Preview.....Don Cox's -"Circus Life"...Australian Motorcycle racers in Europe in the 1950's

Don Cox, motorcyclist and latterly author has released details of his latest book "Circus Life", Australian Motorcycle Racers in Europe in the 1950's........

 Left click on the image to enlarge.....
Don summaries his work on the book and comment...

This project began in 2005 and the last chapter was finished in February 2010. (This is while maintaining a full-time day job and having my walking range tail away due to multiple sclerosis.) One reason it took so long was the flavour and scope evolved from a book about a handful of key characters to attempting to shine a light on some 40 riders who ventured to Europe between 1948 and 1960.
It might be the last chance to talk to some of these guys, so I felt compelled to recount their stories. I'm very sad that some key sources haven't lived to see the finished book -- including former racers Bob Mitchell, Bob West, Allen Burt and Jack Findlay.
I was fortunate two decades ago to have talked to Eric and Ruby McPherson, and George Morrison, about their Continental Circus experiences in 1949-50 and to Tom Phillis' parents Tom and Elsie.
Australian Motorcycle Heroes 1949-1989 was an obvious starting point. I had some chapters that didn't make the finished version in 1988. But I re-interviewed many of the characters and tracked down many more -- so this book goes much deeper into the 1950s than "Heroes". It picks up on aspects some reviewers identified as missing from the 1988 effort,
including the economics of 1950s racing in Europe. But it also attempts to show the diverse characters involved and tell the sometimes extraordinary stories.
The focus is very much on the private entrants and their way of life -- riding non-championship Continental Circus internationals week-in,week-out.
In addition, there are several chapters on the experience of racing behind the Iron Curtain. There are also more "side" players, including one of the two women who travelled with Bob Brown in 1955 after Allen Burt was seriously injured at the Isle of Man.
The internet has made research faster than 1988 in some ways -- there are more results and more photos available, even websites devoted to old circuits. Thanks to email you can often have a question answered in 24 hours. But the people are now 20 years older.
One of the first research activities was approaching the FIM for copies of the race calendars -- so I had the actual dates for the non-championship meetings. This made it easier to trace a rider's path across Europe and appreciate the distances from race to race.
In 2006 I visited a couple of the old circuits, most notably St Wendel -- a meeting the 1950s private entrants all enjoyed. One restaurant in the town has a wall dedicated to the races. The metal sign for the start/finish line stands in the front of the house where race director August Balthasar lived.
The next three years were devoted to research and writing -- with momentum often maintained by the thrill of the chase... Finding the tale behind a particular result, poring through a diary, unearthing the photo of a forgotten machine or just hearing the enthusiasm in a voice when you take a chance on a telephone number.

Circus Life: Australian Motorcycle Racers In Europe In The 1950s

By Don Cox

From the co-author of Australian Motorcycle Heroes 1949-1989 and the author of The Aussies & 2 NZ Blokes
Foreword by Australia’s 1969 world 250 champion Kel Carruthers
Over 100 photographs, many previously unpublished
Background on some 40 Australians who raced in Europe from 1948 to 1960

The Story:
Which sport saw the first Australians compete behind the Iron Curtain? In the 1950s, which profession allowed a welder from Prahran and a toolmaker from Belfield to earn 15 times their regular weekly wage?
Welcome to the gypsy world of the Continental Circus private entrants – warts and all -- with the joys, camaraderie, heartache, laughs and low acts. It was a time when rider usually had to be truck driver, mechanic, cook and start-money negotiator as well. And management help? You wish! In the 1950s it was considered un-Australian to push your own barrow.
Travel with the young men criss-crossing a still rebuilding Europe, racing for a living – some with their mates, others just married. Drift a Manx Norton flat out with Bob Brown at Spa-Francorchamps. Learn the Isle of Man Mountain section with Maurie Quincey. Take on race organisers over starting money with Jack Ahearn and Keith Campbell. Cure an electrical problem with your teeth and mend a broken gear linkage with fencing wire. Cross the mine fields into East Germany, where one wrong move could put you in a gulag. Experience the highs, lows and scary hospitals – stories even the men who lived them reckon people would not believe.
The fruits of five years’ research, Circus Life goes deeper than the typical “who won what and when”. The author puts you on the grid at Villefranche des Rouergue; in the van trundling across Europe in high summer and behind the Iron Curtain on the oil-stained public roads of Brno.
 “The author has worked miracles from a set of disjointed telephone conversations and emails!” -- Trevor Pound
Don is awaiting the first printed copies and envisages the price to be in the AUD$75 range plus postage from him direct or from specialist bookshops.
When the book becomes available, I'll run another blog with firm details.
I've searched through my files for a pic or two of some of the riders to be featured....

Outside "Rose Villa" the favourite guest-house haunt of Aussies in Douglas IOM, L to R.
Alan Burt, Ritchie Thomsen, Bob Brown, Maurie Quincey's wife, Maurie Quincey.

