Can anyone identify this rider?

A friend asked if I could identify this rider. The only clue I have is that it is Cadwell Park.

Can't pick the leathers, but the helmet looks like Chris Guy.

Definitely the left hander at the bottom of the mountain at Cadwell, the leathers aren't familiar to me either but looking at the stature and riding style i'm wondering if its possibly a young Rob McElnea on his TZ750?

 

He was backed by the Star Garage at Wragby around that time which might account for the star on his back.

Can't see the photo as I am at work where links to 'social networks etc' are blocked by 'web(non)sense'. Roger Marshall had a white star in the back of his blue leathers at one time.

Not doubting, but are you sure it's not the left hander at Mansfield?

Looks an early apex for the bottom of the mountain? He'd be well over the RHS of the track for the right hander up the mountain?

Maybe it's just me, and the earth bank in the foreground is the bank between the mountain and the s/f straight?

 

God knows who it is though. The look rings no bells with me, so may be pre 1980 (where I "come in" so to speak).

I'd guess 78-80...?

 

Big four stroke? Knee out style?

It's a TZ 750. Track looks rough enough and with the earth banking infront of the lense and another behind it might be the left hander at the bottom of the climb up to the hairpin at Lydden Hill and I still think it's Roger Marshall.    

Edited by tonyed, 20 September 2013 - 17:07.

It's a TZ 750. Track looks rough enough and with the earth banking infront of the lense and another behind it might be the left hander at the bottom of the climb up to the hairpin at Lydden Hill and I still think it's Roger Marshall.    

I cant remember Roger ever having those leathers BUT one thing that crossed my mind when I originally saw the photo was that he had a very brief stint backed by Percy Tait which only lasted a handful of meetings and I cant remember the colour scheme that they ran, it does look a bit like Reg's style.

 

I'm pretty sure its the bottom of the mountain at Cadwell, the line was to hold it tight quite late on the left before coming over for the right or you ended up running over the kerb on the right at the foot of the climb, and the bank in foreground is in the right place, i'd say the shot was taken with a good lense from the grandstand which is on the start straight opposite the exit of the club hairpin.

My reaction also when I first saw this photo was Reg (although as we know, it's not his regular shaped star) and possibly on a Pharoah TZ750 - a long shot, but he did ride for Mal a couple of times on a 350. It's certainly Roger's style to a tee. Incidentally Paul, I also remember Percy sponsoring Roger for a while on a TZ750 (saw him on it at Oulton once) and I seem to recall that the fairing was yellow and very similar to the Syd Griffiths/Barry Ditchburn set-up of the time, so you could well be right! Any more thoughts on the Rob Mac theory?

I was hoping that, with such distinctive leathers, someone would jump in with a definite I.D! It's been very quiet here lately - where has everyone gone?

My reaction also when I first saw this photo was Reg (although as we know, it's not his regular shaped star) and possibly on a Pharoah TZ750 - a long shot, but he did ride for Mal a couple of times on a 350. It's certainly Roger's style to a tee. Incidentally Paul, I also remember Percy sponsoring Roger for a while on a TZ750 (saw him on it at Oulton once) and I seem to recall that the fairing was yellow and very similar to the Syd Griffiths/Barry Ditchburn set-up of the time, so you could well be right! Any more thoughts on the Rob Mac theory?

I was hoping that, with such distinctive leathers, someone would jump in with a definite I.D! It's been very quiet here lately - where has everyone gone?

You're right it is a bit quiet on here of late, Reg did ride for Mal back in late 74/early 75, and Mal bought him a TZ750B which then transferred over to the Machin & Saunders banner with him (I think it was a joint sponsorship deal between Steve's widow and Mal) and it took him to his first British Championship.

 

The bike in the picture is (I reckon) a D or E so its a couple of years after that, however Reg did actually practice on Ron Haslam's 750 for a British Championship round at Cadwell around that time after his own bike either didn't turn up (which could have been when he split with Tait) or might have been laid up with problems, anyway Ron had gone off to hospital after a fall so Mal lent him the bike, but Ron made it back in time and fit to race so Reg ended up borrowing Ron's 250 for the race and riding the wheels off it to try and salvage some points.

 

When you think that Reg and Ron were both scrapping for the British title at the time it shows the big hearted sort of bloke that Mal was!! could you Imagine a BSB team boss lending a bike to a championship rival nowadays??!!