Czech-mate for the condom trick!
Reading John
Milton’s article about Olga Kevelos, there was mention of the Czechoslovakian ISDT team. This reminds me of when I spectated at the 1971 ISDT on the Isle of Man. The Czechoslovakian team made an impressive showing, distinctive in their khaki-coloured gabardine-like twopiece riding suits styled after the Belstaff/ Barbour pattern.
Somehow, we found out that their team members had a unique method of transferring fuel in an emergency from one machine to another. They actually carried condoms with them for that very purpose! I filed that interesting piece of information to the back of my mind.
A few years later I had taken up green laning and had joined the TRF, having been inspired by the words of the late John Ebbrell writing his columns in The Motor Cycle.
One day one of our TRF party ran out of fuel in a remote location, and we needed to get some petrol transferred from one of the other fuel tanks into his. I remembered that I had been carrying a ‘packet of three’ as they were known, for just this eventuality. Disconnecting the fuel line of the donor bike we proceeded to fill a condom. I think it took approximately 10 seconds before the rubber melted upon the contact with the petrol. So much for my inspired brainwave borrowed from the Czech ISDT team! Upon reflection I can only assume that the products available to the (then) Communist Czechoslovakian riders were made out of recycled tractor tyres!