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Speed Track Tales

~ A history of the International Six Days Trial and Welsh Motorcycling

Speed Track Tales

Tag Archives: Australia

ISDT Research: Historic Newspapers

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Highwayman in International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Magazine, Motorcycling, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

archives, Australia, british library, national library of australia, newspaper, trove


Whilst recovering the history of the ISDT, sometimes from oblivion, much of what happened prior to the war is no longer accessible via living memory. Most of the pre-war racers and the event supporters have sadly left our company over the last 10-30 years. Whilst we may still have those copies of the old magazines ‘the Motor Cycle‘ and ‘Motor Cycling‘ neither are published any longer and so its a case of trawling old archives and eBay auctions to find any references to the ISDT which is often fraught with difficulty and significant cost. These magazines tell us the story from the enthusiasts point of view but it’s also clear the International was a major sporting man familiar with many people with little active interest in the events and it is intersting to see how it was perceived then by the man in the street to compare to the sports relative anonymity today. A surprisingly great source for this kind of material is the daily national and regional newspapers of the time.

image - scanned from the Courier - Mail, from Brisbane Queensland Australia 10th May 1937 ISDT 1937

image – scanned from the Courier – Mail, from Brisbane Queensland Australia 10th May 1937 ISDT 1937

the image of the cycling contraption is described in its caption as this: FAMILY CVCLE.— An unusual machine, devised by a resident of Kent, England, to solve the transport problem for five people.

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1954 and 1955 ex works ISDT AJS spend retirement on warm dusty trails in Oz

05 Tuesday Feb 2013

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

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

AJS, Australia, Twin


Photo of

Photo of Les Sheehan’s 1954 AJS Twin and Hugh Viney’s works 1955 AJS Twin intended for the ISDT 1955 both alive and well in Australia (P Horton/Speedtracktales)

I was very pleased when Australian reader Patrick Horton, who has provided the most delightful photo we have above, made contact to say

“I own Hugh Viney’s 1955 ISDT AJS. He never got to compete in the 1955 event as he was knocked off the bike in Earls Court on the way to a selection meeting. It left him with a broken leg and a vacancy in the British team that was taken up by Gordon Jackson.”

Never resisting the opportunity to be cheeky I encouraged him for photographic proof and was even more surprised to get this reply

“Last weekend I went to visit the current owner of Les Sheehan’s 1954 AJS ISDT twin which is still in near-original condition. I had my 1955 machine with me and I have a photograph of both which I’d put up here but I can’t see a way to attach a photo to this comment. After seeing the owner I also went to visit Les Sheehan who lives nearby. There can’t be many ISDT riders of the ’50s left.

When Viney got knocked off his bike it was returned to the factory and sold to someone Jock West knew. The special bits were taken off and presumably put on the replacement bike ridden by Gordon Jackson. So bits of the bike photographed above originally belonged on my bike. Could I ask for them back??!!!!”

This amazing unexpected coincidence has not only revealed two of the ex ISDT AJS bikes from the mid fifties finally gave up the damp cold and emigrated to enjoy a happy retirement riding on the warm dusty trails of the outback of Australia but one of their riders, Les Sheehan, remains alive and well and living nearby… a heart warming tale for what is today a snowy day in North Wales. I for one must say to be able to wake up then start up either of those bikes and go out on a ride sans rain, cold, or barbour jacket under blue skies must make Patrick one of the luckiest persons I have ever come across. Here’s to hundreds of more miles of good riding to come Partick.

As we do not have any pictures of Les on the site, having looked him up on Google there was not much available but a request on an Australian Motorcycle site by his daughter Marilyn Quirk indicates he was the Western Australia Scrambles champ in 1956 so he must have emigrated shortly after the time of his ISDT appearance. I would be grateful for any offers of images of him and especially on this AJS.

