Laverda at the TT.

For a short period in the late 70s & early 80s the F500 (& modified Monti & Alpinos )  were useful tools for IOM TT & MGP racing.

Here is an account of their usage & success first published in the Laverda club magasine "L V V". Thanks to Bob Dixon for allowing its reproduction here.

A list of all TT results compiled by Bob is accessible via the button on the left.

Although Laverda had an outstanding track record in Endurance events, a win at the world’s most famous road race always eluded the factory. It was not for the lack of trying and there were many brave attempts by a succession of talented riders .  The Island throws up many challenges for the race teams; unpredictable weather, variable road conditions, mechanical mishap and fatigue can all conspire to frustrate the competitor’s attempts to conquer the Mountain circuit. How many other race venues can bask in bright sunlight at one end, and be swathed in thick damp fog at the other?  

All these variables combine to create the unique magic of Mona’s Isle and make the TT a very special event in the hearts of riders and spectators alike.

Laverda, with its racing reputation built on the tough and durable SFC, should have been a firm favourite to take the honours in the 750cc Formula and 750cc Production race, but lone Laverda entrant J. Wade  struggled in the ’72  races with a DNF and a 15^th place, a creditable effort nonetheless. There were no Laverda entries in ’73 and by 1974 the capacity limit had been raised to 1000cc, effectively rendering the venerable SFC uncompetitive . It was also a bit too soon to expect the factory’s new triple to make a name for itself. Hugh Evans DNF in the 1000cc production event was the final Laverda TT entry prior to a two year lay off period.

More top ten results were delivered by the legendary PK Davies [5^th  place], Michael Hunt [6^th],  George Fogarty [7^th] , Lennar Backstrom [9^th] and Robert Philpott [10^th with a Laverda powered outfit].

The 1980 F2 race was dominated by Laverda riders who secured 7 places out of the top 14!  Five Formula 500s entered by Slater Brothers secured a well deserved team trophy for them. Richard Slater recollects that every 500 made it safely home, which might surprise some Monty owners!  The Island is not kind on man or machine and the Monty’s reputation for having grenade-like tendencies was obviously unjustified on this occasion.

The highest placing in this Laverda benefit was 5^th man home Pete K Davies who later in the week suffered serious injuries when his Cropredy Bridge Jota entered for the F1 had a catastrophic accident.  This crash effectively ended the racing career of one of the most popular Laverda riders of that era.

Other well known personalities campaigning Laverdas on the Island at that time include Laverda dealers Roger Winterburn and Ray Armstrong, journalist Ray Knight and Bernard Murray. The factory never submitted an official entry and it was up to the privateers and dealer-backed teams to fly the Laverda flag at the Island. Slater’s were TT regulars in those days , as were some of the satellite dealers such as the previously mentioned Cropredy Bridge. Amongst these privateers was Lancashire born John Getty who purchased a written-off Montjuic a week before the 1981 TT, rebuilt it and managed to come 27^th in the F2. John was obviously a resourceful individual because he later went on to become a key member of the design team on Thrust 2 which now holds the world land speed record.

Laverda race fans had to wait until 1982 to see Malc Wheeler historic performance with the impressive 4^th place in the hotly contested F2 race. I contacted Malc to ask for his comments and we are privileged to have Malc recount his epic ride in his own words elsewhere in this issue. The last Laverda TT entries were ridden by Andy Jessop and the talented classic racer Paul Barrett, who has the distinction of once winning a Manx Grand Prix on a Harley! Presumably this was an Aermacchi device and not a V-twin.

Although this is an article about the TT it is worth mentioning  Tom Quaye’s Manx Grand Prix entry in the Newcomers Senior and the Senior in 1990 and 1991 MGP. respectively, effectively making Tom the last Laverda racer to compete on the Island. His 9^th position in the 1990 Newcomers was a highly creditable result. Tom’s machine is also worthy of comment, being a Segoni framed F2 machine, rumoured to be equipped with a works engine. This machine was auctioned on Ebay recently and is now in the caring hands of occasional LVV columnist Paul Marx and is currently being prepared for some appearances at European events.