Two of the lesser-known – and less successful – machines used for off-road speed work, in action at a mid-1950s event.
Words: SIMON ROBINSON
Published in the April 26, 1956 edition of The Motor Cycle magazine, this picture shows Royal Enfield-mounted F. M. Bussell being followed by Tony White on his Velocette. The action is from the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club’s point-to-point event, held on the ‘Tottington Mount’ course on a farm belonging to Graham Beamish, near Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex.
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An annual meeting, it had been rehomed after the Ministry of Defence refused the Sunbeam Club permission to use the previous location at Longmoor Camp. The new setting was considered too fast by some riders, who were reporting 80mph-plus on the run to the line.
Race day featured three main races: the Lightweight, Junior and Senior classes. Our picture comes from the latter, which attracted a field of more than 50 competitors, all but one riding 500cc machines. David Tye was the exception, campaigning a 350cc BSA. Fastest race lap of the 2300-yard course was set by Jeff Smith aboard his BSA Gold Star at 2 minutes 6 seconds, an average speed of 35mph. Leading up to the event the area had seen little rain, so the going was good but dusty, with loose flints lying on the chalky surface.
When the flag dropped, Geoff Ward (BSA) took an early and convincing lead once he had passed Les Archer (cammy Norton), who in turn was leading Brian Martin and Jeff Smith (BSAs). Martin dropped out on lap six with a broken final-drive chain. Then, around half-distance, Archer began to reel in Ward and, when Ward was seen anxiously peering down at his primary drive before waving Archer through into the lead, it was clear he had a problem; a burnt-out clutch duly halted Ward’s efforts. With Archer now at the front, Smith was promoted to second and set his sights on the Norton. By lap 17 Smith was with Archer and, on lap 18, made his move to take the lead to rapturous applause. Smith was able to hold that advantage to the finish and claim victory.
The Senior was a race of attrition. Many machines failed, and the pace of the leaders was emphasised when they lapped everyone up to sixth place twice. Tye retired on lap seven with blistered hands – presumably from having to wring the neck of the 350 to keep up with a field of 500s.
Special mention is made in the period report of Tony White on his MSS scrambler. Having failed to leave the line with the pack, he then fell on lap three but rode with “such determination” that he was able to claw his way back to a noteworthy fifth place by the end of the race, only one lap down on the winning Smith. White’s Velocette was an unusual mount in the race, with most riders choosing BSA Gold Stars or one of the AMC (Matchless or AJS) line-up. Equally unusual is the machine he is about to, presumably, pass: Bussell’s Royal Enfield Bullet. Not mentioned in the results, it is not known whether Bussell was a later finisher or one of the many retirees.
In the support races at the same event, Ward enjoyed more success in the Junior race aboard his BSA, which featured an experimental reverse-cone megaphone exhaust in a search for more power to suit the fast course. He beat Tye, presumably on the same 350cc BSA he later attempted the Senior on, and sporting a jazzy yellow jersey that the commentator appreciated as a marker from afar. A field of 44 starters roared away, with the crack of the exhaust amplified in what was described as the ‘natural amphitheatre’ of the Sussex venue. The 350cc event was dominated by BSAs, with only Dave Curtis, on a Matchless, coming home fourth in the top six on anything other than a Small Heath-built machine. The only non-British bike in the class was A. J. Betty’s 250cc Maico, which failed to finish after suffering an ignition fault.
The race card had opened at 2pm with the Lightweight race, for machines up to 250cc. For these smaller motorcycles the lap length had been shortened to 1400 yards, as it was felt the lower-capacity bikes might struggle with the near-sheer climbs some of the hills presented. The Lightweight machines still had to cover the same 20 laps as the Junior and Senior races, the shortened lap allowing for an overall distance of 16 miles, compared with 26 miles for the larger classes. The tiddler class featured a more varied mix of manufacturers, with Triss Sharp narrowly taking victory on his Villiers-engined Francis-Barnett two-stroke from his similarly mounted brother, Bryan. Derek Rickman and Bill Barugh – both riding 197cc Dots – followed, while D. F. Kelly rounded out the top six on a Triumph, presumably the highest-placed four-stroke, on a Tiger Cub. In little more than 10 years, it would be two-strokes doing most of the winning across all classes.
