Roadholder 364 - April 2018

31 happy racing days Richard Cornish I would like to concur with Tony Harris on his views in Rh362 (Feb. 2018) of Vintage racing 40+ years ago: it was definitely 'different times' in those days. Back in the '60s, when I was still at school, my father had taken me to see all the top riders at Brands Hatch and Mallory Park. The likes of Hailwood, Agostini, Read, Ivy, Fath and Chris Vincent really made it a golden era. Then in 1969 we went to the Mallory Park 'Vintage Race of the Year' and I really felt this was what I wanted to do. My father had a 1951 Norton Model 18 outfit as daily transport and my older brother had previously owned a couple of BSAs and two Dominator 99s so I was already brainwashed. Moving on to 1972, I had a 1948 Norton Model 18 on the road, but to fulfil my ambition to go Vintage racing, I felt I needed something a bit more 'sporting' - it had to be an Inter! At this time I was earning £15 a week with no savings, and a good Inter was around £200. The only way to achieve my goal was to build a bike from spares, which I could pay for week by week. In September 1972, a 1934 CS1 engine came up for sale, and my brother took me in his Triumph Toledo 1300 to buy it for £25. Next I needed a frame, so the quickest way was to go to the phone box and call Phil Heath in Leicester who, at that time, was the Norton Inter guru. "Yes I have a post-war plunger frame, but it's not cheap" he said. I asked fearfully how much he wanted for it. "twelve pounds" was his reply and he could supply a pair of tanks for a tenner. Another trip in the Toledo, and I had most of the bike, as my father and I had enough ES2 spares to build up the rest of the bike. One side of the plungers was seized and had to be sawn off, the tanks were both pre-war and the engine was missing a couple of internal parts and needed rebuilding. Another 90 mile each way trip up to Phil's, this time on the Model 18, for the missing parts, and a 1934 Inter cylinder head; for a total of £5. When I was there, Vintage champion, Mick Broom, was preparing the Geeson brothers' Triumph Tiger 100 in one of the stables: heady times! Over the next six months I was working all my spare time, and with help from my dad, had built up the bike to 1947 specification (the 25 year limit) and completed it ready for the 1973 'Vintage Race of the Year' in May. This also included getting my racing licence, entering the meeting and going to Great Portland Street in London to get my Lewis racing leathers and boots. I didn't do very well in my first season, but went on to use the bike with improvements for a further two seasons before changing to my Model 18 for the track in 1976. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention, in September 1972 I had just had my 18th birthday. I don't think you could do that these days! The picture dates from 1975 and was taken at the hairpin at Cadwell Park short circuit