Page 1 Paradise & Gell has been located on Michael Street in Peel since 1974. Here you will find a wide range of furnishings to enhance any living space. Whether you are looking for something contemporary or a more traditional piece, then look no further than Paradise & Gell.

Page 2 Contents Page 2 Chairman's Chat Page 3 Secretary's Notes Page 5 Yellow Belly Notes - "If you go down to the woods today.." Page 9 The Vincent is Dead! - Long live the Vincent Page 14 The Stillborn JAWA Boxer Page 20 Book Review - The Rugged Road Page 23 Forthcoming Events Page 24 VMCC Trial Results Page 27 Ray Amm - Rider Profile No. 16 Page 28 Sons of Thunder - Pt 4 - Allan Jermieson Page 34 - Part 5 - Bob Thomas Page 39 Past Problems

Editor: Job Grimshaw Sub Editor: Harley Richards

Cover Pic - John Barton on Rupert Murden’s GSXR 750 at Governors Bridge en route to second place in the Classic Superbike . They purchased the bike on eBay!

Page 1 Chairman’s chat Dear Members, I hope that you are getting in some riding despite the weather. Its got to warm up soon surely? The TT is now upon us and I am sure that you will wish Brian Ward and his team every success with the TT rally. Hopefully you have chosen to enter in time, as all events take a great deal of pre-planning and commitment, and it is always gratifying to see some returns for your efforts. At this time the Manx Grand Prix is under scrutiny and discussion, the out- come will inevitably affect our Rally and the Jurby event. It is your committee’s decision not to make any statement on this matter other than to agree to work with all parties to achieve the best possible out- come for our, and the festival’s events. We intend to continue to “talk up” the `Manx and be positive in all our dis- cussions. Following on this theme, Tony, Rupert, Ros. and Chris Procter and I at- tended the Stafford show on behalf of the Govt. to run the Isle of Man stand promoting the Island and the Manx in particular, we took along three bikes from different eras and were joined by Ryan Farquhar’s winning classic Paton kindly loaned by Roger Winfield. The stand was well attended and I think everybody visiting was left in no doubt that the Island is open for business and ready to welcome everyone who comes over. Finally, if you intend to attend our Jurby event your assistance will be gratefully received, even if for only an hour there is a job for you! Best wishes Richard

Page 2 Secretary’s Notes

Hi Everyone, The T.T. is here, and I hope everyone enjoys the event and stays safe. It will be very interesting for us locals to see how successful the innovations of the snooze box and the fanzones are, it will be great if they prove to bring a financial gain to IOM PLC. We have had many new members this year, but hardly ever see you out on the Club runs. We are a friendly bunch and it is always great to see a new face, so please roll up and make yourself known. If you need any further details on any of the runs, just give me a call on 878242, mobile 474074, or email me [email protected]. The average club run attracts 40-50 sign- ing on, it would be great to see that number up to 70+. The month of May saw the Club arrange a visit to Elder Grange Nursing home, organised by Brian Ward. Congratulations must go to Brian and to all those who attended. This is really appreciated by the staff and residents and a thank you card has been received. Clive Robinson and I attended the Hospice day centre at Nobles in April with one of my , and I gave a potted history of the Greeves Motor Cycle Factory. These activities take very little effort by Club members but give great pleasure to those less fortunate than ourselves. Please don’t forget that the VMCC Festival of Jurby requires a massive ef- fort from Club members, to date only 4 or 5 volunteers have come forward with offers of help. We need a lot more, you voted for the Section to take on this task and now is the time to show support for your Club. Hopefully there is money to be made for Club funds from Jurby, and this will be for the benefit of all our members. You all have my contact details or contact Gary Corlett. I am please to say that the T.T. Rally is resurrecting the T.T. BBQ which will take place on Tuesday June 5th. For those not in the Rally, tickets are

Page 3 available from Pat or myself at a cost of £15 each. The Manx Jazz Aces will be entertaining us. I don’t wish to say anything about the new proposals for the MGP Festival 2013, I am sure most of you have read the details in the press. The Dept of Economic Development remain fully committed to the VMCC MGP Rally, the Festival of Jurby and the VMCC MGP Parade so let us hope that the DED and the MMCC can overcome their differences for the benefit of all concerned. Lastly I would like to mention a charity event being held here in Kirk Michael to raise money for the Hospice. It is on Saturday July 21st in the afternoon, with tea on the lawn [weather permitting], stalls and a display by the Manx Jazz Cats. Tickets will be available from Pat or myself. The Hos- pice plays a very important role in the community, as many of our mem- bers can vouch for, do come along if you can. Tony

Donations to the Hospice in memory of Clive Robinson's wife Irene, came to £1,656.00. Clive wishes it to be known that he is very grateful to everyone who donated.

A hearty welcome to these nine new members:-

Alan Warner - 4 Castle Street, Peel, IM5 1AN Michael RE Hentall - 8 Larivane Meadows, Andreas, IM7 4JD David Haynes - Sundawn, Pinfold Hill, Lonan, IM4 7HL David R. Peach - 7, Scarlett Road, Castletown, IM9 1NT Robbie Bruce Gill - Heathercliffe, Ballageb Crossing, Lonan, Laxey, IM4 7HB James Blanchard - Porch Cottage, 27 Shore Road, Peel, IM5 1AP John Madden - Ballacannell, Lonan, Laxey IM4 7HH Stephen Lace - Balley Dowin. Baldhoon Road, Laxey, IM4 7ND Max Stewart - 28 Snaefell Crescent, Onchan, IM3 4NH

Page 4 Yellow Belly Notes

British Historic Racing came to during the week-end of 19/20th May, and with it, a new race class; British, European, American Racing and Supporters, or, to use the acronym, “BEARS”.