Alan Burt in Ramsey Cottage hospital, IOM- following his horrendous crash in practice 1955 TT.

 Bob Brown's trophies.....

Jack Ahearn and Jack Forrest....

Gordon Laing, Ray Amm and Ken Kavenagh...somewhere in Europe.

Geoff Walker, Tasmania, practice 1953 IOM TT.

Keith Campbell and Gordon Laing, in the paddock Assen for the TT, 1953.

Keith Bryen on the podium after winning the 350cc race at  Norisring, 21.07.1957. Eric Hinton to the right.
( last five photos courtesy of Keith and Gwen Bryen )

Further on the Velocette LE 149cc side valve twin.

In an earlier blog.....

http://velobanjogent.blogspot.com/2008/08/model-le-velocette-twin-article.html

I featured the LE 149cc side valve twin.

I'm continuing with what was one of the earliest road tests of the motorcycle by George Beresford of "The MotorCycle".

Beresford was better known for his excellent technical exploded drawings used to illustrate many articles in "The MotorCycle".

As well there are pages of what was likely Veloce Ltd's first catalogue of the bike.

Left click on the images to enlarge.

 The LE 149cc when first introduced at the November 1948 Earles Court Motor Cycle Show.

A report in Dave Masters book,"Velocette 1905-1971, An Illustrated Reference", published 1976.

 

 I found the following while scanning some stuff for the Australian Velo OC magazine....

Just may be where Eugene Goodman of Veloce Ltd got the idea for the LE and the everyman machine....

"MotorCycling"...29th April 1936.

More racing photographs from the 1950's from former Continental Circus rider and Moto Guzzi factory rider, Australian Keith Bryen.....

This is the eighth blog so far of Australian Keith Bryen's racing career and am currently in 1957, however Keith also included a folder with his own racing photos titled "Photos of other riders and bikes of the past".... so we are having a further peek into it and continue running these in this and future blogs....

Left click on the images to enlarge....

 Factory AJS racers at the Belgium GP in 1953

Bill Doran at the 1953 Senior TT weigh-in

West Australian, George Scott at the 1953 IOM TT.

Ray Amm at the 1953 Senior TT weigh-in.

Approaching the top of Begarrow Hill, IOM TT.

Australian factory Moto Guzzi rider, Keith Campbell on the 500cc V-8.

Frank Perris with mechanic Bill Lovet, 1956, UK.

NZer Peter Murphy, Matchless G45, 1953 IOM Senior TT weigh-in.Murphy retired during the race.

Australian Tony McAlpine and wife, Dutch TT.

The "Inverted" Mk.8 KTT......

The "inverted" Mk.8 KTT...strange name for a blog.....

I'm not into showing motorcycle crashes, but being a Velocette enthusiast, this pic of the unfortunate rider getting off his Mk.8 KTT in such a fashion intrigued me....

Now German Velocette enthusiast and long time friend, Gert boll and I correspond....Gert before he retired was a turbine engineer and was often in Sydney and visited me, and the friendship struck up.

Recently Gert forwarded this photo to me and enquired if I knew who it was.....

The riding number wasn't completely visible and looked like 47 or 49 to me...

Gert felt it was from the 1939 TT due to the description on the back of the pic...see below.

A check of the 1939 IOM TT program showed a few Mk.8 KTT's with numbers in the 40's....

 There were no Velocette Mk.8 KTT's with riding numbers in the 40's in the 1939 Senior TT.

The racing number is damaged and partly obliterated and appears to be #47 or #49.

#47 was J.W. "Bill" Beevers

#49 was H.B.Myers
However the tricky bit is Myers came 35th in the Junior TT and Beevers came 27th in the Junior TT.
Myers didn't ride in the Senior and Beevers finished 19th on a Norton in the Senior TT.
Myers did not enter the Senior TT on any motorcycle.
It may have been post WW2....
I don't have TT programs for 1947,48 which would give the riding number and riders name and machine.
However the back of the pic below has a penciled comment “1939”
..Now that looks like one hell of a "get off" and I'd be surprised if it was #47 or #49, that they could re-mount and finish where they came.
Although Meyers, #49 was last place at 35th.
I've re looked at the Stewards report and results, which lists the lap times and Beevers was lapping consistently...33m02;31m18,30m10,29m55;30m32,29m50,29m57.
The first lap was slower as the standing start lap and the 30m32 may have been his re-fuelling lap.
Myers times were..33m14s, 33m34s, 32m08s, 32m12s, 34m20s, 32m24s, 32m36s.
I assume his 33m20s lap, his 5th was also re-fuelling.
Neither look like they encountered such a crash....
#41 J.Garnett was riding a rigid framed Mk.7 KTT, so it wasn't him.
So perhaps it was Frank Fry, riding #45....
His first lap, standing start or not was his fastest, he was as fast as the 11th placeman's first lap...L.G.Martin..29m31s...
Out of interest his lap times were..29m28s, 30m36s, 30m07s, 33m54s then retired, in the 5th lap of the race.....the report in "MotorCycling" says..."F.W Fry ( Velocette) fell at Milnetown Hotel, but that his injuries were not too serious, although the exact nature of the accident was not announced."
Unless it happened in practice, but I believe that riders did not get issued their riding numbers until the weigh in when their bikes were impounded until the race started and used a cloth riding number tied to their backs. This is not there.
No other Velo rider is listed as falling, retiring with a riding number in the 40's.
Short of further information, I’m of the opinion that it was #45 Frank Fry
Thanks to Pete Young for noting the "typo" on the name in the initial post....
Left click on the images to enlarge....

