Rod Gould, the 1970 World 250cc Champion, died on April 17 at the age of 80, after a long struggle with cancer. His passing means that there are now no longer any survivors of Britain’s long list of great champions from the glory days of the premier Grand Prix categories of World Championship racing.
Rod started racing on a 350cc BSA Gold Star in a production class race at Silverstone in 1961, and immediately showed his potential. The bike refused to fire up right away and he was left alone on the start-line as the 40-strong field accelerated away. But over the course of 10 laps of the 1.5mile circuit he slashed through the field to win the 350cc class and finish 9th overall.
Five years later,
