Chequered Flag

Brian arrived in Melbourne in 1951 as a ‘Ten quid Pom’ and immediately found work in the motorcycle industry while indulging his passion for racing. He found his true skill lay in sidecars, not just as a competitor but as a constructor of racing outfits. He soon moved to Brisbane, racing on the speedway and working as a fabricator making semi trailers. As well as a string of successful outfits, Brian built solos like the Tranzac Triumph ridden with great success by John Warrian. On the road circuits, Brian and his Norton kneeler were always a force, garnering six Queensland titles and competing interstate whenever funds would allow. Brian estimates he built at least fifty outfits and probably as many solo frames, mainly Manx Norton replicas. Brian’s business was Tranzac, based in Cleveland, south of Brisbane, but it wasn’t frames that put food on the table, but exhaust systems. The business grew to employ four extra people working the pipe benders and welding systems together. Fittingly, a huge crowd turned out for Brian’s funeral to farewell a much-loved motorcyclist.