 

More of...The Isle of Man Times and the 1939 TT.......

I'm currently in the USA kickin' tyres with my US Velo friends, staying with good friend Micky Felder of Felder's Body Shop...check out an earlier blog on Mick's shop in Hermosa Beach Cal.
http://velobanjogent.blogspot.com/2008/05/felders-body-shopa-toy-emporium-for.html
Or look over on the RHS of this blog for "Motorcycle Car and Accessory Shops" under the subjects headings and scroll through them...

I brought a laptop computer with me to download some Velocette material for Lenore Cox the US Velo Club editor of their good Club magazine "Fishtail West"....

So why not update my blog.....

A first for me not in the comfort of my office and archive at home....

But you'll recall several blogs back I started posting details from The Isle of Man times...I'd scanned in additional material at that time and so we'll go back to 1939, June and the TT races in the Isle of Man.....

Little to comment on them, as the original comment under the pics is included.

Sadly for Velocette enthusiasts there is the report of the death of Harold Willis, the race engineer who went into hospital for a minor operation and died of Meningitis.....

As I said before, several IOM newspapers closed in the 1980's, so unsure of who to credit....

Left click on the images to enlarge.
You'll notice that while this features the 1939 IOM Times, this following heading is from the 1936 IOM Times...kindly pointed out by Paul Adams a KTT owner in Colorado, USA....
As mentioned I'm in the US and my archive is in Sydney, so I featured the 1936 heading again to get the newspaper leader....

Bo Ekland from Sweden has emailed me and commented....The picture in your last blog ( this blog, DQ ) showing some wonderful pictures from the I. of M. Daily Times.

The pix above, showing the NSU team should read: Wilhelm Hertz is the man on the extreme right and Otto Rührschneck is the man behind the machines headlamp. A correction of a 70 years old mistake.....

Continuation with Smiths SSM and RSM motorcycle instruments and the final blog from me for 2 weeks...

I did an earlier blog on the Smiths 8omm diameter SSM and RSM motorcycle instruments, fitted to British Motorcycles from the start of the 1964 season, replacing the evergreen Smiths chronometric....

I showed some pics of a bezel removal tool, but of course you need to replace the old bezel...always fraught with trouble as the chrome plated brass material of the originals develop stress cracks and are often difficult to satisfactorily remove.

So in this blog I'll show you a tool you can make that can utilise a normal 6" centre lathe to roll on a new or re-roll on a used bezel rim.

The original Smiths factory tool was illustrated in the last picture on that blog....

Go to the right hand side of this blog, find "subject listings on my blog" and scroll down to "speedometers"

Left click on the images to enlarge...

2” diameter ball bearing ( a Velocette Venom front wheel bearing…) attached to a piece of bar as the rolling tool.

Disc with the “V” groove to allow the bezel to “lock in” and resist sideways thrust during the rolling operation.

A circular block with holes for the two rear cases and three holes for the movement case screws with grommets to fit into.

I used a Velocette girder fork front wheel taper roller bearing as the thrust bearing that the live centre in the tailstock of the lathe pushes into.

New bezel rim,shaped glass seal, 87mm x 2mm thick glass, flat rubber seal, slip ring/mask to fit to the re-enameled SSM case. Illustrated are the movement to case screw with grommet and the foam pad the movement sits on. All essential to replace when the instrument is opened to ensure the speedometer sits correctly in its case.

The locking ring in the chuck, the ball race is just visible

This is a speedometer held lightly by the tailstock live centre to show the bezel located in it's locking groove only. The larger aluminium block is then fitted to the back of the speedo and the live centre engaged with it for the rolling operation.

Speedometer sitting in the various holes to allow the block to fit snugly against the speedo back.

The speedometer just apart from the pushing block, showing the holes to engage the back of the speedo.

Several shots of the speedo trapped between the locking ring and the thrust block.

How much thrust? 
A light push by the tailstock to crush the speedo case against the flat rubber seal on the glass and ensure a water-tight seal.

This is the last blog from me for almost two weeks as I will be in the USA from 8th May 2010 returning to Sydney Friday 21st May.

Riding my KSS Velocette special, illustrated above and to the right-hand side of the blog.....