Some of the bikes used on the early dirt tracks

Our sport started in the UK in 1928. The early riders were using road machines stripped down to lighten them for extra speed. It is likely that ordinary engines burning petrol were used at first. Very quickly the mechanics and engine manufacturers turned to experimentation and innovations were brought into dirt track racing.

According to "speedway Panorama" by Ron Hoare, Ivor Hill toured South Africa in 1930 with an English team. Because Johannesburg is so far above sea level, Ivor had problems tuning the bike so he decided to run his bike on Dope (in the early days quite a lot of machines were still on petrol or Benzoline.) he went to a firm of chemists to get a formula to run his bikes which was 75% Methylated Spirit, 20% Benzine, 3% acetone and 2% ether. Running at about 9:1 compression ratio.
I am told that Sprouts Elder was running his bikes on dope in the late 1920's.

In 1929 Bill Bragg, the Captain of Stamford Bridge, approached the JAP stand at the 1929 motor cycle show at Olympia. He was anxious to obtain a better engine in order to retain his position as one of the top riders of the time. Within 3 months an experimental engine was delivered to Bill, who tried it out at Crystal Palace..................The short version is -- that the engine was an immediate success & after much testing it was tried out at Stamford Bridge where Bill unofficially lapped at an average of 46mph which was faster than the track record. Unlike the 4 valve Rudge, the Jap was a 2 valver with a high compression ratio and it ran on Methanol [wood alcohol], and ruled the roost for over 30 years.

Fuel was just one thing in the tuning of an engine. Another vital engine tuning aid was and still is "Timing" here we have below a picture of a Jap Timing Wheel

Setting up an engine was a lot easier if you owned this disc
Thanks go to Jeff Crawford, it's owner, for sending me the picture.

Jack Young being presented with a new AJW in the summer of 1950 by his Australian sponsor Fred Jolly AJW used JAP engines

And the bike as it is today , I purchased the bike a couple of years ago and have restored it to its original condition, it had been converted to 350cc for long track we call it here (same as grass track) and the rear wheel changed etc it had been sitting in a shed for a few years .
The engine is now back to 500cc - I got most of the original parts and it has the correct wheels fitted.
I have not shown the bike anywhere yet but thought you might like some pics for your site.
I also have the ex Gerry Hussey machine I emailed you about already and a couple of surprise bikes I am working on right now but I will send more info when I am more progressed with the restorations.
Neil Burston
South Australia

A rare bike and certainly one I never heard of "The Simandl" It came out of Czechoslovakia and seems to be in a Rudge frame. In those days "Health & Safety" regs were not an issue. The bike would have been used without any guards on the chains. Many injuries would have happened as a result.
Thanks go to Jeff Dooley for sending the picture to me and if you can supply some info don't hesitate email me today John

Giffy has sent the picture shown above and the description that follows is his too Please find a photo of a Japanese speedway bike attached. It dates from 1965 and the company that made them, Kyokuto, contacted a local bike dealer here in New Plymouth, NZ, to see if he wanted to be an agent. We still have the brochures and stuff. They made a 350 and a 500 but I think they were quite a low compression motor.
Thanks Dave

Velocette. For some reason the company made 400cc speedway bikes which this one appears to be. I wonder how competitive they were

Update: Dave Gifford has been in touch about the Indian shown above he says: Now on page 4 of your Bikes site is a picture of a 20's Indian and is it the bike once used by Kiwi Spencer "Smokey" Stratton? I understand that Stratton became Promoter or team manager at Newcastle after he quit riding and was killed in a road crash coming back from a meeting at Workington? Can you verify or give me any additional info? So! can anyone shed any light email me John

Smokey, along with Stewie St George were probably our very first riders, they both rode for Johnnie Hoskins at West Maitland where it all started and I have an idea they came to England with Johnnie but we know very little about them. Cheers the noo, Giffy

I will ask around Giffy and let you know if we come up with anything John

There was an obituary in Speedway News June 11 1938. Basically confirms what you write, but dosen't specify the town where he crashed. He had been team manager of Johnnie Hoskins' Div.2 track at Newcastle. Before coming to England in 1928 he had crashed at Newcastle, NSW and been unconscious for 23 days. The article mentions his love of the "Indian" bikes.

I have a newspaper report from Monday 6th June 1938 which says that Spencer Charles Stratton, aged 33, was killed in an head-on collision between two cars at Brigham, near Cockermouth (Cumberland) on Saturday nigh (4th June).
Three companions, Canadian riders were travelling with Stratton, were seriously injured, as were the occupants of the other car (John Roan, of Cockermouth, and G.O Smith, of Whitehaven), Stratton's injured companions were Ellwood Stillwell (28) Bruce Venier (21) and Robert Sparks (23), The five injured men were taken to Cockermouth hospital with severe head and face wounds

An Indian in need of some TLC, a seat would be my first part purchased. The front forks on Indians are almost sculptures in steel. I have seen works of art with less appeal.

A 1930 dirt track Norton. Who knows what might have been if Norton had channelled some of its road racing efforts into speedway

1928 Scott, the only two stroke engine used in speedway. The most famous rider to use a Scott was Frank Varey

3 Douglas DT machines, they are owned by Terry Stone a member of the Men In Black and VSRA. The bikes are in tip top shape and ready to race in Men in Black events. The Douglas was the only bike to have flat twin engines. The low centre of gravity and longer wheelbase gave rise to "leg trailing"

Immense early machine and the most successful twin cylinder engine that speedway has ever known. Maybe modern day manufacturers Jawa and GM should experiment with a modern version of the Douglas.

The famous red tank says that these are Rudges. Top picture is of a 1934 model and the other is from 1928. That was it as far as Rudge and speedway go 5 or 6 years of manufacturing speedway machines although a few bikes would have been in use throughout the reminder of the 1930's.

These are the specifications of the highly successful but all to brief reign of the Rudge

A rare machine. OEC stands for Osbourne Engineering Company. I am told by Terry Stone that there are only 2 of this model in the world. The other one is in New Zealand. I wonder what the black rod is running parallel with the ground. Surely that would hit the ground on the corners.

A beautifully restored OEC JAP. Not much to say other than if you want a beautiful bike get an old JAP

Terry Stone's 1960 Rotrax JAP. Arguably the most successful Speedway machine. It dominated world speedway for such a long time

I believe that the frame is a Jawa from 1970's with the last of the JAP engines from around 1980. I am surprised if it is true as I didn't know JAP were still in business as late as that. So come on then put me right John

This JAP has been converted to a "Laydown". The idea is not new. I have a picture on one of the other Bikes Pages of a 1948 Laydown

Jawa 1968 or 69. These Czech built bikes took over from the JAP. Mainly because the Jawa was cheaper and easier to maintain. Most of the pictures shown above came from Terry Stone. Thank you Terry for sharing them with us.

Bikes Page 4