Thruxton Motorcycles Commando .(2017)

A point missed earlier in this thread when comparing the production racer with another bike with the exhausts tucked under and a few other bits lopped off....the Tonys (Smith and Holland) had two bikes each, a production racer, which ran production style exhausts and an open class 501-1000 and unlimited class bike.

Due to the 'production' nature of the Dunstall Commandos they could use Dunstall Decibel silencers on the production bikes, but later versions had peashooters!

cliffa said:

After a lot of searching on the www this is the best picture I could find of Tony..


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Gangly sort of a fella who could get really well tucked in and stay there, great on long sweeping bends. In my early races at airfield circuits Tony well understood how to create your own circuit where there wasn't a lot of definition to wide open bits of concrete and tarmac....turning what I though was two 90 degree bends into one single sweep...which explains why he could ride past in a gear higher!

Hello SteveA and CiffA
Good memories for me. I was lucky enough to either spectate or marshal at the 'Race of Aces' meetings from 1972 to 1976.
In 1976 I was marshalling at the entrance to Riches with my mates from the Ipswich Triangle Club. The first couple of laps of the production race were fairly 'busy' as I remember.
I still have the 1976 programme and the Tonys Smith and Holland are listed on Thruxton Commandos in the MCM Production race and Tony Smith is also listed along with Dave Croxford on the NVT Challenge in the main event. All the top 750 riders were there: Roger Marshall, Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn, John Williams, John Newbold, Stan Woods, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart, Tony Rutter, Dave Potter, Ron Haslam.
Another well known local Commando rider is listed, Eccles Cayke!
I'll try and post a scan tomorrow.
Andy

DevonNorton said:

Hello SteveA and CiffA
Good memories for me. I was lucky enough to either spectate or marshal at the 'Race of Aces' meetings from 1972 to 1976.
In 1976 I was marshalling at the entrance to Riches with my mates from the Ipswich Triangle Club. The first couple of laps of the production race were fairly 'busy' as I remember.
I still have the 1976 programme and the Tonys Smith and Holland are listed on Thruxton Commandos in the MCM Production race and Tony Smith is also listed along with Dave Croxford on the NVT Challenge in the main event. All the top 750 riders were there: Roger Marshall, Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn, John Williams, John Newbold, Stan Woods, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart, Tony Rutter, Dave Potter, Ron Haslam.
Another well known local Commando rider is listed, Eccles Cayke!
I'll try and post a scan tomorrow.
Andy

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That would be great thanks Andy.

Scans from programme of 11th July 1976 'Race of Aces' held at Snetterton UK.

Cheers, Andy

I think handling and gearing are more important than tyre sizes when you race a Commando, unless the tyre size stuffs the handling. Tyre grip is not a problem if the handling keeps the bike more vertical in corners

Al... you gotta be the only person in the world who races (or raced) a motorcycle who doesn’t think tyres are important...

The thing was that down here in NZ we couldn't understand how any Commando coud be competitive against a Z1.

We had this guy



And if you could compete with Pat Hannan on the Cemetery circuit there was no way any Commando could get within a mile.

DevonNorton said:

Scans from programme of 11th July 1976 'Race of Aces' held at Snetterton UK.

Cheers, AndyView attachment 16873

View attachment 16874

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No. 32 on top page riders name is Eccles Cayke- rider must work in a cafeteria, surely?

Fast Eddie said:

Al... you gotta be the only person in the world who races (or raced) a motorcycle who doesn’t think tyres are important...

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And the only person in the world who thinks you can go round corners fast with the bike vertical.

Bernhard said:

No. 32 on top page riders name is Eccles Cayke- rider must work in a cafeteria, surely?

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Bernhard
You can read more on Mark Capper aka Eccles Cayke on this forum https://forums.autosport.com/topic/194511-riders-racing-under-assumed-namespseudonyms/
I do remember the story at the time was that he was a student and wanted to hide his racing hobby from his parents.
Certainly a character. Here he is pictured at Waterbeach in 1977 on his 'well worn' Commando. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to contact Graham Etheridge who has the copyright on the photo. His is a fantastic collection of photos but many are no longer available on the dreaded Photobucket.

Andy

Eccles Cayke... I love it.

Even better than Tom Arter (tomato)...

Parents back then clearly had a great sense of humour !!

DevonNorton said:

Hello SteveA and CiffA
Good memories for me. I was lucky enough to either spectate or marshal at the 'Race of Aces' meetings from 1972 to 1976.
In 1976 I was marshalling at the entrance to Riches with my mates from the Ipswich Triangle Club. The first couple of laps of the production race were fairly 'busy' as I remember.
I still have the 1976 programme and the Tonys Smith and Holland are listed on Thruxton Commandos in the MCM Production race and Tony Smith is also listed along with Dave Croxford on the NVT Challenge in the main event. All the top 750 riders were there: Roger Marshall, Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn, John Williams, John Newbold, Stan Woods, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart, Tony Rutter, Dave Potter, Ron Haslam.
Another well known local Commando rider is listed, Eccles Cayke!
I'll try and post a scan tomorrow.
Andy

Click to expand...

I met Eccles at Snetterton in about 2015....handing out photocopied leaflets for his little motorcycle workshop!

There had been a story back in the day that he was a student who wanted to keep his racing hidden from (funding) parents.....I had swallowed that one for 40 years, when asked he said 'total bollocks' apparently he just thought it was more fun than using his own name!

I really must get the photos I took on the day out and have a look....

DevonNorton said:

Scans from programme of 11th July 1976 'Race of Aces' held at Snetterton UK.

