John looking sharp at the
French GP at Paul Ricard
I picked that year of ‘77 to do my GP-pursuing
OE because a couple of Kiwi lads were also
making the journey north for the high-speed
summer... John Woodley and Stu Avant.
And I caught up with them on a couple of
occasions, spending a bit of time in John’s
modest pit area as well as catching up with
both the lads in a caravan at the Dutch TT at
Assen.
Or it could have been Paul Ricard? Memories
huh?
Stu had somehow been offered a new set of
leathers which were, shall we say, unusual.
The colours and the styling was all over the
place and, while I seem to recall he accepted
them, he wasn’t going to don them.
John laughed and laughed.
We all laughed as Stu held them up and made
his own entertaining fashion comments.
I remember the start of the Belgian GP at
the frighteningly fast Spa course, where the
mechanics had a hell of a job trying to get the
carbs sorted on the two-stroke 500s.
One minute they’d be racing across open
ground at 260km/h and the next minute they’d
be on the fast sections through forest areas
(this was before they shortened the course).
So all the trees and all the oxygen they were
sending out would rattle the carb settings.
I don’t think John finished the race, but his
start was sensational and he rocketed through
the bunch up the sweeping hill right curve.
I was sniffing around the pit area before
heading up to the hairpin, where the sight and
sound of the likes of Sheene and Agostini on
full braking and down-shifting was sheer magic.
I later recovered the exhaust tip which had
come off John Newbold’s bike. Had it for years
but it eventually went missing.
John came through to 14th at the French GP,
and Stu bagged 11th at the German GP that
season.
And Stu at the Isle of Man - where it was also
Pat Hennan’s debut year on the roads where
he finished a very creditable 5th in the Senior
TT. Stu wasn’t messing about and seeing him
charge down Bray Hill after getting the starter’s
orders was exciting, in a semi-frightening way.
Sadly Stu he didn’t finish the race... but after TT
week had wrapped up and Stu was still able to
walk away and smile, I borrowed some bloke’s
old single cylinder 350 Ducati and rode a brief
stretch of the course. Kerbs and fences and
buildings ever-so-close to the roadway. It was
enjoyable going about 80km/h in places but
twice that and a bit more to boot...? No chance.
As Stu once remarked, “You have to be a
lunatic to ride hard there” and later added that
“The Isle of Man beat me”.
It was great to see the Kiwi lads fly the flag
at a fine speed over in Europe, as I’d followed
them from track to track back here in the 70s
and vowed to get to Europe to see the world’s
premium class pilots in action.
KIWI RIDER 39