Category Archives: Photography

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ISDT 1937: Images from event report ‘Das Motorrad’ 24 July 1937 Issue 30

19 Sunday Jan 2014

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

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‘Need a job done go find a busy man’ so the old maxim goes and like rust we never find time to sleep at Speedtracktales. Just before Xmas as the project of mapping the routes began an original copy of the German Motorcycle Magazine ‘Das Motorrad’ was obtained for the 24th July 1937 which covered the 19th edition of the event held in Wales. Working on it was put on hold until now and whilst we negotiate / await a translation of the article to extend the available knowledge of the 1937 ISDT I have posted the images with the original captions in German, on the basis I have sadly not got the faintest clue what they may be saying. However I have tried my best second guess in the text underneath. it is likely this may be one of the first times these images have been seen in the UK since 1937.

Photo - An einer Kontrolle des 2. Fahrtages. Der deitsche Zündappfahrer Schäfer (nr 215) gibt gerade seine Kontrollkarte zum Stempeln ab. Links neben ihm der englische BSA-fahrer Cartwright ISDT 1937 (Speedtracktales Collection)

Photo – An einer Kontrolle des 2. Fahrtages. Der deitsche Zündappfahrer Schäfer (nr 215) gibt gerade seine Kontrollkarte zum Stempeln ab. Links neben ihm der englische BSA-fahrer Cartwright ISDT 1937 (Speedtracktales Collection)

At a checkpoint with #214 HD Cartwright 348cc BSA who finished with a gold medal and #215 NSKK entered E Schaeffer on a 493cc Zündapp of the German ‘A’ Vase team that came 3rd in the Silver Vase competition and who also finished with a Gold Medal hands his time card to a checkpoint official.

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ISDT 1939: Day five & six reports as published in ‘Das Motorrad’ magazine

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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

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This post is a serialisation of an article that originally appeared over 75 years ago in ‘Das Motorrad’, the popular Motorcycling magazine in the German Language as it covered the proceedings of the 1939 ISDT, an event to finish in controversy and the results eventually annulled by the FIM.

We have recently started mapping the course of the event which can be found on the blog ‘Mapping the 1939 ISDT‘

After Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 we get to Days 5 & 6

ISDT 1939 – Report from ‘Das Motorrad‘: The 4th Day

report by Von Gustav Mueller

The 5th Day

The Bavarian Forest leg lead far into the Bavarian Forest[1], to the noon time check at Viechtach. There were no special terrain difficulties, but the ordinary bad minor roads of the Bavarian Forest. Only a short 15 kilometre distance before the time check at noon had been full of terrain difficulties. The approach to the Bavarian Forest did pass through the hometown of the Führer, Braunau am Inn, where also a time check had been erected.

Photo - Here you can see for yourself, whether there was much space for the sidecar outfits! The outfit is the 600cc NSU of #234 NSKK Oberscharführer [comparable to Sergeant] Oettinger. The NSU Team, otherwise belonging to the outmost reliable teams we know in the off road motorcycling, had a lot of trouble with their machines blowing out at the cylinder heads, By the way, only Dunz had been excluded from these damages, as he repeatedly had retightened his cylinder head at the beginning of the event,,,The second man shown is NSKK-Oberscharführer [comparable to Sergeant] Boden from Motorgruppe Sachsen [NSKK Motor Group Saxonia] on DKW 248 cc. ISDT 1939 (das Motorrad)

Photo – Here you can see for yourself, whether there was much space for the sidecar outfits! The outfit is the 600cc NSU of #234 NSKK Oberscharführer [comparable to Sergeant] Oettinger. The NSU Team, otherwise belonging to the outmost reliable teams we know in the off road motorcycling, had a lot of trouble with their machines blowing out at the cylinder heads, By the way, only Dunz had been excluded from these damages, as he repeatedly had retightened his cylinder head at the beginning of the event,,,The second man shown is NSKK-Oberscharführer [comparable to Sergeant] Boden from Motorgruppe Sachsen [NSKK Motor Group Saxonia] on DKW 248 cc. ISDT 1939 (das Motorrad)

In the morning, a number of the English participants didn’t show up at the start, as they had been advised by their team leader to go back home. Some of them didn’t follow this procedure, and did start despite all rumors. Amongst those with good nerves, of course, our old friend “Miss Kottelet”[2] had been; also Lieutenant Colonel Bennett, team leader of the English army teams, did let his Army teams start.

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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“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)

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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

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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.

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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

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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 →

Recent images taken along the route: ISDT 1938 Wales

24 Sunday Nov 2013

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

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The ongoing mapping of the ISDT route and the availability of Google Streetview makes it fairly easy to see the locations that featured on the route maps as Checkpoints, Fuel and Lunch Stops and other intermediate points. Here we are following the route of the ISDT 1938 as set out in our article on mapping the ISDT 1938

Below are a collection of images taken of the route and hopefully more can be added as the route is revisited by those interested with the history of the ISDT.

Day 1

After the start in Llandrindod Wells at 6.00am there was an introductory check at 1 ½ miles (2.5km) at 7 ¼ miles (11.7km) the riders crossed the river bridge at Cregrina.

Photo - River bridge at Cregrina on route Day 1 ISDT 1938 (Google Streetview)

Photo – River bridge at Cregrina on route Day 1 ISDT 1938 (Google Streetview)

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