Kel Carruthers

Kel Carruthers
Kel Carruthers on a 1969 stamp
Nationality	Australian
Born	3 January 1938 (age 78) Sydney, Australia
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1966 – 1970 First race 1966 350cc Ulster Grand Prix Last race 1970 250cc Spanish Grand Prix First win 1969 250cc Isle of Man TT Last win 1970 250cc Ulster Grand Prix Team(s) Aermacchi, Benelli, Yamaha Championships 250cc – 1969 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 56 7 22 0 8 302

Kelvin "Kel" Carruthers (born 3 January 1938) is an Australian former world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.^[1] He went on to become a successful race team manager, particularly in the US and Europe with Kenny Roberts.^[2]

Kel Carruthers, Mallory Park 1970

Carruthers, as the son of a motorcycle shop owner, learned how to work on bikes from a young age, started riding at 10, and entered his first race at 12.^[2] By the early 1960s he had won the Australian 125 cc, 250 cc, 350 cc and 500 cc National Championships.^[2]

In early 1966, he moved to Europe with his family to compete in British and International short-circuit races,^[3] including Grand Prix World Championship series riding a Drixton Aermacchi,^[4] and for early 1969 season riding bikes for the Aermacchi factory.^[2] Halfway through the 1969 season, he was offered a ride with the Benelli factory and won the Isle of Man 250 cc TT race. After the Isle of Man TT, Aermacchi released him from their contract to continue as a factory rider with Benelli and, he went on to win the 1969 FIM 250cc road racing world championship after a tight points battle with Santiago Herrero and Kent Andersson.^[1][2]

After the 1970 Grand Prix season, he accepted an offer from Yamaha to race in America.^[2] Yamaha asked him to tutor a young American dirt track racer named Kenny Roberts.^[2] In 1973, Carruthers became the manager of Yamaha's American racing team. Under Carruther's guidance, Roberts would win the 1973 and 1974 Grand National Championship for Yamaha.^[2] When it became apparent that Yamaha didn't have a bike able to compete with the dominant Harley Davidson dirt track team, they decided to send Carruthers and Roberts to Europe to compete in the road racing world championships.^[2][5] With Carruthers tuning the bikes and offering guidance, Roberts went on to win three consecutive world championships. Carruthers also managed Eddie Lawson to a 500cc World Championship.

Carruthers went on to work for several Grand Prix teams through to the 1995 season. In 1996, he took a job with the Sea-Doo watercraft factory racing team, helping them win several national and world titles.^[2] He returned to motorcycling in 1998 running a Yamaha satellite motocross team.^[2]

In 1985, Carruthers was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.^[6] He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.^[2]

Grand Prix motorcycle racing results^[1][7]

Points system from 1950 to 1968:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

Points system from 1969 onwards:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Points	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Points	Rank	Wins
1966	125cc	Honda	ESP -	GER -		NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN 8	ULS 8	IOM 12	NAT 7	JPN -		0	–	0
	350cc	Norton		GER -	FRA -	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN 4	ULS -	IOM NC	NAT -	JPN -		3	18th	0
	500cc	Norton		GER -		NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	IOM 11	NAT -			0	–	0
1967	125cc	Honda	ESP -	GER -	FRA -	IOM 5	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN 5	ULS 4	NAT 7	CAN -	JPN -	7	8th	0
	250cc	Suzuki	ESP -	GER -	FRA -	IOM 12	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	CAN -	JPN -	0	–	0
	350cc	Aermacchi		GER 5		IOM 10	NED 6		DDR 4	CZE -		ULS 4	NAT -		JPN -	9	7th	0
	500cc	Norton		GER -		IOM NC	NED -		DDR -	CZE -		ULS -	NAT -		JPN -	0	–	0
1968	125cc	Honda	GER 6	ESP -	IOM 3	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS 6	NAT -				6	10th	0
	250cc	Aermacchi	GER -	ESP -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -				0	–	0
	350cc	Aermacchi	GER 3		IOM NC	NED -		DDR 3	CZE 4		ULS 2	NAT -				17	3rd	0
	500cc	Norton	GER -	ESP -	IOM 6	NED 5	BEL 5	DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS 6	NAT 6				7	11th	0
1969	125cc	Aermacchi	ESP 6	GER 10	FRA -	IOM 2	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE 9	FIN -		NAT -	YUG -		20	10th	0
	250cc	Benelli	ESP -	GER -	FRA -	IOM 1	NED 2	BEL 3	DDR 5	CZE 3	FIN 4	ULS 1	NAT 2	YUG 1		89	1st	3
	350cc	Aermacchi	ESP 2	GER 6		IOM NC	NED 7		DDR 7	CZE 7	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	YUG -		29	7th	0
	500cc	Aermacchi	ESP -	GER 8	FRA -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	YUG -		3	44th	0
1970	250cc	Yamaha	GER 1	FRA NC	YUG -	IOM 1	NED -	BEL 2	DDR -	CZE 1	FIN -	ULS 1	NAT 2	ESP -		84	2nd	4
	350cc	Yamaha	GER 2		YUG 2	IOM NC	NED 4		DDR 3	CZE 4	FIN 4	ULS -	NAT -	ESP -		28	2nd	0

References

1. Kel Carruthers. Motogp.com.
2. Kel Carruthers. Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Motorcyclemuseum.org.
3. Motor Cycle 13 December 1964, p.45 Still on form. "As a final warm-up for his forthcoming European race debut, Australian star Kelvin Carruthers won four races on his two-fifty Honda four at the Victorian Grand Prix". Accessed 24 May 2014
4. Motor Cyclist Illustrated, May 1968 pp.10, 12 Accessed 24 May 2014
5. American Motorcyclist Assoc (March 1979). American Motorcyclist. p. 30. ISSN 0277-9358.
6. Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Sahof.org.au.
7. Kel Carruthers Isle of Man TT results. Iomtt.com. Retrieved on 14 July 2014.

External links

• Kel Carruthers Interview at superbikeplanet.com