Gymkhana japes on an AJS!

Further to my letter in OBM426, my long-time friend Joe Flux has come up with a photo of a Petersfield club gymkhana taken on Petersfield Heath, we think in 1957, an event in the town carnival programme. It was very popular – just look at the crowd!

Ray Marsh, the best local scrambler, is on the far left and has just thrown the jug of water. Next to him is Bill Potter. The rider on the immaculate 500 AJS scrambler is owner John Goldring, with Pete Luff on the handlebars.

Ray was sponsored in scrambles by the local motorcycle shop, Tews, which supplied the AJS in the photo, along with a very fast DMW fitted with a Tiger Cub engine. Tews sold on the bike in the photo to John and supplied Ray with a new AJS 500. John fitted trials tyres and lights and rode it on the road for a number of years. It proved very fast and made a lovely noise going up the hill past my home – it is believed it’s still around somewhere,

Ray had two Ajays with Tews and then he was sponsored with an AJS and Greeves when he moved to George Hodges at Portsmouth. He always said the first AJS was the best and fastest; the later ones were not so good. As a point of interest, Ray always fitted spokes two gauges heavier in the wheels of the Ajays and had the steering damper really tight. He also fitted a damper to the DMW, which he rode so hard that the frame bent under the steering head, increasing the wheelbase. This was cured by wrapping a 10 gauge steel plate round the head and brazing it to the frame tubes. In the local races I never saw him beaten on the DMW/Triumph in the then popular 200cc class.

Nigel McBurney, Hampshire