THE STAR
Johannesburg - 1918, March 14
RAND M.C.C. TRIALS
At the Rand
MCC Trials held on Sunday, March 10, 1918, the following were the results:
* B.S.A.:
First
* Triumph:
Second
Shimwell
Bros. – Sole agents for Triumph, B.S.A. & Royal Enfield Motor Cycles
British but
nothing but British
Competitors at the start of the Cape Peninsula MCC Bartle Cup Competition on Easter Monday.
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CAPE TIMES - 1924, April 24
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| CAPE TIMES - 1924, May 13 |
Motor Cycle Race on the Sands at Milnerton
One of the competitors about to start.
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| CAPE TIMES - 1924, May 13 |
Motor Cycle Race on the Sands at Milnerton
A general view of the crowd and three of the competitors.
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| CAPE ARGUS - 1927, August 5 |
Strand Motor Cycle
Races
After a
fortnight of really hard work, the officials of the C.P.M.C.C., who were
responsible for the very successful races on the Strand Beach on August 1, are
enjoying a short period of relaxation prior to renewed efforts in their
progressive scheme of attractive entertainments. About five thousand people attended
the races and thoroughly enjoyed the entire program, with the exception of the
sidecar event, the last of the day. The course was one mile long, and the
bottom corner was framed by many people.
Much credit
is due to the officials of the C.P.M.C.C. for the excellent management of the
meeting. At the start of the first even, every one of the programs was sold –
double the quantity could easily have been disposed of.
THE
ACCIDENT
It has been
reported that one of the competitors was seriously injure during the race.
This, however, is not the case, as the unfortunate incident occurred long
before the course was declared open, and even before the distance was marked
off by the official measures. The accident was due to the rider speeding along
the beach by himself and suddenly striking a patch of loose sand. He lost
control and was conveyed to the nursing home at Somerset West. There were no
other accidents during the actual races. It is refreshing to learn from the
controlling club that during the long term of its activities, extending from
1910, there has never been a single instance where a competitor has been
injured.
FIRST RACE
The 600 c.c.
scratch race started with a surprising burst of speed by RF Bacon on his little
2¾ h.p. A.J.S., followed by Backlin (Douglas) who also had his mount tuned to a
nicety. These two, with Southall (A.J.S.), were so excited that they overrun
the first corner, allowing one or two of the slower machines to get round
first. The little A.J.S. and the Douglas were soon in the lead again. Bacon
(A.J.S.) eventually won, and registered a fast lap of 62 m.p.h. during the
course of his ride.
SURPRISE OF
THE DAY
The surprise
of the day was seen in the novices’ race, when a little 2½ h.p. B.S.A in the
hands of Bent lapped the course at 44 m.p.h. Such high speed from a miniature
motor-cycle could not have been reasonably anticipated by the handicappers.
This rider won the race with the two Dunelt men filling second and third
positions. One of the latter did a lap at an average of 47 m.p.h., representing
a really good performance for a two-strike of 2¼ h.p.
SIDE-VALVE
MOUNTS
The third
race was for five-valve machines, and brough out the big Harleys, it being
evident at once that Short had the fastest engine on the field. His
high-powered Harley simply ripped over the sand at a hair-raising speed and
actually registered a lap at 72 m.p.h. This machine at one time or another must
have touched nearer to 90 than 80, and when prepared and properly geared for a
straight distance should attain the coveted 100 m.p.h. mark, which its rider
anticipates reaching in the near future.
I do not know
why it is that Short (Harley) does not figure in the awards for this race, and
imagine that trouble of some kind must have prevented him from catching the
speedy BSA (Symons) up which eventually won with not very much to spare from
Bacon (A.J.S.) and Backlin (Douglas).
I believe
that even with 72 m.p.h. being registered for his Harley, it is not the fastest
speed at which the machine can lap the mile course, and think its intrepid
little rider is still very wisely keeping something up his sleeve.
TEN-MILE
RACE
There were
one or two absentees from the ten mile s.v. race due to trouble overtaking
riders in previous events. Nevertheless, the excitement was maintained when the
back-markers got away. These comprised Short (Harley) and Du Toit (Harley), and
although the limit man on a 2¼ B.S.A. rode well and took every advantage of his
400 seconds start, Short gained the lead near the end, only to lose it again
through a slight engine seizure, which he considered could not be overlooked,
and retired. This result was yet another proof of sound handicapping as the
first three to finish were spread over the whole entry, the winner being GC
Anderson (Dunelt) who received 320 secs. start, while HA Bent gained second
place from the 400 secs. mark, and Du Toit (Harley), scratch man, coming into
third position.
BACON’S
TRIUMPH
What promised
to be the tit-bit of the day was the scratch event for 350 c.c. o.h.v.
machines, especially as rumours were freely circulated in town to the effect
that the 350 c.c. experts had been tuning hard for some time past, and
extremely high speeds with a hard battle for first place seemed assured. The
race upheld its reputation for a few laps, when gradually yet surely riders
fell out through some hidden fault. R Bacon (A.J.S.) took the lead from the
start and maintained it throughout. He was never seriously challenged, and
eventually won by about a quarter of a mile from HC Nolte, who was astride
another A.J.S., D Van Reit (A.J.S.), a comparatively young rider, made no mistake
about the third position, and deserves credit for his consistent riding. All
three A.J.S.’s became monotonously consistent in the late stages of the race, and
it was quite an education to watch them. It is difficult to single out any one
who made more of an impression than the others, for once the three positions
had been taken up, so they continued without varying the distance much until
the finish. This might indicate that the leader, Bacon, had a good deal of
speed to spare, but I do not think this was the case, and attribute his initial
lead to quick gear changing and violent acceleration at the beginning. He
certainly mad a splendid impression with his game little mount.
SIDECAR
EVENT
The public were
not so well impressed with the sidecar event, which was considered rather tame
after the more dashing solo races. The speeds recorded were comparatively slow,
and could be vastly improved upon. The most outstanding performers were Hemmens
(Harley), MecFarlane (Harley), and Scott (Harley), who finished in that order. The
little Morgan driven by M Longmore was among the fastest set and after
completing two laps at an average of 51.5 m.p.h., was forced to retire with an
oiled plug. The winner’s average for the six miles was 48.7, so that the
Morgan, with its handicap of 40 secs., could have won easily if it had
maintained its two-lap average for the whole race, a not impossible
performance.
I am inclined
to believe that the sidecar race should be made very much more spectacular if
greater interest was evinced in it. If the committees desire to encourage the
three-wheelers, they should enlarge the award a little, not forgetting to
increase the fee accordingly.
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| CAPE ARGUS - 1927, August 5 |
Strand Motor Cycle
Races
The big collection
of cars at the Strand where motor-cycle races were held on Aug. 1, 1927.
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| CAPE TIMES - 1928, July 11 |
Metropolitan Motor
Cycle Club’s Reliability Trial
A competitor
in the Metropolitan Motor Cycle Club’s Reliability Trial to Sir Lowry’s Pass,
starting from the Pier on Saturday.
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| CAPE ARGUS – 1939, January 26 |
Camps Bay
Hill Climbing
Thrills in
plenty are promised at the Camps Bay Hill Climbing Contest to be staged by the
Cape Peninsula Motor-Cycle and Car Club on the new Geneva Drive (off the Marine
Drive) on Saturday. This picture was taken during a practice run today.
