ISDT 1935: tracking down an old Triumph 500 reg BMX 621

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

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

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ISDT 1935, Matchless, Obersdorf, Triumph

I have been slowly sifting through the images found over xmas on the Stilltime Collection website having built a database so I can collect all the details the images allow and then linking those facts to information we hold across the site on the people bikes and places. The image below of a group of men taken around two of their motorbikes including a Matchless and Triumph with a UK Vehicle Registration MX 621 makes it is likely these are part of the British contingent at the event and has been identified as being taken at the ISDT 1935.

British riders with Matchless and Triumph 500 BMX 621 at ISDT 1935

British riders with Matchless and Triumph 500 [BMX 621] with Irish racer and owner Robert Cecil Yeates at ISDT 1935

link to image at stilltimecollection.co.uk Obviously all dedicated British ISDT enthusiasts and if anyone can help identify any of the persons in the photo we would be so grateful.

I am very grateful to the great granddaughter of RC Yeates, Jessica Fraser who helped with the identification of the rider and the bike’s owner. RC Yeates rode under a Motorcycle Union of Ireland license for Ireland on a Triumph 495. His race number was #223. Although loosing only 2 points on day 1 and 1 on day 3, Robert retired at the end of day 4 despite loosing no points that day. Robert appeared for the Irish Vase team in the Welsh based events of the ISDT 1937 and ISDT 1938 where further images can be found of him.

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ISDT 1939: event report in ‘the Motor Cycle’ 31st August 1939

24 Saturday May 2014

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

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Innsbruck, ISDT 1939, Salzburg, Switzerland

The 31 August issue of ‘the Motor Cycle’ carried a 12 page article on the ISDT that never was. Possibly heralded as being the best ISDT of all time, on paper the potential obsessive stage management by the German Nazi regime looking to impress foreign powers of its greatness could well have put on the best event ever. The grant finale of the event rather than a speed test was to be a scramble and surviving vide owe have seen shows it to be a quite remarkable event in its severity of technicl difficulty for the tie. However from arrival at the venue the event was beset with problems, firstly to all it appeared the Germans had been expecting the event not to happen at all, so preparations had been rushed and not complete. Despite a lot of man power being committed there were at times fuel shortages and the German officials tried modifying the traditional rules as the event progressed. The going on the other hand was not far off the most extreme the riders had ever seen, not just because of the Alpine setting in North Austria but also the extensive use of unmade tracks across pine forests that had in cases been cleared just for the event. The event withered for many competitors to a dead stop before the final day after Germany declared a pact with Russia that resulted in the division of Poland and was going to lead to the beginning of the second world war. Even though the Germans finished the six days it was a result devoid of competition and so after the end of the war the FIM annulled the results so the Trophies were never awarded.

photo – top left Miss Marjorie Cottle (249 Triumph) follows K Pogner (248 Puch) through a village typical of the area. Bottom left- Fuscher Törl, a check amid the summer snows high up the Grossglockner pass. Right – A loose narrow winding track where time is easily lost: Sgt JT Dalby (490 Norton) kust behind Forstner (490 BMW) ISDT 1939 ( Speedtracktales Archive)

read the full event report in ‘the Motor Cycle’ at our issuu.com library here

The greatest of all International Six Days Trials, that held in Germany last week, was virtually brought to an end last Friday. The cause, needless to state, was the European situation. In Salzburg information as to what was really happening was scrappy in the extreme. The German papers revealed little; those British papers available were two days old; wireless reception of the English news bulletins was next to hopeless.

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ISDT 1939: Closing report and the final sprint for the Border

21 Wednesday May 2014

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

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Berlin, Bregenz, British Army, Germany, ISDT 1939, marjorie cottle, Munich, Salzburg

In the 7th September 1939 issue of the Motor Cycle, the editor of the magazine A. B. Bourne who had been in Germany covering the ISDT 1939 event published an article titles ‘My Week in Germany’ giving his impressions of the events that occurred shaping the history of this notorious sporting occaision.

See the original article in our issuu.com library here

My Week in Germany – A.B. Bourne – Editor the Motor Cycle

To review the International Six Days after all that was written in last Thursday’s issue would be superfluous. Everyone knows what happened and how on Friday, the fifth day, the British contingent withdrew from the trial, left Salzburg and hurried to the Swiss frontier and home.

