Description
Author: Andy Westlake, Hardbound, 128 Pages, ISBN: 9781845847456, November 2014
- the third book in the series.
Foreword by Bryan 'Badger' Goss -
During what is now regarded as the 'golden age' in off-road motorcycle sport, I was lucky enough to race in scramblesfor the best part of 20 years, and, thanks to the hard work of motorcycle journalist and author Andy Westlake, memories from that era can be revisited and brought alive again through his two fascinating books entitled Off-Road Giants. They are the result of the many hours he's spent tracking down and interviewing former scrambles stars, like the Sharp and Rickman brothers, trials aces Gordon Jackson, Chris Cullen and Ken Kendall, and tough international six-day competitors including Ken Heanes. Johnny Giles, and the American all-rounder Bud Ekins. It was a personal privilege for me to be included in the line-up in volume one, and a great honour when Andy invited me to write this foreword for another trip down memory lane. Like two of his fellow journalists and enthusiasts — Peter Howdle and Ralph Venables — before him, Andy has that ability to turn a handful of words into a story that is not just about the nuts and bolts of a particular machine, but one which brings to life the people who rode them on circuits and observed sections, and spent long, strength-sapping days in the saddle on an international six-day trial.
On a cold winter evening I will often pick up one of the previous two volumes, and, as I turn the pages, I'm instantly transported back to those far off days when virtually every summer Sunday I was racing somewhere. My travels took me to all parts of the UK, all around Europe, and as far east as Russia, but many of my fondest memories are from the West Country circuits at Giants Head, Higher Farm Wick, Bulbarrow Hill and Westbury-sub-Mendip; all now sadly lost to scrambling, but still fondly remembered by those of us who raced there, and the thousands of fans who urged us on from behind the ropes.
I understand it was at the circuit on the Mendips that, at the age of eight, Andy was taken by his big brother to watch his first event, and it obviously left a big impression on the lad who now writes with such passion on the riders who became his boyhood heroes. In edited form, the pieces on all of the men and women who appear in this new book have been featured in editions of both The Classic Motorcycle and Classic Dirt Bike magazine, but here you can read their whole undiluted stories, and be captivated by another set of over 100 period photographs. Sixteen former scrambles, one- and six-day trials riders are featured, including one of our first continental 'professionals' from the 1950s, Les Archer; my great rival and one time team-mate at Greeves, Dave Bickers; the hard riding John Banks; and one of my former sponsored Maico riders, Rob Taylor. Several-time British champion Nick Thompson represents the three-wheel brigade; ex-works AMC star Bill Martin is the top one-day trials star featured; and there is a whole list of multi-talented all-rounders, like Scott Ellis, Olga Kevelos, Johnny Griffiths, and Gordon Blakeway, to keep the reader glued to the book.
It's a wonderful reminder of a glorious era in off-road sport, and I know you will all enjoy reading Off-Road Giants Volume 3 as much as I did.
Brian 'Badger' Goss
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to all of the former stars for their help and enthusiasm in compiling these profiles and for leaving a young lad from Somerset with some wonderful memories of those carefree days from his childhood. Also to Morton's, Jill and Chris Francis (Gordon Francis archive), Don Morley, Bill Riley, Francis and Nick Custard (Ron Custard archive), Sam Haslam, Bob Light (Bill Cole archive) and to the riders themselves for providing the images from that golden era.