The class is for bikes derived from production road-going motorcycles freely available to the public prior to 31st December 1985. To score points in the six race meeting series, competitors must be a member of the V.M.C.C.. (Pic 1: Ben Kingham on the BMW K100RS at the inaugural race at in April.)

When the series was first suggested it seemed an attractive proposition; Pic. 1 Laverdas, Ducatis, BMWs and Moto Guzzis racing together, and they were just the obvious ones. Or would the entry be mainly British bikes already entered in other classes and simply having an extra ride? Your correspondent was fired up (not a common occurrence these days) and discussions over mugs of tea in Pic 1 sheds in the Louth area ensued.

Page 5 After the initial burst of “I know, I’ll get a Benelli Six or a Harley Davidson Shovelhead”, I settled on something I felt more at home with, , and so the winter build began (Pic 2). Pic 2 As usual the bike is not yet ready, but I am pleased to say that others are far better organized. The grid at Cadwell was varied and interesting with well-prepared bikes. (Pic 3:A 1980 Laverda Barcelona.)

Pic 3

Page 6 Pic 4

The experienced BMW rider Ron Maul had adapted a 1971 R75/5 and produced a superb racer looking for all the world like a “stealth fighter” (Pic 4). He rode with his customary style and speed in cold and damp conditions.

Novice rider Rob Lawton was very quick on his 1975 Laverda Jota (Pic 5) and he will doubtless become one of the stars of the series. I encountered Rob some years ago at Spa where he was circulating as quickly as you like and his Pic 5 exploits can be seen on “You Tube”.

Page 7 Last word must go to a Moto Guzzi (even if ours is not ready). Nigel Clark’s 1972 V7 Sport shows just how challenging the conditions were (Pic 6).

Pic 6 Imagine tipping into the Gooseneck (Cadwell Gooseneck that is) on that thing and changing down just a fraction of a second too early. The momentary lock-up of the back wheel concentrates the mind and the benefits of shaft drive become less apparent. Still, a good beginning to the BEARS series and who knows, I may even have my bike ready for the next report. Pat Sproston: Louth, Lincolnshire Picture Quiz

Can you name anyone on this photo and what is the occasion? ANS. P26 Page 8 The VINCENT is DEAD! Long Live the Vincent

One of the notable aspects from the annals of production racing back in the late 60s/70s was simply that the class became so popular that manufacturers built works specials to get their names to the front of the grids. Names like Thruxton,Triumph Thruxton, 120 Bonneville, and Norton Yellow Peril were well enough known. However, there were machines registered with the ACU for production class racing that were less so. Like the Conquest for instance, or the Dresda H900, or the Vincent Shadow 70. Vincent what? I hear you say. Read on.

There have been many attempts some recent and even some on-going, to revive the Vincent marque and in various guises. Such is the enduring popularity of Phillip Vincent’s original 1944 design. In the mists of time, mine, I owned three Vincents and was a dyed-in-the-wool vee twin enthusiast. The dye was not indelible, though, as each one was interspersed with other models.

At the time, I was a road racer in waiting as you might say, and possessed of such singular lack of mechanical sympathy that these, and indeed several vertical twins as well, soon succumbed when subjected to my repeated attempts to persuade them to deliver more performance, for which read RPM rather more than their designers intended.

One notable attempt to put the Stevenage warhorse back on top was masterminded by Roger Slater, who runs a most adequately equipped engineering company and indeed later was responsible for developing the Laverda Jota, which I also managed to break.. He had plenty of views on the various foibles of the original machine and devised his own solutions. The most obvious of which was the rolling chassis, copied under an arrangement with Fritz Egli of Switzerland, and produced a bike that was actually registered as the Vincent Shadow 70 (1970). Indeed, it actually appeared in several production races.

Page 9 When you have studied the model on the left, the model on the right is the Slater Vincent 70. The husky fellow is Roger Slater talking to the gent with the side- burns, John Renwick, of Vincent sprinting fame. Reay MacKay, well known Vin- cent racer at the time is looking on with his young daughter. The photo was provided by Ann Guy.

Fritz Egli’s spine frame accommodated several motors and found wide favour and a reputation for good handling. In essence though, of itself, it was not so different from the Vincent ‘box bridge’ construction from which the motor was suspended. However, a decent set of telescopic forks, plus swinging arm certainly transformed the handling. Unfortunately, my notes from all those years ago lack the maker’s details.

The differences between the old and the new go a lot deeper than the obvious differences like teleforks and swinging arm rear suspension, though I seem to remember seeing George Brown riding a model equipped with 7R teles. Roger’s facelift went all the way, in fact deep down, right to the vitals of the massive vee-twin motor.

What many might have called the Achilles heel of the original design was the Servo Vincent clutch. Certainly I have many an unpleasant memories of Page 10 a clutch that both slipped and dragged on the same day. Dragged through the traffic and slipped while out of the limit and ready to use the quoted 125 mph, no chance!! Many an owner in those days gone by fitted a modified Norton clutch, and Roger’s ‘new’ Shadow had a multiplate clutch of conventional design that gave a beautifully smooth and light action, yet exhibited no traces of slip. There were seven AMC friction plates.

