Classic Bike January 2020

Welcome PERCY TAIT’S COMBE HOWLER Combe programme filled out by Editor Gary Pinchin himself. Results don’t show Percy also equalled his own lap record that day. Action pic shows Percy Tait at Thruxton in March 1971 – on his Triumph. BAUER ARCHIVE So sad to hear that Percy Tait has passed away. I never met him, but did have the pleasure of watching him race many times in the 1970s and, being a Triumph fan, he was always one of the stars I followed in the MCN British Superbike championship. The first time I remember seeing him race was at an ACU National round at Castle Combe on Saturday, September 4, 1971. I recall this specific meeting for two reasons. One: I was due in Bath hospital on the Monday…

Combe programme filled out by Editor Gary Pinchin himself. Results don’t show Percy also equalled his own lap record that day. Action pic shows Percy Tait at Thruxton in March 1971 – on his Triumph. BAUER ARCHIVE So sad to hear that Percy Tait has passed away. I never met him, but did have the pleasure of watching him race many times in the 1970s and, being a Triumph fan, he was always one of the stars I followed in the MCN British Superbike championship. The first time I remember seeing him race was at an ACU National round at Castle Combe on Saturday, September 4, 1971. I recall this specific meeting for two reasons. One: I was due in Bath hospital on the Monday for a knee operation, so Combe was…

HARRY COLE HAS a passion for the Triumph motorcycle brand and how it underpinned ‘cool’ in the psyche of riders and aficionados of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. He says he bought this old Triumph Tiger 100 knowing how cool it was. The seller provided him with plenty of information, including the name of the original owner – Robert Earl Woodson of South Carolina – but it was only when Harry asked Triumph specialists Ace Classics in Lee, London, to build him a replica to ride, that the full story of the bike emerged. Ace Classics’ Kev Rushworth explained: “We knew the name of the original owner, so we put out a plea on social media for information on the bike and its owner. Sadly, Robert Woodson has passed away, but he…

Classic World RESCUED RACER This Triumph dirt tracker had been stashed in a South Carolina shed since the early 1960s. Now it’s back in the UK, its true history has been revealed HARRY COLE HAS a passion for the Triumph motorcycle brand and how it underpinned ‘cool’ in the psyche of riders and aficionados of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. He says he bought this old Triumph Tiger 100 knowing how cool it was. The seller provided him with plenty of information, including the name of the original owner – Robert Earl Woodson of South Carolina – but it was only when Harry asked Triumph specialists Ace Classics in Lee, London, to build him a replica to ride, that the full story of the bike emerged. Ace Classics’ Kev Rushworth…

Bob Herrick’s 366-page book, A Collection of AMA Pro Racing Dirt Track Competition Numbers, lists each racer’s number, name, home town and racing classification from 1959-1990. Only 99 riders held national numbers each year, while local racers were assigned a number with a trailing letter to denote the AMA district they raced out of: C referred to the Carolinas, D was Florida. We asked Bob if he could shed any light on Robert Earl Woodson’s racing career, from the racing numbers in these photos. He said: “Woodson raced professionally out of Piedmont, South Carolina from the early ’50s through to 1963. He had three different racing numbers in his career: 109D, 49D and 24D. I don’t have records for Novice rider numbers that far back, but I’m guessing his Novice number…

NUMBERS GAME Bob Herrick’s 366-page book, A Collection of AMA Pro Racing Dirt Track Competition Numbers, lists each racer’s number, name, home town and racing classification from 1959-1990. Only 99 riders held national numbers each year, while local racers were assigned a number with a trailing letter to denote the AMA district they raced out of: C referred to the Carolinas, D was Florida. We asked Bob if he could shed any light on Robert Earl Woodson’s racing career, from the racing numbers in these photos. He said: “Woodson raced professionally out of Piedmont, South Carolina from the early ’50s through to 1963. He had three different racing numbers in his career: 109D, 49D and 24D. I don’t have records for Novice rider numbers that far back, but I’m guessing…