Large crowds attended the Easter Weekend Meeting in 1908, many drawn by the novelty of motorcycle racing for the first time at Brooklands.


a look at the track in advance of the first official races. Wells was one of the first off and at high speed he left the main finishing straight and rode up onto the banking, just missing an area of wet concrete. Reynolds and Wells, keen to restore the reputation of Vindec after its apparent failure to impress in February, allowed representatives from The Motorcycle Magazine to have a ride and they duly reported the Vindec’s excellent performance. It appears the Matchless machines fared less well on that occasion. During a break, Baron Ernst de Rodakowski, the Clerk of the Course, was persuaded to have a go on Reynolds’ Vindec. Despite being a complete novice and never ridden before; he was able to comment on the Vindec’s excellent handling.


Racing begins On Easter Monday, 20 April 24 riders lined up for the first official motorcycle race run as part of the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club’s Easter Weekend Meeting. The handicap system that was hinted at prior to the event did not materialise and so, somewhat inevitably, the big 7.9hp


Peugeot-powered NLG (North London Garages) motorcycle built by AG Forster and ridden by William Cook made a good start and romped home 5/8ths of a mile in front of E Kirkham on a 7hp Peugeot- Leader. Charlie Collier had clearly learnt from his trial and came in third, 100 yards behind on a 6hp JAP-powered Matchless. McMinnies again won the Triumph versus Vindec grudge match, coming in fourth ahead of WH Wells, while Bickford was 12th and Harry Collier 13th. By May, when the second motorcycle race was held, the organisers had introduced a handicap system which produced a more interesting result. H Shanks won on a 2 ¾hp Chater-Lea with H Partridge second on a 6hp NSU and WH Bashall on a 3 ½hp Triumph in third place. A 5hp Vindec was eighth piloted by A Sproston with McMinnies 10th on his 3 ½hp Triumph beating William Cook on the Peugeot-NLG in 18th. Reynolds could only manage 22nd on the second Vindec and Wells suffered a puncture on the third of these machines. This month also saw court action taken against Brooklands


for noise and disturbance which included petrol fumes and spoiling raspberries in adjoining properties. While the records seem to suggest the action may have been brought following the Edge 24-hour record run, it was the poor old motorcyclists who suffered and were not able to race again until October.


In the meantime, McMinnies competed in hill climbs and regularity trials on his Triumph. Correspondents in the letters pages of The Motorcycle Magazine complained that his motorcycle had an unfair advantage as it was not a standard road machine having had pedals, tool bags, horn and lamp removed. In August, he was also caught speeding with another motorcyclist. The case was dismissed as only one of two constables gave evidence of speed, commenting that McMinnies was travelling very fast but neither officer had timed the riders over the required distance. In June, Oscar Bickford put his 5hp


A group of riders wait for the start of a race in The Paddock in 1908. It clearly shows how closely related these early motorcycles were to bicycles in their construction.


42 BROOKLANDS BULLETIN | MAY - JUNE 2020


Vindec up for sale for £25 and was next found on the pages of The Motorcycle in September having built himself a steam canoe. Readers were told he originally powered it using a 1½hp motorcycle engine, but the vibration made the seams leak. Back at Brooklands, the October race of 28 entrants was won by Gordon Gibson on a 3 ½hp Triumph with Vindec managing only sixth. Vindec Motorcycles continued to perform well in hill climbs but had less success at Brooklands. Charlie Collier, not happy with the formula used to set the handicap, finished well down the field and the motorcycling press previously supportive of handicapping were also understandably complaining that larger bikes were not being treated fairly. Charlie Collier was back at the track on 8 October to attempt the hour record.


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