timeIwasalittlekid.TheTTwasthethingformost
decent Aussie riders.”
CarruthersgrewupinGranvilleonthewestern
outskirts of Sydney, where he worked in a
motorcycleshopownedbyhisfather,atopsidecar
speedway rider. He fettled bikes and got his street
licencewhenhewasjust15.
“Mydadhadacontracttofixbikesforthearmy,
sohewangledmeastreetlicencesoIcouldroad-
test bikes. And to get a competition licence you had
to have a street licence, so I went racing at 15.”
Carruthers started racing a BSA Bantam on the
dirt,wonhisfirstseriousroadraceatBathurstona
BSAB31,andwassoondominatingtheAustralian
road-racing scene. He was very fast, but just as
important were his engineering skills.
“Ibuiltallmyownstuff,somybikeswereall
bitzas – BSA engines with Manx Norton gearboxes
andsoon.ItwasthewayIwas;I’dlearneditall
from my dad.”
Between1961and1965,Carrutherscontested181
racesinAustraliaandwon148ofthem.Hewasonly
beaten by GP winners Tom Phillis and Jack Ahearn,
when they came home for the off-season.
It was obvious what Carruthers should do next.
But, unlike most ambitious Aussies heading to
Europe, he wasn’t young, free and single.
Carruthers joined the Continental Circus at the
ageof28,withwifeJan,twokidsandhisparents,
trekking around Europe with a Honda 125 twin and
350 and 500 Manx Nortons. The gypsy lifestyle may
havehadacertainromance,butthiswasatough,
deadly game, competing on street circuits and
always on the road, racing every weekend to keep
thecashflowgoing.
“The first year was really hard. The racing side
was pretty easy, because that was just riding bikes.
Therealworkwasnegotiatingwiththeorganisers,
plus all the carnets you needed to check in and out
of all the countries, plus finding our way around.
“We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had
enough to have one of the first Ford Transits and a
little caravan. I was having the time of my life, but
it was hard on Jan, living in a little caravan, looking
afterthekidsandtravellingallthetime.Itwashard
forallthewomeninthepaddock.”
Carruthers’ engineering instincts took over for
1967,afterheordereda350Aermacchi.
“I went to Varese to get the bike, but only the
enginewasready,soIboughtaRickmanframe
andgotallthegoodstufffromItaly–Cerianiforks,
Fontana brakes – to build my own bike.”
In 1969 Carruthers became a factory Aermacchi
rider,witha125,350and380,forthe500class.
He was lucky Benelli came knocking because the
Italiansingleswereoutgunnedbythefour-stroke
multis and burgeoning two-strokes.
Benelli’s 16-valve DOHC four made 64hp at66 amcn.com.au
KEL CARRUTHERS- For three years,
Carruthers and Roberts
ruled the world - Fanali, Carruthers,
Agostini and two team
mechanics with Eddie
Lawson after he won his
third world 500 title for
Yamaha in 1988 - Carruthers and Lawson
combined to win 26 500cc
GP victories together
before Eddie left for Honda - With Freddie Spencer
during the 1989 season - In retirement,
surrounded by mementos
Below. Roberts, Clark
and Curruthers formed a
powerful combination for
Yamaha in GP racing
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