Monthly Archives: December 2013

Mapping the ISDT: Germany / Austria 1939

30 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

,


In this Post we are going to create from modern geographic information such as Google Maps, the route of the ISDT 1939. I needed to have a list of destinations for the event to help tagging a recently discovered photo collection to date the images. As there is not as of yet, any detailed mapping of the route used and so until such maps are re-discovered this list of each days stops are taken from the maps provided with the results and programme. User Caveat: As this event was organised by the German Government and Military I presume they could go very much wherever they chose. It is likely that some of the tracks used for the event and featured in this article may cross private land for which to use now, the consent of the owner may be necessary. To decide if this is the case, you may need to do further research, unfortunately, we are unable to give advice.

Image - routes of days 1 - 5 ISDT 1939 set out on LANDSAT colour image (Google Earth / Speedtracktales)

Image – routes of days 1 – 5 ISDT 1939 set out on LANDSAT colour image (Google Earth / Speedtracktales)

Image - map of all 6 days route ISDT 1939

Image – map of all 6 days route ISDT 1939

Continue reading →

The SOS end of year . . can you identify if any of these images come from an ISDT

29 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Enduro, England, Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, International Six Days Enduro, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, UK, Wales

≈ Leave a comment


A kind random end of year post letting you, the reader, join in the fun of putting places and names to pictures…. The basic ISDT keyword search of the still time has unearthed a quality haul of 518 mostly pre-war images of the ISDT. Work to identify and seek long term access to the images in Speedtracktales is underway. In the mean time a more convoluted series of searches found very badly ( ie minimal) keyworded images of motorbikes in what appear to be ISDT style events. Can any one confirm any riders identities and which event it might have been.

?-tpt transport motor engine sport competition bike sidecar welsh trial test german team group

?-tpt transport motor engine sport competition bike sidecar welsh trial test german team group

Nazi / NSKK insignia on riders jacket . possibly #153 G Wolf 730cc BMW ISDT 1937, #153 was a GB Ariel rider 1938, only 142 competed in 1933. Had the Welsh 3 Day got its current International FIM status before the war?

Continue reading →

ISDT Image Archive: The Stilltime Collection

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, England, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Isle of Man, Italy, Media, Motorcycling, Photography, Poland, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Wales

≈ Leave a comment


Recently noticed in the last few months a new collection of very old Photos started coming up in Google Searches although they appear to have existed since at least 2012. A number of the photos I have seen before in the pages of British Motor Cycling Magazines and these look like scans off glass plates or negatives so I am going to presume the Mortons Archive are using this site as another agency to sell it’s images. No doubt those of you looking for publish quality images for your ISDT  / Vintage publications will find this a helpful resource for rights managed images as it appears a lot better than Morton’s own online gallery:

This blog was generated direct off the page but does not appear to share the image but just the key worlds which were for an interwar image taken on the Großglockner. The numbers of images available seem very impressive. The standard ISDT search found 519 images. I was able to create a URL to display the watermarked image here from the gallery page.

Image of the ISDT from the stilltime collection of 20th Century British Photographs

tpt transport bike motorsport prix race racing competition sport isdt grossglockner austria germany nazi war hitler propaganda mountains snow frozen cold wa west ariel.

Merry Xmas 2013 and a Happy New Year for all of our readers and supporters

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, England, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, International Six Days Enduro, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Isle of Man, Italy, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Places, Poland, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, Wales, Welsh Borders

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,


Image - Happy Xmas 2013 and a prosperous New Year #116 JH Arnott 496cc BSA Großglockner ISDT 1939 (Image courtesy TECHNISCHEN MUSEUM WIEN)

Image – Happy Xmas 2013 and a prosperous New Year #116 JH Arnott 496cc BSA Großglockner ISDT 1939 (Image courtesy TECHNISCHEN MUSEUM WIEN)

Thanking our many many visitors in 2013 and especially those getting in contact to share their own personal and family memories of the ISDT and the riders. We stil lhave lots more to rediscover and save for the event and are reliant on your support. Coming soon will be a bumper posting of images of the ISDT in Wales recovered from back issues of Das Motorrad recently acquired for the web archive.

ISDT 1951: George Wilson asks Where do we go from here?

21 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Italy, Magazine, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,


The following article about the ISDT 1951 appeared in the 4th October 1951 issue of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ and in which George asks a number of questions about the venue for the event, the future of the event and the British teams future tactical challenges, and introduces some great new British Talent:

Where do we go from here? 

A Backward Glance at the 26th International Six Days’ Trial – and a Thought for the Future.

By GEORGE WILSON

photo - Motor cycles's Deputy Editor, George Wilson on the Royal Enfield Twin ISDT 1951 (Speedtracktales Collection)

photo – ‘Motor Cycle‘ Deputy Editor, George Wilson on the Royal Enfield Twin ISDT 1951 (Speedtracktales Collection)

Continue reading →

Internationally Famous: Royal Enfield at the ISDT 1948 – 1953

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Italy, Magazine, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Wales

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,


“The story of the Royal Enfield in the International Six Days Trial 1948, 1949,1950, 1951, 1952, 1953” is the title of a palm of a hand sized original publication produced by Royal Enfield in 1953 that recently fell into our hands and is of such great interest we reproduce it here. Royal Enfield, who could boast not only great bikes but a factory team that contained some of the sports greatest factory riders of the time including Vic and Johnny Brittain as well as Jack Stocker show how their successful domination of the results sheet at the ISDT meant the commute to work was going to be a lot more successful on a Royal Enfield than it might be on a lesser qualified motor cycle.

