After three months of Lockdown the Government have anounced an easing of the CoVid-19 restrictions. Also this week Brooklands Museum have announced that they will remain closed, but will be working towards a re-opening in August.
In the meantime there will be a chance to enjoy the Virtual Motorcycle Day here on this blog from 10.15am UK time on 4 July 2020.
The virtual event is being held to promote the Love Brooklands Campaign which aims to help manage the preservation of the site and collection through this challenging time. visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com to find out more.
ARE YOU READY FOR:
THE BROOKLANDS VIRTUAL MOTORCYCLE DAY 4 July 2020
:
COUNTDOWN TO VIRTUAL MOTORCYCLE DAY 10am 4 JULY 2020
It’s
hard to believe that we are now in June, and whilst we are beginning to climb
slowly out of Lockdown there is still a long way to go until things get back to
normal. In fact, the likelihood is that a new normal of surveillance, obsession
with R numbers and partial lockdowns and restrictions on regional level will be
in place for a considerable time to come. Just remember whilst you are out in
the Sun this summer. Watch out for the second wave…..There is always a
second wave!
I have
really enjoyed working my way through my archive and there is a lot more.
However, it seems that now might be a good place to bring this part of the
Virtual Motorcycle Team activity to a close. There is more work to do to prepare for the Virtual Motorcycle Day. I have also realised that I had a few non-motorcycling
projects that need to be done whilst I have a bit more time on my hands; plus,
I should also be spending more research time on the second War Bike book.
Reflecting on D Day commemorations last year and VE Day this year has also made
me think that maybe I should be concentrating on the more recent history,
taking advantage of first-hand recollections. For example our very own John
Porter spent time testing and evaluating military motorcycles in the 70s/80s
and interestingly I found a box of photos at the Royal Logistics Corps Museum
which included some BSA badged Japanese bikes and a diverse mix of bike that
were under evaluation. Who knows one of fuzzy figures riding in the background
could have been John.
To some
extent I find that blogs of this nature tend to write themselves. As I write
this I am reminded of a film of White Helmets hopefuls being evaluated. For a
long time I was not sure if this was real or an elaborate spoof, but I believe
it is part of a documentary. Some of the riding scenes suggest that these are
people who have never been on a bike before! It reminded me that in the first
days of WW1 some Met Police Officers, Army Officers and selected Civilians were
given a tap on the shoulder and asked to join the Intelligence Corps and asked
to report to an address where they were issued with 3½ hp Rudge Multis. Many of
these men had never ridden a bike before so the report and pictures make
interesting reading. Written in that flowery language of the time, this is an
extract of one man’s effort*.“Mechanics
showed him the control, and he started up the hill as Pullin did when he set
forth to win the TT. Maids, Children, dachshunds and Pekinese fled for safety,
and then returning at breakneck speed he skidded almost to a standstill, and
thanks to the excellent Rudge Clutch he managed to execute an 8.”
Anyway
back to the film that I found by chance in my War Bike archive. I have edited
it down as the original is too long for this blog. As for the White Helmets, it
was a sad day when they were disbanded as a result of MOD cuts.
*Warbike P63 ISBN 9781326406677
Douglas Restoration Ends
Back at
Brooklands in August 2013 Ian McCaw and Carl Gebhard had completed the rebuild
of the Douglas.
Here Ian is exercising the bike on its first run.
First off the Douglas seems to have wet stumped
Well too much oil is better than too little, so lets run with it!
The
following year we were pleased to get a visit from Classic Bike Editor Gary
Pinchin and photographer Mykel Nicolaou who dedicated 10 pages to the Museum
and the Douglas restoration.
Garry takes a few notes whilst Mykel takes pictures
Ian & Graham acting as "Flash Harrys"
The Cotton Restoration Begins
Ian and Michael Digby Discuss the build
After
the Douglas, Ian and Carl begun work on the Cotton. There was a lot of debate
about how the work should be done. Clearly the bike as it stood would not been
able to continue being run, and the initial work to strip the bike proved that
it was already dangerous. Underneath the fork aero shrouds the rusty forks were
paper thin. Peter Driver also did some great work recreating the original tank
which was also rusty and quite leaky. Ralph Brough then finished the tank with
a recreation of Doug Earl’s original artwork. The pictures show the beginning
of the strip-down and I will gather the other films and images together for a
restoration film in due course. I also have quite a lot of film and images of
the Freddy Clarke Triumph which deserves the same treatment.
