Celebrating one hundred years of the ISDT

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

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

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Latest news update from Dot Jones.

Photo of day 5 at Kirkstone Pass with #124 F.A.Applebee on Scott #147 C.R.Collier on Matchless Sidecar at ISDT 1913

Details for the four day ‘Centennial Rally‘ are being finalised and the regulations will be available on line shortly. The response to these celebration events has been amazing with riders from across the world coming to the UK to help mark this landmark in off road motorcycle sport.

The first International Six Days Trial started in Carlisle, Cumbria, England on 18^th August 1913 when one hundred and sixty one competitors tackled a one thousand mile course.

One hundred years later, 100 riders will ride the very same route as the first day of the first ISDT. On Sunday 18^th August 2013 starting and finishing in Carlisle. Continue reading →

Future SpeedTrackTales Features

04 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Italy, Poland, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Spain, Sweden, UK, Uncategorized

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SpeedTrackTales

Approaching the end of the first 9 months after taking over and updating Taff Isaac’s old ISDT site I have mostly focussed on consolidating and correct the errors in the material as well as start filling some of the years missed. I have been able to re-discover some rare archive material. For the first anniversary I am hoping we can start to create new original material that adds to the understanding of the ISDT rather than just gathering old archive material to allow SpeedTrackTales to become more of a publication, although always free to anyone wanting to read.

I have been looking through the Search Terms that have driven visits to the site and looked in particular at those search terms I think we might be deficient in that appear high in reader search terms. I am proposing over the next year 3 months to prepare articles on the following and would encourage anyone who can help me with material or copy to make the articles from.

Photo of Brit Trophy Rider Ken Heanes looking happy in ISDT 1961

Zundapp Motorcycles
Ken Heanes
BMW R67
BMW R68
MZ
Cheney Triumph
Triumph Trophy
BSA Empire Star
Georg Meier
Marjorie Cottle

As a post script to this post I must sadly add that i have just discovered of the recent passing away of Ken Heanes in October 2012. Another great loss to the community of the ISDT and hopefully we can ensure his achievements can be preserved here for future generations of Heanes family members to discover.

http://www.classicmotorcycle.co.uk/news/2012-10/obituary-ken-heanes-mr-isdt

ISDT 1958 ACU Qualifier: Welsh Three Day Trial

30 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, International Six Day Trial, ISDT, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Wales

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The most famous and longest established event in the British Reliability Trial / Enduro in Great Britain is the Welsh Two Day Trial and has often been used to decide on the selection of British Team riders for the ISDT. Originaly a three day trial it is organised by the Mid Wales Centre of the Auto Cycle Union. Taking place in Llandrindod Wells it has undoubtedly influenced the venue for the ISDT when it has been held in Wales.

In 1958 the event was used to select the British Team for the ISDT 1958 in Garmische and the event was reported in the ‘Motor Cycling’ paper of 26th June 1958 by Norman Sharpe. The whole text of the article is reproduced below as are the images.

Photo – Written wherever Motorcycles are ridden: Services Cup winner #44 Sgt D ‘Bill’ Booker (500 BSA) follows outright victor #14 Cfn. Pat Brittain (250 Greeves) past “Motor Cycling’s” staff Reliant on the Esgair Gelli to Ffair Rhos section WTDT 1958

Thanks to Chris Goodfellow for this note on Bill Booker – Sgt.D.Brooker is better known as Bill , later to be the Competition Manager for Greeves Motorcycles , Bill is still in the land of the living , aged 87 , and only recently stopped riding in one day trials .

