Photo Archive

Motocross (Scrambles)

See also Brian Mead, John Ives, John Powell and Ray Barber

Video

Here (Google Video)

Warning this is BIG (circa 80mb at a rough guess) as its almost 13minutes long, so broadband only (sorry).

Its from the BBC's 100 greatest moments of sport and its a BBC TV scramble at Canada Heights in the 1960s. Murray Walker is commentating, its the 8 lap open race (250s and 500s) and feature the famous Jeff Smith and Dave Bickers race. Also present are greats like Arthur Lampkin, Vic Eastwood and Dave Nichol, etc.

You can see the power lines overhead but most of the features are unrecognizable. The start / finish is in the current bottom car park, before the motoway was built (hence no trees). You can see the start straight going up the bank where trials sections are now towards the phone poles that go up the hill.

Thanks to Stefan (MXFreak.com) for letting me know

From Lisa Grainger of her dad, Paul Payne at Canada Heights back in the 1970's

Any more details would be appreciated (email me)

From Bill Gibson of Canada Heights

Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson and Alan Clarke

This one is a strange find. While searching the web for more info on Canada Heights, I found this on a New Zealand website.

It had the following caption "The rider is Tim Gibbes, testing the 1963 Greeves 250MDS model for the British Motorcycle News in his column the "No Holds Barred Test" during March, 1963 at Canada Heights circuit, near Swanley, Kent, England!" The website was at http://www.motorcyclesport.co.nz/content.cfm?ID=280.

Well you don't see snow like that at Canada Heights anymore.

After some research it turns out that Tim is mates with Jack Pringle and that he was one of the numerous band of people from "down under" who resided in southeast London during the sixties. He is now an organizer and a senior figure behind the Motorcyclesport.co.nz website.

This is from Marge Clarke and its Jack Pringle racing at Canda Heights on a Montessa 360 in the expert race