On the other end of the clutch, as you might say, was standard Vincent gear cluster, though modified to provide what is called double backlash. This condition is obtained by removing every other tooth and enables much quicker engagement at high engine revs, a thing that can be difficult with the unmodified cluster. You once had to pause and synchronise the revs properly before engagement was certain. The modification was a well-known one to racers of the big twins and means that you could swop the cogs as fast as the pedal could be operated. In fact, Roger Slater still maintains that the new clutch contributed much to the efficiency and longevity of the gearbox, and that those failures became a thing David Dunfey on his replica Vincent Grey Flash, of the past, wish I’d racing at Miller Motorsports facility, Utah known at the time. 2011 See full article in September edition

Page 11 At the heart of the matter, the big ends are of tougher construction than originally. The common crankpin is 1¼ in shouldered carrying a caged roller setup, and the oil pump is now of the two-start variety, which makes for a more copious supply to all the vital parts and means that 6000 rpm is now a regular and safe maximum.

The breathing department received plenty of attention. Timing gears are now made of steel and the cam forms are those used in the Black Lightning-model. Cam followers are stellite faced to reduce wear. Rocker arms run on needle roller bearings; exhaust valves are of Nimonic 80 and the springs are by Cosworth. The beast is fed via 32 mm Del'orto carbs type SSI; pistons are 9:1cr, Specialoid manufacture.

The Fritz Egli design features a massive tubular spine, which like the Vincent design, acts as the oil tank and from which conventional forks are suspended with swinging arm to provide the rear. Front wheel is 18 in with a twin sided, twin leading shoe brake of Grimeca make; the rim is a 300 x 18 in Dunlop and in those days the ‘boot’ was a racing triagular.

So was it all worthwhile? Well I do remember quite clearly that day at Silverstone, a SUNBAC meeting for cars and bikes and run on the club circuit. The race was a pushstart affair, since the event was open to anything on two wheels, even the odd manx Norton, some production machines to be sure, and a selection of stripped and tuned racing twins. In all, the field was about 45 strong with some more than useful opposition.

Some four years previously, I’d raced a Thruxton Bonneville on that track, so I had a benchmark. I'd won the production race and set a lap record in a time of 1 min 11.8 sec. So that was to be the target.

So out on to the circuit behind most of the field, and with a gentle tweak of the throttle the motor sort of lazily wound itself up and broke into a canter, then into Copse Corner when I put it firmly down to see what sort of reaction there might be from the bike. Not that there should have been too much reaction anyway, since the corner was a smooth one and posed no particular problems. It did not; out of the right-hander the 50 or so foot wide track opens up and disappears over the horizon, where the next feature is a gently curving left-hander with a fair succession of ripples that

Page 12 are the real test of roadholding at Silverstone, since one takes this one absolutely flat out in top. This must be fair clapping along on anything at all rapid and I could tell after half a mile that this was going to be - but rapid.

No sooner did I get the bike back upright again than I found myself approaching, rather hurtling up to, Becketts. This is an acute hairpin bend that takes you right back on yourself and back towards the pits; it's the second part of the triangle that comprises the Silverstone circuit and the 1000 yard straight leads up to Woodcote Corner which is just in front of the start/finish line, then, I noticed this lever...… Pictures kindly supplied by David Dunfey

To be continued …... Ray Knight

FLOGGERS CORNER

BSA Rocket 3, 1969. 14000 miles from new. Owned for over 20 years, has matching numbers. Repainted, rechromed, powder coated frame, stainless bolts where possible. £14,500 Tele Tim Layhe on 466810

Page 13 The Stillborn JAWA Boxer

Funny how the mind works sometimes. A short piece in 'Torque', the Jawa – CZ Club magazine prompted a flashback to a long forgotten time in the 1980's. I was standing outside Ensign Motors in Southport, idly studying the new 250 CZ in the window, when Horace the proprietor popped out, full of enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to fill me in on the latest Jawa. A flat twin, he said, with five gears and a top speed of over 90. He would give me a bell as soon as one arrived. Exciting news, but unfortunately it was not to be......

In the early 1980's, Jawa were still producing bread and butter ride to work two stroke machines developed from a long line stretching back to the late 1940's. The model 10 ' Springer' 250 singles designed during the Second World War started production in 1946. Ogar, another Czech factory, was taken over by Jawa in 1948. The Ogar 350 twin cylinder two stroke engine was fitted into the 'Springer' frame and became the model 12. These two machines, very advanced in their day, were the basis for all the later two strokes produced by Jawa.

Apart from the speedway bikes and the road racing Jawas, used to such good effect by Frantisek Stastny and Gustav Havel, (2nd & 3rd in the 1961 350cc World Championship) the last four stroke in production was the lovely, unit construction, Jawa 500 OHC. Designed in the early 50's, it achieved a top speed of 90mph. Remarkably, it was fitted in virtually the same square tube frame as the two smaller models.

So the news that Jawas were to produce a revolutionary four stroke flat twin in 1984 marked a complete change in policy, heading in a new, up market direction. The significance of this cannot be overstated. The R&D department had carried on producing excellent new designs over the years ,which mostly due to political restraints, had not come to fruition. Some of these were sold to other firms around the world. Here at last was a model to carry Jawa forward into the future.

