Wilky’s a winner

With the entry finally rounded off at 190 riders, the Edinburgh and District Motor Club Ltd Golden Jubilee Scottish Six Days Trial presented the annual ‘Weigh-in’ of all the machines and the riders on the Sunday at the city’s Gorgie Cattle Market. The event started in Edinburgh on the Monday over the Forth Bridge before heading 150 miles north to Fort William and back to Edinburgh on the Saturday, having taken in 682 miles over the six days of action.

It had been very dry in the area with not much rain falling, which meant the going would be quite difficult as the rocks and rivers would be very dry. The moorland going would also be more difficult, as when it’s dry the ground is harder and more punishing for both man and machine.

The international appeal of the event was now taking shape, and 16 riders from five countries were entered. Five came from Canada at an estimated cost of £830 each, including the Trials Champion John De Gruchy who, along with John Jones, Tony Porter and Bob Kelly would ride Bultaco with Ray Bosman on a Montesa. Five riders from Sweden were entered, including the previous year’s Best Foreign Rider award winner Roland Bjorck on a Bultaco, two riders were entered from Eire, one from the USA and one from New Zealand.

Trends, as well as machines, were also changing as the big, and heavy four-stroke over-250cc machines were reduced to fewer than ten, and the smaller-capacity machines were now more popular with over 30 on under-200cc machines. Times were changing in the world of broadcasting too, and for the first year, the BBC had dropped its networked daily reports presented by Max King. He would still present them but on more local networks.

The talk around the weigh-in was of that man Sammy Miller and his immaculate 252cc Bultaco. With five wins in this iconic event already safely tucked away he was looking at joining Hugh Viney, who had taken three consecutive wins from 1947–1949 with his own third consecutive win in 1969. He had looked on course to achieve this in 1966, but Alan Lampkin (BSA) was the winner.

Five trade teams were entered: AJS with Derek Edgar/ Norman Edgar/Ray Sayer; Bultaco with Sammy Miller/Dave Rowland/Jim Sandiford; Gaunt Suzuki with Peter Gaunt/Alan Lampkin/Martin Lampkin; Greeves with Bill Wilkinson/Mick Wilkinson/Derek Adsett; and Montesa with Gordon Farley/ Lawrence Telling/Don Smith.

Gordon Farley had warmed up for the event with a victory on the Thursday at Sancerre in France where he had easily outpointed Christian Rayer (Montesa-FRA), who would miss the SSDT this year after taking the Best Newcomer award in 1968. Montesa had learned from their lessons in 1968 where the machine’s fuel capacity at ten pints had not been enough, and the three works machines had larger two-gallon fuel tanks fitted which were modified from their roadster range.

The red Spanish machines were proving more popular, with 19 Cota 247 models in the entry. The new model from Ossa that everyone expected to see Mick Andrews on was not ready, and he rode the same machine that he had been competing on for the previous eight months.

Day one:159 miles, 24 sections

It would be Evesham Motor Cycle Club member Mick Bowers who would lead the riders away at one-minute intervals at the start of the event on his prototype 178cc BSA Bantam. Riding over the Forth Road Bridge the riders would take a north-westerly route in the cold and wet drizzle as the rain came down on the way to Fort William, taking in the opening 159 miles and 24 hazards. For the 190 riders who started, it was a miserable start on to the Killin lunch check some 83 miles from Edinburgh.

The first hazards were at Culross where there were no surprises, with early clear rides from the Lampkin brothers and the Gaunt Suzuki man himself Peter Gaunt. Seven miles before the lunch check the eight hazards in the rocky gully at Glenogle provided a different story. The hazards were shrouded in the ever-persistent rain, and the men on form were the youngest Lampkin Martin, Sammy Miller and a few others, who parted with no marks.

After lunch, the trial took in the two new hazards named Edramucky near the bridge of Lochay. A massive jumble of exposed rocks in the river added to the challenge, as Miller found out to his cost with a single mark lost in the first one before a stop was recorded in the second one and the five marks that went with it. It must have rattled the Bultaco star as he also had a disaster at the Meall Glas group of ten sections when he went for a supporting ‘dab’ which ended up with an out-of-control Miller missing the ends cards!

As the sun shone through the riders arrived in Fort William with Don Smith (Montesa) looking very happy despite nearly missing the start as he had overslept, with his five marks lost giving him an early lead followed by the top 20 all covered by just a few marks. One rider missing from the top 20 was Sammy Miller who had parted with 11, it was a case of game on!

