Let’s just say a lot: firstly, they were all Cheshire lads, who started scrambling in the 1950s; secondly, they all had successful careers on Dots, manufactured locally in Ellesmere Street, Manchester, which, thirdly, caught the eye of Derry Preston Cobb, (Greeves’s ‘talent scout’), leading to factory rides with the Essex manufacturer. Oh, and they were all big admirers of Dave Bickers.
I met and talked to them all between October 2011 and March 2012 and here are some of their reminiscences.
John Done, who died in December 2011, saw Bickers race for the first time at a Bredbury and Romiley scramble (Stockport) in the early Sixties. “I was so impressed with him and the bike flying around like they were on rails. He had a style that I adored and was my first hero from outside the Cheshire Centre.”
John was also on the receiving end of some Bickers banter around that time. “He used to make fun of my Commer van as the track of the front wheels was narrower than the back and you’d get cross-threaded in the ruts when driving down a track!”
Denne historien er fra Autumn 2019-utgaven av Classic Dirt Bike.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Autumn 2019-utgaven av Classic Dirt Bike.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Fabulous Farleigh
The ‘Vets’ ups its game in Noyce’s anniversary year.
Changing Direction
Sometimes a forced rethink pulls a project in a whole new direction.
Settling In… …To A New Home
Have you ever moved house or workshop?
Catalogue Correct
Sometimes the condition of a machine dictates what should happen to it.
The Famous James
Though the 'famous' tag is from an earlier period, James did add to it by being the first lightweight manufacturer to win a trade national trial outright.
Bultaco Pursang
Those rose-tinted glasses have a lot to answer for sometimes.
Three Not Of A Kind
There has been at least some progress in the workshop with our collection of machinery.
Showtime
As the International Dirt Bike Show moves into a new phase, we take a look at dirt bike shows from the past.
On Common Ground
What did Alan Clough, John Griffiths and John Done all have in common?
Class At The Castle
With the magnificent Drumlanrig Castle as a backdrop, how could the MX action be anything but classic?