Page 14 Acknowledgements to the photographer

The prototype Jawa 824. Development started in 1979 and ten were built in 1984. It was designed by the Research and Development Plant NP Jawa, and the subject of several patents, under copywright licence no184898. Originally a 350 it was uprated to 487cc The superb and innovative engine, with five speed gearbox underneath, to allow the contra rotating mainshaft to counteract torque reaction. Note the cylinders are cleverly rotated 90 degrees from normal practice Acknowledgements to the photographer

Page 15 to put the exhaust below and the inlet above the cylinder. This permits the carburettors to be positioned above the engine away from the riders feet..All this results in a shorter wheelbase than other boxers.

On the prototypes the overhead camshafts operated two, or in the case of the sports model, four valves per cylinder. The gearing could be changed by the owner, presumably to suit solo or . Both electric and kick start were fitted. The cylinder configuration was just over-square at 68mm bore by 67mm stroke. Output was 27 Kw giving a very respectable top speed of 150 km/h.(93mph) Fuel consumption was 5 litres /100Km (52 mpg), and total weight 175Kg (388 lb)

This cross section emphasises how compact the engine -gearbox is. The contra -rotating clutch is geared directly to the crankshaft at the front of and below the engine (top of pic). Driven by individual chains from sprockets on either side of the crankshaft, the single overhead camshafts open the valves through rockers. The hemispherical combustion chambers with domed pistons are with the two valve head. Wonder what the four valve looked like !

Page 16 The generator sits neatly at the rear of the engine, while the 'sideways on' gear lever protrudes from under the drive behind the left hand cylinder. Sparking plugs face the front, good for cooling, but perhaps need protection from the elements. What appears to be a drive chain, just in front of the main bearing, on the front of the crankshaft, is possibly to the starter motor which can be seen on some pics sitting on top of the engine

Acknowledgements to the photographer

Several different styling cues, wheels etc, were tried on the prototypes. Personally I like the grey engine!

Why did this super bike never reach production? No-one seems to know! We can only guess. Perhaps the Jawa engine, which apart from cylinder configuration and air cooling was quite similar in design to the Honda CX 500 which started production a few years earlier, infringed Honda patents.

Page 17 Acknowledgements to the photographer On the other hand, I have heard that these first ten engines were actually manufactured in Russia, possibly because the Rusky's felt that flat twins were their remit. So the problem could have been that no more engines were supplied.

A third option could be that the Communist overlords simply vetoed the project, as they did with the very successful CZ Cezeta scooter, putting hundreds of employees (mostly female) out of work!

Where are these ten prototype bikes now? They seem to be mostly in Czech museums although one picture seems to indicate a Dutch owner, with the bike still on the road. One thing is certain, when the Boxer failed to materialise, a great opportunity was lost, perhaps for ever, to open up a section of the world market previously untapped by Jawa.

So, sadly, I never did get that phone call from my friend Horace at Ensign Motors. Job Grimshaw

Page 18 Page 19 BOOK REVIEW

Page 20 By Jonathan Hill

London to Cape Town overland by Panther and sidecar, pull- ing a trailer! No roads, no back up - just straight across the Sahara through equatorial Africa, and south to the Cape – in 1935, without even a compass! This is quite simply the most amazing motorcycle journey ever told and a revelation to today’s travellers. Theresa Wallach and friend Florence Blenkiron were remarkable women in a male-dominated world – Wallach gaining a degree in mechanical engineering; both were successful competition riders and, togeth- er with Beatrice Schilling, were the only women to lap Brooklands at over 100 m.p.h. When “Blenk” wanted to visit relations in Cape Town, Theresa suggest- ed that they go by road. They spent a year planning the 7,500-mile expedition, but had great difficulty in obtaining assistance or sponsorship from an industry very wary of adverse publicity. However Phelon & Moore showed considerable interest in the two ladies and agreed to supply them with a carefully prepared 600cc Model 100 Panther fitted with extra heavy duty Webb forks, stronger spokes, large section tyres, wider mudguards and a car-sized dynamo. Watso- nian supplied the touring sidecar with tradesman’s trailer, John Edgington the tent that fitted on top of the trailer and clothing manufacturers their tropical outfits and special topee helmets. Undeterred by nomads, sand drifts, heat, rain, rivers, breakdowns and politics, Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron completed a journey that might well defeat a modern machine today. From oasis to oasis arguing with the French Foreign Legion for permission to contin- ue – and winning; fashioning a tow hitch for the trailer when it broke in the desert; replacing a broken con rod in Agadez. Meeting lions, gorillas and snakes on the road, staying in African villages and meeting an amazing variety of friendly and helpful people on the way - from nomads to missionaries; pigmies to ambassadors. It is also an account of a remarkable adventure by two women who had to overcome all the prejudice and problems of their day as well as the physically demanding task of riding across the Sahara and the length of Africa. This second edition included several new photographs and provides more details on Theresa’s life after this epic journey. Quite simply, an awesome story and an excellent read.

