The early days of Santa Pod

The picture of EJ Potter on the front page of OBM432 certainly struck a chord as I am among the readers of OBM who were lucky enough to be at Santa Pod to see him and several other Americans run some amazing machinery. Details of the day have faded over the years, but I vividly remember seeing EJ Potter on that V8 bike.

I was 17 at the time and travelled to Santa Pod with a group of older mates in a Vauxhall Wyvern which even then was fairly ancient. From memory, Santa Pod had not been open long and was very basic, with no spectator stands or facilities as there are today.

At the time I was also very much into photography and somewhere I have or had some pictures of the day, all black and white and all developed and printed at home. Should I ever find them I will send them in to share with OBM readers.

You ask how can OBM move forward; it’s difficult to make suggestions because, in my opinion, it is pretty much right, but I understand it may be right as it is but must not stand still. Maybe, some more technical articles might be good, such as ‘how to’ do a specific job on old bikes. Just a thought but those who made a living working on the bikes we now cherish are becoming fewer all the time and perhaps we could tap into the knowledge they gained either from a factory or dealer.

John Southall

We very much hope Mr Southall will find his pictures of way back when. And, if anyone fancies contributing a ‘how to’ article on just about anything, please drop us a line.