Classic Racing Motorcycles: First You Have To Finish

For 40 years Andy Reynolds built, maintained and raced a dizzying array of classic motorcycles. Being able to do that is impressive enough in itself, but being able to write about it in an entertaining and engaging way is another proposition entirely. Luckily for us readers, Andy has done just that in his autobiography which covers in depth his journey from his first bike, a Lambretta TV175 at the age of 16, through to his current role as a scrutineer and sponsor. Along the path Andy raced just about every classic machine you could name (some he owned, some he part-owned and some he raced for the owners) and, after a brief move into grass track racing, sprinting and an even briefer flirtation with trials, he found his forte in road racing.

What is particularly noteworthy is that Andy did all this on the tightest of budgets while holding down a job in the Traffic Division of Hertfordshire Constabulary and providing for his family and three daughters (although the upside of that was, he says, that the Hertfordshire Constabulary Motor Club always managed to direct a few pounds his way for a little sponsorship). Throughout the book Andy is honest about the financial hardships, not to mention the risks he encountered along the way, all the time backed up by his wife and childhood sweetheart, Shelagh, who supported her husband tirelessly despite his high risk job and hobby. At one point, when Andy’s good friend Andy Goodall is killed while they are racing on the Isle of Man, Shelagh says plaintively: “All I wanted now was to go home and be safe.”

During his career, Andy came into contact with many of the famous names in motorcycle sport and his book is as much a fascinating history of those years of racing as of his own life. His racing career came to an end when, in 2017, he developed a deep vein thrombosis in his left leg and small clots in his right lung.

Fortunately, those problems were treatable but he now has to take anticoagulants which has put an end to riding as even a small injury could be disastrous. Even if Andy had ignored doctors’ orders he would have been unable to race as his doctor wouldn’t sign his racing licence application form. However, by then, he had already decided to move into scrutineering, a job for which, with his years of experience and attention to detail, he has proved himself perfectly suited.

I was already thoroughly enjoying this book before one chapter stopped me in my tracks. After a nasty ‘incident’ at Brands Hatch which resulted in a badly injured foot, Andy decided to abandon motorcycle racing and buy a Lotus Elan. He turned for advice to an expert car restorer by the name of Mick Miller and describes how he visited Mick. That was my dad. (Spoiler alert – Andy didn’t keep the Elan long and replaced it with a Seeley Matchless!).

In all, this is a fascinating read, lavishly illustrated, and thoroughly entertaining.

Racing Classic Motorcycles: First You Have To Finish by Andy Reynolds

Veloce Publishing ISBN: 978-1-78711-481-4