Author: Theresa Wallach Introduction and biographies by Barry M. Jones Published by Panther Publishing Ltd, 10 Limes Avenue, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 1DP Tel.: 01494 534778 E-mail: [email protected] www.panther-publishing.com Softback, 155mm x 235mm, 174 pages, approximately 48 photographs and illustrations ISBN 978-0-9564975-2-9 Price £15.00

Page 21 Page 22 June Thursday 21st - Evening Road Run, in memory of all our old friends. Start from Glen Helen Inn 7.15 for 7.30pm Suitable for older machines and , but all welcome Organiser Rupert Murden.

July Sunday 22nd - The Charles Craine Memorial Run from Sea Terminal 1.45 for 2.00pm start. Organiser Steve Price.

August Sunday 5th - Road Run and BBQ. Start Waterfall Pub, Glen Maye 1.45 for 2.00pm start. Organiser Dudley Robinson. Sunday 19th - Trial. Pooil Vaash, Castletown. Start 2.00pm.

September Thursday 13th - Club Night. Knock Froy, Santon Film Night. 8.00pm.

Page 23 VMCC TRIALS RESULTS Handicap Trial Sunday 18th March 2012 Ballagaraghyn, Jurby Non Members

Marks lost + Handicap=Total 1, Steven Lace 6+56 = 62; 2, Sammy Ball (Fantic) VMCC Members 0+70 = 70; 3, Paul Ansermoz ('75 Yamaha) 1 Andy Sykes(Rigid BSA ) 9+66 = 75; 0 + 34 = 34; 4, Brian Kinrade ('75 ) 2 Ian Harland (AJS) 7+68 = 75; 1+44 = 45; 5, Geoff Griffiths (Fantic) 3 David Haynes (Triumph) 3+75 = 78; 2+49 = 51; 6, Nigel Woods ('80 Fantic) 4, Kevin Whiteway () 10+71 = 81; 6+48 = 54; 7= Russell Millward (1983 Honda) 5, Tom Mason ('63 BSA ) 0+81 = 81; 7+55 = 62; 8= Paul Doherty ('83 Yamaha) 6, Phil Ward ('76 Bultaco) 0+81 = 81: 0+62 = 62; 9, Simon Tyer (Yamaha) 7, Stuart Clague ('82 Fantic) 7+79 = 86; 0+62 = 62; 10,Chris Bridson (Yamaha) 8, Shaun Huxley (James) 31+56 = 87; 0+64 = 64; 11, Paul Smith (Suzuki) 9, Ian Sleight (Honda) 0+91 = 91; 19+58 = 77; 12, Sam Ansermoz (Kawasaki) 10, G.Hooson-Owen ('62 BSA) 1+92 = 92; 3+75 = 78, 13, Andrew Brown (Gas Gas) 11, Chas Watson ('82 Honda) 1+96 = 97; 3+75 = 78, 14, Daniel Smith (Suzuki) 12, Steve Taylor (Honda) 0+104 = 104; 15+75 = 90, 15, Mark Moyer (Honda) 13, Mike Ellis (Kawasaki) 20+85 = 105; 26+67 = 93, 16, Robert Clague (Sherco) 14, Brent Seal (Yamaha) 7+109 = 116; 0+95 = 95; 17, Jason Whittaker (Gas Gas) 15, Chris Procter (Ossa) 5+120 = 125; 39+61 = 100, 18, Paul Wilcock (Gas Gas) 16, Richard Bairstow (Yamaha) 11+119 = 130; 41+67 = 108, 17, Joe Wood (Bultaco) 39+91 = 130, Youth 18, Stuart Bedford (BSA) 1, Tom Cairns 66+80 = 146; 13+130 = 143

Page 24 Garey Mooar Trial Invitation A Route marks lost 1, Russell Millward (Honda) 4 Sunday 16 April 2012 2, Sammy Ball (Fantic) 8 3, Colin Scarffe (Triumph) 16 VMCC Members A Route (26 cleans); marks lost 4, Daniel Woods (Beta) 16 (25 cleans); 1, Jim Davidson - Triumph 5 5, Nigel Woods (Fantic) 22 2, Kevin Whiteway (Honda) 7 6, Paul Smith (Suzuki) 25 3, Phil Ward (Bultaco) 11 7,Steven Lace (Triumph) 26 4, Brent Seal (Yamaha) 12 8, Paul Ansermoz (BSA) 43 5, Shaun Huxley (James) 15 9, Paul Doherty (Yamaha) 45 6, Graham Thomas (Honda) 18 10, Jason Whittaker (Gas Gas) 49 7,Gwilym Hoosen-Owen (BSA ) 61 11, Dan Smith (Triumph) 52 8, Ashley Gardner (BSA) 84 12, Juan Brain (Yamaha) 53 VMCC Members B Route 13, Mark Moyer (Honda) 73 1, Joe Wood (Bultaco) 16 Invitation B Route marks lost 2, Ian Sleight (Honda) 26 1, Brian Kinrade (Suzuki) 21 3, Mike Harding (Suzuki) 34 2, Andy Sykes (Gas Gas) 25 4,Steve Taylor (Honda) 37 3, Chris Bridson (Yamaha) 50 5, Mike Ellis (Kawasaki) 45

6, Justin Warby (Yamaha) 51 Youth A Route marks lost 7, Chris Procter (Ossa) 70 1, Oliver Lace (Scorpa) 4 2, Ashley Gardner (Gas Gas) 10

Your Club Needs You!

