Thursday, May 22, 2014

Today in motorcycle history, May 22, 1966

  

  



 




  Driver Fritz Scheidegger and passenger John Robinson defend their 1965 World 500cc Sidecar Championship title with a victory at the West German Grand Prix.









  Swiss sidecar racer, Max Friedrich "Fritz" Scheidegger with Englishman John Robinson as crewman, win the West German Sidecar GP aboard their 500cc BMW RS54.  They would go on to dominate the 1966 Sidecar Grand Prix.


  Starting the season off by winning at Hockenheimring (West German GP), they then wheeled themselves to victory at the French Grand Prix, the Dutch GP, Belgian GP and, finally, capping the 1966 Sidecar GP season off by winning the 500cc World Championship at the Isle of Man TT.



  Sadly, tragedy would strike the team the following season, while leading a sidecar race on March 26, 1967 at Mallory Park, Leicestershire, UK, they crashed heavily at the Hairpin, killing Fritz Scheidegger.  John Robinson would break his leg and suffer severe head trauma, forcing him retire from racing.



  There is an old saying,"once you're in the sidecar family - you can stop racing but you can never, ever leave."

 




   Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk