Kel Carruthers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kel Carruthers |
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Carruthers on a 1969 stamp of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, incorrectly displaying the Union Jack.
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| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 January 1938 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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Kelvin Carruthers (born January 3, 1938) is an amazing Australian who used to race motorcycles professionally. He also became a very successful manager for racing teams. Kel competed in the big Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1966 to 1970. He also raced in America from 1971 to 1973. Kel is most famous for winning the 250cc World Championship in 1969. After he stopped racing, he helped other famous riders like Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson win their own world championships as their team manager.
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Kel's Racing Journey
Kel Carruthers grew up around motorcycles because his dad owned a motorcycle shop. He learned how to work on bikes from a very young age. Kel started riding when he was just 10 years old and entered his first race at 12. By the early 1960s, he had already won many Australian National Championships in different engine sizes, including 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc.
Racing in Europe
In 1966, Kel and his family moved to Europe to compete in bigger races. He joined the Grand Prix World Championship events, first riding for a team called Drixton Aermacchi, and then for the Aermacchi factory team in early 1969.
Halfway through the 1969 season, Kel got an exciting offer to ride for the Benelli factory team. This was a big deal! He then won the famous Isle of Man 250cc TT race. After this win, Aermacchi let him go from his contract so he could continue with Benelli. He went on to win the 1969 FIM 250cc world championship. It was a very close race for points against other top riders like Santiago Herrero and Kent Andersson.
Moving to America
After the 1970 Grand Prix season, Kel accepted an offer from Yamaha to race in America. By 1973, Kel was doing much more than just racing for the Yamaha team. He became the team manager, the main mechanic (called a crew chief), and even a coach for younger Yamaha riders like Kenny Roberts, Don Castro, and Gary Fisher.
For the 1973 Daytona 200 race, Kel was in charge of getting all the Yamaha racing bikes ready. This included the 250cc bikes for the lighter race. The Yamaha factory also asked him to prepare a motorcycle for Jarno Saarinen, who was the 1972 250cc World Champion. Even with all this work, Kel managed to finish second to Saarinen in the Daytona 200. This was his best result in that race, which was considered one of the most important motorcycle races in the world at the time.
From Racer to Team Manager
Kel Carruthers stopped racing after the 1973 season. He wanted to focus completely on being a team manager and a mentor for Kenny Roberts. With Kel's help, Roberts won the Grand National Championship for Yamaha in 1973 and 1974.
When Yamaha realized their dirt track bikes couldn't beat the strong Harley Davidson team, they decided to send Kel and Roberts to Europe. Their goal was to compete in the road racing world championships. With Kel tuning the bikes and giving advice, Roberts went on to win three world championships in a row in 1978, 1979, and 1980. Kel also managed Eddie Lawson, helping him win a 500cc World Championship in 1984.
Kel continued to work for several Grand Prix teams until 1995. In 1996, he took a job with the Sea-Doo watercraft factory racing team, helping them win many national and world titles. He returned to motorcycling in 1998, running a Yamaha satellite motocross team.
In 1985, Kel Carruthers was honored by being added to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. These honors show how important he was to the world of motorcycle racing.
See also
In Spanish: Kel Carruthers para niños