Helpers and Observers are always needed at the VMCC Trials. If you would like to assist and have a pleasant day out, please phone Sean Seal on 834855

Page 25 Picture Quiz - Answer L to R 1. Herbie Mills of Onchan, Gary Corletts grandfather. 2. The late Phil Haslam. 3. Mal Carter his sponsor. 4. Brian Mills, Gary Corletts Uncle. 5. The next chap is unknown, and last but not least 6. a young, angelic, Gary Corlett . The occasion was the presentation of a £100 cheque, put up by Herbie, to Phil, for the first 100 MPH lap in the MGP

Page 26 W.R. Amm was born on 10th December 1927 , Salisbury He had six World Champion- ship Grand Prix wins as a Nor- ton Works Rider

He competed in the Isle of Man T.T. from 1951 - 1954 1952 I.O.M. T.T. Senior 3rd Norton 1953 I.O.M. T.T. Junior 1st 350 Norton 1953 I.O.M. T.T. Senior 1st 500 Norton 1954 I.O.M. T.T. Senior 1st 500 Norton

In addition he won - 1952 Italian G.P. Monza - 350 Norton 1954 Ulster G.P. Dundrod - 350 Norton 1954 German G.P. Solitude - 350 Norton

Sadly he died on April 1955 during the Shell Gold Cup at , it was his first outing on a M.V.Agusta. He slid off, hit an iron post and was killed In typical foot-down style - Ray on the streamlined 500cc Norton - 1954 Senior TT Dorothy Greenwood

Page 27 Sons of Thunder Pt 4 - The Superior motorcycles of Aircraftman Shaw

In the RAF using the name T.E.Shaw, Lawrence had just been posted to RAF Cattewater in Plymouth.

When Lawrence arrived Cattewater was still waiting for its full complement of aircraft, equipment and tools, so he had time on his hands. He wrote Trenchard in April “… The bike is magnificent. It has taken me twice to London, fastest time 4 hours 44 minutes. The Cornish Riviera train is 13 minutes better than that, but it does not start at Hyde Park and finish at Cattewater …”

pic Bonhams

The 1934 SS100 996cc one of 8 completed in that year

Page 28 He was mildly annoyed by an article published in ‘John Bull’, which reported that he “was not much troubled with RAF duties” and spent his time among other things in “tinkering with his ‘super-sports’ motor bicycle.” At the end of the month Lady Astor arrived to visit Lawrence at Cattewater – he took her for a ride on the ‘flapper-bracket’ of his Brough. Also in April Lawrence wrote B.E.Leeson regarding some of the newspaper articles about himself “... please believe that I don’t love or hate the entire sex of women. There are good ones and bad ones, I find, much the same as men and dogs and motorcycles …” In July 1929, still busy with his Schneider Cup duties, he wrote “…The new Brough is good but this is June and she has done only 3500 miles. Something very wrong … Brough will disown me if I ride so little ...”. In August, writing about proposed RAF reforms to Liddell-Hart, he commented “... Pillion-riding on motorcycles – airmen are the only people in England forbidden it: Not soldiers, not sailors. It’s rather an insult …”

By September the Schneider Cup was over with an RAF victory; Lawrence was able to write in October “… I was trying a new thing for George Brough and its engine had run so remarkably that I was half-a-hour in advance of schedule. So I said ‘Manchester’…and swirled off there to pass the time of day with you …” Unfortunately his friend [B.E.Leeson] was not at home.

At the beginning of October, Cattewater had officially become RAF Mount

Acknowledgements Batten. The following month, writing to to the photographer John Brophy, Lawrence remarked that he Aircraftsman Shaw had given up writing but was doing at Cattewater translations of Greek and French books because “... the publishers pay me well … the proceeds very usefully supplement my RAF pay, which isn’t enough for my motor-bike’s costs …”

Page 29 By the following February he was complaining to Mrs Shaw “…poor Boanerges has rusted all over, and I only rub more grease over him, instead of going out for a long fast run…”. Bad weather and his translation of ‘Odyseus’ were responsible. But in September he was writing Henry Williamson with the same complaint “… the bike rusts in the garage … I am always saying ‘I will go out this weekend’ and when the time comes I cannot get into breech and puttees [his riding gear] and moon about …”. However in December he rode up to visit Lady Astor at Cliveden “...and what an excellent ride back I had, including a race across the plain with a sports Bentley; well, not so much a race as a procession for the Bentley, which only did 88. I wished I had a peeress or two on my flapper bracket ! …”

Acknowledgements to the photographer

In early February1931, a Blackburn Iris III, a large biplane flying- boat used for maritime reconnaissance, crashed while landing in the Sound. Both

Page 30 Lawrence and the Smiths witnessed the accident, which was due to pilot error. Lawrence and his CO tried to organize the rescue of the survivors – but the launches then in use as seaplane tenders, which were of standard naval design, proved useless as rescue boats, and those not killed in the crash died in the water. Lawrence later contemptuously described these launches as “...a development of the hollowed-out tree trunk ...”.

Both he and Smith were convinced that the RAF needed a new generation of boats for air-sea rescue – powerful, fast, and with good handling capabilities, and had been campaigning to have such craft introduced. Both were familiar with the advances made in hard chine hull design by the British Power Boat Company at Hythe.

