1969 MV Agusta 250B: Lightweight from a famous family
From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 99 – first published in 2022. Story Nick Varta • Photos Russ Murray Think MV Agusta, and screaming triples and fours spring to mind. But while the exotic […]
Tom Phillis
Roger Barker – A short life
From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 81 – first published in 2019. Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Charles Rice, Keith Bryen, OBA archives. In 1957, Roger Barker, originally from the NSW country town of […]
Jack Walters – Sponsor extraordinaire
From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 86. Story: Peter Laverty • Photos: Keith Ward, Barry Smith, Rob Lewis, Dick Darby. The face of Australian motorcycle racing would look considerably different if not for Jack Walters, who […]
Keith Campbell: A candle in the wind
From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 69 – first published in 2017. Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Byron Gunther, Keith Bryen collection, Leigh Ward. August 9th, 2022 marks sixty-five years since Keith Campbell won the 1957 350cc […]
Jack Findlay: Don’t call me Cyril
Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Karel Zegers, OBA archives Mike Hailwood once told me that around the original 14 kilometre Spa Francorchamps circuit, there was no one better than Cyril John ‘Jack’ Findlay. That’s high praise […]
Tracks in Time: Mount Druitt, NSW
Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photographs Frank Shepherd, Bill Tricker, Charles Rice • Archival assistance: John Wicks Even though it closed almost fifty years ago, Mount Druitt is inevitably mentioned whenever a bunch of old timers get […]
Tom Phillis: A bridge too far
Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Charles Rice, Keith Ward, Tom Perry The feeling of disbelief that followed the death of Tom Phillis on the Isle of Man in 1962 was palpable. How could Tom, fast […]
Bryan Hindle: One quick chemist
Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Merv Whitelaw, John Hiscock, Rob Lewis, Dick Darby, Greg Heath, Ken Duperouzel. Is there a stereotype motorcycle racer? If so, Bryan Hindle probably would not have fitted the bill; teetotal, […]
Kapooka – A one-off in Wagga
Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Frank Shepherd When Mount Druitt disappeared in November 1958, it left NSW with just one operational road racing circuit – the once-a-year bash at Bathurst at Easter. This had the effect […]
Norton 650SS: Norton’s top twin?
Story and photos: Jim Scaysbrook • Historic photos: Keith Ward, John Thurgood In Norton terms, 1962 was the year of the SS. Three separate models were catalogued using the SS moniker: the 500cc 88SS, the 600cc […]