image - Royal Enfield booklet front cover (Speedtracktales Collection)

image – Royal Enfield booklet front cover (Speedtracktales Collection)

The World’s Toughest Motor-Cycle Event

photo - the victorious ROYAL ENFIELD 1953 team: Johnny Brittain (Trophy) [LWP 424], Don Evans (Vase A) [LWP 423], and Jack Stocker (Trophy) [LWP 422], all mounted on 500 twins - ISDT 1953 (Speedtracktales collection)

photo – the victorious ROYAL ENFIELD 1953 team: Johnny Brittain (Trophy) [LWP 424], Don Evans (Vase A) [LWP 423], and Jack Stocker (Trophy) [LWP 422], all mounted on 500 twins – ISDT 1953 (Speedtracktales collection)

Continue reading →

Welcome to the Speedtracktales Library and Shop

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, England, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Isle of Man, Italy, Magazine, Manufacturers, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Regolarità, Scrambling, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trials, UK, USA, Wales, Welsh Borders

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


When I restarted Taff’s site, all I had to begin with was a website copied to a harddisk drive that I had been able to download in its entirety from his old server. Since then I have been greatly helped by Taff and his friends like ‘STB’ and Brian Catt. Between gifts , loans and acquisitions I have been able to get back to the original hard copy material and started to scan to archive these materials so as to enable people to access and view this material at what ever time and place suits their convenience. Below is an image of some of the material I now control that may be one of the most intact archives of the Event even considering the FIM and National Federations material.

The Speedtracktales Collection 2013

The Speedtracktales Collection 2013

Continue reading →

ISDT 1950: Six Thrilling Days – A Journalist’s report

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Magazine, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, UK, Wales

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,


the ISDT 1950 saw the Silver Jubilee of the International Six Days Trial. In the 5th October edition of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ appeared a three page photo review written by George Wilson based on his own experience of the event as he followed it riding a works Triumph Trophy that had been prepared for S.B. Manns that had been loaned to him this is the report:

Successful International Trial Reviewed: British Riders Undisputed World Champions – by George Wilson.

Photo - Chat near the check George Wilson with the Triumph [HUE 258], Fred Anning on the left and Frank Jarman ISDT 1950 (Speedtracktales Archive)

Photo – Chat near the check George Wilson with the Triumph [HUE 258], Fred Anning on the left and Frank Jarman ISDT 1950 (Speedtracktales Archive)

TWO hundred and thirteen starters, 132retirements, 81finishers: that, briefly, presents the picture of the International Six Days’ Trial held in Wales the week before last. Tough though the International always is, the Silver Jubilee event undoubtedly went along way towards establishing a record in this respect. During some period every day there was rain, and there was heavy rain every night, so that the ground conditions, already vile before the trial began, remained vile, and, in many cases, became steadily worse as the week progressed.

Continue reading →

ISDT 1939: Germany’s Proposed Revision of the “International” Rules

08 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


In the frontispiece editorial in the 8th December 1938 issue of the Motor Cycle the article reproduced below indicates British concerns about proposals being made by Germany as hosts of the ISDT 1939 to revise a number of significant rules if the ’39 event. It  is interesting to note the part support and part objection to the prose abandonment of the final speed event in favour of a more typical test based on normal event conditions. Despite British reluctance the rule changes proposed by the Germans continues in the modern ISDE event with the final test now taking place on a motocross circuit. Having been able to watch a copy of a video of a film of the 1939 event, in my opinion the final test although not contested by British Riders was impressive in the manner in which riders with skills were able to make the bikes perform on quite radical off road conditions. I’d probably go as far as saying the introduction of the final test as one of cross country rather than speed may be one of the very few good things to come out of Germany at that time. It is also clear from the article of the existence of a widening gap between the founding principles of the event as a test of motorcycle reliability as followed in Britain and the European view of it being an off-road race for which reliability was one of a number of factors being tested.

“GERMANY is proposing a drastic revision of the rules under which the International Six Days Trial is run. This event, it will be recalled, is to be held in Germany from August 20th to August 27th with headquarters at Kitsbühel, Salzburg or, Berchtesgaden, and the idea is that instead of ending with a high-speed test there shall be a cross-country test. By incorporating this the character of the Six Days as a trial over difficult country would, it is suggested, be retained.

Continue reading →

The Great Escape revisited: British entrants in ISDT 1939

08 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Austria, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, UK

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

,


Persons familiar with the inter war years will no doubt be familiar that Germany particularly enjoyed hosting world sporting events so that they could exhibit the fatherland’s prowess in ability and superiority of strength over other nations.

Photo - #27 L Heath Ariel 497cc ISDT 1939 (Courtesy Technisches Museum Wien)

Photo – #27 L Heath Ariel 497cc passes to the rear of a car bearing GB plates, presumably team supporters on a mountain pass bend in Austria ISDT 1939 (Courtesy Technisches Museum Wien)

With this in mind Germany’s intention to hold every ISDT from the ISDT 1934 onwards was only thwarted by those pesky Brits winning the event in 1936 and ’37 earning them to hold the event. Although the British team won the International Trophy in the home ISDT 1938, politics intervened and the right to hold the event was passed back to Germany. The Germans elected to hold the ISDT 1939 in recently annexed Austria and planned to put on what could have been the best organised ISDT ever because of the state resources the Nazi Government were able to call on to organise this globally prestigious event. Continue reading →