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Ms. Grothe's MotoHistory 101
by
John Burns
(IC: employee)
Published: May 17th, 2018
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Mary Grothe keeps sorting through the boxes and uncovering things and people that I, for one, knew nothing about. Here’s one:
“Little Giant” Ikujiro Takai, 6th place, on the grid at Mosport 1977, with John Long, #36 in the background. As a Yamaha factory rider in 1974, Takai took two crowns in the All Japan Expert Class. In 1975 he finished second in the French 250cc GP class. Subsequently he became a noted designer for Yamaha, but in 1982 was tragically killed while testing the newly developed OW61 – the first V4 engine in a 500cc GP bike. Kenny Roberts later dedicated his Spanish GP victory aboard the OW61 to Takai.
Bowmanville, Ontario CA: 09/18/1977
RIP Ikujiro Takai
John Burns
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Published May 17th, 2018 12:21 PM
Motorcycle Insurance
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JB, that's cool stuff. Thank to Ms. Grothe and to you for posting. KR was The King during my motorcycling awakening, and my first love was a 1974 Moto Guzzi Eldorado piloted up the Blue Ridge Parkway by a guy fresh out of the U.S. He was accompanied by a couple other recent ex-squids Navy. Mr. Takai was just before my time, but a great story packed into a single shot by a master photographer.