A brief photographic look at the life of another Aussie motorcycle racer on the "Continental Circus" 1965-1969.....

A good motorcycle racing friend of mine passed away at the end of October last year....Jack Saunders....

 Above items from the order of service at Jack's funeral....
He in turn was also a good friend of Alan Burt...who I've featured in this blog on several occasions..see the search facility on the RHS of the blog and type in Alan Burt......
Jack sailed for Europe in 1965 with a friend Ron Kirk and perhaps several others.....
Recently fate lent a hand....
An email from Stuart Frossell in California with some images scanned from slides which I recognised as Jack Saunders and others and a quick email back revealed more and the strange tale of Stuart's purchase of a large well kept box of photographic slides totaling over 2000 in number from an old gentleman at a swap meeting in Toowoomba, Queensland. The seller had obtained them from a deceased estate...some research revealed they were originally Ron Kirk of Sydney....he'd died some time back.
Ron was a friend of Jack Saunders and travelled with him to Europe on Jack's Odyssey to the "Continental Circus", that happy go lucky group of Commonwealth country motorcycle racers.....
See my post on Don Cox's book..."Continental Circus" detailing the 1950's era of this disparate group....
So this is far from a history of Jack's life, but a selection of photos from Stuart's slides and some black and white pics taken by me in Australia....
I thank Stuart for his contact and agreement to use the photographs...

Jack in Aden on the way to Europe, 1965

Ron  and Jack....

 ...at the Sphinx on the way to Europe...

Jack, #70, G50 Matchless on the start line of the 1965 Senior TT in the Isle of Man.Jack finished 31st just outside bronze replica time.
#69 is 499 G50 Matchless mounted H.H.Sommerhalder who retired on the second lap.
Jack, riding no.97 a 344 Aermacchi in the Junior TT,  failed to complete the first lap.

 Aussie Malcolm Stanton, 499 Norton Manx #73, second in line in the photo,at the start of the 1965 Senior TT, IOM. 
Malcolm retired on the 5th lap but came 24th in the Junior TT on a Norton in bronze replica time.
#71 is South African A.E.W de Kock also 499 Norton Manx mounted who finished 29th and in bronze replica time.

 

Things don't always go right for TT entrants.... Jack in his "lockup" likely back in England after the 1965 IOM TT...#70 is his 499 G50 Matchless Senior entry and the "bits" are his 344 Aermacchi...... you'll recall Jack failed to finish in the Junior and is working on the Aermacchi in the photo...

Some details from UK ACU Stewards reports and programs for the IOM TT races, 1965 and 1966 when Jack rode there.

 Caption on the slide says..."Jack, Gebby and Ted" on the Ferry, 1965"...
but unsure of where to...

Jack, Lance (who...) and Rae (who..), Mallory Park 1965.
After I posted this post on Jack I acquired from the UK some Mallory Park motorcycle race programs and the one for 26th Sept.1965 was the one thaqt Jack rode in with the photograph above...
John Robinson had kept them all this time and it was he who filled in the results...thanks John.
Small world....
Seems Jack failed to start in his heat of the senior race and started in his heat of the Junior race but was not shown as placed up to 12th...

Titled...."our camp, Le Mans 03.04.1966"

On the road somewhere...Aussies Eric Hinton and Jack Ahearn....

A race paddock "somewhere"...the slide is un-captioned....

"Lewis Young,and Mac, Czechoslovakia 1966"....

Franta Stastney, Brno Czechoslovakia 1967...

Colin Seeley, Brands Hatch 15.04.1967

 

Bill Ivy's Brands Hatch practice crash, 15.04.1967.

French domiciled Aussie, Jack Findlay, likely on a 250 Bultaco, Jicin, Czechoslovakia.

 The Aussie contingent at Boug-en-bresse circuit, mid France...Jack #12,D.Johnson and T.Gill..unsure of year.
Then he continued racing into the 1980's in NSW....mostly on his G50 and occasionally on a G45 he purchased on his return from Ron "Darby" Wilson always then with riding number #53.
A few pics taken by me...

Great mates.... Jack with Alan Burt, both on G50 Matchlesses.

Jack and Alan, Nov.1976 at Amaroo Park on the northern outskirts of Sydney, this time both on G45 Matchlesses...