Cheers, AndyView attachment 16873

View attachment 16874View attachment 16875

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Some memorable names in that lot......Proddy race alone. Malc Wheeler, former editor of Classic Racer and President ot TT riders association. Gordon Russell, CRMC stalwart and current chairman. Bob Newby, belt drive manufacturer. Dennis Trollope, sponsor of world champion sidecar Jock Taylor and more, Greg Page, East Anglian hero and rider for Iceni Racing. Neil Tuxworth, later Castrol Honda WSB and BSB team manager. Steve Wynne of Sports Motorccels and now selling Fork Cartridge emulators from New Zealand....

And more...

I knew Keith Brown, I ended up with a dent in the timing cover of my Rickman from his footrest, followed by a somersault for me and the bike and a tyre mark on my helmet.....and Mike Wheeler Motorcycles, listed sponsor of a rider on an Yamaha RD250. Mike sold me one of the first batch of RD250s imported to the UK in '73, when I was serving at RAF Brize Norton, just next to Tony Smith's farm.

More in the main race, which is pretty much a who's who of British big bike racing at the time. With the inevitable result that several are no longer with us.

......but as we know, Croxford actually rode a Suzuki RG500 that weekend. At Snetterton on the Challenge? Who can blame him. But little did we know we would not see him race again.

And Peter Davies , who was with Pete Lovell at 24h of Spa in 1973 , second behind the RCB Honda with John and Charlie Williams.......

SteveA said:

....Gordon Russell, and, Greg Page, East Anglian hero and rider for Iceni Racing.......

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Both Gordon and Greg raced Norton Commando powered bikes using Dunstall Drainpipe style frames.

The one Greg rode for Iceni was based on a frame made by Nick Parrovani, another Norfolk based legend!

marinatlas said:

And Peter Davies , who was with Pete Lovell at 24h of Spa in 1973 , second behind the RCB Honda with John and Charlie Williams.......

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I was working in the same shop as Richard Negus (bike owner) at the time. I went with him to Spa to help with crew duties. The plan was to change riders every 90 minutes (big endurance PR tank) with fuel, oil, and chain lube and tension check. At about 8 hours, change the chain (unless necessary earlier - it wasn't), at 16 hours, change chain and rear tyre. There were no other other stops or delays needed. We worked up a gravity-feed fueling system that could fill 6 UK gallons in 8 - 10 seconds, but the petcocks had to be closed or fuel would shoot out of the tickler holes.
Peter and Pete rode like champs - steady but fast. They averaged over 100 Mph for the entire race, I believe that that's the first time that was accomplished in a 24-hour race. I'm pretty sure that Peter Davies moved to the US West Coast in the late 70s ("temporarily but has been here ever since"). Two super nice guys with all of it, too.

DevonNorton said:

Hello SteveA and CiffA
Good memories for me. I was lucky enough to either spectate or marshal at the 'Race of Aces' meetings from 1972 to 1976.
In 1976 I was marshalling at the entrance to Riches with my mates from the Ipswich Triangle Club. The first couple of laps of the production race were fairly 'busy' as I remember.
I still have the 1976 programme and the Tonys Smith and Holland are listed on Thruxton Commandos in the MCM Production race and Tony Smith is also listed along with Dave Croxford on the NVT Challenge in the main event. All the top 750 riders were there: Roger Marshall, Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn, John Williams, John Newbold, Stan Woods, Barry Sheene, Paul Smart, Tony Rutter, Dave Potter, Ron Haslam.
Another well known local Commando rider is listed, Eccles Cayke!
I'll try and post a scan tomorrow.
Andy

Click to expand...

Eccles Cayke lived just outside Cambridge, and I had a pillion ride on his JPN road bike , during a phase when I considered buying it, ( but couldn’t really afford to). It went very well and he was/ is quite a character.

" And if you could compete with Pat Hannan on the Cemetery circuit there was no way any Commando could get within a mile. "

BALLS ! .




Though more hot rod than rocket science , . & large cajones .,

So it weave around New Lynn Street Circuit , warm day . 1978 ? ? . was running 2nd / 3rd on a nasty curbed undulateing circuit .
Was horrendously clanky in the lifters at race end . out of bottom straight they utilised a bus pull off , and pulled into uphill straight to clear the outer curb as it snapped in .
Think he was chewing at No Ones heels , but fried as the race progressed . Irom 850 .

A dead stock Z1 is bnasically CRAp , as far as road holding on demanding roads , as theyll get knotted up . Fish oil in the typical era jap rear shocks .
RD 350s the drilled 90 Wt. filled ,spot weld and touch up the paint . Z1 steering head & swing arm arnt in the top league .
and all those pipes & muffler aint light . Ive seen a exceptional 650 Triumph chew up a hard ridden Z1 .

As it says , a cool day on his home track , bay park , he could hold out those rice burners . Drifting .,

Looks like the K91 Red Arrow on the front .
A lot stiffer frame woulda got it holding its own , most days . AFTER ALL , Williams ' Dunstall Spec ' motor was the Fastest Lap of a PRODUCTION BASED MOTOR .
Gees , if He'd put two aluminum ones in it , how wouldve it gone .
Knorton was at the top of the heap , back in '74 .


Think youll find it was largely comercial marketing that led the jap invasion . as in sponsership through nasty wobbly jap dealers .

1972 .

And thats on a smooth even surface , not grotty chip seal on a subsiding bed , from heay trucks milk tankers cattle trucks etc .
Though entusiasim has got the better of a few , or is it agro & ignorance .