64 amcn.com.au
K
el Carruthers won his only world
championship at a tipping point of
Grand Prix racing. The 250cc grid
during 1969 was a fabulous mix of
different bikes and riders.
There was Benelli’s four-cylinder four-stroke,
MZ’s tandem-twin two-stroke, Ossa’s monocoque
two-stroke single and Yamaha’s production TD2
twin, available to anyone with £900.
The riders came from all over: Carruthers from
Australia, Kent Andersson from Sweden, Santi
Herrero from Spain, Renzo Pasolini from Italy,
Heinz Rosner from East Germany, and Rod Gould
from Britain.
Carruthers’ 1969 250cc championship was the
category’s last by a four-stroke, because from 1970
the class was limited to twin-cylinder machines, a
cost-saving rule that initiated a four-decade reign
by 250cc two-strokes. It was also the first and last
250 title won by an Australian.
Carruthers had planned a three-way campaign
in 1969, riding factory Aermacchis in the 125, 350
and 500 classes. The 250 championship wasn’t
even on his agenda. And it was four races into the
12-race season – at the Isle of Man TT – before he
even climbed aboard a 250.“Halfway through practice week, Count Nardi
Dei from Benelli asked me if I’d be interested in
riding their spare 250,” Carruthers recalls. “They
wanted me to run second to Pasolini and help him
win the championship.”
Pasolini needed all the help he could get because
he had failed to score in the first three rounds.
“I took off in the 250 race and found myself in the
lead,” adds Carruthers. “So I slowed down, waiting
for Pasolini to catch me. Eventually Benelli gave
me a pit board, saying: ‘First, OK’. After that they
offered me a contract to back up Pasolini. The only
trouble was that was I usually faster than him.
“It got a bit embarrassing because the wrong guy
was getting all the points! W hen Pasolini crashed
at Imatra, Benelli figured out that I could win the
championship, so for the last three races I got two
bikes and all the help I needed. I got the title at the
last race at Opatija.”
Even now, the biggest thrill of Carruthers’ career
was not his only world title but his first TT victory,
because back then that’s all that mattered to
Aussie youngsters who grew up reading the British
motorcycle papers, shipped out to the colonies
each week.
“I had wanted to do the Isle of Man from theKEL CARRUTHERSYamaha’s
production
TD2 twin
was available
to anyone
with £900
- Carruthers riding a
Yamaha TD2 as defending
world champion in 1970 - Benelli only recruited
Carruthers to its 250 team
during practice week at
the Isle of Man - Carruthers gets a
push from experienced
mechanic Nobby Clark
during 1970 - With his wife and two
children (and a Honda
CR93) before they headed
off to Europe, never to live
again in Australia