Ralph Venables

As I start my 57th year of active trials riding, I’m occasionally asked who was instrumental in attracting me into the sport of trials. Well, there were three people: my Dad; ACU Vice President, Colin Moram; and, perhaps surprisingly, Ralph Venables.

Ever since I can remember, Dad took me to trials, and invariably Ralph Venables, then the sport’s renowned journalist, was in attendance, particularly when we attended national trials. Ralph, “Call me Rafe” always knew the best places to spectate and Dad would be the first to check out with Ralph where he would be going, and the moment he was into his Daimler Dart open-topped sports car, we would be following along the country lanes. They were magical days and, I well recall Ralph, Dad and me climbing the mountain above Tyndrum to watch riders tackle sections in the 1964 Scottish in torrential, driving rain — in the days when oilskins were the only wet-weather gear! Dad’s umbrella blew inside out, and it was Ralph who remarked that dad looked as if he was ‘Off to the office’ in a jocular fashion. And some 14 years later, he shared a journey with me in my VW Beetle, pointing out the history of the old road as we drove through Glencoe. His knowledge was legendary.

As the years passed RGV, the Squire of Swallowcliffe, was always around at the national trials in which I rode, reporting upon them for various newspapers and writing more than 1,800 columns named variously The Sporting Scene; Competition Commentary and Ralph Remembers for the Motor Cycle, MCN and TMX. Then, of course, he joined TMX as a contributor and I was fortunate enough to be the staff journalist who produced his page, but woe betide me if I ever changed a word that he produced!

His life story has been well covered elsewhere over the years; suffice to say that it is an honour to have known him so well and his passing in 2003 was a massive loss to the sport.