Paying homage to the beautiful Dane....what better reason for starting a thread?

[/B][/QUOTE]

Cant do better than that picture Russ!! but here she is in action in 1976 at Silverstone with Rudi.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

Have slightly worked on this one,(photoshop) what a great photo!! I am in love (again!!)

Good work Graham for a nice lady.

If you like to have a chat with Dane go here and register.

At "work" with Rudi on Paul Ricard 1973.



Dane 1973.



Elefantentreffen Nurburgring 1968.



Team Cat 1972.

No, I am in love!!!

Seriously, thanks for bringing a smile to my face...

1973



And disappointment at the 1973 Dutch TT Assen, flat tire.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by HEMEYLA
[B]1973



Just had an e-mail from Dane after pointing her in the direction of the thread and she has this to say about this pic:

"I love that photo of me, where I am putting something into the little top pocket of my leathers. I was standing in the back of the URS truck at a race when we went there together with Helmut Fath, as Rudi had built the chassis and fairings of the new URS."

They all look pretty good to me........Dropped by but haven't joined ? Do come and join us Dane, most of us are quite harmless...

There are very few pics of Dane about but I've found another one

Dutch TT Assen 1972:

Rudi and Dane leading the race after the first lap, in the second lap the contraweight from the ignition rotor came loose and they had to retire after a pitstop.

Dane needed a tape sponsor.

Just received another e-mail from Dane

"Hey Rod
I just signed up to that forum to say thankyou for the pix and the nice things they wrote but it won't let me reply, even though I am logged in. Perhaps you need x number of other postings in other sections before you can reply to a thread or something.
So could you say thankyou from me ?

all the best
Dane"

So to everybody, a big THANKYOU from Dane.

How about a colour picture. This is from 1972/73:

Ah, I can post at last - thought I'd been barred before I'd begun
Ooooh I DO dislike that last colour pic of me. The helmet looks absolutely huge..

Anyway, thanks for all the posts here, it's nice to be remembered And thanks to Yendor for acting as middleman.

One of our outfits (in the collection of a good friend of ours in the USA who is also a member of this forum I believe) was at a show / concours last year. Don't know whether links are allowed here so I'll add it as code...no, there's no link to add code so I'll add it as a quote:



I won't be able to spend much time here with you all, as I am quite busy doing other stuff (all to do with ancient numismatics, if you must know ) so thanks to all once again.

Dane in Darkest Switzerland (well it IS nearly 4 a.m. here)

Welcome Dane! You don't need to be here as often as we do (after all, WE are the anoraks! ), but just say hello from time to time, and tell us a story of the past.

Yep thats true!! Welcome Dane and thank you for taking the time to join in

Mein Gott..... Hi Dane and a warm welcome.

Hello Dane, do you like this picture more ?

Absolute astonishing detailed pictures from the Cat III there. Link

A nice team, big smile & serious face.

Team Cat

You speak for yourself Russ A very belated welcome from me also Dane

Dane in her Jackson 5 days!

Hi Dane and welcome ,and thanks Russell for starting this thread.Suddenly I am a young lad again,watching the CAT go round the Elbow at Mallory like nothing else I ever saw.
Citroen DS Combi with the CAT on the roof;thats different too.
HW

Nice thread Russell. Rudi designed(built?) the first Scheidegger kneeler and I emailed Dane about this and she was going to look for the plans but it appears they are not around.Saw Fritz and Robinson on it at Brands one practice day.John lived near me then in Croydon used to pass his house on the way to work sometims a van with swiss plates outside.

Didn't know that Bernard - interesting. On an unrelated issue, have you previously written something about Biggin Hill as a bike racing circuit, or am I imagining things - again?

Wasn't Dane the paddock/pit lane PA announcer at some of the Silverstone GP's?

'79 rings a bell with me as it was the epic Sheene/Roberts duel and Hailwood/Ago doing some demo laps on MVs.

Oh, and I was slightly refreshed...Saturday night campsites y'know..

Ahhh, the mists of time......

Yes Mick she was. I can't remember how many languages Dane speaks, I think it is into double figures!!

Zou ze ook Nederlands kunnen spreken ?

Hi Russell

Yes I did back in the mists of time,found a poster that is in this Forum archives somewhere.Went to one meeting and as you were posting on another thread about Crystal Palace just now, many of the regulars rode at Biggin Hill. Its a long time ago now but I do recall Ned Minihan winning the 500 race(I wonder if he is still with us).As we are talking about sidecars in this thread (Dane is lovely but I was always a fan of Aga Neumann) I see Arsenius Butscher who she passengered for is 80 this year. As I said Paul it was a very long time ago...

