Being Heard In The City

By Alan Turner

In recent years, London's love/hate relationship with the internal combustion engine has generated comment and reports that have probably covered more than an acre of newsprint. The days when Britain's capital hosted so many well-supported speedway teams there was a London League are a longdistant memory. Yet competition activities were not even confined to speedway, as London also had its own road race circuit, the atmospheric Crystal Palace.

The south London track hosted its last major meeting in 1972 and many photos often reveal its daunting and unforgiving nature. This was the cause of its eventual demise as changing safety demands would need much investment and, sadly, this was not forthcoming. With the exception of speedway, where silencing had a few more years before it became mandatory, it appeared that other unsilenced race engines would never again be heard in the metropolis. It turned out to be a premature prospect, although it did take 32 years for it to happen again!

By that time, speedway in the city had ended when Wimbledon closed in 1991, but following a monumental effort by supporters, it resumed for the 2002 season. Two years later, Motorsports Promotions offered a totally different race experience, with a sprint at London City Airport. For bikes only, at this most unlikely of venues, this had all sprint and drag race classes even including the awesome Top Fuel. Steve Woollatt, riding 'The Dealer' made a single, seven-second run to establish a track record at the expense of engine damage. Although repeated the following year, there were fewer high-profile riders as the concrete runway surface offered tricky conditions for the more powerful bikes. With the finish of Wimbledon's speedway team that same year, it seemed racing was finally over within Greater London.

A line-up of lightweights at the second Motorsport at the Palace event as two-wheelers were recognised as an important part of the circuit's history

Yet, 38 years after the track finished, Crystal Palace was back! In 2010, Sevenoaks & District Motor Club bravely took on the task of organising a sprint. This was far from easy as much had changed after the circuit closed. A course was established using a combination of previous track layouts. For the first year, this was for cars only, but subsequent events have seen bikes gradually become more prominent. There should have been a further meeting this year, but coronavirus put paid to that.

But back to 2010, and London City Airport was not the only unusual London location to play host to racing motorcycles. The year marked the centenary of the first AJS motorcycle. The manufacturer originated in Wolverhampton and for the next two decades it produced machinery that was often innovative and at the high end of the market. Just the sort of thing not to be producing in the Depression years and by 1931 it was game over and what was left was absorbed by Matchless, eventually creating Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) followed by years of success for both marques at Plumstead before the whole conglomerate entered a sad and dramatic decline by the sixties.

However, the AMC brands are well supported by the enthusiastic AJS & Matchless Owners Club and the centenary was marked by a weekend rideout from the old Wolverhampton factory, stopping overnight at Guildford then continuing to arrive at Plumstead the following day. With the old factory long since gone, the run organisers managed to negotiate the site of Woolwich Arsenal, on the opposite side of Plumstead Road, as a venue for a day of centenary celebrations.

It turned out to be an ideal venue and a warm, sunny July day added to the mix. While there were plenty of bikes on static display, there was enough space to make an impressive straight for demonstrations of the factory's legendary racing products. As a demonstration, it sidestepped the usual restrictive rules on circuit race silencing and once again the 350cc 7R 'Boy Racers' on open megaphones could bring back the memories. The demonstration featured four such examples. It was also a reminder of why so many who watched a day's racing at any of the major short circuits in earlier years, when a full grid might be 30 or more, now suffer impaired hearing! Even if you have no enthusiasm for British thoroughbred machinery, it's hard to deny the 7R, finished in class-exuding black and gold, is not one of the best looking motorcycles ever.

A line up of some true classics. Nearest the camera is a Matchless G45, a twin-cylinder 500 that was soon out-classed by the G50 single.

The occasion also brought luminaries such as Sammy Miller, riding the supercharged four on which Walter Rusk became the first rider to establish a 100mph lap at a Grand Prix, the Ulster of 1939. Colin Seeley, a long stalwart of AMC in various capacities, was also out having a canter. He bought the rights to continue production of the 7R and the 500 version, the Matchless G50. In truth, the bikes were close to obsolescence, but privateer racers had little choice with the Japanese still to offer production racers and a limited supply of alternatives from Italian manufacturers. A number of other riders also demonstrated their Seeley machinery.

The use of the Woolwich site was strictly a one-off, as house building has continued making a repeat performance impossible. For students of racing history, a lockdown permitted exercise walk around the old Crystal Palace circuit is an interesting journey of discovery. Older track layouts, as well as the final version, are easily followed, although the Terrace Straight, location for the start and finish, has been grassed over. Other features have been landscaped and some altered quite dramatically.

On the other side of the Thames, London City Airport remains, but a walk around there is about as likely as a further sprint event, however London obviously has the ability to spring unexpected surprises. A return of race engines to the capital?: 'Never say never' might be worth bearing in mind.