March 1958 - AN INTRODUCTION TO RACING by:
W G Tremlett Vice- President of the Chiltern “50” Racing M.C. Club
It is a great privilege for me to have the opportunity to write some few words in your magazine on the subject of Racing. I would emphasise at the outset that I have no intention of dealing with any mechanical technicalities. ln any case I am not qualified to do so. having the very greatest difficulty from telling a sparking plug to a valve! l am well content to leave such matters to those gentlemen who possess enormous knowledge of the mechanics of the game, for whom. I hasten to add, I have the profoundness respect.
My purpose is more to help those of you who may be starting on your racing career in this new year. The very fact that the Chiltern “50” Racing M.C. Club has been started, is first hand evidence that 50c.c. racing will become very popular and being so much less expensive than the larger capacities. It seems to me self-evident that a number of people new to the sport will wish to appear. It is a fact too, that many newcomers to racing in the past have not really known what to do and have thus either become discouraged altogether or, at least, come up against difficulties, financial and otherwise, which they could have avoided with a little more knowledge of what is required at the outset. Picture: M A Raby from Coventry with his Fitz Ray Special
I’d have thought it best to divide this article into several self-contained sections, dealing with the various aspects of racing. I have tried to encompass all those matters which seem to be of more importance when you are starting. Before going on to deal with specific points, there are two precepts, which, I feel, are well worth bearing in mind. One is to read the Regulations for a meeting, and the other is to make haste slowly: the latter is not original, I am well aware. but none-the less an extremely sound maxim.
To put first things first, as it were, there is the question of licences. Many people seem to be very confused on this point. possibly because the A.C.U. do not often make pronouncements about it and possibly bemuse the car fraternity use an entirely different system to we motor-cyclists.
There are two kinds of licence, International and National ( A scan of Brian Woolley's International Licence is shown here). The former does not concern us overmuch as there are no International fixtures for 50cc machines at the current time, except, I believe, in the Argentine. In fact, a system of points based on past performances in various types of races is used by the A.C.U. and only if a sufficient number of points has been gained. can a licence be obtained.
National licences are issued. in this country, by the A.C.U. the body which controls motor cycle sport. They are necessary for all those meetings which are run under a National (or Extra-National) permit. Procedure for obtaining one is very simple. Application should be made to the A.C.U. for a form which should be completed and returned with the necessary fee. (These forms are obtainable from the Secretary of the Club on application.-Editor.)
Unless there is some good reason why the applicant should not be granted the licence, it will then be issued. The fee for this is £1.00 unless the application form is counter-signed by the Secretary of a Club affiliated to the A.C.U. to the effect that the applicant is a properly paid-up member of that club. If this is the case, the cost is reduced to 10/-, so it is worth it if you can manage it.
Having once got your licence, the next step is to discover those meetings catering for 50cc machines and to obtain the regulations and Entry Forms for them. Many people come very much unstuck here, especially in their early days. The three motor cycling weeklies now publish a comprehensive list of events in their first or second issue of a new year, and a good idea can be obtained from this as to what events are likely to be run, and who to write to for these documents. I should add a warning, that some of the lesser events may not be mentioned through no fault of the journals concerned.
I believe it is your Club's intention to publicise those meetings which are proposing to have 50cc events in your own magazine. so, you should be well off in this respect.
This is, perhaps. the right place to briefly refer to the progress 50cc racing has made in this country up till the present time. The first 50cc meeting was staged by the Blackmore Vale M.C.C. at their Blandford Meeting on Whit Monday in l954. The winner was J. G. Bound on an N.S.U.
I remember the race in question very well. being quite impressed by the speed of the winner. There were about twelve starters. of whom the majority finished. The reaction of the general public was not all that enthusiastic. however, B.M.C.R.C. took up the theme in l956 by including a class for 50cc machines in the 125 cc events at their Club meeting at Silverstone and again at Crystal Palace.
The winners of these two races were R. R. Dendy (Ducati) and F. Sheene (Astor Special). Last year, as is well known, B.M.C.R.C. ran four of these races, at the Crystal Palace twice, Silverstone again and at Oulton Park. W. J. Launchbury Itom won three of these, the fourth being another “ltom“ victory, C. V. Dawson up. As Launchbury also won the 50cc Event at Blandford on Whit-Monday, he could be considered as the unofficial 50 c.c. British Champion. It will be obvious from the above that there are too few of these races held in this country at present.
Editors inclusion: The first picture is of the 125cc race at Silverstone on Saturday 7th July 1956 when the 50cc class were included in the race. The second picture is of the line-up of the 50cc class for the Silverstone Trophy day in 1957
So that to make the most of your opportunity you will need to enter all the events if you possibly can. Naturally as organisers realise there is a growing interest, they will tend to put on more events for the 50's. On the other hand, you must also realise that in the long run it is the spectator on whom the continued existence of racing depends, and the public are notoriously conservative---especially the motor-cycling public.
Editor: I have not been able to locate the last two submissions for the magazine of this article and so must end there. If anyone has a copy of the relevant REV'S magazine Please send a scan to the editor.
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