Back on track part two
Cigarette in mouth, Stanley Gill positioned his 345cc (76x76mm bore x stroke) Balham, South London built Alecto on the Brooklands track to go record breaking, on Tuesday, August 3, 1920. An unlikely choice, with its huge outside flywheel, the belt driver built by Cashmore brothers ticked no boxes, but off went Stanley, initially at 43mph, later slowing to 41mph, as he and the Alecto tired.
He took 21 records, from nine hours and 400 miles upwards, including 10, 11 and 12 hours and 500 miles for solo classes B (350cc), C (500cc), D (750cc) and E (1000cc). His Alecto was the first two-stroke to set a series of long distance track records. Despite this impressive publicised record spree, Alecto sales remained ‘steady.’
BMCRC (British Motor Cycle Racing Club aka ‘Bemsee’) and the Essex Motor Club ran the first ‘open’ meeting since the First World War on August 14 and of the five motorcycle events, two were single marque races, for Douglas and Zenith. First motorcycle event of the joint meeting proved the handicapper isn’t always right as scratch men Jack Emerson (399cc British-built ABC, instead of declared 460cc French-made ABC) and Les Bailey (348cc ohv Douglas, readied in fast touring trim for the forthcoming Le Mans Grand Prix) couldn’t make any impression on the handicapped boys, including winner H Thorpe at 63.3mph and placemen A Watson and Tudor Thompson, all
