Eric Davies
Former Sydney Sidecar rider ERIC DAVIES passed away on the morning of June 11. He was 82. Davies had been unwell for some time and was a patient in a Nursing Home on the NSW Central Coast where he relocated after years of living in the Sydney suburbs of Stanmore, Petersham and Alexandria. He had a long and colourful career as a Sidecar racer on speedway, Dirt Track and bitumen. His road racing included the annual outing at Bathurst, and he was a regular at Oran Park in the 1960s on Vincents. At one of his Bathurst rides, he had a nasty accident when his passenger Brian Moran suffered a badly injured back and leg.
Eric began racing on an Ariel-powered bike that his father bought for him from Vic Lyons’ motorcycle shop at Homebush. Said long-time friend Terry Poole, who had known Davies since he was 18, “Eric was very good on the Dirt Track at Vineyard (near Windsor) on a BSA outfit. Later he rode Ern Steward’s bike.” Davies first raced speedway at Westmead and then graduated to the Sydney Showground. He also competed at Windsor and Kembla Grange. He also undertook several trips to Queensland to race at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. Eric Davies was unmarried and leaves no dependants. His long-time partner Lil predeceased him a couple of years ago.