The Original Fork Shrouds hiding some very sorry looking forks
The original Tank. Full of character, but only good for straining vegetables!
The underside of the take reveals just how little fuel it held.
The Oil Tank too had issues
Luckily Peter Diver came to the rescue fabricating both tanks.
Michael McEvoy
Before
we leave the McEvoy Shed I should mention that during 2013 I was asked
directions from two women who turned out to be relations of Michael McEvoy.
Another fascinating Brooklands related person. Did you know that McEvoy’s Competition
Manager George Patchett led the team that developed the Patchett, Machine
Carbine prototype later to become the Stirling Sub-Machinegun.
The Proud descendants of the McEvoy Family
Sammy Miller Workshop Visit
In
November we went on a Team visit to the Sammy Miller Museum, so its time to
take another look at some of his interesting bikes in the workshop and witness
a hair-raising demo in the courtyard.
Allen Millyard
Here are the last in the series of films made by Allen whilst building his Kawasaki Z1 Super Six.
Military Trials Competition
Keeping with the earlier theme of Military Motorcycling here are some slightly more advanced Military Motorcyclists.
Douglas Gymkhana
This is a bit of film showing how they used to have fun on two wheels. None of that ton-up lark for these guys. I notice the ball is a lot smaller than when I saw some Motoball matches in the 70s. In the 70's the goalkeeper had an engine-less moped to move from side to side!
Parachutes and Motorcycles
One Man One Motorcycle One Parachute and a cliff. What could
possibly go wrong. Watch carefully has the hapless Osborne leaves the track on
top of the cliff. The parachute has no time to deploy but maybe hitting the
telephone cable may have broken the fall. This film says more about the robust
nature of the human body than anything else.
Its been great to share some time with you all during this
enforced lockdown. And by the way did I tell you about the stranger in my
garage. I have no idea how they got there!
Thanks for Reading and Watching. See You On The Other Side!
With a slight ease in lockdown open air markets are
back this week although quite how Tony and I will be able to manage social
distancing at Kempton is still work in progress. I took a walk down at the Beach
on Saturday evening and it was still far too busy, whilst a few miles down the
coast at a normally busy resort I was told it was empty. I remembered the
phrase “If you’re in traffic, you are traffic” so we had a quick walk and
returned home. Planning for the Brooklands Virtual Motorcycle Day continues and
thanks for the emails and phone calls. I will do an update via email and there is no trailer film yet. 15 June
is the next big date when non-essential shops can open and the next key stage
will be 1 July when if all goes well more things will be able to start opening
up. I Just hope things don’t go backwards!
Had lots of good feedback from last weeks Humber
film, and I am still in my 2013 archive with more activity around the museum. Don’t
forget you can open all the films to full screen by clicking the box icon in
the bottom right corner
Allen Millyard
In the first film we are back to the workshop of Allen Millyard to find out how he is getting on with his multi-cylinder Kawasaki Z1.
Part 3 Barrels
Part 4 Gaskets
Brooklands Demo Area 2013
Still so much in the 2013 archive and here are a
couple of films of the action at Brooklands. The first is one Thursday in the
Demonstration Area.
The BP Petrol Pump Restoration
The next is a compilation showing work on the BP
Petrol Pump Restoration nearing completion.
Salt Fever
This week is Speed Week so we are off to Bonneville
to experience a bit of salt. By way of introduction I have made a compilation of
trailers featuring Chris Ireland aka Desperate Dan.
Chris Ireland AKA Desperate Dan receives a prize for his bike at the EPE Southern Off Road Show, Kempton Park
Ex Chopper man Tony
Baxter, yes I’ve seen the pictures knew Chris as part of the Chopper scene and tells
me that one day on the forum he posed the question of what should be the next
evolution of his 500cc Indian Scout. Fast forward to 2012 and Chris had built a
straightliner and set a speed record at Bonneville. The ticket speed I have
seen was a modest 81.511 mph however, you have to consider that this was an unmodified engine without
streamlining. In December 2013 he was receiving a prize for the bike at the
Kempton Off Road Show.
