Ok , I know it's been a while since anything was posted here but I was forwarded these letters today on the subject of the first sliders, courtesy of Fotohound, which throw a great deal of light on the subject.
This first letter is from Ray Smith in Darwin
Harv,
That outfit rider on number twelve looked like he was having a good time, and I think the riding shirt may set a new fashion. Seriously though, lots of good photos and apparently no serious injuries. Good to be back into it then?
The title winners history, I’ll have a look at again in the light of corrections that have come in. It’s so easy to get history wrong. Then if it gets repeated often enough, it becomes history, including the errors.
Here’s a bit of history. Paul Spooner, the Hagon importer and top short circuit rider in 1960s once told me that he thought Ray Owen may have privately imported a Hagon, shortly before Paul started bringing them in. In Jim Scaysbrook’s book, there is a photo of Ray having just won multiple Victorian Grass Track Titles, some on his ‘new’ Hagon JAP in 1966. So there’s a question mark over when Ray Owen first acquired the Hagon.
The first one I saw race was ridden by Herb Jefferson, using a 350cc BSA engine at the Taree Old Bar event January 1965, and that was the first of the bikes imported by Paul Spooner. Jeffo ran away from the opposition at that event, and soon afterwards all the top riders were using them. Fortunately Herb and Ray are both still around and they would both know for certain who had the first one.
As an aside, I also raced at the January ’65 Taree event, on a 500 Triumph sidecar (not in the top placings). My passenger Mal Christie, and myself, got arrested in a pub on the Saturday night and accused of among other things, riding our race bike on the road outside the circuit. So it was a weekend of ups and downs, but the biggest up was watching Jeffo going hard. He could ride fast on any bike but he cranked it up a notch on that slider, and changed the whole face of short circuit solo racing in just one day.
Cheers
RS in Darwin
I love the bit about being arrested for riding their outfit around the Taree pub !!
The next letter is from Herb
Hi,
I was at a race meeting at Griffith some time in 1964 and Ray Owen had the first Hagon frame with a 350 JAP in it.
After the meeting Ray asked me if i would like to have a few laps on it. I was really impressed with it. Paul spooner was wanting to import them and so I put in my order and over xmas 1964, I put my 350 BSA in it. I denied any knowelge of it and pulled it out at the Old Bar meeting in Jan. 1965 and had a great time.
Everyone asked me what its like and I told them its like riding a broomstick. "I don't know whats going to break first", "I think i'll put the motor back in the BSA duplex frame" etc. So I had it to myself for a fair while then everyone seemed to decide to get one. But the cheats put 500 motors in theirs and that left me "up the creek".
A couple of months later Bill Simpson knocked on my door and told me he had a new ESO motor. What are you going to do with that, Bill? I bought a Hagon frame to put it in. When you going to do all this, Bill? Its done. What are you gonna do with it, Bill? I called down to see if you wanted to ride it. Well, whats it like, Bill? Ohh, you've seen one bike, you've seen them all, haven't you. Ohh I guess so, said Herbie. Why don't you come up and have a look at it, said Bill. Yep, I'll do that, in fact, I'll be up tomorrow night.
Well anyone that's seen Bill's work would know what I seen. A really well built, really highly polished, bike. Almost too clean and polished to ride, well that is almost.
That bike went on to win a lot, and it never stopped on me once. But the part I'm proudest of is that there was a lot of ex riders and bike lovers leaning over the fence with their tongue hanging out. They thought, hey, I'll buy a bike and ask my favourite rider if he wanted to form a team.
Next thing they where in the pits and involved doing something they loved. Then everyone in the pits was laughing and joking.
Cheers,
Herb Jefferson.
Answers a few questions and we were on the right track with the dates
Foss
