When Bantam Racers made the headlines

Hi Guys,

Was driving up the M1 the other day in my Transit and my mind wandered back to a time when I had first started Bantam racing circa 1971.

I started to recall this incident which occurred around February 1972 but cannot be certain of that. What I am certain of was the front page of Motorcycle news carrying the story of high jinks on Wimbledon Common....a blue movie was being made in a deserted part of the common and the camera man and director and the female star were all arrested by the plod, and had up in court for breach of the peace etc. Sam and Mole Benn I recall. I think the female star was well known to Fred Launchbury.

Do any of our forumites remember this?

As an aside I am also one of these who doesn't have any time spare for that Fauxbook or is it faceache?

Hi Peter! Nice to hear from you....

Ah, those good old days -- let´s call tham "Gods Days" *** ....

Who was it at the Hoop & Grapes Wobbleyman called "Wide Belt?" 'cos her skirt was so short it reached up to
Lord knows where? If we arrived at the same time I'd purposely made myself a gentleman and stand back behind when we climed upthose steep steps into the 'attic´ .

You had hair then and I still had a little....

Definite deteriaroration here.

Who started it?

Let´s get back to Bantam racing. Road racing was something I thought I´d never do. I was scared pooh-less
just watching it on the telly and those blokes who rushed around the Island... OH my oh my -- I recall listening
to the Queen´s coronation and then hearing that Les Graham had been killed going down Bray Hill. He´d survived being a Bomber plane pilot during the war and had go that way... As a yokel from the Essex sticks I
talked to Les whilst having a break from marshalling and this Star had time for me....

Sorry to put a damper on it but that nasty factor is ever there.

*** I hope I haven´t offended anyone!

Cheers!

John-Boy ....


.

Peter, O yes I remember it well, Mandy I recall.I did meet her on stage after I had drawn a winning raffle ticket during a do organized by Sam and Mole for thier bike club friends and that was a very long time ago, I just can't remember any more, honest.

Les2012

les2012 wrote:

Peter, O yes I remember it well, Mandy I recall.I did meet her on stage after I had drawn a winning raffle ticket during a do organized by Sam and Mole for thier bike club friends and that was a very long time ago, I just can't remember any more, honest.

Les2012

Hi Les,

Yes it was Mandy - I later met her when she called round to the house at New Malden to buy my 2 bike trailer - I had seen sense by then and had bought a Thames 400E Fred had sent her round and I remember thinking she was rather hot. Happy days indeed.

I remember Mandy well she was a regular visitor to Freds shop she had a vintage bike a Douglas i think that's what she would have wanted the trailer for. I was at that do as well Les happy days.