Eric Patterson
Next up is the man I like to call the worlds fastest
Patterson. Regular supporter of our Brooklands events, Eric has had a mixture
of good and bad luck on the Salt. Here he is talking to Henry Cole about
his Viscount Motorcycle.
Burt Munro
The legend that is Burt Munro was immortalised in
the Film “The worlds Fastest Indian” starring Anthony Hopkins. I was looking
for some extracts of the film to feature in this blog when I discovered three amazing films which are the story in his own words.
PART1
PART 2
PART3
The Spirit of Munro
Next is a publicity film from Indian
The World's fastest Velocette
We end this section with The worlds fastest Velocette which posted a time of 193.061 at Bonneville.
Next Week
We draw the blog to a close as we head slowly towards a new normal.
Those of us who grew up in the 1960’s were spared the
anxiety of wartime, but we did face the Cold War and the ever present threat of
vaporisation. However, we were OK as we had the knowledge to build a shelter under the Dining-room table.....But hang on a moment that seemed to give even less protection than my Dad had in his WW2 Anderson
Shelter!
The world has moved on to a new Century and just when I thought its safe to
go outside we have been faced with an invisible viral enemy and a Lockdown.
Take
a look at this somewhat prophetic post-apocalyptic sketch from Mitchell and Web
notice anything familiar?
Whats Next
With the weather getting better, thoughts of getting back to
Brooklands are ever present. However, the Museum remains closed and there are
not likely to be any events for some time yet. So, its time to start thinking
about what a virtual Motorcycle Show might look like. I was grateful for the
quick turn-round of comments from members of the team and there is still time to
let me know your ideas and I am particularly keen to learn of any people that
could contribute a video guide to their bike or even just a message of support.
My latest advice is that it would be possible to live stream the event for
real-time interaction with viewers via social media and this could also be
viewed after the event. I will try and have a Publicity Trailer that people can
share for next week or week of 11 June.
2013 At Brooklands
By the state of my hard-drive, 2013 seemed to be a busy year.
I seemed to be catching anything that moved.
I have picked out the Christmas Dinner Roundup film and a
teaser film of Ton Up Day. I think I will save the full 13 minute version with
footage of every bike fired up on the “Sound Stage” for the Virtual Event.
Montlhery
I also have some images and a bit of film from what I believe
is the 2013 trip to Montlhery which features John Bottomley on the Wicksteed
Triumph.
The theme for the rest of this weeks blog is bike building.
Zenith Bradshaw 2013
The following film was put together with clips of The Zenith
Bradshaw recorded on a beautiful November morning at the Museum.
Allen Millyard
Just about the last event I attended before the Lockdown was a talk given to the Brooklands VMCC Section by Allen Millyard. He talked us through the build of his Japanese Multi-cylinder projects and ended with his Vellocette V twin. Over the next few weeks I will post his films of his latest multi-cylinder Kawasaki Z1 Super Six project. I just love his laid back can do attitude. It almost got me thinking it was easy!
Part 1 The Crankshaft
Part 2 Sprocket Cover and Crankcase modifications
Board Track Racer Build
Now this is what I would love to be doing during lockdown. Its good to see that there is a wealth of young talented people out there to keep motorcycling history alive. However, I am not sure if there will be any fuel to run them!
Manufacturing a pioneer Rover imperial motorcycle (Silent)
This is a wonderful film. I could watch it over and over. It shows the building of the bike from sand casting the cylinder right through to assembly and test ride.
Running a 1912 Excelsior Engine
Next week: More from 2013 at Brooklands and Allen Millyard.
