ossa and the Irish connection

[shortshifter]

Just looking at a nice phantom on US ebay and it has a Leprichaun() sticker under the seat,looks like it belongs there.Of course the logo is a 4 leaf clover,so what is the Irish connection to the Spanish manufacturer?

[TooFastTim]

Good point. Dunno the answer but I do know where FX Bulto got the thumbs up logo from. From John Grace (a Manxman I think) who raced for the old man back in his Montesa days. Grace was one of the guys who pushed FX to go it on his own. But the Ossa clover logo?

[shortshifter]

You could have something there TFT.Did Ossa have a road racing history?Maybe something to do with the Ulster GP???

[David Lahey]

sorry to disappoint, but the "four leaf clover" on OSSAs is actually a film projector reel

[shortshifter]

Doh!Its very green but

[Matador107]

I always thought the "thumbs up " idea came to FX Bulto when he observed an english rider by the name of David Whitworth (of course)give his pit crew the thumbs up "all good " when he was on the grid and ready to race. I'm sure I  read that somewhere.

It's too long ago now to ask anyone I suppose.One of my cheeky mates reckons the symbol should be upside down to what it is. As if he can talk of all people,he owns a Norton!!.

[matcho mick]

dead right about the camera connection,Orfeho Synchronic SA Ltd

[EML]

Well that's a bugger. My missus has always been able to find a four leaf clover-both here and in Europe-and we sort of use that as her logo.
I recently bought a couple of Explorers - 1.3/4 to be exact and told her that they are for her when I get then going-I had to get them into the shed some how FFS.
Righto-so don't go spruicking it too loud -OK!

[shortshifter]

EML just pretend you never saw this thread and use the Jedi mind trick if she ever reads it "This is not the thread you are looking for"

[matcho mick]

tell your missus it's sorta a stylised 4 leaf clover reflecting Ossa's cinema film camera connection 
John Grace was the name on Juan Garcia's pommy ACU race licence (from memory??),wasn't he actually Maltese??,Donny Newell would know for sure!!
was an early Ossa roadracer in pommyland,but i can't remember an irish connection there,did Peter Burgess ride it before his stint on Greeves ??,GD help me out here mate ,
err Eric Housley?,the ossa importer in England, it was his bike,way before Ossa,& Santi went at it with the japs

[shortshifter]

Done a bit of research.Santiago Herrero was the Spanish rider for the Ossa 250 road race team,which gave away considerable horsepower to the Yamaha multis but handled much better with a monocoque frame.He actually won 4 GPs in the late 60s before he was killed at the 1970 Isle of Mann Junior TT.He did actually ride in the 1969 Ulster GP but broke his arm in a crash.Ossa withdrew from road racing after the Herrero death.

[Iain Cameron]

there is a vid on you tube on the Ossa road racer , can't remember the link though . Iain

[EML]

I read yeaterday that the 'quietly' famous NZ racer, Ginger Malloy was a Bultaco rider for a while. I always remember him on a Kawasaki (he had a Kawka shop in Hamilton and built a down pipe for my MT125), but hey, I'm only a kid.

[shortshifter]

He recently had one of his race bikes for sale here and in the US on ebay.Don't know if they sold.

[TooFastTim]

Ginger Malloy was a Bultaco rider for a while.

 

Ginger was a major force for Bulto in the late sixties. He was well up in the results for them and, if memory serves, he was the last guy to win a 250cc GP on a single (Bulto).

Dave good point about the film reels.

I see John Grace was a Gibraltese. I yield about the thumbs up logo