I believe that it is easy for Phil
to recognise Imatra paddock. An athletics field with
gravel surface (often wet and muddy after rain showers)
must have been rare in a World championship round even
in the seventies. MV had its private camp at a local
petrol station, so at least during his MV days Phil
"enjoyed" slightly better conditions in Imatra.
It is great that today many
parades are organised and old champions are invited to
to do laps also at modern races. I saw Kenny Roberts and
his Yamaha in Imatra several times. On the start &
finish straight on the bank of the river Vuoksi, the
500cc bikes went close to 300km/h (late 70s beginning of
80s). I remember standing behind one of the old big
trees so close to the track that I almost could have
touched the riders shoulders. But Phil surely knows what
he talks about, the 1981 Yamaha was slow (everything is
relative), Kenny and Barry had little success on the
bike that year.
Going to Imatra for the first
time in 1973, I was lucky to see and hear Phil and Ago
and the mighty MV Agustas in action. Imatra may have
been a terrible road circuit, complicated and long way
to travel to (too close to Russia etc) but for the
Finnish fans it was heaven.
And still is; 30 000 fans came
to see Phil, Ago, Redman, Länsivuori, Bonera, Korhonen,
Jansson and the others last year. I enjoyed riding my
Yamaha 250 DS7 from 1971 in a start for old Japanese
street bikes (my first bike, which I already owned when
I bought the Premier helmet in Phil's Queensway office
in London). I wanted to have a "Phil Read Replica" , but
they did not have my size available. That is why the
colour of my helmet is orange.
Now looking back, it is
unbelievable, that we in Finland in the 70s could see
all GP-stars in Imatra, FIM prize 750cc riders in
Ahvenisto, both 250cc and 500cc motocross world
championship rounds and worlds best Trials riders in a
title round. All this during the same year. It is also
unbelievable that the hottest name in roadracing in 1973
(and Phil's main opponent in 500cc) was a Finn. Last
week I met Jarno Saarinen's younger brother Jari. Jari
has a fine collection of Jarno's bikes, leathers,
helmets etc. The Saarinen garage in the centre of Turku
(where Jarno built and worked on his machines) is very
much kept as it was in 1973. A fantastic place to visit.
I have enclosed the autograph
and T-shirt picture, taken in Imatra 2008.
This image is © Ollie
Saarnio and is reproduced with his kind permission.
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