A large number of British cars that dominated the racing scene in the 1960s will be competing
While the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ), a subsidiary of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), is an organization that hosts the All Japan Championships in which factory teams and professional riders compete, the Motorcycle Club Federation of Japan (MCFAJ) is dedicated to amateur racing. Currently, it hosts road races and motocross, with three to four road races held annually at Tsukuba Circuit and Fuji Speedway.
Koichi Iwaki drives a 1 minute 17 second lap in a 1962 Norton Matchless G50.
Actor Koichi Iwaki, known for his love of motorcycles, is also a regular rider at LOC. He happily posed for a photo with Tadao Suzuki of Special Parts Tadao.
The MCFAJ Clubman Road Race is also held alongside several other races sponsored by other organizations. One of these is the Legend of Classic (LOC). Classes are divided by engine displacement and age, and it's amazing to see bikes over half a century old still in use, even racing on the circuit.
Looking around the paddock and pits, I was struck by the fact that the majority of the bikes competing in the LOC were British. Classic models like Norton and Triumph dominated the racing scene in the 1960s. They were also highly regarded and sold well in the general market. They possessed more than enough performance to compete in races. Alongside these British bikes, Italian and Japanese bikes also competed. The sight of them blasting their gut-busting, deep exhaust notes around the circuit gave me a sense of the maturity of Japan's motorcycle scene.
Over 40 years ago, I went to Australia and New Zealand to cover races. While I primarily covered the top-tier races in both countries, featuring World GP riders, there were also many other races held during race week. One race that caught my eye was one featuring many British bikes from the 1950s and 1960s. They competed alongside what were then new bikes from the late 1970s, but they displayed undeniable speed. Given the close ties between the two countries, I imagine the British influence is strong in the racing scene.
In a race in New Zealand featuring vintage bikes, one bike caught my eye. I recall it was probably an HRD Vincent model from the 1930s or 1940s, and it had incredibly smooth cornering and impressive straight-line speed. I was so impressed by the sight of this old British bike, something I'd never seen before, competing so well that I interviewed the rider. However, upon hearing the rider's name, I immediately understood why it was so fast. It was Hugh Anderson, who raced in the World GP from 1960 to 1966 on Norton, AJS, Suzuki, and other machines, winning four titles in the 50cc and 125cc classes on a Suzuki. He also won the Isle of Man TT twice. Of course, the skill of the riders is a factor, but the fact that you can still race on old bikes, and that this has become the norm, really made me realize how mature the motorcycle market is. Seeing the LOC race, I felt like I was getting a glimpse into the mature world of motorcycles, with older riders enjoying racing on old bikes.
1937 RUDGE-ULSTER A British motorcycle manufactured by Rudge Whitworth, with a 500cc air-cooled OHV twin-cylinder engine.
1949 AJS-7R AJS is a British motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1897, and the 7R’s engine is a 350cc air-cooled single-cylinder.
1962 Norton Matchless G50, a 500cc air-cooled single-cylinder machine manufactured by Norton, a long-established British motorcycle manufacturer.
1946 Gilera Saturno, a single-cylinder model from Gilera, an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1909.
1962(?) Norton Dominator, an air-cooled twin-cylinder machine from British manufacturer Norton that also competed in the Isle of Man TT races
1964 Norton Atlas 750 Norton 750cc machine produced from 1962 to 1968
The 1964 Honda CB93 Japanese-made machine also participated. The CB93 was the predecessor of the twin-cylinder CB125.
1963 Ducati Diana, a 250cc single-cylinder model from the prestigious Italian manufacturer Ducati