Photo – Miss Marjorie Cottle (249 Triumph), chatting with Obergruppenfuhrer Kraus, president of the International Jury, at the check at the top of the Grossglockner. Miss Cottle made a magnificent performance in the trial ISDT 1939 (Speedtracktales Collection)

It is probably difficult for anyone not among the party to realise how cut off the British contingent was from knowledge of what was going on between the capitals of Europe. All at Salzburg sensed that there was a crisis, but how grave it was none knew. As we said in our description of the trial, the German papers revealed little, those British papers available were two days old, and wireless reception of the English news bulletins was next to hopeless.

Of course, there were many who started in the trial with little idea of what a modern International means. Somehow or other the impression that these trials are merely high-speed tours in glorious country still seems to exist. The facts are, as we have tried to convey in describing the event, that the modern trial as held in Germany is an Alpine Grand Prix with sections just about as bad as any included in British sporting trials.

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ISDT 1939: Post-Academy Awards Special Backmarker: The Colonel’s Motorcycles

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

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

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1939, ISDT 1939, Salzburg

Bikewriter.com: Post-Academy Awards Special Backmarker: The Colonel’s Motorcycles.

ISDT 1939: The Six Day Affair

10 Thursday Apr 2014

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

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ISDT 1939, John Bradshaw

We have just received advance news of a new book to be published this coming Spring that may be of great interest to many Speedtracktales readers.

In late August 1939, Hitler’s armies were poised to invade Poland, while in Austria the International Six Day Trial was underway. The trial was dubbed ‘The Motorcycling Olympics’, where the crème de la crème from five or six nations competed in six days of hard riding.

Image – Cover for new book ‘The Six Day Affair’ ISDT 1939

Following the Olympics in Berlin just three years earlier, the ISDT was seen by Hitler as being another opportunity for Nazi dominance – and the event was unexpectedly held in occupied Austria! Half way through, riding through the mountains surrounding Salzburg and with the British teams once again doing very well indeed, they received a telegram from the British Embassy telling them to get out immediately. WWII started just a week later.

The story of how the British competitors and spectators successfully made it away through Switzerland with the help of their German escort has so far only been mentioned in magazine articles and websites, but extensive research has revealed much new material about this fascinating and exciting event in history.

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ISDT 1939: can any reader help answer this question?

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Bert Perrigo, BSA, ISDT 1939

Maybe you or some of your readers can help me, re the 1939 ISDT please?

I’ve read that Bert Perrigo, BSA Competition Manager, travelled over to Austria in his BSA saloon car with the Army convoy. (This was in addition to Tom Davies accompanying the BSA Team.)

However, when did Perrigo return to England?

Was it early Friday morning, together with the great majority of the competitors, support crews, spectators, with Vic Brittain in the passenger seat of his BSA car, leaving his Norton behind? (as his son, Johnny Brittain says today, and who also says that Allan Jefferies told him he’d seen Vic’s Norton in Austria after the war…..

Was it late Friday evening, after the day’s competitive riding, when “…Perrigo waited for the riders to return, filled their tanks and sign off for good, while Lt.Col.Bennett dealt with the administration.” from p46, Walker & Carrick’s ISDT history Col.Grimm & Col.Bennett then led the three Army teams, together with Cottle, Edge, Sim, Sanders and TSRs and spectators, to the Swiss Border.

Any hard facts re this would be much appreciated, as I’d hate to promulgate false ‘facts’ in my forthcoming book.

John Bradshaw
http://www.jrbpub.net

ISDT 1939: the event report ‘Motor Cycling’ 30 Aug 1939

05 Saturday Apr 2014

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ISDT, ISDT 1939, Salzburg

Prior to the handing–in we gained a very definite impression that the organizers themselves were surprised that the event was actually to take place

Many readers of this blog contact me with their thanks for providing what is the non existent ISDT reading room in the National Motorcycle Museum or even the Auto Cycle Union Six Days Archives. Such praise is often only due to the work and help of many readers who are ex riders or the family of ex riders who are willing to share, at no charge, their family material so as to help others who may not be so lucky to be able to recall past exploits of favourite relatives so easily to supplement my otherwise meagre budget to purchase important relics which may appear on eBay from time to time..

No more so are these gifts welcome than a recent contact from Susan Coates now based in the USA but from a British Motorcycling family who she found a collection of old magazines on a recent visit. Amongst this collection was an original copy of the 30th August 1939 edition of ‘Motor Cycling‘ with a full report of the ISDT 1939 which she rapidly sent me a scanned copy to be able to share with others through the site.

