Story Sunday: 1949 Grand Cup Trial

Our full name is Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club Ltd.  Just like in our name, the bikes came before the cars and on this day in 1949, we ran the Grand Cup Trial for motorcycles.  Here’s how it was summarised in our journal…

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BRISTOL MOTOR-CYCLE AND LIGHT CAR CLUB

Grand Cup Trial

This motor-cycle trial took place on Saturday afternoon, August 13th, starting from Blathwaite Arms, Lansdown, over two circuits of a twelve-mile course, including the well-known hill of Grandmother’s Rocks, Clee, Doynton and Cowsh. There were 39 entries, including one side-car.

I think the Trial can be regarded as having gone off very satisfactorily indeed; the competitors expressed themselves pleased with an admittedly hard but very fair course, in fact every one of the sections was climbed by one or other of the competitors clean, and there was an absence of any serious delay, the last man finishing within about a quarter of an hour of the allotted time.

Many of the well-known “Centre” riders were competing, and as you will see, even the winner lost as many as twenty marks, and I might mention that some of the less experienced riders lost over one hundred.

Much thanks is due to the Club members who acted as observers, and from what I can hear they seemed to have had quite an interesting time.

P. R. GREEN