31 Tuesday Jan 2017
I am grateful to our readerStewart Ellison who drew my attention to this excellent photo taken of #52 Miss E Foley with her Triumph 499cc ohv alongside #64 Miss L Ball James 499cc.
#52 Miss E Foley 499c Triumph with #64 Miss L Ball James 499cc [DM4687] at Brooklands circuit ISDT 1925
13 Sunday Nov 2016
Posted in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Mezinárodní Šestidenní Soutěž, Międzynarodowa Motocyklowa Sześciodniówka, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux
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BSA, East Germany, Erfurt, Greeves, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen
I am grateful as always to our Euro reporter SB who has provided these amazing snaps for our 200th blog post taken at the ISDT 1964 including some of the British team machines. I do not know the origin of these images and as soon as I know I will arrange a full credit.
Photo – GB Trophy Team #222 J Sandiford’s BSA 350cc ISDT 1964 (Speedtracktales Archive)
Check below for the rest of the images which are going to produce a bit of a bountiful harvest for the fans of Greeves bikes with plenty of action from this event possibly made most famous by the presence on the US Trophy Team of one Steve McQueen, whose team mate Dave Ekins can be found here. Continue reading
05 Saturday Nov 2016
Posted in Europe, ISDT, Photography
It comes to that time of the year when we get the chance to set aside some time to remember those who surrendered much or all of what they had because their country asked them to make the ultimate sacrifice. In times where we seem to find more time to watch the future than recall the past, a recent series of posts on Facebook from friends disconcerted that FIFA were blocking the wearing of red poppies at a future football match on Remembrance Sunday, many were silenced when one voice pipped up that in real respect every sport should follow the stance of the ACU and to take the day out of the annual event calendar. I for one shall be at my village war memorial again come rain or shine thinking about and thanking those from all sides who lay down their lives in a national cause, I do not focus on the good or bad of how they got to that point as for many there was no choice but to obey their call up for national service.
Photo – Oliver Godfrey #112 500cc Indian [BL 90] taken 1914, completed a lap of the Snaefell circuit at an average speed of 47.63 mph to win the first IoM mountain circuit TT race 1911 and was lost in the earth of Flanders 1916
04 Friday Nov 2016
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More images from the Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe – National Digital Archive of Poland this set featuring moments from the ISDT 1939.
photo – two riders at checkpoint #35 Ofeldw Forstner BMW 494cc of Germany #30 Fred C Perks BSA 496cc ISDT 1939 Germany (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe)
The ISDT 1939 was put on by the German Government with a view to demonstrating its army motorcyclists supremacy. The organisers encouraged many other European nations to send military teams. However, before the event came to an end the British withdrew their teams as the declaration that commenced WW2 was being made and the government wanted al its military personnel home before they could be detained. More images from the event from this collection are provided below. Continue reading
04 Friday Nov 2016
Our gratitude to a reader Adam Sliwka who forwarded details of the Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe – National Digital Archive of Poland web site where an amazing library of historic images included a number from historic ISDT events. The images here are of the ISDT 1936 held in Germany. Of particular interest is the inclusion of images taken of riders on a very new Autobahn, one of the major civil engineering projects that Adolf Hitler had set about after he became the leader of Germany which it is contended were purposely designed to facilitate rapid advancement of his army should a war break out.
photo – Victorious British Trophy team with Stuart Waycott, A Belstun, George Rowley and Vic Brittain with Walcott’s #42 works Velocette 495cc – the 1930’s ISDT dream team ISDT 1936 Germany (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe)
30 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in Czechoslovakia, Enduro, England, Europe, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, International Six Days Enduro, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, Media, Mezinárodní Šestidenní Soutěž, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, restoration, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux
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I’ve been lagging with a number of articles needing posting but here I’ve now put up a short article on the ISDT 1953 winning 498cc AJS ridden by Hugh Viney which turned up in auction in 2015 after its long term owner passed away.
Photo – Works AJS 498 of Hugh Viney ISDT 1953 (Courtesy Bonhams)
read the article here in our Folk’s and Motors section
07 Saturday Nov 2015
Posted in ISDT, Photography
photo – embroidered Dispatch Rider uniform badge
Another annual article leaves the ISDT to remember the incredible sacrifice made by so many to help stop a tyranny that would have changed the world as we know it now with many innocent people being exterminated because they did not fit into the ideal of a Fascist Empire in the making that was stopped dead in its tracks by the will of common men. I include two articles from the press this year covering the story of surviving DR’s Australian signaller and DR Bob Anson and British DR George Brown and here’s hoping they are with us for many years to come
“When I originally joined the Army,”Anson says, “I’d been a cattle drover in Bourke. We were trained at Ingleburn, NSW. As I’d been a horseman I was told to learn to ride a motor bike to get around as a signaller,” Anson says.
In the Australian ‘Newcastle Herald‘ on the 15th June 2015 Mike Scanlon reported on surviving Australian Bob Anson
PEOPLE say Bob Anson would joke that one day he’d get the 9mm German bullet embedded in his side removed to hang it on a necklace. He never did, so his potentially fatal lead souvenir is still lodged beneath ribs on the left hand side of his body.
Photo – Bob Anson as a Dispatch Rider in Syria in 1952 on a 1939 Norton. (Newcastle Herald)
29 Thursday Oct 2015
These images are part of a 1000 image library of ISDT images from the 1952 ISDT held in Austria taken by Artur Fenzlau and were the photos featuring the British entrants both Factory, Military and privateer teams. Please enjoy….
#57 Olga V Kevelos, Birmingham. Parilla 150 (entered as Italian) abandoned day 2
photo – #57 Olga V Kevelos Barilla 100 at the start venue ISDT 1952 (© Artur Fenzlau/Technisches Museum Wien)
14 Wednesday Oct 2015
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Tomas Melander bought this Monark 125 in 1974 and promptly parked it hence its exceptional condition. Who would not want a gem like this.
photo – RH front view of Tomas Melander’s unused 1974 Monark GS125 ISDT (Courtesy vintagemonark.com)
06 Thursday Aug 2015
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Bill Snelling, ISDT, ISDT 1965, ISDT 1971, ISDT 1975, Isle of Man
Bill Snelling, a living legend from the Isle of Man and the keeper of the history of the TT races as well as the ISDT on the island recently contacted me to say he was reducing his archive and was hoping Speedtracktales might be willing to take his collection of negatives for the ISDT events in the Isle of Man. Hardly unable to hold back my joy, I of course accepted and was told to wait for a package.
Photo – just part of the Bill Snelling collection of images from the Isle of Man ISDT events.
