1972 THE GREATEST BATHURST BATTLE
Anything can happen when two goliaths take to the track in search of victory, especially when the ultimate prize is on Australia’s most famous circuit. It’s one thing to win at Bathurst, yet quite another to be first across the finish line after what many say was the hardest battle over the mountain of all time – for the 1972 Australian Senior & Unlimited Tourist Trophy. By the day’s end Ginger Molloy and Bill Horsman shared a new lap record plus each rider had an unforgettable experience after the big duel – the stuff of true legends.
Ginger Molloy was second to Giacomo Agostini in the 1970 World 500cc championship and enjoyed a fruitful season racing in the US in 1971. After eight years in the Continental Circus the tough Kiwi wasn’t done yet, not by any means, as Ginger proved when he kicked off that Easter weekend in 1972 by taking victory in the Lightweight TT on his methanol-burning Yamaha TD3 during his very first trip to Bathurst!
Molloy’s mount for the Australian Senior & Unlimited TT race was his super-fast Kawasaki H1R 500cc racer, his second such H1R triple, which still resides in Australia. The two classes were combined, although
