Kel Carruthers

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Kel Carruthers
Kel Carruthers, Mallory Park 1970
Nationality	Australian
Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years	1966 - 1970
Teams	Aermacchi, Benelli, Yamaha
Grands Prix	56
Championships	250cc - 1969
Wins	7
Podium finishes	22
Pole positions	N/A
Fastest laps	N/A
First Grand Prix	1966 350cc Ulster Grand Prix
First win	1969 250cc Isle of Man TT
Last win	1970 250cc Ulster Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1970 250cc Spanish Grand Prix

Kelvin (Kel) Carruthers (born 3 January 1938 in Sydney) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He went on to become a successful race team manager.

Carruthers was the son of a motorcycle shop owner and learned how to work on bikes from a young age. By the early 1960s he had won the Australian 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc National Championships. Afterwards, he moved to Europe with his family to compete in the Grand Prix World Championship series riding bikes for the Aermacchi factory. In 1969, he was offered a ride with the Benelli factory and won the FIM 250cc road racing world championship after a tight points battle with Santiago Herrero and Kent Andersson.

After the 1970 Grand Prix season, he accepted an offer from Yamaha to race in America. Yamaha asked him to tutor a young American dirt track racer named Kenny Roberts. 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. 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. 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. He returned to motorcycling in 1998 running a Yamaha satellite motocross team.

In 1985, Carruthers was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

[edit] References

• Sport Australia Hall of Fame
• AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

Preceded by Phil Read

250cc Motorcycle World Champion 1969

Succeeded by Rodney Gould

v • d • e 250 cc Motorcycle World Champions     1949 - B. Ruffo 1950 - D. Ambrosini 1951 - B. Ruffo 1952 - E. Lorenzetti 1953 - W. Haas 1954 - W. Haas 1955 - H. Müller 1956 - C. Ubbiali 1957 - C. Sandford 1958 - T. Provini 1959 - C. Ubbiali 1960 - C. Ubbiali 1961 - M. Hailwood 1962 - J. Redman 1963 - J. Redman 1964 - P. Read 1965 - P. Read 1966 - M. Hailwood 1967 - M. Hailwood 1968 - P. Read 1969 - K. Carruthers 1970 - R. Gould 1971 - P. Read 1972 - J. Saarinen 1973 - D. Braun 1974 - W. Villa 1975 - W. Villa 1976 - W. Villa 1977 - M. Lega 1978 - K. Ballington 1979 - K. Ballington 1980 - A. Mang 1981 - A. Mang 1982 - J. Tournadre 1983 - C. Lavado 1984 - C. Sarron 1985 - F. Spencer 1986 - C. Lavado 1987 - A. Mang 1988 - S. Pons 1989 - S. Pons 1990 - J. Kocinski 1991 - L. Cadalora 1992 - L. Cadalora 1993 - T. Harada 1994 - M. Biaggi 1995 - M. Biaggi 1996 - M. Biaggi 1997 - M. Biaggi 1998 - L. Capirossi 1999 - V. Rossi 2000 - O. Jacque 2001 - D. Kato 2002 - M. Melandri 2003 - M. Poggiali 2004 - D. Pedrosa 2005 - D. Pedrosa 2006 - J. Lorenzo 2007 - J. Lorenzo