As we move cautiously towards an easing of the lockdown,
there are murmurings about Motorcycles, and how rides and events should be
dealt with. However, one thing is certain; we are all missing motorcycle interactive
experiences. Perry contacted me the other day reminiscing about the programme
Kick Start on TV. It was a gentle little competition based on what I think they
were calling Urban Trials using cars pallets and skips etc, commentated on by
Peter Purves. The question from Perry was why don’t we have anything like that
on TV anymore. My flippant answer was, “Well its called YOUTUBE”. This got me
thinking about a clip I recorded direct from the TV last year. It was a crazy called Romaniacs Extreme Trial. The first few seconds feature a classic piece of understated apology by one of the contestants
between sections. Sorry its not very clear and contains some flickering images as its filmed directly from the TV.
A Look Back at Scrambles
This week we start with a delve into the deep past, well
mine anyway. In the 1970s we used to go to an annual scramble held in Esher. It
only ran for two or three years. It was held on a piece of land marked on the
map below.
For those who know the area the entrance is just in Mill Lane on the
left going north from Esher before the railway bridge and has two large ornate
pillars and iron? Gates. I don’t know who it was organised by and wonder if any-one
else remembers it. Anyway I have found some very dark images one of the events. There had been heavy rain and it was mayhem. First lap was
difficult enough for the riders, but the following laps were just about
impossible. I got some pics from the start and close to what was a small
stream. Very dark slides, but I have played with them bit to give you a better
idea.
The following year was bright and sunny and below is my
record of that visit.
Keeping with the nostalgic theme we go scrambling with this
cinema short from the 1960s featuring Greeves and some great period scramble
action.
During the week I have been catching up with some of the
other excellent Lockdown offerings from Brooklands. I have mentioned Brooklands
Members TV before, but its well worth a visit. In the film below our very own
John Bottomley talks about his 1972 Yamaha. in Spinning Wheels. Several talks and Lockdown interviews are also available exclusively to Brooklands Members. I have to warn you to keep
aside a few hours as you will get side-tracked with the other excellent on
BMtv. I will bring you some more films over the next few weeks.
You can access this very interesting Elsbeth Beard Brooklands Members Talk by clicking the blue box below to view on Vimeo.
For those interested in some of the lesser known
items from the Archives, the Museum have done a series of shorts. Here is the
first “Postcard from Brooklands. The others can be accessed via the Brooklandswebsite.
BSA Goldstar Special
And now its Goldstars all the way as we celebrate this
iconic Brand, which as we all know grew out of Wal Handley’s run in 1937 at
Brooklands on his Empire Star that earned him that coveted Brooklands Gold
Star for reaching 107.57 mph in 1937.
As a tribute to WH, we visit the Goldstar Day at Brooklands
in 2012. Sorry about the quality of the video content. This is all cutting
room floor stuff.
Next is a very well made film and excellent music featuring Chris,
Fred and Bill. I think it sums up what we are all missing during this lockdown.
To end this week we have something featuring four wheels.
For those of you familiar with the F1 and EPrix eSports racing on TV here is
one from 1937 on the Campbell Circuit. You won’t see George Russell in this
one!
See you next week for a look at more from Brooklands including some Thursday Playpen action.
It seems that during this extraordinary time, you can stick
virtual in front of any word to make it a thing. Last week I told you about a
Virtual Garage tour and this week I have pictures of Virtual VE Day. However, I
have a few words of warning about Virtual Track Days, as they can bite you
back!
Sammy Miller's Museum
2011 was slim pickings as far as Brooklands was concerned,
but in Feb I paid my first visit to Sammy Millers. Here is a selection of bikes
from the collection. Sammy has recently expanded the building housing his
collection and must therefore be keen to get back to help pay the bills.
However, I think that Sammy Miller’s does seem to represent very good value for
money, and if you are a member of the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust
(BMCT) its free. You could do Sammy Miller and Beaulieu all in one hit for free
or if you are counting BMCT Membership £20, yes just £20 per year. Well worth a
membership after this madness is over. Visit the BMCT Website
Below are some images of some bikes of note. This FN has an interesting leading fork suspension setup.
A 1923 Martinsyde Newman. This bike from the Woking based marque is looking looking a little more concourse than ours at Brooklands. Martinsyde were manufactures of early aircraft at Brooklands.