Let us hope that peace will prevail and that the 1940 event will take place under happier auspices.

Here is the Editorial article which started each issue of ‘Motor Cycling‘ and provided a useful summary and opinion on the events of 1939. In a forthcoming blog I will be reproducing the latter part of the report ‘The Great Retreat’ which is the story of the riders evacuation from the festering world war about to commence in mainland Europe. I have included in the article the images from the actual report and you can read a copy of the original report at our issuu.com library here

Editorial

An Unhappy Coming-of-Age

WHATEVER the future may hold in store for the International Six Days’ Trial, the 21^st event of the series will go down in history – so far as Great Britain is concerned – as the trial which never finished. In the early hours of Friday morning it was decided to withdraw the entire British entry, and it is fitting, therefore, that the facts underlying that decision should be recorded before they become distorted with the passage of time.

image – main report illustration ‘Motor Cycling‘ 30th August 1939 ISDT 1939 (Speedtracktales Collection)

Image left – A wonderful view of the Grossglockner Pass .The leading rider is L/Cpl A.C. Doyle BSA of the War Office ‘A’ Team, centre – This picture gives a good idea of the interest villagers took in the trial, the rider is again L/Cpl A.C. Doyle (348cc BSA), right – A group of NSKK officials operating a time check at the top of the Grossglockner Pass during Wednesday’s run . The riders are #165 E Eisenmann (346 NSU) and #166 Colin Edge (347 Matchless) who, despite carrying on against doctors orders, did not lose a single point up to the time he withdrew with the other British Riders.

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ISDT 1964: Happy Birthday Steve McQueen 24 March 1930

24 Monday Mar 2014

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

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Barbour, international, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen, Triumph

The pages connected to the ISDT 1964 produce heavy traffic for the site.

Photo of Steve McQueen ISDT 1964(Courtesy FIM / Paris Match)

Never more so in Hollywood did an actor maintain a loyal fanatical following as Steve. Not because he was particularly cookie or that his Shakespearean appearances were milestones. Its because for all the hype most stars get nobody knows who the heck they are off set. They lock themselves away at night in Beverley Hills and do what? we don’t know but Steve… he was a racer he raced anything if it had a motor, he collected it if it had a motor, he hung out with guys who dug motors. Steve was a Petrolhead and so much so he allowed his passion for motors flow into his work. The passion he had for his stuff makes his films stand out. It’s a bizzare coincidence that his birthday falls within a day of the anniversary of the break out in the real great escape, the film he piloted one of his beloved Triumphs to do many of his own stunts in the film not just relying on the great Bud Ekins to do his stunts and one of his hallmark pieces.

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ISDT 1979: BMW Works ‘Enduro’ team and GS80 works motorcycle

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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

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BMW, BWM Works Team, GS80

Here at Speedtracktales the uncovering of the ISDT history has very much raised the editorial opinion on the legendary brand of BMW which included some of the most beautiful works of design artistry as well as playing an important role in the sports development, no more so than the sudden unexpected blip in activity by BMW at the very end of the ISDT period with its Works bikes that led to the cult GS80 trail bike. This blog recalls the launch of the famous works team of 1979 and the bike featured in an article here

BMW In Off-Road Motorcycle Sport

In the final analysis, motor sport participation is a question of available means. In addition there are such abstract terminology concepts as “group-orientated goals” and “product philosophy” and, in the end, common sense.

Thus BMW never even debated developing a machine for Grand Prix racing from the available products. A four-stroke , two-cylinder, boxer engine could never achieve the performance of a highly developed, two-stroke engine. Laws of physics see to that.

Photo – Works BMW Enduro Team for 1979 that competed in the FIM World Enduro Championship rounds (Left to Right) Rolf Witthöft, Laszlo Peres, Dietmar Beinhauer (Teamchef), Kurt Fischer, Herbert Schek, Richard Schalber

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ISDT 1958: rare newsreel footage of event discovered

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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

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1958, Garmisch Partenkirchen, ISDT 1958

On a recent on-line material hunt we checked out the Associated Press media website following up on a haunch press images of the event may be found. Almost immediately we stumbled over a video clip labeled as ‘Poland International Trial’ watching the clip the first bike to pass by was a Matchless and a quick check about enabled us to put riders numbers and bikes together using the 1958 programme so we are pretty certain this is the 1958 ISDT held in Garmish Partenkirchen, West Germany in 1958 you can see other video clips of the event in our video gallery.

1958 – West Germany