A record breaker writes

Sir,

A copy of your July 1995 edition has come into my possession where you review Double-Twelve hour records, and there is a picture of myself during the 1932 350cc BSA Sidecar Wodd Record.

As the sole surviving member of this World Record, the article brought back happy memories of those two days in October.

The project was devised by Mike Couper and my brother A J. Many marques were approached but none was interested. Nortons already had enough records but BSA had produced ‘The Gold Star’ and thought a world record would help publicity. You referred to the ride as being dull but tenacious. Tenacious, perhaps, but dull it was not. With a solid frame and an overgrown bicycle saddle with coil springs, the machine was quickly nicknamed ‘Bally Sore Ass’. The concrete at Brooklands was anything but smooth and just after coming off the Byfleet banking, there was a notorious lump and hitting that each time round was horrendous.

A relaxed atmosphere existed until someone said “Brewster seems a long time coming.” Caliper went off in his Lagonda to find Brewster in the sewage farm. The sidecar’s wheel spindle had broken. So I went into Weybridge where there was a shop which had a BSA agency. Incredibly, the owner produced a spindle which he ‘thought might fit’. When he learnt it was for a World Record attempt he shut the shop and came with us to the track, having put a notice in the window “Closed for BSA World Record attempt, Brooklands”.

Then we had gearbox trouble and were late starting the next morning. The time to the spindle and the work on the ‘box accounted far some three hours, so running time was perhaps twenty hours but we established a 24 hour record of 42.89 mph.

We finished in the evening but as it was getting dark the final laps were made by Couper driving behind in the Lagonda with the head lamps on. This seemed a good idea but was rather hairy as the rider was always driving into his own shadow.

I am yours etc

E A Dussek, Sevenoaks, Kent