The fourth annual Bob MacGregor Memorial motorcycle run took place on Tuesday 28th April at the Perthshire village of Killin.

Trials Guru, John Moffat was the guest of honour and rode his late father’s 1951 AJS 16MC trials machine on a route that covered approximately 130 miles of Perthshire’s A and B class roads.

The route took in Glen Lyon, Loch Rannoch, Bridge of Balgie, Bridge of Gaur and out to Rannoch Station with a stop for fuel in Aberfeldy.

The organiser in chief was Kendal enthusiast Peter Remington who is a well known trials and scrambles rider from the North West Centre.

Former Scottish Six Days Trial Clerk of Course Mark Whitham entered on a 1935 499 Rudge, a similar machine to the type Bob MacGregor won the SSDT with in 1935, the last win by a Scottish rider.

Local painter/decorator Bobby Lafferty plotted and marked the route and obtained various landowner permissions. Catering was supplied by specialists Gourlay Catering from Crieff.

A variety of machinery was used ranging from early trials machines to more modern trail and road machines with a few Cheney Triumphs, one used by ex-ISDT rider George Webb.

The weather up to the event was not good with snow down to sea level the day before, but all the roads were snow and ice free even high up and everyone vowed to return next year. Roll on 2016!

With only a few days until this years’ annual Pre’65 Scottish Trial at Kinlochleven, the organisers and course plotters had to overcome extreme April weather to lay the event on the hill.

Here is a photo taken by Pre’65 course plotters today, Monday 27th April not far above the village which gives a flavour of the extreme conditions that can occur in the Scottish highlands.

The weather forecast is better for the event, but it is not expected to be plain sailing with a mixed bag of sunshine and showers.

The annual Scottish Six Days Trial commences on Monday 4th May at Fort William with first man Gordon Murray on his Beta 300 leading the pack out of the West End Car Park at 07.30 GMT. Riders leave at minute intervals.

The event has had some personnel changes since the last trial, incoming SSDT Secretary is Dutch born mathematics teacher, Mieke De Vos, taking over from Catherine Halley who is now an official route-marker. Colin Menzies has retired as Chief Marshal, with Brenda McColm and Catherine Anderson sharing the position.

Quite a number of the hardy observers have retired, one notable absentee is Inverness & District Chairman, Malcolm Smith who will be spectating for the first time in many years, having been a competitor and then an observer for 25 years or more!

There are some new hazards introduced for the event on the Wednesday as the trial goes down to Appin on the A828. The new groups are named: ‘Meall nan Tarbh’ (3); ‘Appin’ (2) and ‘Big Dar’s Burn’ (2) with ‘Glen Stockdale’ 1300m from the village. The local community hall will be open at Appin serving a variety of food and drink, but the organisers would like any spectators to park in a sensible manner so that the continued use of the area can be assured. On the Thursday 7th May, the trial ventures back down into Perthshire as far as ‘Lochs Wood’ which has been missing of late, but spectators are most likely to catch the event at Chair Lift or Ba House, before marching up to Fersit which is a good hours walk from the car parking area at the hamlet. Friday 8th May is the traditional ‘Road Trip’ day when the riders go around the Moidart Peninsula covering around 80 miles of scenic route is the weather is fair. Please follow in the direction of the route to avoid meeting oncoming competitors wherever possible.

Remember to purchase a copy of the programme, the proceeds help the “Leanne Fund”, a local Lochaber charity, it costs £3.00 and will be on sale in the West End Car Park and various businesses in Fort William during the event.

As usual Nevis Radio will keep you up to date with the goings on at Parc Ferme from 7.00 – 11.00 GMT every day Monday to Saturday with David Ogg, Si Abberley and John Weller… of yes, I almost forgot, Trials Guru (The Moffster) will make his annual return to the airwaves!

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Just a few more days until this year’s Pre’65 Scottish at Kinlochleven on May 1st and 2nd – and here we have Kendal enthusiast Eddie Dobson with his home built Norton.

And here we have Eddie in his younger days on Peter Remington’s Sapphire Ossa at the 1980 Valente Trial.

Six Days In May – trailer

Produced by Stu Thomson of CutMedia – for The Edinburgh & District Motor Club Ltd – Scottish Six Days Trial – organisers since 1911, still going strong!

Here at Trials Guru we like to bring you something different from the norm, so here we have news of a Skipton lad who has entered the Scottish Six Days Trial on a bike that is certainly out of age.

James Moorhouse has entered on a 325cc Bultaco Sherpa T which in effect a thirty year old motorcycle to compete against the modern trials machines.

Allocated riding number 181, we look forward to plotting James’s progress on a machine he has christened ‘El Donkey’. The reason for the strange name is by way of homage to the tuner from Barcelona, ‘El Puma’, Jose Luis Rodriguez of Puma Racing whose speciality is restoring and tuning Bultaco motorcycles. James has rebuilt his Bultaco in the style of El Puma, but to put his own touch on it, dubbed the motorcycle ‘El Donkey’.

