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In the latter years the Montjuic<br />
24hr was alluring for the postrace<br />
activities as much as the<br />
thrill of the action itself. “We<br />
always used to enjoy Montjuic<br />
because you could walk down<br />
to Las Ramblas, have a few<br />
beers and meet some ladies<br />
if you were that way inclined,”<br />
says Mortimer. “It was a good<br />
meeting; the Spanish ones always<br />
were.”<br />
“The drinking and carousing<br />
seemed as important as<br />
the racing in the early years,”<br />
smiles Oxley.<br />
“There was probably nothing<br />
like it in the world – even<br />
then – when you were racing<br />
in a major city. It was always<br />
hot and so alien. The atmosphere<br />
made it so special and<br />
I haven’t found something like<br />
it again. I was so lucky to have<br />
raced in the middle of a carnival<br />
where people didn’t really<br />
seem to give a s**t.”<br />
“It was a huge buzz when you<br />
are used to club races and<br />
very small crowds and suddenly<br />
there are thousands<br />
around you, and you are<br />
racing through this amazing<br />
CHAS MORTIMER: “EVEN ON<br />
THE BIKES WE HAD THEN WE<br />
WERE DOING 90-100MPH. ON<br />
THE RIGHT-HANDER YOU’D<br />
HAVE TO BE WILLIAM TELL<br />
TO HIT ONE OF THE STRAW-<br />
BALES! THE CHANCES WERE<br />
THAT YOU’D HIT A TREE.”<br />
town. In the first year we blew<br />
the engine in the night and in<br />
the second year my Belgian<br />
teammate crashed going up<br />
the hill and luckily he was OK<br />
but he destroyed the bike. So<br />
we headed off for an all-nighter<br />
in Las Ramblas.”<br />
Before the beer, Sangria<br />
and ‘pa amb tomaquet’ the<br />
Montjuic 24hr was a formidable<br />
prospect. “I rode a 250<br />
Ducati with Paul Smart there<br />
for a guy called Vic Camp and<br />
we were going quite well, in<br />
the first two-three, and then<br />
it started blowing headlights,”<br />
recalls Mortimer. “It was really<br />
dangerous because you’d<br />
be pitching into a corner and<br />
suddenly the light would go<br />
out! I did an hour and half on<br />
it, came in and said to Paul<br />
‘this thing is lethal, the light<br />
keeps going’ and – I probably<br />
shouldn’t say this – we ended<br />
up trying to blow it up. But it<br />
just kept going! Paul went out<br />
and it was over-revving and<br />
popping lights and when he<br />
came back in it was so hot<br />
that it wouldn’t start again.<br />
The bike went back to England<br />
and Bert Furness, Vic’s<br />
mechanic and a really nice<br />
guy, kickstarted it right away<br />
and said ‘no problem at all!<br />
Why didn’t it start at the circuit’!”<br />
“I remember in the 24hr I was<br />
going up the hill and close<br />
to the Poble Español,” says<br />
Cañellas who competed in<br />
the Endurance for thirteen<br />
years and won it three times.<br />
“I was going fast and the rear<br />
tyre blew. Luckily I was able<br />
to control it and didn’t crash.<br />
I was next to a row of trees so<br />
I’m afraid to think what would<br />
have happened. In my last<br />
year riding there I was on a<br />
Ducati 900 and it was down<br />
on top-speed compared to<br />
the Hondas and Kawasakis.<br />
We could make up time in the<br />
corners and we were trying<br />
everything with the set-up to<br />
be able to get closer on what<br />
was very smooth tarmac.<br />
MONTJUIC PARK CIRCUIT
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