Rumblings, June 2006

This year’s 68th Sunbeam MCC Epsom-Brighton Pioneer Run for pre-1915 motorcycles went off well. It was nice to see that four of the 297 riders were on pre-1900 machines and that there were only 18 non-finishers. The top award was won by Tony Batting (1913 Rudge Multi); the ladies’ award went to Theresa Chatfield on a 1914 Rudge Multi.

The 84th Motor Cycle Club London-Land’s End Trial had 354 entries of bikes and cars, the observed hills including such time-honoured ones a Beggars Roost, Darracot, Blue Hills 1 and 2, and Grabhurst, etc. The next fixture of the never-say-die MCC is its Summer Run on June 11.

The Alfa Romeo Register, which has its 50th anniversary this year, went independent of the VSCC last year for business reasons, as did the Frazer Nash section. This will not affect these cars continuing to appear in VSCC events.

I enjoy the Bullnose Morris Club’s bi-monthly magazine not because I was taught to drive in a flat-radiator Morris but because of the content and pictures. The current issue has a colour shot of a flat-rad Morris which the late David Bick, amongst many other Morrises he owned, had converted into a presentable sportcar with tuned engine.