MOTOR – CYCLING

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 191, 13 August 1931, Page 15

MOTOR - CYCLING

BT

"MAGNETO"

HOWARD TOLLEY. Some of His Experiences. English authorities give a glowing account of the possibilities of Howard Tolley, one of the New Zealand representatives in the Tourist Trophy races held at the I?le of Man recently. According to advice received this week, efforts will be made to persuade the N.Z.A.C.U. to send him back Home again next year. By the same mail arrives a letter from Tolley himself to Mr C. L. Meredith Kaye, which gives an account of some of his experiences in England. Tolley writes: "We received the impression from maps and the speeds put up that the course must have a number of straights. Believe me, there are no straights—all twists, bends and hump-backed ridges placed at rightangles to the road. It looks impossible to average sixty miles an hour. After going round about two or three times a day we got to know it pretty well. My Montgomery (Tolley’s junior mount) arrived about a week before the official practice commenced and I had a week's unenviable experience of braking, gearchanging, cornering and getting used to the model. A funny riding position is adopted over here—sit on the mudguard, thighs on your saddle, footrests half way up to your seat, and the rest of your; body .flat on the tank. Tell the boys to try it and try to corner fast. “ Well, the first morning’s official practice arrived, and it's up in the morning at 3.45. Thick fog and you could hardly see a length in front of you. I was fourth man away, but it was impossible to see, and I toddled round cautiously and finally commenced to oil up plugs from going too slow. In the second lap I became a little reckless and went flat out down Sulby straight, I slowed up to what seemed a crawl tc take a right-angle bridge, and discovered I was still doing about fifty. It was certain that I would hit the wall so, seeing an open gate. I made for it and finished up in the river bed. Witt the loss of only a few seconds I went off again and collected a few shrubs and bits of grass on my handlebars, bul managed to get round and finish my laj with enough thrills to last me a life time. I wondered if I had done it ir under 45min. the qualifying time, and eagerly awaited the issue of the T.T Special. Both laps were under 45min the fastest 36min, with two stops Thick fog obscured the course everj morning. I ran off going down the mountain three times, but managed tc stay on each time. I had a variety oi thrills elsewhere. "Monday, junior race day. I was No 50, which meant that I would have tc wait 25min to go. The model fired inv mediately and I had to scratch to ge 1 aboard. All went well. At Greeb* Castle I spotted Ben Bray sitting along «ide his bike. Then onwards to th« Ballig bridge. I had taken this at 6i m.p.h. at practice, which was the thirc fastest in the junior class. So as not o waste any time. I took the bridge t kittle faster and jumped clean across 1 the road. The back wheel felt like i flat tyre. I stopped and found that al the spokes had been torn out of th< brake drum. This meant that I woulc have to retire. The marshal there toll me that I had the record for the best I jump over the bridge. He said I must j have been doing 75 to 80 m.p.h. when I ! hit the hump of the bridge. Still* that was no use when I had * bust ’ the • machine. It shows the experience of i the course that is needed so as to avoid i such blunders. It is not a course you can run wild on and must be ridden with a maximum of judgment. I “ Friday, senior race day. The roads 1 were wet and slippery for the first lap. I was No. 43. I made a good start and

had three miles of fog In the first lap. I will try to describe a lap of the course at racing speed. Leaving the start, you go down Bray hill, which is really steep and bumpy, at about joo m.p.h. At the bottom is a slight righthand wriggle with two big bumps, and you take It In mid-air. Over a little hill and then down a good BloP»“ Quarter bridge. You have to brake from about 90 to 25 to 30 m.p.h. to take the full elbow corner. Up a short straight and Braddon ls an 3 bend. Then three all-out corners and then Union mills. Third kear her It about 56 and some nasty bumps, which were the cause of Freddie Hicks » accident. From then on to Crosbte it is flat-out work with constant bends and corners. An S bend at SS and then an^ bridge. C °Thfrd gear 65° finish !* : ' I ,sVrn r gle rl<ll F?at ,n out ,, ?o E m;iacrtme a So on round more corners that you can ind „n et tpK“rk McKreduclng speed corners to Ballaugh. trouble for ro^a„r^i B tk V yoSr S??irfjhpMh « ht go f V‘ jS S U th t e OU m^e K [o°ng nd Then & f«nx*A n braklng There is doSblo B °c 1 or B ner S an‘d the “S bairpin itself This is hard enough to fet nd run.° W i ear <i a u ! '.c^ OW -uc S ce t is e .o e r, *of mountain ride past the Bungalow At the thirty-third milestone * 8 j deceptive corner. It was here t met my Waterloo in the last.lap J the race. The corner can be taken ai sixty miles per hour, but no more. I was Y doing a fraction too fast, . a ” mounted the bank—l remembered no more lam told that I turned s»x somersaults and landed on my on the road while the machine went down the mountain. The result - Froni injuries and four days in the milestone the road goes on througn Keppel gate and then another rougn and steep downhill plunge at 100 ™ lles [V,' hour. Then comes Crag-ny-Baa, the worst corner on the course. Brandish corners, Hillberiy and Signpost corner follow in succession, and you cearn Governor’s bridge. Here you brake to a walking pace and round to the straight and the start. Then you do it all over It was hard luck to crash when only four miles from the finish, after travelling 260 miles. I wan not near Replica time, so after all it was not much odds. I was in trouble with brakes and gears all the way. and on two laps had plug trouble. My fastest lap, 32min 32*ec. was the fastest ever put up by a firsti year rider. They say that it is very creditable to have done so well in so many laps. Most first-year men crash ‘ and hit something in their first lap, so | I am told.”

OXABLIB BIACZLOOX. Doing W*U at Stamford Bridge. Word has been received from England that Charlie Blacklock -naa left

Crystal Palace and Is riding at Stamford Bridge. Blacklock haa not been heard of a great deal since he left. but it transpires that he is making a name for himself in the Old Land, and often figures in the prise money. A more detailed description of Charlie’s exploits will appear in these notes next week. Before he went to Stamford Bridge, he appearea tor Crystal Palace i nthe league matches with other organisations. Describing one of these contests, an English paper remarks that it was not through the want of trying by Blacklock and another rider that Crystal Palace lost. Blacklock is described as a “ real tiger ”, and it is said that he made wonderful efforts. In one heat he was unlucky in shedding his back tyre, but made great rides in other heats.