Part of the future? The GT140 class always guarantees close racing as the bikes are so evenly matched.
Grass Roots - Support Needed ď Ž By Alan Turner Nostalgic motorcycle sport must be one of Britain's growth industries. Road racing, motocross/scrambles and trials, to name just three, have expanded to create such a demand for machinery that there are, for example, probably more Manx Nortons racing now than were ever built by Bracebridge Street and Plumstead. There's one sport that seems to have unfortunately bucked the trend and that's track racing. Even more surprising when the south-east of the country, in its broadest sense, was once a hotbed of the sport. In theory, that should leave an abundance of obsolete race bikes that could be relatively cheaply prepared to buy and race once more. But where are they? The clubs have tried hard. Instituted some years ago, the 'Upright' class was deliberately left as open as possible, to determine races out on the track, rather than in the reading 10
of the small print of the rule book later. It has been successful as championships have now risen to national status. However, this did not lead a clamour of would-be riders with other old bikes, perhaps enough to see entire meetings given over to vintage and classic bikes. The Vintage Motor Cycle Club has a Grass Track and Speedway section that has also been organising events country-
wide for many years. Suitable tracks are available, but a lack of entries has been matched by the lack of those prepared to officiate at such events. Calendars were prepared, but meetings were often cancelled. Linking with junior riders helped boost numbers and provide support, but there are few prepared to take over those allimportant organising roles. Race entries for some classes
A typical Vintage field at the short Ugley track – two meetings scheduled for the vebnue this year.
