REMEMBERING
Malcolm Davis
Yes, one word, ‘proud’ would sum up the late-great Malcolm Davis. As a young boy, I would travel with my family to many off-road events, including the British Motocross Grands Prix. Hanging over the wooden fencing that was used around motocross tracks in those days, my early memories are of a rider leading by two legs of the British Grand Prix. I think it was at Dodington Park in 1968. Green open fields on a hillside with rope around them which made up the circuit. To see a very proud Malcolm Davis wearing the Union Jack on an English motorcycle, the AJS was leading the world! This glory was short-lived. A machine failure brought his quest for victory to a halt. I had captured and enjoyed the moment and stored it to enjoy forever. Malcolm was enjoying the latter end of a very rewarding and successful off-road career when the reckless, selfish actions of a drunk driver ended his wonderful life in October 1980. The passing of 40 years makes it no easier today than it was then for his older brother, Tony, himself a successful factory rider in his own right who also enjoyed so much off-road success. One word keeps coming to mind when you speak about the Davis brothers though: proud.
As I have written about before, the Davis family name came back into my life when I married the late Norman Eyre’s daughter, Jane, in 1998. Norman and his wife, Janice, were good friends with the Davis family and so my connection came with Tony. He has now become a good friend and a mine of information for the magazines. As it was 40 years since the passing of Malcolm in October 2020, I wanted the off-road world to remember him. With the help of my superb photographer friends, we have a look at Malcolm through their cameras in this selection of pictures. First, though, we have some words from Tony where he touches on the many career highlights of Malcolm and their strong brotherly bond.
Tony Davis: “It was inevitable that both Malcolm and I would become involved in trials and scrambling. We lived at the Air Balloon Inn at Birdlip at the top of the hill where father, Les, was the landlord. The public house had been the starting point for the national Cotswold Cup’s Trial during the late ‘50s and ‘60s. It was a very golden age for the sport; the machines to have were all manufactured in mighty Great Britain. Father’s keen interest in off-road riding would lead him to the role as Chairman of the ACU Trials Committee. As we both grew into teenagers, my father purchased two cheap motorcycles; a 197cc Francis Barnett with a hand gear change, and a BSA Bantam. We would practise on them on every occasion; it was during these times that we formed a very special bond. As I was two years older than Malcolm, he would look up to me, but we would both openly share that will to succeed and, ultimately, win.
“Malcolm was at school in Stroud where the Headmaster was a keen scrambles rider. He would happily take Malcolm with him to various events. Malcolm would go out practising with him on a DOT. Between the two of us, we got the ‘Need for Speed’. Back in the day, Trials riding was seasonal. As the slow-speed season closed, it was time to go scrambling.
“After the last trial of the season in the Western Centre, when I got home, I washed the Greeves machine off as I was going to ride it in a local scramble at Drapers farm the following day. My father could not take me to the scramble because he was short on bar staff and could only come along after the pub shut, so I rode the machine to Drapers farm, and my uncle and Malcolm followed me in a car with petrol and spares. With a few changes to the Greeves, I rode it in three races, and thoroughly enjoyed myself as Malcolm worked feverishly each lap with a board showing me my position, a job which I did for him later for many years.
“As the ‘50s moved into the ‘60s, I was enjoying the support from BSA, with Malcolm watching every move. He was now on the scene riding a 250cc Greeves, and father had
branched out to running a motorcycle business in the stables behind the pub. He was negotiating to buy a shop in Gloucester, which he and Malcolm would run whilst our mother would continue to run the pub in the day. Malcolm would travel with me to all the centre trials and some national trials. He was a brilliant trials rider. I remember the times well and how we would disagree on what gear to pull up sections, and the times he proved me wrong by getting on his machine and cleaning the section, but his heart was in scrambling. In those years trials were generally held in the winter and scrambles in the summer, and I would support him at most of the scrambles. Malcolm got Greeves factory support, and the shop became the main Greeves agency in the area. I left BSA in 1964 and moved to Greeves, where my first ride was at the 1965 SSDT along with Malcolm.
“In a very wet SSDT, I gained a Special First-Class award, which was slightly spoilt by Malcolm beating me by two marks and taking the 250cc Class award! We were very competitive, and there was always a lot of ‘banter’ between us, and that drove us on. He was flying in the scrambles world and gaining a strong reputation as the one to watch. Super smooth, but in a very fast way, his first Factory support would come from Greeves, followed by AJS and Bultaco.
“Great satisfaction was gained from travelling the continent with Malcolm alongside so many other brilliant riders. Everyone had a tale to tell, and in turn, it made them incredible characters, I honestly could write a book on these times! It is very difficult to explain to anyone how strong a friendship there was in those days; camaraderie at its highest level.
“I was a member of the winning Western Centre scrambles team one year, which was not really surprising as the team consisted of Malcolm, Andy Roberton, Bryan Wade, Randy Owen and myself. When I used to travel with Malcolm to the Bultaco factory to pick up machines for him to ride all over the continent, it was my job to do most of the driving, some of the spanner work and do all the signalling.
“I am very proud to have supported Malcolm carrying out numerous tasks, including holding the race board to show race positions – with immense pride when it told him he was winning. I was with him when he won three ACU 250cc British Scrambles Championships. Reminiscing over my motorcycle years, I realise just how fortunate I have been to enjoy such special times alongside Malcolm and to be part of a sport that has given me so much pleasure.
“Through both good and bad times the brotherly bond was so strong, however hard things were. We were also very competitive away from motorcycles, and both Malcolm and I played squash at county level for different clubs. I just about had the competitive edge on him there. He also enjoyed golf and played off a two handicap, and I played off six, so he had to give me four strokes, although he would never let me pick which holes I could take my strokes at, so he would generally win anyway! That special drive we had to succeed was always there and took us through our careers, whether we were together or apart.
“The saddest time in motorcycling and my life was when Malcolm was tragically killed in a country lane at the Presidents Trial in Devon, by a car driven by a drunk driver. Father was the ACU steward that day. Malcolm was sat waiting on the machine to turn into a group of sections when he was hit from behind by a car and was killed instantly; he was just 36 years old. After all the thrills and spills on a motorcycle, he was killed by an event beyond his control. He left behind a wonderful wife and a young child. He was buried at Tredworth cemetery in front of a packed assembly of so many of his friends, rivals and fellow motorcyclists.
“I still kick myself today that I didn’t enter and ride the trial with him as it might not have happened, but you have to accept what happens in life as you cannot rewind the clock. Forty years on the pain is still there, but I also have to reflect on the good times that we shared; there were so many.
“Malcolm first won an ACU British Championship on the 250cc AJS in 1968. He was runner-up to Bryan Wade in 1969 riding both AJS and CZ but regained the British 250cc Champion title in 1970 on the AJS. Riding the Spanish 250cc Bultaco, he was once again runner-up to Bryan Wade in 1971, before winning again in 1973 finishing as runner-up to Vic Allan in 1974, again on Bultaco.
“These were priceless times, and I have to thank everyone in the world of motorcycles for enjoying the lives of the Davis brothers; that’s one aspect of life you can never erase!”