A 1947 Nimbus. I first saw one of these in a car park in Oslo. It was red and Grey and I thought it must be some sort of Custom Bike. Based in Denmark the Fisker Neilsen Company made bikes between 1919 to 1960. You still see them occasionally, but I guess there are a few more about in Scandinavia. Interesting that Sammy has chosen black as I think the two tone red may have been the more common colour.
A very nice very original Quadrant from 1898. Others may be able to comment more on this bike, but I guess the De Dion Bouton engine was an off the shelf model which has been shoehorned in what appears to be a modified ladies bicycle frame with an added cross bar. Gaces Guide confusingly tells me this is a 1.5hp engine motorised in 1900 by Arthur Taylor. I think this must be some sort of special or prototype hence Sammy's interest. I can't read the display sheet, but if you look at the drive its a chain with the pedal driving some sort of shaft possibly inside the tube. I must get down to Sammy's and investigate further.
We are so used to looking at the Brooklands Grindley its easy to forget about the road versions. This is a very nice looking Model ST1 from 1925. Why do they not command the same interest as Brough Superiors? I think I know the answer which lies in Brough's apitite for self promotion and there are still just about enough about to stimulate insane bidding, whereas the Grindlay's are really quite a rare beast.
No collection of images from Sammy's would be complete without the Porcupine. A future Blog will feature Sammy riding this round his courtyard during a Motorcycle Team visit.
Another Motorcycle made by an aircraft manufacturer. This Verdel from 1912 features a five cylinder 750cc engine in what is essentially a bicycle frame with a single speed and a chain drive. I don't know anything about it, but this bike says speed. (And Scary) after mergers, the company founded the brand Gnome Rhรดne.
Below is a short 1 minute film of Sammy Miller Running the Verdel
Brooklands Auto Italia
The only Brooklands event I have for 2011 was Auto Italia which according to the film date stamp was held in April.
Virtual 75th anniversary of VE Day
On Friday 8May and I should have been packing up
the AJS to go to RHS Wisley as part of the Brooklands contingent taking part in
the VE Day 75 Cavalcade. The Bike was ready, but of course Lockdown prevented
the event from taking place. So I was restricted to the front garden and a fly
past of a Spitfire from Goodwood which was due to honour several WW2 veterans,
one of which lives very close. However, I missed the Spitfire and shared family
commemorations via Watsapp.
The most important thing is that we did remember all those
who experienced the War and those who sadly did not make it. I watched someone
being interviewed about their Wartime experiences contrasted with the current
Lockdown. His answer was “it was not as bad as this!”
Now some absolute gems from the Pathe News Archive
Assembling a bike in 20 Minutes
A lovely little promotional film demonstrating the assembly of a Francis Barnett. Maybe we should try it at Brooklands some day. NO SOUND
Speedsters at Brooklands
First up is a very short clip of a 500cc Scratch race from 1930 won by Burt Denley. Interesting as you get a short comment from Burt at the end.
It is followed by the opening of Woodley Airodrome in Reading. for those interested in Aircraft there is a good shot of an Auto-gyro.
Joe Wright 150 MPH Record in Cork 1930 NO SOUND
Dangerous enough at Brookland's but on an open road which was sort of closed, does not bear thinking of. In this film we get some good rare shots of Joe Wright without his crash helmet on and an insight into the very special protective clothing. There's the back brace and Kid gloves, the knitted jumper and a pair of shoes. What could possibly go wrong. Nice shots too of the streamlining to the OEC JAP bike and the modified helmet
Old Crocks At Brooklands
A wonderful film from 1931 showing some pioneer bikes being shown off. There is also some very good action shots on the banking. The camera angle is quite high and fairly smooth.
Brooklands 1936
A short 25 second news reel film of a Brooklands Race.
Brooklands Open Meeting 1938
The bikes appear after 30 seconds. This is a late film and I think this is the first time I have seen bike racing on the Campbell Circuit. Sadly it mad up of loots of very short clips but its forth freeze framing to get a better idea of whats going on. Looks like its our man Fernihough was the winner as he is seen posing at the end.
