After an out of the blue discussion with one of my dad’s mate a couple of weeks back he talked about another mate of his that used to race Victorian Dirt-Track, Speedway or perhaps scrambles back in the 60’s. He wasn’t sure what discipline but new that it was in the dirt and not on the tarmac.
Given that most of dad’s mates rode bikes in their youth I just went with the flow of the conversation thinking it was just a conversation between a bunch of mid 70’s blokes reliving their past. What got me really interested was when the discussion turned to Phil Irving and the work that he did for some of them “back in the day”. Then the conversation got real serious (for me at least) when he said that that the outfit his mate rode was powered by a Phil Irving tuned Vincent engine.
Being a Phil Irving fan I pushed him for some more information hoping that it might lead to looking at some photo’s or old programs when he surprised me by saying that his mate has still got the Vincent outfit and it’s located in metro Melbourne somewhere.
The story goes that a very few “in the know” are aware that such a machine is in fact in existence and that the owner is well aware of its value. I left the evening with dad and his mate working towards me going to have a chat with the owner and have a look at the bike.
If anyone is aware of the urban myth I’d be keen to hear. In any case I’ll keep you posted.