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The Birth of the ISDT

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, England, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, Motorcycling, Photography, Regolarità, Six Jours Internationaux, UK, Video

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ISDT

The following post is from an article in a 1984 edition of Classic Motorcycle written by well known Lake District Historians Percy and Margaret Duffy, the prints coming from a collection of antique magic lantern slides:

Photo – With his 750cc Rudge Multi outfit, W.D.South corners at Tow Top in the 1912 One-Day Trial

THE urge to demonstrate in some practical fashion the advantages of one particular machine over its rival came very early in the life story of the motorcycle, and it was in 1903 that the newly formed Auto Cycle Union adopted the idea of a Six Days Reliability Trial involving a series of daily tests, the event to be run annually. When it became known that for the Eleventh Annual ACU Six Day Trial, in 1913, the Lake District was being considered as a venue, the ACU made contact with the two local club – Westmorland CC, and Cumberland County MCC – with a view to electing suitable hills.

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ISDT Centennial Rally: Sunday 18th August 2013 Carlisle

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Hot on the heels of our announcement for the Launch of a campaign to create events to commemorate the centenary of the ISDT next year, which first took place in August 1913, has taken a major step with news just in from Jim Jones, one of the bedrocks of the Enduro and Big Bike Rallye scene in the UK.

The event will cover four days and on one day will follow the original route of day 1 of the first ISDT. There will be classes for the usual big trail bikes and also off orad bikes that are road legal and classes for classic bikes. The event has the support of the Carlisle City Council who are producing a commemorative program and I am sure if any readers of this have any memorabilia of the first ISDT then I am sure they would like to be able to feature it. You can enter as a solo or in a team of three for motorcycle clubs or trade teams.

Image of Day 1 Course Map for ISDT 1913

Event details supplied by Organiser:

The Centennial Rally is to be held over four days in Cumbria, England from 15th to 18th August 2013.

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Appeal: Help us find the Pre War ISDT BSA’s

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

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

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BSA, Gold Star, ISDT

I can thank Dave Giles from the VMCC for providing all the content for this Blog which is very much an appeal for help in trying to locate any of the team or other BSA’s that were ridden in the immediate Pre-war period.

Photo of British Army Team Motorcycles #156 Sgt O. Davies Matchless 350cc #113 Pte. JL Wood BSA 496cc [EOG 22] #75 Cpl A C Doyle BSA 496cc [EOG 20] #68 Lt. J. F. Riley with Norton 500cc at ISDT 1939

I have been provided with a list of the last three events of the ISDT prior to the outbreak of WWII in 1939, an event which for the second time interupted the ISDT. If anyone is able to help us identify any of these bikes by providing a registration or other ID and if they are aware if any collectors have one of these bikes kept under wraps somewhere we would be grateful if you could contact us here by messaging on this post Continue reading →

The First International Six Day Trial 18 ~ 23 August 1913: A centenary anniversary 2013

22 Saturday Sep 2012

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ACU, Centenary, FICM, FIM, ISDE, ISDT

With the 100th anniversary of the holding of the first International Six Day Trial less than 1 year away, as the event was hosted by the ACU in England before becoming one of the most truly international of top class motorcycle events. Which, with the toughness of the six days of effort quickly saw the event being likened to the ‘Olympics of Motorcycling’ a name that has stuck with it ever since as it has been hosted on most of the worlds continents.

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BMW R68 ISDT Tribute Gelandesport Racer – Mid America Auctions

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Manufacturers, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Places, Regolarità, restoration, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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BMW

I was recently browsing links to ISDT BMW pages when I stumbled upon a perfect example of an old BMW ISDT bike,

Customised BMW R100 from the 1979 rebuilt to have the ISDT look

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A Hundred Years of ISDT Approaches 1913 – 2013

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

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1913, Carlisle, Cumberland, Cumbria, Lake District

As the century of ISDT approaches I would like to launch an appeal to gather as much of the lost information, photos and stories as we can gather to be exhibited in the public domain to help the riders, the families of riders, the industry and social historians to see how the technology changed as new influences impacted on the motorcycle industry and associated sport. Back in 1913 a group of British Motorcycle enthusiasts backed by the British Motorcycle Industry set otu an event over 6 days in which riders had to navigate around a series of day long courses in a test not only about the abilities of the Rider to ride a motorbike but also for maintenance and to test the bikes reliability. This Blog / Website keenly follows the history of that event from this beginning…