1979 Moriwaki 125 GP Racer

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1979 Moriwaki 125 GP Racer
Description: The name Moriwaki conjures up visions of big snarling four strokes ridden by fearless jockeys like Graeme Crosby, Wayne Gardner and Peter Goddard. In fact, we have a long-term resident in the form of Wayne Gardner's Kawasaki-engined Moriwaki superbike – a replica of the machine on which he electrified the British scene during his first full British season in 1981. But Moriwaki Engineering's interests were spread much wider than just Superbikes, and the 125cc class is about as far as you can go in the opposite direction. Moriwaki's close ties with Honda meant supplies of engines were not a problem and the water-cooled MT125R was certainly a handy little unit. Using Moriwaki's own frame and rear suspension design, plus their catalogue of trick parts such as handlebars, levers, footrests and exhaust system, the Moriwaki was a purposeful looking creation. When it arrived for the Easter Bathurst meeting in 1979, it went into the most competitive class on the program – the Australian Ultra Lightweight Grand Prix, which had 63 entries. This machine was imported by Moriwaki's Australian agent Ross Hannan, and the rider was Tony Hatton, who had delighted the Moriwaki concern by taking 3rd place, partnering Graeme Crosby, in the highly prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour Race in 1978. At Bathurst, Hatton finished third behind Dave Burgess on a Honda and Barry Smith's Yamaha. Subsequently, the ride on the Moriwaki 125 passed to Brian Smith, a talented racer who made his name on Velocettes in the 1960s. Brian lined up for the 1981 Australian GP at Bathurst, and finished 20th, and the following year improved to a creditable 5th. By this stage the class was dominated by the amazingly fast Italian Morbidelli twin cylinder machines, and the single cylinder jobs had no hope. The Moriwaki went into retirement until the late 1990s, when Brian resurrected it for the new "Forgotten Era" historic class, and took it to a championship win at Eastern Creek in 1999. Whilst competing on a Bultaco at Pukekohe in New Zealand in 2001, Brian Smith suffered a blood clot on the lung and passed away in hospital one week later. The little Moriwaki has resided ever since at his widow Lyn's house on the NSW north coast. Thanks to Lyn and Ross Hannan we can now appreciate this little jewel at Bathurst once more

Article by .National Motor Racing Musem