55 replies to this topic

[MoMurray]

Because of how long ago it was, and because, being from the North it didn't directly affect me, my recollections are more than a little foggy, but maybe Mo you can clarify something alse about that incident.

I seem to remember there was something about Ian Switzer not knowing what to do with his RG500, and in a panic headed out of the circuit and up the road on it. Any further memories on that front?

Switzer was not alone. The circuit operators opened a little use gate out the back and many of the open practise session participants made their way across fields and out onto the roads and away. To put this in perspective, the C&E guys were very active and not a pleasant bunch at all. They used to stop vans well into the south on the evening of a northern center road race and if papers were not in order, they would confiscate the lot, van, bikes, everything.

[SMonty]

Switzer was not alone. The circuit operators opened a little use gate out the back and many of the open practise session participants made their way across fields and out onto the roads and away. To put this in perspective, the C&E guys were very active and not a pleasant bunch at all. They used to stop vans well into the south on the evening of a northern center road race and if papers were not in order, they would confiscate the lot, van, bikes, everything.

Thanks for that Mo. For all these years I was never really sure if that bit was fact or folklore!

The only run in I had with the said C&E in the South was about 1987 -88 when we were headin down to the Cork 20 car rally. I was part of the (drinking) team when my cousin was in an ex Kenny Colbert Lotus Sunbeam. At that time petrol was a lot more expensive in the South. So we had the van with the car on the trailer and about 8 jerry cans of petrol in the van. As you eluded to about them being aware of what was on and when, they were waiting on all the Northern crews headin across the border. We were stopped and had to pay something near £100 in import duty for the fuel - the b*****ds

[rotrax]

In the 60's and 70's there was a saturday Grass Track at Casiobry Park near watford.They had a Vintage class so I fitted the wide bars and Knobbly Tyres to my 1938 Triumph road racer and headed off to Watford. I managed,along with seven others, to get in the final. Cash prize,£12.00 IIRC. I fancied this so Prepared as best as I could. I think I reduced the tyre pressure to try and get a good start.On the line with me was Denny Belcher,Rudge, Mike VanGucci,Ariel,Bill Davies,Rudge JAP,Malc Webb, OEC Blackburne and several others.Dear old Arthur Sweby was the starter.We all wound'em up,waiting for the tapes to fly across when arthur pulled the peg out.Suddenly Arthur waved his arms and indicated for us to shut down. Then he bent down and picked up a piston from the start line. He did'nt half drop it quick as about five seconds earlier it had been bobbing up and down in Bill Davies JAP engine, which was now a total loss with the con rod stuck in the countershaft! Bill Davies was as tough as they come and he pushed the Rudge JAP onto the centre of the track,ran into the pits and got his 1928 Dirt Track Douglas.We started without incedent this time and Bill won the £12.00. I went to see what had happened to Bills engine ,only to be confronted with the sight of a St. Johns nurse kneeling between Bills bare legs, looking like she was performing a sex act on him! In reality, she was picking small bits of cast iron out of his soft inner thighs from the shattered cylinder barrel. I often wondered how bad he needed that twelve quid!

[BrianFlakKawasaki]

One thing that sickened me is a rider in the Honda Championship who was sponsored by a smashing chap with, at that time, a Honda dealership. He came to me one day and enquired, are these bikes expensive to run, puzzled by the question I replied No, very inexpensive compared to other classes.
It became evident later on the rider was selling tyres and amounting spares to sell later to club riders.
Sponsors however big or small are worth their weight in gold. I remember one lady who came round with packets of Lucozade sweets, no big sponsor but very nice all the same

I remember her! It was packets of Dextraol glucose she used to give out..can anyone remember her name?

[rotrax]

The title says it all. Even a tenuous link

During my last few years of Grass Track and Speedway racing a couple of freinds from Dorset took up the sport in the Classic and Vintage classes. One was very fast but erratic and would invariably come off, bringing others down as well due to his habit of rushing up the inside at a turn. After being fetched off a few times his mate would miss the start on purpose, avoid the usual melee at the first turn where his mate was on the floor and do quite well. The great track racer Lew Coffin turned up to watch at one meeting,and as was his wont,offered some advice in his broad dorset dialect." Youm boy, Youms riding faster than you can go! And as for youm, Youm would do better if you started when all the others did!" Lew's comments were right on the money.

[Hoofhearted]

Switzer was not alone. The circuit operators opened a little use gate out the back and many of the open practise session participants made their way across fields and out onto the roads and away. To put this in perspective, the C&E guys were very active and not a pleasant bunch at all. They used to stop vans well into the south on the evening of a northern center road race and if papers were not in order, they would confiscate the lot, van, bikes, everything.

I was pitted at the back of the paddock that day. Someone shouted the customs ******* were here. I threw my bike into the van and out the little gate they had at the back of the paddock. I went around the track. Actually across the old part of the track to the hairpin (can't remember the name of the cornere now) and onto the straight. I turned right out of the circuit and there was a barn of some sort where they kept the track vehicles. The door was open and I disappeared into it! Stayed there, occasionally peeping out to see what was happening. As soon as the all clear sounded I was off home like a shot. Just in case the buggers came back.

I think it was a short while later they pulled the same stunt at a motocross meet in Cork.