A Jawa at The Mount
It’s a miracle that Harold Tapscott reached his 30th birthday after crashing at Ballart in 1950 and spending three months paralysed from the chest down, yet on Sunday July 18th 2021 he celebrated his 100th birthday.
Reading the articles in OBA 94 brought back some memories. I bought a Jawa 350 from a mate who had some success on Short Circuit, but my aim was Bathurst. I changed the front wheel from 21-inch to 19 or 18, can’t recall which, fitted tuned expansion chambers, replaced the wide bars for a set of clip-ons, and put a seat with rear hump (home made) on it. Arriving at Bathurst I went out for a practice session and slowly made my way along pit straight and round Hell Corner. At Mountain Straight I opened it up and it went like the “clappers”. Approaching Castrol Bend I slowed and tipped it in to go around but the bike did not want to co-operate with this. I managed to slow down enough to avoid the wall, but after that I took things easy until I was on Conrod Straight and then opened it up, and it was quick. My brother was with a mate on the mountain and they were talking to a stranger who asked if they knew anyone in the race. They said yes and pointed me out and said they thought I was second last. They asked who he was watching and he said “the guy behind him”. How good is that!
The next year I had bought a 350 Ducati Mach 3, which at that time came with a “racing kit” which consisted of a matt black reverse cone megaphone exhaust and an oval front racing number plate with brackets. After several practice sessions I felt the bike was going well and I felt I knew my way around the course. For some reason I decided to go out for the last practice session and approaching The Cutting I took my usual line, but with the sun in my eyes I failed to see a patch of oil and landed on my bum. A flaggie came over to get me restarted and off I went, embarrassed and annoyed, so much so that when I went to change gear I missed it. The tacho cried enough, so I carried on, changing up gears by “ear”.
I found I was going faster by just concentrating on the road ahead and not having to be looking at the tacho. I have many happy memories of Bathurst especially the members of WDMCC who set up camp on the Mountain. Michael Anderson Regents Park, Qld.
The Willoughby District MCC camp on the mountain was indeed immense, stretching from Reid Park to the south-western extremities of the property, looking down towards Evans Plains. There was always loud rock music playing, a few wheelies, a certain amount of drinking, endless campfires, and much laughter. Despite the annual stoushes between the police and the ratbags taking place further around towards McPhillamy Park, there was never any agro or strife in the Willoughby camp.
One year, we in the WDMCC camp were treated to a show whereby a bunch of revellers purchased a clapped out Corolla from a dealer’s yard in Bathurst, drove it up to the top of the mountain and proceeded to destroy it. Bikes were ridden over it, rocks thrown at it, it was hoisted into a tree at one stage, before finally being cremated. An outstanding performance captured on film by WDMCC member and ace photographer Michael Andrews. n
Harold was a very big name in Victorian motorcycle sport in the immediate post war years; a man with a win or bust riding style that bought plenty of wins and plenty of broken bones. Born in Glen Huntley, Melbourne in 1921, he began racing in 1937 on a 1927 Big Port AJS, but enlisted and spent the war years as a Dispatch Rider, stationed in northern WA. On discharge, he co-founded the Nunawading Club and was the first president and later life member.
After a string of Victorian Scrambles Championships, he turned to speedway and was so successful that he went to England in 1949 to ride for the Hastings team, often riding six nights per week. He was back Australia in late 1949, intending to return to UK for the 1950 speedway season, but while competing at Victoria Park, Ballarat, he fell at high speed and struck a roadside post, resulting in severe spinal injury. After a seven-month convalescence he was back in the saddle, riding in Short Circuit and Road Racing. In search of a warmer climate, he moved to Brisbane in 1952 with his new bride Beryl, where he continued road racing until finally hanging up his helmet late in 1953.
He never lost touch with motorcycling however, working for BSA distributor Con Crowley for many years before buying a taxi and operating from Wynumn. Trail riding became his next love, and when he sold the taxis in 1980 and retired, he took up long distance touring on a variety of bikes including a Yamaha XJ650, Honda CX500, and a
BMW R100RS. After reaching 80, he stepped down to a pushbike powered by a 30cc Sachs engine, but broke yet another collarbone in a fall in 2003. These days Harold resides at St. Vincent’s Care Home in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.
Tony Gray, President of the BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland, attended a special function at St. Vincent’s to mark his 100th birthday, which included a ride past of motorcycles. “The tribute to Harold Tapscott went off very well. The Centre managed all of the COVID protocols and wheeled Harold out to where the procession of bikes rode past,” says Tony. “Our club organiser on the day received this comment from Harold’s son Rocky; Rocky stated that his dad came alive with the sight and sound of the bikes coming close by him and he thought his dad was the most alive and alert he had seen him in more than a year or so. Harold’s smile in the photo with his family and carers probably says it all.” n