Classic Cob From the shed
In January this year I attended the Goulburn Motorcycle Swap Meet. It was there that an elderly chap approached me to buy some books and tools contained in a tool box. It was not until several days later at home I saw the professionally painted writing on the lid of the tool box “Team Sharp” and “The World Land Speed Record Attempt, Lake Lefroy. Western Australia 27th January 1973.” I recalled a conversation in the early 1970s with the late Ian Cameron, Secretary of the Auto Cycle Council of Australia (A.C.C.A) regarding him conveying a member of the Federation Internationale Motorcycliste to Western Australia for a land speed record attempt. Eventually I spoke to Dennis Quinlan, a walking encyclopaedia on the Sydney motorcycle scene. He nominated Frank Shepherd who accompanied the Sharp machine to Western Australia, whom I was soon able to make contact with.
When just 18 old Frank’s first job in the motorcycle trade was with Ern and Bill Ring, Hurstville Motorcycles. The Ring brothers were heading interstate and asked him to look after the business. When they returned he had sold every second hand machine in the shop. They realised his potential and took him into Eric Moore who then hired him to sell Ariel and Royal Enfield. Then the trade slowed for a while and he managed another of Eric Moore’s shops selling motor scooters. Then he worked for what was then to become Hazel and Moore for a further 5 years making a total of 19 years working for Eric Moore. Then to Barry Ryan at Parramatta for 12 years before working for John Galvin, the Metzler tyre importer for 10 years before retiring from the trade. Bob “Cowboy” Sharp was a well known speedway rider who won Australian Titles 1962 and 1965, a builder by trade. He purchased a dragster from Peter Allen, the son-in-law of Frank Musset, a Triumph dealer who rode Velocettes at the Isle of Man just prior to the war. The frame was Hagon and fitted with two Triumph engines. It was supercharged and ran on nitro with the rear engine running backwards. Allen had raced this in the U.K. and brought it with him when he migrated. Sharp acquired this machine on which he did some drag racing and then got the idea to break land speed records. Bob Sharp flew across to Perth and competed at a Drag Meeting at Ravenswood Raceway, where he was assisted by speedway rider Trevor Harding. Harding then used his firm’s truck to convey Bob and the machine to Lake Lefroy, which was was 32 miles long and 12 wide. The remainder of the Sharp Team ventured from Sydney to Western Australia to assist Bob to tackle these records on Lake Lefroy near a small one-pub town, Widgiemooltha. Frank was given the title of Team Manager and his explanation for this is that nobody else was silly enough to drive a utility from Sydney to Western Australia with a load of drums containing Nitro. A recent rain storm had flooded the main part of the salt lake and they moved to another section where surveying for the record attempt had been outlined by a mining company. Problems were encountered with the timing lights, one set failed which then eliminated a flying kilometre run, and sun glare prevented the timing mechanisms from detecting the machines. In the heat of the day moisture came to the surface and would bring the salt up with it. This got into the magnetos and was also sucked into the supercharger to go through to the engine. Bob was able to undertake one run where he recorded 148mph, but a sprocket connecting the two engines broke, necessitating a quick trip to Kalgoorlie to have it welded up. Eventually time was against them as the F.I.M. Supervisor, Dr Helmut Bonsch, BMW Director, had limited time and had to leave. After his departure there were still observers there from the Western Australian Motorcycle Association. It was hoped that they might be able to verify an Australian Land Speed Record which Bob then attempted to break, but the rear engine seized and that was the end. Another team member was Robert “Snowy” Barney. He also worked in the early motorcycle trade for the likes of Ryan & Honey, Eric Moore, Allparts and Ryan’s at Parramatta. He was a sidecar passenger to Brian Thomas on the Matchless G45 when they won the 1966 Junior Sidecar at Bathurst. He tells me that he got married on the Thursday at a Registry Office, practice at Bathurst Friday, raced Saturday and went on his honeymoon Sunday. In the motorcycle trade he worked in the workshop side of the businesses. Whilst at Barry Ryan’s he got to know Bob Sharp and rebuilt the engines for the twin Triumph engine machine. Snowy recalls that it was probably Bert Jones who did the camshafts, the rear engine had to be set up to run backwards, hence the valve and ignition timing had to cater for that. He recalls that he spent about three days of solid work rebuilding the Triumph as salt had got into the magnetos and engine. Two Wheels magazine of May 1973 claims that there were two machines at Lake Lefroy: a dragster and a record breaker. However, Peter Allen, Snowy Barney, Frank Shepherd and Trevor Harding each say that there was just the one machine. In the end Bob Sharp conceded that for this attempt time had beaten him but declared that he would be back, something that failed to eventuate.