16 replies to this topic

[Russell Burrows]

Fraid I can't find the book review thread - has anyone read/ sighted what appears to be a new  book on Brit racing in the sixties ?  The stap line goes something like 'the days of the big singles'.  The Author's name is Guntrip, published by Veloce

 

Just found a link but can't copy it here as I'm on a public computer.  

Edited by Russell Burrows, 06 November 2015 - 16:19.

[Dick Dastardly]

This?

 

http://www.veloce.co...oup=Motorsport

[knickerbrook]

How brilliant !

 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention gents - that's my Christmas present sorted then   !

[tonyed]

http://www.ebay.co.u...XIAAOSw5ZBWK2Xx

 

1 left at £13.25 free postage

 

I bought the other.

 

Should be a good trip down memory lane.

 

I first started going to Mallory Park in 1967 on my Triumph Tiger Cub with a mate on a 197 James Captain.

 

The paddocks for club as well as national meetings were full of the singles from Norton, Matchless, AJS etc. These are the meetings that inspired me to cross the fence. However the only four stroke single I ever raced was an Aermacchi Metisse 350 in 1972/73.

 

The club and national scene was so vibrant in those days and I fear we will never see their likes again.

 

Looking forward to this book. 

[knickerbrook]

Thanks Tony - just snapped it up  !

As you say, a fantastic period of racing now sadly consigned to history - but living on so vividly in the heads of us who were lucky to have witnessed it!

[knickerbrook]

I received my copy of this BRILLIANT book yesterday  !

 

As it says on the tin - almost exclusively devoted the the larger capacity races (350cc and above) in the UK throughout the sixties. Race-by race accounts from ALL the major national and international meetings of the decade - with results from every meeting down to sixth place! Contains lots of "behind the scenes" stories about the bikes, the riders and the tuners. The research that has gone into this book is amazing and I can't praise it enough!  

 

There are more available (at the time of posting this) for £13.25 post-free, from Tony's Ebay link above.

(So hurry up and grab one Russell - it really is a gem  !).      

Edited by knickerbrook, 14 November 2015 - 14:21.

[tonyed]

Having purchased said book, I read on pages 26 and 27 of articles from the Motor Cycling publication of 11th Feb 1960 - Production Racers - Latest and April 1957 a two part feature penned by Bruce Main-Smith with assistance from Jack Williams on servicing the 7R.

I have obtained a copy of the 11th Feb 1960 publication that has the feature on the latest updates to the Manx Norton, 7R and G50 offerings and have a copy of the 11th April 1957 winging its' way (for £13.12) from Aust(bleedin)stralia.

 

I plan to photocopy (I assume the copyright has expired) the two features and offer them to interested parties at one and thruppence three farthings (only joking real price is £24 pounds  ).

 

The book stated there were two parts to the 7R servicing feature but unfortunately the editions either side of the 11th April 1957 were already sold. So if anyone has said tome please contact me.

 

Only joking (really this time) about the price of copies. Send me your email and I'll send them on when I have both mags.   

 

In the 1960 magazine I have noticed that Elite Motors of Tooting have a '56 B34 Goldie priced at a very competitive £159 10s. I rang TULse Hill 3211 but received no answer. I shall try again tomorrow as perhaps Thursday is early closing.

 

In the 1960 mag is a short piece on executives from Suzuki visiting the IOM in anticipation of entries into the TT. However I do wonder if these people really know what they are biting off, even with Hondas' 1959 showing I can't see the Japs ever gaining any real ground in this sphere of the sport or indeed in motorcycles in general. They should stick to manufacturing rickshaws and the like and not dabble in fields of engineering best left to us Brits.

 

Next Thursdays edition has a piece about the Wankel engine and its' future. I see it replacing the reciprocating engine in the very near future and have withdrawn all my savings from the Post Office to invest in the venture. I imagine a comfotabale retirement somewhere in Surrey on the fruits of my investment.

 

An advert for the Villiers 2T twin two stroke also caught my eye. As the advert proclaims no finer, more outstanding and exhilarating engine, capable of propelling the bike to 'in excess of 70mph' has existed to date and the probability of it ever being surpassed are as likely as the sun coming down on the British Empire. I hope that the representatives from Suzuki (as previously mentioned) take notice and head back the Mount Fujimoto or what ever it is called and leave the BIG boys to play the BIG game.

 

Last, but not not least in this edition is the revolutionary 'Amphibian' sidecar from Canterbury. Detach it from the sidecar platform and you are master of the seas. Rule Britannia.   Again with this type of innovation we will ensure that if Johnny Foreigner tries another stunt like they did in 1939 we can ensure, again, a successful blockade their Baltic ports and starve the bastards into surrender.

