Wednesday, April 8, 2020

A look at Maurie Pearson's mid 1950's photo albums of motorcycle racing in NSW...

I don't really need an excuse to start posting on my Velobanjogent webblog as I've much more left in my archive to use...however this Coronavirus19 lock-down is as good a reason as any....
Maurie Pearson was a motorcycle enthusiast living in Sydney who passed away some years back at a good age...I'd know him for many years and often wondered about any motorcycle photos he may have had.. I never followed it up, but fate dealt me a good blow when I was offered two volumes of the large photo albums he had made up, mostly from the period 1954 to around 1960 and I suspect the photos were purchased over the years from the publishers of "Motorcycling in NSW". 
Some 100 pages or so with often 4 or 5 pics on each page they are a treasure trove I'm about to share with you, but not in any order.
Dare I say it again...yes.... If you capture a photo for your use, please credit Maurie Pearson as the owner of same...
So, being a Velocette man, I'll start with some Velocette photos...
That said, coffee in hand, scroll through this offering...


  #30 Sid Willis, Smith frame, 1936 DOHC 350 works Velo cylinder head & cambox, converted by Sid to 250cc, 74mm bore  x 58mm stroke, Bathurst 1954
 
Bathurst 1955, Junior TT, Gavin Campbell #48 KTT Velo
 Bathurst 1955, Junior TT, Keith Conley #3, KTT Velo 3rd in Junior GP
 Bathurst 1955, Senior "Clubmans A" TT, #2 supposedly Allen Hart,but listed as #19.


 Bathurst 1956, Junior TT, Bryan Lemon #47 KTT Velo, 3rd placed.
Ken ( Wimpy) Nelson, 500 Velo outfit #122

Start Bathurst 1955, Senior "Clubmans B" TT, #6 Don K Wilson 500 OHV Velo. 
Bathurst 1957, Junior "Clubmans B"..#36 Bert Bayliss, 350 Velo

Bathurst 1958, Junior "Clubmans A"..#181 Ted Oberg, 350 Velo

Bathurst 1958, Junior "Clubmans B"..#19 Neil Swanson, 350 Velo.1st place.



 Bathurst 1958, Lwt TT..#45 Sid Willis 250 DOHC Velo,3rd place. cylinder head & cambox from a 1936 works 350 DOHC Velocette.

Mt.Druitt,08.12.57, International GP..Ted Oberg 1st place Junior Div.2, 2nd place in Senior Division 2...Velo


 Mt.Druitt,14.10.1956, R.Perrott, 1st Junior Clubmans div.1  Velo MAC

 Mt.Druitt,16.03.1958,Sid Willis #45 .. 250 DOHC, Velo, using an ex factory post WW2 factory 350 DOHC head & cambox. Sid had examples of both the pre & post WW2 factory DOHC setups.

Mt.Druitt,17.06.1957 NSW TT, J.Murphy 1st Junior "Clubmans B" on a MAC Velocette...the rocker box is cut-away to allow the use of hairpin valve springs.  

Mt.Druitt,17.06.1957 NSW TT, Lwt,  Sid Willis #45 DOHC Velocette & Jack Ahearn #2 NSU Sportsmax