Hi Bernard, I never got to Biggin Hill so long since been intrigued by it. Somehow setting out a motorcyle racing circuit on an old WW2 aeroodrome in outer suburban London seems to me very much of its time. Arsenius Butscher ! Not Colin Seeley's favourite person; in his book he credits 'this crazy German' with crashing into him at Spa on the high speed appraoch to Stavelot, puncturing his tyre, almost causing a multiple pile up and finally, putting him out of the race. Apparently, Seeley's offical protest, which was supported by Pip Harris and Jack Ahearn ! ,was not upheld........

A page about Rudi Kurth's designs
including this nice photo:

Would it be possible to have more info about the CATvan?

(My German is only good for swearing or ordering coffee/beer:) )

Translation......Link

Thanks, I didn't know Google had a good translation tool

To the scrutenearing:

Silence for the storm :

TT?

Early morning practice??

Always wore a sweater for those!!!

There you go Paul the programme cover and some history about Biggin Hill

http://www.progcovers.com/motor/bigginhill59.jpg

From the Double Five Club site

"The R.A.F were the landlords of the Saltbox field and it was to them that we were indebted for its use. Our contact with them led to us becoming more ambitious with thoughts of extending our activities to motorcycle road racing on the aerodrome. This was quite an undertaking for a club with only moderate resources. Once the request was made to the R.A.F. they were surprisingly helpful. We met the appropriate officer at the control tower and he indicated that we could have the use of the perimeter track and that part of the main runway that lay behind Leaves Green. For those of you familiar with the area, that is roughly from the Kings Arms to the Crown pub. The entrance to the circuit was to be Milking Lane which pre-war went from the Kings Arms to Downe village via a section of Downe Golf Course. This lane became a dead end when the airfield extension was made.

With the help of a couple of our road racing members and in particular Gerry Seward (who four years later was to be tragically killed at Mallory Park) we decided on the layout of the course using the perimeter track and a few hundred yards of the main runway. Here we worked out a chicane, which on the day was to be composed of a multitude of yellow painted oil drums.

The usual formalities followed by applying to the ACU for inspection and approval of the prepared circuit. Angus Herbert, a well known and successful grass track and road racer of the pre-war and post-war periods, inspected the mile of tarmac and concrete. He gave us some helpful safety hints and advising the use of truckfulls of straw bales etc. One unexpected snag proved to be with insurance, because of the flying club at the other end of the drome. The ACU insisted that no racing could take place unless we could persuade them not to fly. However a compromise was reached and the flying club made an early take off and went to the continent!!

With official permission obtained, ensured that the hard work started. Our advertising in the various motorcycling journals attracted marshals, some of whom became members. Bill Knight (who still is a member) became a tower of strength in the years to come. A date in June was first applied for, to be followed by an August one. Subsequently we managed to get a third date in October, which enabled us to balance the books. Publishing the Regs and entry forms brought some surprising and very encouraging results. Names such as A. Minter, P. Read, W. Boddice and Ginger Payne promised some interesting racing and hopefully a good turnout of spectators.

The hardest part was yet to follow. The grass surrounding the perimeter track had been allowed to grow to produce a hay crop. This was to be cut, we hoped, before the first meeting. This was done at the last moment and we literally had to follow the tractor and collect the bales, which we then hired instead of straw bales. A last minute problem was driving the stakes into the deep layer of ballast on which the grass was growing. However we just managed it and the first meeting took place, I believe, on the 21st June 1959.

Our thanks go to all the racers, they provided some good entertainment and proved to be reasonably safe. I can only remember one fairly major injury and that was to Frank Perrin who broke his collarbone. The ambulances were kept far busier at our scrambles meetings. Although we managed to run three meetings, the Leaves Green residents soon put paid to our running any further meetings the following year. It seems they preferred the sounds of friendly yet hostile aero-engines. The club had not only gained some prestige and experience, but also some more rope, a few hundred yards of chestnut fencing and hundreds of plastic lampshades. I also regained the use of my dining room, which had been my office for the past six months."

Thanks very much Bernard, interesting stuff. Presumably the days before Minter, Read, etc, commanded start money?

Does anyone know what Rudi and Dane are up to nowadays?

BTW, I'd HATE to see this post drop of the board....

I met Rudi at the Race Retro event last weekend. At the moment he appears to be involved in Hi-Tech bicycles and
things aeronautical to name but two. Dane is involved in numismatics I think is the word; anyway it's to do with identifying ancient coins
in her case Greek and Roman.

Their website http://www.catbikes.ch/

With Wolfgang Kalauch and Helmut Fath 1969.

At Rouen unless I'm very much mistaken

Building the Monark 500-3, 1972 :

Just checked the website, outstanding work

Rudi seems to be one of the old school of engineers who can make anything from anything, long may he continue to do so

No excuses for bumping the thread BTW...

Something about Him in this Thread.


The CAT

Hello HEMEYLA,
may I ask you where you found this pic?
It's mine !
Yes it's early morning TT practice.

And a very nice pic too, Michel. Dane, if you occasionally drop by, please say hello......