By April 1931 the RAF had created a research team to conduct the trials and evaluation of new types of marine craft for the service, and Lawrence, as mechanic and tester, was heavily involved from the beginning. That month he wrote Robert Graves “… imagine me ... oilskin covered, urging speedboats up and down Southampton Water through the wind and rain at noisy rates I am frozen and soaked, but interested ... a job worth doing ... engrossing, and very exhausting…”

Motor-boats were to seriously interrupt Lawrence’s motor-cycling over the next four years – but in them he found the joy of speed that he found on his Broughs, with the added bonus that he was doing a job he considered both interesting and worthwhile.

In June he wrote Lady Astor from Plymouth “…We had a hard seven and a half hours run down from Southampton in our motor boat, got in before 7pm, made down our beds, and slept nobly till Sunday morning. Ring me up and we will meet. No pillion. The new Traffic Act puts pillion riding beyond modest means and forces the love-sick to screw nasty iron spring-things to their back mudguards ...’ By 25th June T.E had enough spare time to launch his own speedboat “… went off to Polperro in Cornwall, a 25 mile run. Sparkling sea and out; soft rain with a choppy sea, home. The poor boat’s first run for months ...”

Page 31 Lawrence had found lodgings at Myrtle Cottage in Hythe, near the BPBC boat yard. He was to stay there for ten months, and would return later for a shorter period. A blue commemorative plaque now marks the cottage, the only building associated with Lawrence still in existence in the area. The man Lawrence was closely working with during the trials and construction of the new seaplane tenders was the remarkable Hubert Scott-Paine, the founder of the British Power Boat Company and former owner of Supermarine. ‘Scotty’ Scott-Paine had fielded a winning entry in the 1922 Schneider Trophy races [Sea Lion II’s victory prevented the Italians from winning the Trophy for the 3rd year running and thus claiming it] and had later designed the speedboat ‘Miss England’ which had won the 1929 World Championship from the US-built ‘Miss America’.

Acknowledgements to the photographer

The 'Miss England 'Speedboat with Sir Henry Segrave (in boat, left) in Germany An initial problem had been that Scott-Paine utilized American power units in his boats, and the Air Ministry was absolutely firm that British engines had to be used. Unfortunately the only modern British marine petrol engine being produced was the Brook, which compared poorly in power-to-weight ratio with American units. Scott-Paine searched for an alternative, and found it in the 6-cylinder Meadows engine, which was currently being produced in Wolverhampton for use in the Invicta car and the Vickers Light Tank.

Page 32 ‘Scotty’ soon designed a marine version incorporating a modified oil feed and designated the Power-Meadows; after trials a contract was placed for one hundred of these engines.

Acknowledgements to the photographer

Scott - Paine went on to develop the Type 2 Whaleback HSL 164 in 1937, which was widely used in air-sea rescue during the Second World War In the summer of 1931 the first of the new marinised Meadows sixes was installed in a 28 foot open launch – Lawrence and his crewmate, Cpl Bradbury conducted some 50 hours of trials, followed by further intensive testing using two 100HP Meadows units. The trials were all successful, and construction of the first batch of RAF boats was well under way, when disaster struck. On August Bank Holiday, fire raged through the deserted premises of the Power Boat Company, destroying yard, drawings, prototypes and the nine almost complete RAF boats. ‘Scotty’ suspected, probably correctly, arson by a rival company. It was a devastating blow, but ‘Scotty’ rallied his workforce – incredibly, by October that year the yard was working again, and all nine tenders were completed by Christmas. Out of the ashes arose the most modern boatyard in Britain, with the latest architectural technology and excellent facilities for its loyal workers. To be continued…. Allan Jermieson Page 33 MotorcyclesPart five of by Bob Thomas

To revert to the time of 1947. All supplies of petrol for private motoring were cut off completely, but it was legal to run on methanol. I bought a couple of drums and persuaded the to start and run on it, and continued to ride. The Weybridge Club organised a "Shank's Pony Trial" at which I was the only one to turn up on my own transport and I won the trial which was on the lines of a Road Trial, but over heath and forest land. Milntown In March 1949 I bought my present 350 Douglas for £173 but it was a year that was to change my life. My father was about to start up in business with Clive Edwards, and I had thrown in my job to join them, but sadly Dad died before anything got going and I was thrown in at the deep end, with no business experience. However, we soldiered on doing general engineering and motorcycle work, we had a Douglas Agency of course! I did a number of frame conversions for trials, two of which, Tri- umphs, gained Gold in the ISDT, in the hands of Eric Chilton, who worked for us.

Page 34 It was this business which drew Clive and I together, we had met in 1942- 43, when he was Lieutenant Edwards and wanted a motor bike, he was sent to me for advice. He had never ridden one, but was experienced in racing and sprinting cars. After talking him out of a Vincent Rapide and a Scott (I Motorcycles hate two strokes) he settled for a Tiger 100 Triumph, bought from a friend, a Rolls dealer. I was surprised to see a block tread on the front tyre, but thought "Oh, a wartime oddity" and proceeded to try it out on the trip home and back, fifty miles each way (incidentally a trip I frequently did on a bi- cycle or occasionally on a tandem) and it was lovely around 80mph. The trouble came when he decided to go home on it, and at around 70 the front tyre came off, proving itself to be a beaded edge tyre forced into the wire edge wheel. It made an awful mess of the forks, but Clive Edwards was only shaken up.

