1968 Lawton Aermacchi 344cc Ala d'Oro Racing Motorcycle

Frame no. none Engine no. none

• Believed purchased circa 1980
• Believed a six-speeder
• Comprehensive file

Aermacchi is a household name among motorcyclists thanks to its heroic achievement of producing the most highly developed and successful overhead-valve racing single ever made: the 'Ala d'Oro' (Golden Wing). Alberto Pagani's 9th place on the 250's Dutch TT debut in 1960 demonstrated the bike's potential, which was confirmed the following week when Pagani finished 5th at the Belgian Grand Prix. The need for more power led to short-stroke engine dimensions (of 72x61mm) being adopted for 1964, by which time a '350' version had appeared. Although the pushrod Aermacchi never won a World Championship race, it did achieve a number of 2nd places, Alan Barnett's in the 1970 Junior TT on a Lawton Aermacchi being one of the most memorable. Despite a lack of ultimate success in Grands Prix, the Aermacchi single was outstandingly successful at national level and today, having benefited from another four decades of development, remains a competitive force in historic motorcycle racing.

In the UK the Aermacchi name is synonymous with that of Syd Lawton of Lawton & Wilson, the Southampton-based importers, who took on the concession in May 1963. Crucially, Lawton had been a keen racer until a serious accident at the Isle of Man TT in 1953 put an end to his career, and he saw racing as a way to boost sales. As the official importers, Lawton & Wilson enjoyed a measure of factory support for their racing activities and carried out their own independent development programme. They received one of the first '350' dry clutch models for 1966, which was ridden by Dave Degens to good effect. Syd Lawton played an active part in the classic racing movement from the late 1970s onwards, supporting numerous riders including Richard Swallow. He died in 1997.

It is not known for certain when the vendor purchased this '350' Aermacchi (believed to be a six-speeder) from Antrim Motorcycle Services, though there are bills on file dating back to 1980, some from Syd Lawton and Dick Linton, and others from the renowned Norton and Aermacchi tuner, Francis Beart. The Aermacchi was advertised as 'un-raced since 1970, first class condition'. Ridden by the owner, this Aermacchi was a class winner in the CRMC's Classic Bike Magazine Kenning Championship in 1983. Little use in recent times, the machine will require re-commissioning to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the racetrack.

The machine comes with a comprehensive file of bills, technical data, illustrated parts lists, correspondence, a CRMC Machine Registration Certificate, and a dynamometer printout showing maximum power as 46.45bhp.
Offered without key