On the occasion of Yamaha's 65th anniversary, let's look back at six riders, who, in six different decades, made the tuning fork brand shine. Let's continue with the second part on one of the founding fathers of ancient times: Phil Read.
This is how the world discovered the wonderful Anglo-Japanese association. The character and thirst for victory were felt again in 1965 when Phil, aided by his Canadian teammate Mike Duff (now Michelle Duff), crushed the 250cc. His talent seems limitless, and his work resonates like one of those myths whose existence cannot be verified. But the successes prove it.
Is there a tale without rivalry? Mike Hailwood, on many occasions, was the stick in Phil Read's wheels. The duels which opposed them for three years were titanic, and are considered among the most grandiose in the history of the discipline. In 1967, the two men were even tied on points in 250cc. But the harsh law of sport awarded the crown to “Mike the bike” based on the number of victories won.
While these two geniuses wrote a legendary page of our favorite novel, Yamaha equipped itself with other sharp blades, such as Bill Ivy. The armada was frightening, including itself. It was indeed internal conflicts which disrupted this hegemony. For the 1968 season, the team decided to split forces: Read would concentrate on the 125cc title, while the 250cc Holy Grail was to be within Ivy's reach. That year, the “tuning forks” worked in both categories, and only one could prevent the other from being champion.
The legendary Read, here at Hockenheim in 1971.
Read, a 125cc specialist, soundly beat his counterpart in the absence of Hailwood. But he didn't appreciate being heckled in the 250cc class. As a great competitor, he decided not to give up a point to his opponent, especially during the last race at Monza.. After a nice explanation, he finally won in both categories.
This did not suit Yamaha, who decided to release it for the following year. But Read is aware that the winning material is with his former team. So, he decided to ride with private machines in the following years, although with less success. He still managed to win one last title for the firm in 250cc in 1971. Yamaha's success is total, since that same year, nine motorcycles from Hamamatsu made up the top 10.
Phil Read, from 1973, definitively cut ties with his old brand to glean two additional titles in 500cc with MV Agusta. But we must not forget that it was this genius rider who gave Yamaha five rider titles and who undeniably helped develop the machines which became, at the end of the period, the benchmark in small categories. One would undoubtedly not have succeeded without the other; in short, Yamaha cut and perfected the diamond in the rough that was Phil Read.