Milntown

Bob aboard the ‘New Orleans’ at Sulby Claddaghs with Graham Kneale

Later he bought the 1900 New Orleans Car which we still have. It was de- livered to our billets at Bicester on "VJ" day and before long I was demob-

Page 35 bed on special release on "work of national importance" gas installations in London's emergency business. The New Orleans came to my home for re- furbishing, and its first official run was in 1946 when we did a Cavalcade in London's Regents Park and the London – Brighton.

But to pick up the story. By the time we had got the business sorted out we had both come to the conclusion we were too old and too self centred to settle down and start families. After a recent visit of his ex fiancee Clive said "What a lucky escape I had." we found we could share a house while each going about our own way. It has worked out very well, though some people jump to the wrong conclusions......

Anyway, by 1960 we had had enough of the problems of running a busi- ness in England and he decided to get out and live over here. We came over looking for a small house with a large garage but his mother came too, and after various non-starters, Milntown came on the market. Much too big for him, but she said if you'll share it I'll come too.

In the meantime I had lost all but one of my responsibilities in England, and was easily persuaded to make it a trio. In 1965 I thought it about time something VMCC got going, so wrote to everyone in the register as Isle of Man residents, and eventually called a meeting. It was held at Charlie Mur- rays Museum, then at Peel. It was agreed we should try to form a VMCC "Region". This was accomplished in 1966 and our first event was a Rally at the Mooragh Park Promenade. I think, though I am open to correction, that up to the time of his death John Catchpole and I were the only surviving members of the inaugural meeting, though of course even then Em Murray dispensed tea, coffee and grub!

From there we "graduated" to Road Runs, and eventually Trials, where my long suffering 1925 Douglas was often the sole bike ridden by up to nine competitors. We did once have a Grass Hill Climb, at Bride, but the weath- er on the day was atrocious. The only people to turn up were myself, 500 Douglas, and Malcolm Teare on a 250 Ariel Colt. We had a bit of fun, but as an event it was a washout, and has never been repeated. Pity, but to do it now would involve leathers, and vast insurance expenses. I still have the "Track Certificate" somewhere.

Page 36 To retrack a bit, soon Milntown after arriving in the Isle of Man in 1964 or 5 - Kipper Killip might remember, asked me to help make a starting gate for the Ramsey Club at the Kimmeragh. This gave me the introduction into local affairs and somehow I found my- self on their Commit- tee, and friendly with Hugh and Roger Kelly, and marshalling at the Pete Murray in the first ever VMCC IOM Trial '65 ISDT the long suf- on the “long suffering” 1925 Douglas fering ABC as sole transport. One thing led to another and I was soon involved with the 2 Day Trial, then on the Committee. At one meeting it was voted to abandon the sidecar, and I defended it, almost a lone voice, to such effect that I got the job of running the sidecar event, or it would be scrubbed. Fortunately I was able to enlist the aid of John Catchpole, and between us we ran it for the next ten years, pushing the entries up from around five to the twenties. Hugh Kelly also talked me into helping with the second ISDT, we had a whale of a time prospecting for routes with one of the Haflingers and the Greeves that Roy Davis now has. I had responsibility for the Sector from Laxey to Ginger Hall via Glen Mona and the Black Hut, some really mucky stuff. But I learned a lot of tracks that I would not have attempted, and I am most grateful for the experience. I also learned how badly the IS- DT affected the landowners and the public. People who had been so helpful said never again. Motorcycle became a dirty word , consequently, when it was proposed to run it here a third time I refused to have anything to do with it. The fault lay, not with the competitors, though they were not be- yond reproach, but with the spectators and hangers on following the route days afterwards, creating havoc with opened gates, broken fences etc. I now know there were similar effects in Wales when the event was held there.

Page 37 Later my arthritic hip start- ed to play up, and I had to retire from competing - with many regrets. I've en- joyed my motorcycling, I've never done anything really exciting, or really worth talking about - just shows how opening ones mouth can spoil the im- age!! Next Instalment - The Fanfare to Europe Rally!

Bob riding his Competition Douglas in a Gymkhana - 1980

Page 38 An interesting time can be spent at auto-jumbles browsing through second- hand manuals and handbooks of older bikes. Some will be found in pristine condition, whilst others are obviously very well used; but though grubby, they are worthy of a bit more than a casual glance.

Fanning through the pages one can will find a variety of thumb-prints and greasy marks, but there is usually at least one section that is far dirtier than the rest. It could be the chapter covering the clutch on one model, the cylin- der-head of another, or the gear- box of a third. All tell of past problems that went beyond nor- mal maintenance and might even indicate a weak-spot with those particular models.

But the amount of grease on the pages is not a totally reliable guide to problems experienced, indeed, sometimes it is more of a reflection on the person who used the manual. An experienced owner/mechanic probably reads through the repair instructions before he starts, then leaves it in a safe place near the workbench while he gets on with the job, making only occasional further reference to the printed word. However, the less skilled operative is quite likely to have his copy of the manual down on the floor or bench where he is working. There it will be in proximity to greasy tools, oil drips and recently removed components, whilst it is also at further risk of ‘contamination’ as he frequently refers to the instructions during both dis- mantling and re-assembly.

The results of those past endeavours are still there in greasy-black on white at today’s auto-jumbles and on your bookshelf you may even have a grubby reminder of your own learning days. David Wright

Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 300+ VEHICLES ALWAYS ON SHOW AT BETTRIDGE’S Mines Road, Higher Foxdale opposite Foxdale School

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