Stuff

Don Sellars Wrote:

My brother bought a 250 Manx Norton to start his racing career proper in 1963, from Reg Dearden. It was a short stroked long stroke 350 with oval flywheels and an agricultural piston. the engine may have been originally modified by Peter Doncaster, who later built the Yamaha engined Doncaster Yamahas, ridden by Billy Nelson.

Old Reg said it would rev to 10,000, but it bent valves or sheared cam pins at about 1,800 - suffice it to say we learned a lot about Manx engine rebuilds. We eventually installed 500 short stroke cams, with the lift reduced by 0.125", when it would rev to 10,000 plus. But, like many things in life, we did not have the time or money to develop it. we eventually sold it around 15 years ago to a collector in Birmingham.

In 1963, there was a chap, John Williams from Deganwy, North Wales, who raced one of the 6 or so genuine 250's designed and made by Ray Petty. That one was much quicker than ours. I do not remember seeing any others north of Mallory Park.

There was also a chap in Greenfield, near Prestayn who spent ages building a 250 Norton, but using Velocette frame etc.

Don Sellars

Travelling Man ( George Menhennet)

Retirement at the ripe old age of 25 is the aim of the young man tending his Dominator 99 in the Norton service department at Birmingham. George had ridden the Dominator from Fawley towards Australia. By the time he had reached Ceylon economic pressures were so severe that he had to sell his machine and rebuild his finances. One way or another he moved on to Australia, via Singapore, and in due course George got himself on the payroll of Woomera Rocket Range, mainly engaged in welding and rigging. It was tough but the money was good.

Towards the end of 1960 George was mobile again on a new 99. Just to start off he logged in 6500 miles, just pottering around Australia, then in January 1961 he headed for home first by boat to Durban, the he drove or rode Sth Africa, Rhodesia, Tanganyika, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany and Holland adding a further 12,500 miles to the journey. I don't know if George ever did the further trips that he was going to do and if he ever see's this story he may well be willing to add more.

R B

Miniature Safari

A well known Newsreel Commentator and Radio Announcer Bob Danvers Walker, had just completed a Lambretta scooter trip to Nice to record Holiday Hour for the BBC. Talking to the tourist overlooking the bay at Nice.