07 Friday Aug 2015
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Having acquired an original copy of a 1927 Official Programme, we now have the route mapped out on Ordnance Survey base. In addition we also have the daily time schedule naming the stopping points and checks on the route. The pages also provided a listing of the hills steeper than 1 in 7 that the event encountered.
image – Course map ISDT 1927 (Speedtracktales Collection)
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.
14 Saturday Mar 2015
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Thanks to Brian Catt who has provided this course detail from the event programme.
image – Map of course days 3 and 6 ISDT 1966 (Courtesy Brian Catt)
01 Sunday Mar 2015
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Mapping for the event is limited and we have this map from the official programme. Any further maps that can be provided would be welcome.
image – map of the 6 days course ISDT 1955
07 Sunday Dec 2014
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BSA, BSA 350cc Sidecar outfit, Classic Motorcycles, ISDT, ISDT 1954, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, T Howard, WT Howard
Taff Isaacs, Site founder has passed on these images he recently acquired from a reader in Shropshire of the ISDT 1954 mostly featuring popular Birmingham motorcycle dealer sidecar jockey W ‘Bill’ T Howard (1914 – 1992). I would strongly recommend before reading any more of this page you check out Taff’s own web page dedicated to WT Howard and featuring these images and more as well as his Trophy Collection at his own website ‘taffthehorns‘
Photo – #50 WT Howard on the works entered BSA 350cc Sidecar outfit in Llandrindod Wells ISDT 1954 – (speedtracktales collection)
Pat Slinn advises that the passenger is none other than Michael Martin the brother of Brian Martin of BSA
17 Sunday Aug 2014
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I am pleased to be able to say another of the classic 1970’s European works two strokes has survived through into modern times. There were 15 of these bikes entered in the ISDT 1973, although in 1973 #89 Johann Sommerauer did not ride a 175 but is listed as being on a Puch 125cc, there were however 4 works Puch MC 175s on the Austrian Trophy Team although they did not enter a Vase team. The Puch Factory did not enter a team in 1973 although the Dutch and Belgians both had Puch teams in the Manufacturers award.
There was no Austrian Trophy team in the Camerino, Italy ISDT 1974 although there was a Vase, however the result sheet only names Trophy and Vase Team entrants with #100 D Pochlatko, #115 S Pacjernegg and #121 J Zotzek all rode Puch 175’s in 1974. This bike just has appeared on an eBay auction in Austria although listed as an ISDT bike of 1973, its registration document seems to indicate it may have been first registered on the road in 1974.
Johann Sommerauer was the only Austrian winner of a Gold Medal in the ISDT 1975 results entry number #278 in this event he is credited as riding a KTM 350.
Hopefully one of our readers will be able to throw some clarification on which bike this was and who rode it?
Photo – Johann Sommerauer’s Works Puch MC 175 restored ex ISDT 1973
18 Sunday May 2014
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Recently arrived at the Speedtracktales Checkpoint central was the two issues of ‘the Motor Cycle’ of 16th and 23rd September 1948 with a full report on the opening of the ISDT 1948, which was held at San Remo, Italy.
The British Trophy Team. Left to right: C.N. Rogers (346 Royal Enfield); Allan Jefferies (498 Triumph), captain; J Williams (499 Norton); B.H.M. Viney (498 AJS); Vic Brittain (346 Royal Enfield) ISDT 1948
You can read both of the articles by following this link to our issuu.com library.
16th September 1948 – ‘the Motor Cycle‘
23rd September 1948 – ‘the Motor Cycle‘
The following summary of the event appeared in the editorial of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ 23rd September 1948
15 Thursday May 2014
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Captain Allan Jeffries, Hugh Viney, ISDT, ISDT 1948, Jack Williams, Royal Enfield, San Remo, Vic Brittain
The ISDT restarted after the war and 1948 was the second year of the resurrection of the event with the British Trophy team victorious with Captain Allan Jeffries (600 Triumph), CN Rogers (350 Royal Enfield), Vic Brittain (350 Royal Enfield), Hugh Viney (500 AJS), and Jack Williams (500 Norton). I now have been lucky to set my hands on copies of both issues of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ covering the event which is featured in this blog on the event. However here is the course map for the ISDT 1948 which we hope to use to digitise a modern map for the original route.
image – route map for ISDT from ‘the Motor Cycle‘ ISDT 1948
20 Sunday Apr 2014
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Auction, Automobilia, Bonhams, Classic Motorcycles, ISDT, Sale, Stafford
And Christmas v2 for the Classic and Vintage Motorcycle lover has arrived early in 2014.. around Easter time at the Staffordshire County Showground.
Bonham’s Spring Stafford Auction 27 April 2014
Apart from a few attractive lots of prewar copies of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ or ‘Motorcycling‘ bundled with a few programmes or photos of interest to ISDT collectors. Of motorcycles a few nice pukka trials bikes and a few road trim Tiger Cubs, but the most obvious item is this rather nice Ariel Red Hunter although no evidence of it having been used in the ISDT.
Download the programme as pdf here
05 Saturday Apr 2014
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
WHATEVER the future may hold in store for the International Six Days’ Trial, the 21st 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)
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