I was going to give this thread a break as it seemed to be winding down a bit, but...
In Frank Mellings 'The Big Leap' I found a number of references to Greeves, AJS and Bultaco works rider Malcolm Davis from Wales. It appears that he and Melling were mates,
Melling says as much (p99):
"Davis was a good friend of mine & a man whom I respected both personally & as a rider"
Seeing that his team mate had won the first GP of the season on what appears to be an identical bike, sends me the message that Davis may have been a bit suspicious that Pomeroy’s bike was more special than his
He didn't have to be
suspicious that it was more special than his. Just check out the rear hub, the guards & the shocks on JPs bike. That pre-prod'n Mk7 hub was uber-trick in early 73 especially compared to a std pursang rear hub of the day. According to Mellings test of Davis's 73 UK championship winning bike, Davis didn't get that hub till after the end of the UK season. Its obvious JPs bike was "more special" than the others. The question that raises is: why JP? (I think there are a few answers)
Perhaps Melling assumption that Pomeroy’s bike had a ‘special American made Chro-Mo frame had come via Davis?
The US-made bit may have been an assumption via Davis, but the cro-mo bit could well have come via JP's other UK team mate, Vic Allan. Remember this from Vic (from VMX#7, p67):
"I ended up doing the 250s (ie GP circuit in 73) on a standard production pursang w the barrel tuned by Tony Dowe, now director of racing at Arrows F1 team. When JP broke one of the lightweight cro-mo frames I was given it & had it welde up".
We seem to be going around in circles now, going over the same ground we've been over & perhaps forgetting whats been posted.
There is a consistency to the reports about a cro-mo frame from various sources that makes it hard to doubt it (in chronological order from closest to the event):
from JP via Dirt Bike I'view
from JP via CI I'view
from John Huetter, the US journo travelling w JP all season
from JPs GP team mate Vic Allan
from JPs US team mate Kenny Zart
Why did Jim make the American Made claim when even his brother denies the truth of the statement
Mark, its a bit of a quantum leap to that from this:
Unfortunately, Ron couldn't shed any further light on the subject, his take being that he thought that the bike had been a total stocker
The big question in my mind now is, Why did Jim make the American Made claim
I go back to this:
Were JPs claims (that it was US made) a case of trumped-up patriotic hubris about US expertise/involvement thats typical of the yanks?
Or this:
I would guess it was more likely to be an assumption or misunderstanding
I take you back to what JP himself was quoted as saying about it. He raises the patriotic bit himself:
About all it had was a cro-mo frame made in the states. Its not very good. Its made too light & it cracks everywhere. The Bul factory frame is better-handling cos it feels like its stronger & doesnt flex as much, but that day I was patriotic & I said, OK, I'll use everything American today
That last bit has always sounded so artificial to me!
right now the evidence points towards the frame being a factory built lightweight pre production Mk VII style unit.
Yes, for me, the various reports again point that way as the most likely scenario.
Another bit of evidence that points that way is that the bike Melling tested "just weeks after" he won the UK Championship was Davis'
73 bike & its clearly a pre-prod'n Mk7 Pursang (w a couple of exceptions) in Mk6 colours weighing "208lbs ready to race" . ie Davis campaigned a pre-prod'n MK7 w lightweight frame during the 73 season too, even if he got it a little later than JP did.
Hopefully I'll post a pic or 2 of that bike shortly (which shows the couple of exceptions)
