Mud, Dust and Dope-Fuelled Engines

by Geoffrey W Brown

I've been interested in motor-sports since the day dad took me to the circuit at Cadwell Park near Louth to watch some motor-cycling racing. Although I've never raced myself I have enjoyed watching the different facets of the sport. Grass-track racing was one which my mates and I followed regularly in our teens. During the summer months we spent many Sundays attending the meetings held locally. In the early days we cycled to them; sometimes we were offered a lift and after passing our driving tests drove to them and others further afield.

The nearest track to us was at Woodnook; the meetings there were organised by the Grantham Pegasus motor-cycle club and held in the Rugby Club's field. The track, probably not the longest of the ones we visited, encompassed the rugby pitch. The field's close proximity to Grantham always attracted a good crowd to cheer local riders on. They included the Watkins cousins Pip and Graham and Tim Harris, all of whom were quite successful.

Another local track we went to was in a field off the Mareham Lane at Scredington. The meetings held there were run by the Sleaford and District Motor-cycle Club. The track seemed faster than the one at Woodnook but had one drawback; an old furrow ran across the track at one end. It caused quite a bit of trouble for the passengers on the sidecars. While the drivers were able to brace themselves their passengers, hanging over the sidecar wheels as they cornered, were often thrown off.

Other tracks we regularly visited on our bicycles were at Spanby, Brant Broughton and Navenby Low Fields. After passing our driving tests we attended meetings held at Loughborough, Clay Lake near Spalding, Oakham and Revesby near Boston. On May Bank Holiday Mondays we often went to two meetings. The first was held at Brant Broughton. Racing there started a little earlier than most of the others where racing usually started at one o'clock. After it had finished we would follow the competitors, in our mini-vans, to the Oakham showground where the racing was the closing part of the annual Rutland County Show. The meetings held at Clay Lake were different, run on Saturday evenings and not Sundays like everywhere else. They were shorter and usually ended around nine o'clock.

The tracks varied quite a lot. Some were smooth which made the racing fast and furious, others were rough which kept the speed down as riders had to fight harder to control their machines. Sometimes when the tracks were hard and dry it was hard to see the riders for the clouds of dust they created. It was always worth arriving early if it was dry as we could position ourselves so the wind didn't blow the dust towards us.

Some organizers resorted to watering the corners in the intervals to keep the dust down. In wet weather the tracks were soon turned into mud baths which made riding very difficult and dirty for the competitors whose machine wheels often threw mud over the trackside spectators and their cars.

The machines ridden varied according to what the rider or his sponsor could afford. Some riders rode bikers made by the speedway riders Alf Hagon and Don Godden, both of whom competed in speedway and grass track racing. These were powered by single cylinder JAP engines that ran on dope (a mixture of methanol and alcohol) that gave them more power than the engines that ran on pure petrol. Some riders rode the same machines they used in the winter for trialling and scrambling. In wet and muddy conditions they weren't too bad but on dry fast tracks they couldn't compete with those on speedway bikes. The sidecar riders rode a mixture of machines powered by BSA, Triumph, Norton, Vincent and Ariel engines. Some of their riders were mechanics or welders who built and tuned their own machines.

There were several classes for the solo riders; 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and an un-limited class in which competitors were free to ride the motorcycle of their choice. The extra power of the 500's usually produced the fastest and most spectacular racing.

The styles of riding the machines differed considerably. Brian Maxted, the successful rider from Brant Broughton often kept his leg on his machine and took corners like a road racer. Most of his main rivals, including Richard Greer from Peterborough, cornered speedway style with their legs held out in front. Brian and Richard had some terrific battles in the finals after beating many other good competitors in the preceding heats.

The sidecars races always provided us with good entertainment. Their drivers often struggled to keep them under control while their passengers had to move their weight about to increase traction and stability. There were a number of Lincolnshire competitors who raced sidecars regularly in the national finals. Nelson Green from Kirkby Underwood, Bryan Rust from Skegness, Paddy Lynch and Johnny Whittaker from Cranwell and Mick Humberstone are amongst those I remember.

It would have been impossible to hold any of the meetings if the St John's Ambulance personnel together with their ambulances had not been in attendance. They provided quick and valuable medical assistance to any rider who crashed and on more than one occasion saved a rider's life through their prompt actions. They also helped members of the public who happened to need medical attention. In the intervals, halfway through the meetings, they would walk round the track-side ropes carrying a blanket into which spectators tossed money as a sign of appreciation. It was rewarding to see them struggling to carry their blanket as they neared the end of their lap.

Sadly there aren't many grass-track meetings held in Lincolnshire now. Many motor-cycle clubs have folded through lack of membership. Those still surviving often have trouble finding suitable sites on which to hold their meetings where riders battle with "Mud, Dust and Dope-fuelled Engines."