE I WAS PARKED!
 
acotrel said:
The Aermacchi 350 was the best ever European single cylinder four-stroke. ... MY friend told me that the Aermacchi racing motor is different to the Harley Sprint, there were only about two Sprint parts that he could use.
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I traded another knucklehead engine to "DocZ" the proprietor of Solo roller starters, he also used to race them. He kept Dave Roper honest, but I think Dave had the "good" parts.
 
Danno, That is a beautiful motorcycle (#1 Sprint). It's one flaw is that it's in the wrong garage.
 
You can probably still buy a 350cc Ala D' Oro for about $30,000. There is a guy in Melbourne who has my mate's Drixton 350 and an Ex-Charles Mortimore 350. What would you do with one ? Most historic races these days are not run in capacity classes. And if they are, you end up racing against later model water-cooled two strokes. It is all self-defeating. Some guys keep small capacity racers in their lounge rooms and polish them. If they can afford them, they probably cannot ride them without necking themselves.
 
nickguzzi said:
The Aermacchi 250 and 350 bikes in road racing trim, filled the gap between the outgoing Boy Racer 7R's and Manx 40M and the Japanese TD's. They were harassed by the Greeves Silvestones and Oultons.
Bruce Brown


It was great to see three generations of privateer race bikes battling it out, with the the winner often being the best rider - until the Yamahas became so fast and reliable and the only machine to have.

For me, that was the end of my real interest in road racing until vintage and classic racing took off. It was always about the machines and technology, but necessarily the latest.
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What you have outlined is the reason historic racing is shit. I'd rather race a 350cc four stroke against a 500cc four stroke, than race 350cc four stroke against a 350cc two stoke. A 70's TZ350 would shit all over any Aermacchi 350, except perhaps on the IOM where reliability is a major factor.
 
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