Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Some miscellaneous racing photos from my archive....

Glancing through the folders I keep for future Velobanjogent posts there are numerous photos that I've not catagorised for a specific blog....they interest me and hopefully you....
Left click on the images to enlarge.....
Don Chesson, left, with his brother and Don's ex Stanley Woods factory 350 Dog Kennel Velocette from 1936. Photo taken in Perth Western Australia during 1950.
The same bike with Stanley Woods aboard at the Phillip Island race meeting, Jan.1937.
Phillip Island again Jan.1937, Stanley Woods ( #18) with his works 500 Dog Kennel Velocette at his pit. Wife Mildred behind.




The bike in 1973, owned by the estate of the Late Ron McIntosh, Perth Western Australia , Ron having bought the bike around 1951 off Don Chesson who only owned it for a year....he sold it to buy a Mk.8 KTT...
Les Diener on his 1948 Mk.8 KTT Velocette with Lloyd Hirst, Nuriootpa, South Australia 1949.
IOM TT 1958, Eric Hinton with his ex works Velocette with the "lowboy" frame.
IOM TT in 1958, Harry Hinton jnr aboard their ex works DOHC Velocette with brother Eric behind.
Harry Hinton, jnr on the DOHC Velocette at Sachsenring for the 1958 German GP. Eric tells me when they arrived at the meeting with the machine, people were laughing behind their backs at such an outdated racer. The smile was wiped from their face when Harry finish 5th in the junior race....
I was machining a Mk.8 KTT cylinder heads combustion chamber after welding...1981.
Jack Hogan, overalls, prepares his 250 Velo for the Easter races at Bathurst ,NSW. If it was 1955 then the engine had a 1936 ex works DOHC setup. Jack won that years Lightweight 250 event. Friend and fellow Velo racer Gordon Harper assists. Jack also used the bike as a SOHC with ex works dog-kennel cambox setup.
Bathurst 1978...Tony Hatton on DQ's Velocette with Carey cylinder head and Smith frame. A nice light bike....I remember weighing it at the time...264lb.
During the event...
Pukekohe, NZ, Feb.1980...Ernie Williams on his 1948 Mk.8 KTT Velocette ( #47) with DQ's 1939 Mk.8 KTT ( #11A).
Sid Willis's 250 DOHC Velocette in a Smith frame...Australia, early 1950's
Oran Park, south of Sydney, possibly 1966....Keith Smith on his 1964 Velocette Venom Clubman ( bought new in 1963) , quickly altered to racing trim and the engine altered to a Manx Norton type squish cylinder head.
Bathurst races, Easter 1964...Keith Smith with his 500...diminutive Sid Willis behind. Now you can see why he was such a good 250 racer....the perfect stature.....
Sadly Keith was killed in a racing accident during a practice session at Oran Park in 1966...the incident was deemed "death by mis-adventure" by the coroners Court, but many believe it was totally avoidable by "others"....Vale Keith...

3 comments:

Grandpa Jimbo said...

DQ: I love it when you post photos from an era in which I was already interested in such things. Now my hope is to be able to get over to the Catalina TT. I grew up in Santa Monica and many times went to Boy Scout Camp on the island.
Cheers, Jim A. Tucson, AZ.

p.s. Three blokes from NSW have invited me over next year. Maybe you and I will end up in the same time/space continuum. J.

Unknown said...

I agree, I love to see these pictures up. I particularly love old bike photos... just can't help it.

Ray Robinson said...

Hi. The picture of Eric Hinton working on his bike was taken in the back yard of my parents house in Birmingham England,where they used to lodge when in the UK. I was only 7 years old in 1958 but can remember the Hintons along with other Austrailian and NZ Racers, Bob Brown, Roger Barker John Hempleman and a few more.
regards Ray Robinson