 

All in all good value for ninepence. I may be tempted to place an order with my Newsagent for the Motor Cycling every week.

 

Toodle Pip 

Edited by tonyed, 19 November 2015 - 18:23.

[Russell Burrows]

I received my copy of this BRILLIANT book yesterday  !

 

As it says on the tin - almost exclusively devoted the the larger capacity races (350cc and above) in the UK throughout the sixties. Race-by race accounts from ALL the major national and international meetings of the decade - with results from every meeting down to sixth place! Contains lots of "behind the scenes" stories about the bikes, the riders and the tuners. The research that has gone into this book is amazing and I can't praise it enough!  

 

There are more available (at the time of posting this) for £13.25 post-free, from Tony's Ebay link above.

(So hurry up and grab one Russell - it really is a gem  !).      

Thanks for the review, Barry.  I'll get hold of a copy soon.  The author is/was a sometime contributor on here.

[billlawrence]

Just received my copy its just wonderful to bring back memory's of the 60s great  names  some I had forgotten it all comes back   its a book you could never hope would be printed   Bill Lawrence

[Russell Burrows]

I found myself feeling more than a bit underwhelmed by this book. There's just too much reliance on race reports and 'paddock gossip' pieces from the comics and too little personal testimony from the dudes who actually carried out these deeds of derring do.  The turgid antipodean prose style got on my wick a fair bit too.  And why is a book that lends itself to a coffee table type format, produced in such an undersized form ?  I do though like the inclusion of the results from some of the more important meetings during that brillant decade.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 29 December 2015 - 18:11.

[tonyed]

Yes Russell I do agree that the reliance on race reports and some paddock gossip detracted from the book. However despite the lack of perspective from personal anecdotes it did fill me in with an era that I only just got into in the last few years of it. I did not get the same 'waft' of prawns and barbecue sauce that you experienced. 

 

Rather like Roger Gowenlocks 'Yamaha Glorious Years' but as in Guntrip' book the results are useful.

 

However I feel that I am the better off for reading both books.

 

Unlike some of the others such as the (auto)biogs of James Whitham, Reg Everett and hopefully Jim Curry (which I am about to start after I have finished the autobiography of one of my all time heroes Del Boy) I doubt if I will reread it cover to cover.

[knickerbrook]

Sorry to hear that you were not as impressed as I was by the book Russell, but admittedly I too was expecting something bigger!

I didn't think the text was lacking at all, but I think they could have sourced better photographs. However, I found the results section very informative, especially regarding some riders who had achieved much more than I had previously thought (Selwyn Griffiths and Tom Phillips are just two that spring to mind).

 

All in all, I thought it very good value for the £13.25 it cost me.

 

But I'll wait for your appraisal on Jim Curry's book Tony, before I splash the full price on that one.    

 

And a happy 2016 to all the posters still flying the flag on here  !

[eman1948]

Hi Guys I see the book is still available but the reviews are a bit mixed amongst you, is it worth buying as the late 60`s is when my interest started in watching/following  racing.

[tonyed]

Perhaps we should start a library or 'book collective' where we pass on to others books we have read but no longer require?

 

We could then escalate this commune society to such things as, lets say, racing bikes.

 

So if anyone wants to 'share' their Yamaha YZR500 with me I can be round post haste.    

[knickerbrook]

Hi Guys I see the book is still available but the reviews are a bit mixed amongst you, is it worth buying as the late 60`s is when my interest started in watching/following  racing.

 

In my opinion, its definitely worth the £13.19 (inc free postage) its currently on Ebay for. Although the reviews are a little mixed, there's nothing else out there that covers the subject as well as this - and it was a great era to be remembered!

[eman1948]

Thanks Barry, just bought it.

[Russell Burrows]

Sorry to hear that you were not as impressed as I was by the book Russell, but admittedly I too was expecting something bigger!

I didn't think the text was lacking at all, but I think they could have sourced better photographs. However, I found the results section very informative, especially regarding some riders who had achieved much more than I had previously thought (Selwyn Griffiths and Tom Phillips are just two that spring to mind).

 

All in all, I thought it very good value for the £13.25 it cost me.

 

But I'll wait for your appraisal on Jim Curry's book Tony, before I splash the full price on that one.    

 

And a happy 2016 to all the posters still flying the flag on here  !

I can't help feeling that as it was such a brillant period in our history it desrved to be treated with more, well, respect.  I suspect it would have been a better book if the author had actually hung around the paddock and/or witnessed more of the racing.  By way of contrast, I think Seeley's book works so well largely because he's steeped in our history, some of which, of course, he himself made. 

 

And happy new year to you, Barry, and everyone else who's keeping the faith here.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 08 January 2016 - 16:00.