MONDAY RESULTS: 1: Don Smith (Montesa) 5; 2: Peter Gaunt (Gaunt

Suzuki) Chris Milner (250 Ossa) Bill Wilkinson (Greeves) 6; 3: Jim Sandiford (Bultaco) Geoff Chandler (Bultaco) Malcolm Barnes (Ossa) Mick Andrews (Ossa) John Hemingway (Sprite) Rob Edwards (Cotton) Malcolm Rathmell (Greeves) Kenny Fleming (Montesa) Martin Lampkin (Gaunt Suzuki) 7; 4: Gordon Farley (Montesa) Dennis Jones (Gaunt Suzuki) Dave Thorpe (Ossa) Billy McMaster (Bultaco) 8; 5: Lawrence Telling (Montesa) Alan Lampkin (Gaunt Suzuki) John Hayton (Bultaco) 9.

The 1969 Scottish Six Days Trial winner Bill Wilkinson (Greeves) seen here on ‘Callart’ on day two on his way to victory.

All the atmosphere of the 1969 Edinburgh and District Motor Club Ltd Golden Jubilee Scottish Six Days Trial is captured here at the weigh in of all the machines and the riders on the Sunday at the city’s Gorgie Cattle Market.

Taken from high up on the lead mines of ‘Tyndrum’, many SSDT travellers will have stopped at the ‘Green Welly’ on the right-hand side of this picture on the way to Fort William on the A82. The road junction on the left is the one where you can continue to Fort William or bear to the left and join the A85 to Oban.

The fuel and lubricant supplier was Shell/BP who provided this support vehicle, seen here at the Shell filling station in Stenhouse Road which was only an eighth of a mile from the Gorgie Market start area. The fuelling was managed by Shell’s Lew Ellis, the motorsport fuel manager at that time. The Shell vehicle was ferried all over the Highlands during SSDT week!

We love this picture of the 1966 winner Alan Lampkin in his very stylish overcoat. He is having his Gaunt Suzuki applied with the marking paint at the weigh in to the parts that cannot be changed during the event.

Looking very physically large in its appearance, the Spanish Ossa machine needed all the skill and determination of Mick Andrews to finish in a well-deserved second position. A new machine had been promised with a re-designed frame and styling but it had not been finished in time, so he rode his eight-month-old model. This is ‘Caolasnacoan’ on day five with concentration at 100%.

In a study of concentration the youngest of the three Lampkin brothers, Martin, feels for the grip on the Gaunt Suzuki. He was the highest placed rider on the new generation of ‘Micro’ machines that were challenging the invasion of the Spanish manufacturers and the 17-year-old was rewarded with the Best up to 150cc Cup. Suzuki GB rider Dennis Jones crouches down as he checks out Lampkin’s line.

Watched by Scottish enthusiast, SSDT official and rider of note Willie Pitblado, and eventual winner Bill Wilkinson on the left with the goggles on his head, Sammy Miller faced an uphill battle all week after a very poor opening day. Just look at the ‘flex’ on the rear tyre! He finished third with the Best up to 350cc Cup on the 252cc Bultaco.

Desperate to win the event was Don Smith. Montesa had risen to the challenge of the Bultaco domination but for Smith it proved not to be, as he fell off the pace as the week progressed. Despite this he still took the lead with the Montesa team to win the much sought-after Blackford Challenge Trophy for the Best Manufacturers’ Team award.

Captured on ‘Callart’, you can clearly see the bulk of the larger fuel tank on the Montesa Cota 247 of Gordon Farley, which was fitted for the event. Farley arrived at the event as the man on form but could not carry this into the six days.

Watched closely by Ralph Venables, holding the programme, is Sheffield’s Dave Thorpe. Fitted with the lowermounted front mudguard it transforms the physical look of the Ossa compared to the one Mick Andrews was riding.

Man and machine. Peter Gaunt changes the gearbox oil at the Shell/ BP refuelling and lubricants service transporter, on his own brand of the Suzuki trials machine. A man of many engineering talents, he also produced other ‘Gaunt’ manufactured trials machines using a variety of engines from Ducati, CZ and Jawa to name a few.

Having made his mind up that the Spanish trials machines were the way forward after riding Bultaco and then Greeves, at the 1968 SSDT Lawrence Telling produced some good results on the Montesa.