Listen up for daily interviews with James on Nevis Radio during SSDT week and if you are at the event, be sure to cheer James on.

Moorhouse will be in company with friends, Boyd Webster and Alan Mudd.

Article: Trials Guru / Moffat Racing, John Moffat 2015

Photo: Neil Sturgeon, Darlington.

In May 1935, 80 years ago now, Robert ‘Bob’ MacGregor rode his factory Rudge motorcycle to victory in the annual Scottish Six Days Trial, little did he know at the time, that he was to be the only Scotsman to have ever won the event and his ‘record’ would last well into the following century! MacGregor also won the same event three years previously when he became the first individual winner of the event. Bob was Rudge mounted for the 1932 event, although he did also ride for the Raleigh factory in reliability trials on previous occasions.

Bob lived in Killin on the shores of Loch Tay and ran a successful greengrocers business in the centre of the Perthshire village. He was well-known locally and respected as a sporting personality of his time.

MacGregor would regularly ride his machine from his home to the Coventry factory for refurbishment works and ride the machine home again, taking in a national event on the way. There were no works vans or motorhomes in those days so any travelling was done on the machine you competed on.

After his SSDT victory, Bob continued to compete as a national rider until the outbreak of the second world-war in 1939 when he was enlisted into the British Army for a specific purpose, this venture was led by Graham Walker, the father of sports commentator Murray Walker. MacGregor became a motorcycle instructor and trained many hundreds of despatch riders or ‘Don-R’s’ as they were referred to by the military. Bob delivered training for off-road riding, using his trials riding skills to great effect. It was when he was in the army that he met and struck up a friendship with Hugh Viney who was a Sergeant and would become one of the post-war winners of the SSDT when he rode for AJS. MacGregor did ride a few more SSDT’s post-war but a new breed of younger men emerged in the sport such as Artie Ratcliffe, Johnny Brittain, Jeff Smith,  John Draper and of course Hugh Viney, who had won the first post-war SSDT in 1947 at his first attempt. Since 1935, there have been only two Scotsmen to secure ‘podium’ positions, Bob MacGregor and Kinlochleven’s Gary Macdonald, who came third in 2003. Macdonald is the most successful Scottish trials rider of all time, having won ten Scottish titles and a British title.

MacGregor’s name lives on in Killin, firstly as the greengrocers business still bears his name although not now under family ownership. Secondly as an annual trial is held there, run by the enthusiastic Bob MacGregor Motorcycle Club, an event conceived by the local painter, decorator and trials rider, Bobby Lafferty. The event is always over-subscribed and supported by riders from far-afield. Thirdly, there is an annual road run around the area, organised by the Cumbria Classic Club headed up by trials and scrambles rider Peter Remington from Kendal. This year, former SSDT Clerk of Course Mark Whitham will be riding a 1935 Rudge ‘Special Competition’ model in the road run, an almost identical machine to that which MacGregor won the SSDT eighty years previously.

MacGregor’s daughters regularly attend the main trial event to remember their childhood in the village and of course their father’s achievements in the sport of motorcycle trials. Gary Macdonald’s life-time ambition is to break Bob MacGregor’s SSDT record, now in its eightieth year – will he do it in 2015? We shall have to wait and see! Article Copyright: Trials Guru / Moffat Racing, John Moffat 2015 Photos by kind permission: – Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven – Trials Guru Archive – Edinburgh & District Motor Club Ltd – Archive – Mark Whitham

The 2015 Scottish Six Days Trial is nearly upon us and Michelin is pleased to announce its presence and support at this year’s event.

With a long and proud association that goes back to the first Michelin win with French rider, Gilles Burgat, on an SWM in 1981 through to the most recent win in 2014 with Dougie Lampkin – Michelin is pleased to support the 2015 event.

In 2014 Michelin tyres were used by seven of the top ten riders, including the winner Dougie Lampkin, who along with his friend James Dabill, start this year’s event as the favourites. Lampkin has won using Michelin tyres for the last three years and will be looking to add a fourth win in 2015. Ladies World trials champion and Michelin rider, Emma Bristow, will also once again be looking to win the Best Lady rider award.

This year Michelin will be providing a ‘Fill Up with Air’ unit in the start area. It will be situated under two Michelin gazebos to protect the riders from the Scottish weather with 4 compressors available. Michelin staff will be on-hand to offer pressure checks and expert tyre advice to the riders, teams and spectators. There will also be a Michelin tyre display where you can view the latest rubber.
Proud to be associated with this prestigious event you will be able to find the Michelin service area as the large inflatable Michelin man can be seen with the Michelin flags also flying proud.

Bringing you live information on the morning of each of the six days will be Nevis Radio Station. Hosted by David Ogg and John Moffat with rider interviews and general information is presented to you by Michelin in association with Trial Magazine positioned in the start area.

To see the full range of Michelin motorcycle tyres visit: Michelin

Article courtesy of Trials Media/ Trial Magazine UK