Brighton Speed Trials 1932
Brooklands in its heyday was of course the place for records and so it is perhaps not a surprise that this film of the Brighton Speed Trials is called Brooklands by the Sea. A Cotton gets off to a good start narrowly missing some guy nonchalantly strolling down the track. This is followed by Campbell vs Cobb. Again its good to hear the voice Campbell wearing a Bluebird jumper and obligatory fag.
Next time we move on to my archive of 2012/13 and lots of Thursday action with the Museum Vehicles
Its funny how quickly the new normal kicks in. Last week I had several Video conferences via Zoom and a few weeks ago I had
never heard of it. Skype calls just seem so yesterday as we get one click
access to all our contacts. Other formats are of course available and I was
invited to another meeting with Motorsport magazine via Microsoft Teams last
Thursday before later catching up with a couple of the Brooklands Team for a chat and a Zoom Garage Tour. Who would thought 10 weeks ago that
virtual garage tours were even a thing?
A Real Racer at work
We will get straight into the films this week with a
non-bike related item. This is a car race from the USA which I have picked as
it demonstrates a real racer at work. The captions also give an insight into
what’s going on in the drivers head. There is a crash at the beginning, but
otherwise no drama, just pure race craft, driving skill and of course a decent
reliable engine under the bonnet.
New Years Day Meet 2010
Here are some images from the New Years Day event.
Its become very popular over the last few years, but in 2010 I was still
recovering from a late night, so people were beginning to head for home.
New Years Day at Brooklands 2010
The 2010 Spring Gathering
Back to Brooklands and the year is 2010 and another
hugely successful event is the Spring Gathering. Watch and enjoy as the early
morning mist rises over the museum to reveal some amazing bikes including a few
visitors from The National Motorcycle Museum. The NMM Grindley would not start
and the word was it was just put away after the Brookland’s run the previous
year and turned up without any preparation. There is one thing we have all been
taught at the museum. Don’t disappoint the spectators (or the rider!) always make
sure the bike is prepared.
Double Twelve 2010
In June it was the Double Twelve and I took my
Sunbeam out for a run to the museum to be included on the BTM (now Brooklands
Member’s) Outreach stand.
The 1935 Model 16 Sunbeam on the Outreach stand
JP lotus Display, Just like the pits back in the day. "Bugger wheres that nut".
The 1935 Sunbeam in front of the Brooklands Memorial
This is a film I made of the action from the 2010 Brooklands Double Twelve.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010
I have to admit that my trip to FOS in 2010 was
driven by my love of F1 racing rather than bikes but I was able to capture a
few bike images. I was also able to capture the moment when Adrian Neweywas presented with his very own RB 5 to play
with. Just listen to the Williams as it warms up and hits the track.
Adrian Newey is presented with his own RB5 in front of the Press at 2010 FOS
I made this short film of a young Sam Bird preparing for his run. This was a big deal at the time as it was Williams current car. The run was permitted under FIA Regs as one of their designated a camera (filming) runs.
I still own the F1atHome.com Domain, which is now very appropriate during the lock-down as eSports races are really taking off!
Goodwood FOS 2010
Goodwood Revival 2010
I was back at Goodwood in September for my first
visit to the revival. I saw Stirling Moss in what I think was the last race
before the accident at his London flat when he fell into the lift shaft.
Stirling Moss in what I suspect was his last Race at Goodwood 2010
Stirling Moss still wearing his period crash Helmet at Goodwood in 2010
Also
at this meeting was a John Surtees Tribute Parade. I never used this footage as I
was constantly diverted by the Hurricanes and Spitfires doing a display
overhead. I have now managed to separate them. I hope you enjoy.
I also have a picture of me next to a Rudge on display
opposite the pits. I noticed today that asleep in the background is vintage
racer Ian Bain. He is someone who will continue to pop up now and again in this
blog either racing or with his vintage sand-racer Brough at Brooklands.
Pictured with a Rudge at 2010 Goodwood Revival & Ian Bain Grabbing 40 winks behind
VIRTUAL VE Day
We will be having our very own Virtual VE Day at home
tomorrow with the AJS on show in the driveway. We get quite a few walkers past
the front these days so I hope it will provide a bit of a distraction. Pictures
Next Week.