Contents of Pages

  • About
  • General History of the ISDT 1913 – 1979
  • INDEX of ISDT Events
    • ISDT 1913 – England
    • ISDT 1914 – France
    • ISDT 1920 – France
    • ISDT 1921 – Switzerland
    • ISDT 1922 – Switzerland
    • ISDT 1923 – Sweden & Norway
    • ISDT 1924 – Belgium
    • ISDT 1925 – England & Wales
    • ISDT 1926 – England
    • ISDT 1927 – England
    • ISDT 1928 – England
    • ISDT 1929 – Mid Europe
    • ISDT 1930 – France & Italy
    • ISDT 1931 – Italy
    • ISDT 1932 – Italy
    • ISDT 1933 – Wales
    • ISDT 1934 – Germany
    • ISDT 1935 – Germany
    • ISDT 1936 – Germany
    • ISDT 1937 – Wales
    • ISDT 1938 – Wales
    • ISDT 1939 – Germany
    • ISDT 1947 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1948 – Italy
    • ISDT 1949 – Wales
    • ISDT 1950 – Wales
    • ISDT 1951 – Italy
    • ISDT 1952 – Austria
    • ISDT 1953 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1954 – Wales
    • ISDT 1955 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1956 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1957 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1958 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1959 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1960 – Austria
    • ISDT 1961 – Wales
    • ISDT 1962 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1963 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1964 – E Germany
    • ISDT 1965 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1966 – Sweden
    • ISDT 1967 – Poland
    • ISDT 1968 – Italy
    • ISDT 1969 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1970 – Spain
    • ISDT 1971 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1972 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1973 – USA
    • ISDT 1974 – Italy
    • ISDT 1975 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1976 – Austria
    • ISDT 1977 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1978 – Sweden
    • ISDT 1979 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1980 – France
  • Folks ‘n Motors
    • Brian Nash’s 1955 ISDT 1953 Royal Enfield 700cc Meteor Trials Combination
    • European Enduro Championships 1968 – 1981
    • ISDT riders : 1934/35/36/37/38 John ‘Jack’ Andrew McLean Leslie
    • Herr Scholte’s Album of 1937
    • Bob Ray – Team Ariel ISDT Ace of the ’50’s
    • The Women at the ISDT
    • The German Enduro all-rounder: Rolf Witthoeft
    • Herbert Schek: a giant of the German ISDT scene
    • The ex-Phil Pike, ISDT 1926 Norton 588cc
    • Tommy Meeten and the Francis Barnett 1927
    • Unknown 488cc Royal Enfield Press Fleet Motorcycle ISDT 1929
    • Road Test: Production 1932 Norton 500cc ‘International’ – the Motor Cycle
    • Silver Vase winning DKW 246 ISDT 1935
    • Percy Sivell’s 1938 ISDT BSA JB25 Empire Star Competition
    • Stuart Waycott’s 1938 ISDT 600 Velocette Outfit
    • Jim Alves’s early career in Motorcycle Trials
    • Arthur Merrett’s works Vincent-HRD 998cc Series-B Rapide 1948 ISDT
    • BSA Gold Star and the ISDT
    • 1951 BSA Bantam D1 – 125cc
    • Georg Meier’s works German Trophy Team BMW 594cc R67/2 ISDT 1953
    • Hugh Viney’s Works AJS 498cc – ISDT 1953
    • Francis Barnett Manufacturers Team Bikes ISDT 1954 & 1955
    • Jim Alves’ 1954 ISDT Triumph 650 twin
    • Unknown 1955 Ariel ISDT bike
    • 1961 Jawa 250cc Type 553 ISDT
    • Arthur Lampkin’s 1965 ISDT TriBSA 502 GOB657D
    • Ken Sedgely’s Suzuki 124cc ISDT 1965
    • Roy Peplow’s works, 1966 ISDT Triumph 490cc Tiger 100S/C
    • Dick Sutton’s 1968 ISDT Cheney Triumph 500 Twin
    • ex British Trophy Team 1968 ISDT 500cc Cheney Triumph
    • Ivor Smart’s ex factory Bultaco 175cc Matador 1970
    • Jim Sandiford’s 1970 ISDT Cheney Triumph 504cc Tiger 100C
    • Bryan Cowshall’s 1972 ISDT Works Cheney BSA 441cc 1969
    • Ken Harvey’s – Team USA Triumph TR5T 500cc ISDT 1973
    • Puch: Austrian Trophy team’s Johann Sommerauer’s works Puch MC 175 ISDT 1973
    • Steve Tell: Monark ISDT team rider
    • Rolf Witthoeft’s 1980 ISDT Works BMW GS 900
  • Miscellaneous ISDT features
    • Mapping the ISDT: Original British ISDT course markers maps recovered
    • Heritage Highways of the ISDT
    • Mapping the ISDT
    • Promotional Material for ISDT
    • ISDT Motorcycle Adverts – 1920’s
    • The Motorcycle Show
    • Miscellaneous Images
    • Miscellaneous Images 2
    • Other Images
  • Artefacts
    • the Speedtracktales Library
  • ISDT tube
    • ISDT History – A video collection
  • ISDT Links
  • Contributors
  • Guest Book

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