Again Nov.1976 at Amaroo Park....my Carey headed/Smith framed MAC behind Jack's G45. Jack rode my MAC for a year or two after I retired with good result. 

Some more photos from the late Allen Burt's collection.........

Allen Burt was a racing acquaintance of mine over many years and in the latter part of his life , when I became involved with his day to day care, I'd like to think we became good friends....
I've featured him in my blog before and a search under his name  in the search facility on the RHS of this blog will take you to some of them.
A lifelong bachelor and motorcycle racer and enthusiast he also made the trip to Europe to participate in the "Continental Circus"...that happy band of motorcycle racers that followed the Grands Prix circuit and often as well rode in many of the smaller motorcycle race meetings in Europe, camping and eking out an existence on start money and hopefully finishing money, plus the money they had squirreled away working several jobs over the racing off season.
Lets look at some more of Allen's photos....
Many people have commented to me how much they enjoy looking at these photos from the riders I've featured....I guess for that short moment in time we are taken back to being with them and the pondering of "what if I had gone too"...
Left click on the images to enlarge...

I mentioned in earlier blogs of Alan, his disastrous crash on the first lap of practice in the 1955 IOM TT races.
I found this little pic in AB's stuff...it is Cruikshank's corner and the comment that the fence after it was repaired following his crash into it....guess he took it later in the year, as he convalesced for the rest of the year.
Below is his 7R AJS, mournfully awaiting repair outside the competition shop of AJS at Plumstead, London. 

Allen #97, in Brno, Czechoslovakia, 1958

Fellow Aussie, Richie Thomson, also at Brno in 1958.

Ken Kavenagh, IOM TT 1956.

Early days for Allen...Victoria Park circuit, Ballarat, Victoria likely 1947, Tony McAlpine , Norton. Tony was heavily involved in the riders strike at the 1956 Dutch TT and received, with others, a 6 month suspension.

Allen, AJS 7R, probably Bathurst, NSW at the Easter racing carnival, with Ron Kessing.

Two great mates...both on G50 Matchless's,  probably at Amaroo Park circuit on the northern outskirts of Sydney...when? 1980's at a guess.
Jack Saunders #53 rode in Europe in 1960's ,AB #5.

A privateer's photos.....Allen Burt on his 1955 and 1958 European tour......

In earlier Blogs I've featured photos from the late Allen Burt's collection, which is in my custody.....
Left click on the images to enlarge...
This presentation is in no special order, but going though the large folder I have of the prints and miscellanea these come out as evocative of the young aspiring privateer to the "Continental Circus" of motorcycle racing.
Coming from Australia meant a 4-5 week ship voyage...in 1955 on the P & O Arcadia....

Below, to the left, Bob Brown relaxes in a deck chair with Allen Burt behind.

In London, they made for Associated Motorcycles in Plumstead where use was made of the office to assist with entry requests to various race meetings...

Race transport outside London "digs"....

Douglas promenade, IOM TT 1955. Bob Brown and Allen Burt to the RHS.

AB collects  from the photography shop, photos taken during voyage to TT and there, 1955, processed by S.R.Keig in Douglas.

Letter from NW200 detailing AB's winnings for that meeting in June 1958 on his second foray into European racing...

Found in ABs folder, believed on the 1955 trip, but unsure where, as is the 250 Sportsmax photo below. The number #92 was not used in any 250 TT races, but could still display racing numbers from a previous meeting...H'mmmm...
As you'll see by the comment below kindly left by H.Schubert, the NSU is Eric Hinton's bike at the North West 200 in 1956.
Eric is a friend of mine and I need to have a chat again with him, chase up some photos and feature him on this blog.
The Hinton family were a dynasty in motorcycle racing...younger brother Robert still rides here in Australia in Classic racing events on early Yamahas.
Eric and Robert's father Harry, affectionately known a "chisel" was racing from before WW2.
Eric's son Peter is a successful motorcycle racer.
In fact I need to do a blog on the Hinton family.....

And finally, this photo, given to him and it  pictures riders during TT week 1953, they are Aussies, as the central rider is Keith Bryen, and next to him on the left in the pic is Tony McAlpine and it's outside "Rose Villa" the accomodation haunt for the Commonwealth riders....