RACE -BRED Success
Tom Willison knows his Commandos. He’s owned two and raced four, including a featherbed 750 Commando that belonged to his old employer and ex-IoM racer Jack Gow. Tom’s latest Commando is seen here, but we’ll get back to it after you’ve been wowed by Tom’s impressive racing career. Not only did youthful Tom compete in the Scottish championships during the 1970s, he was talented enough to race alongside Mike Hailwood during the star’s famous Manx comeback.
Back then, Tom had snapped up a dream job at Dundee’s premier motorcycle dealer Jack Gow and during his first week was offered the chance to race the firm’s Ducati Silverstone 200 race bike. Jack Gow was a real biker and encouraged young riders in his employ to get involved in racing. He once let Tom have a ride on his highly prized NSU 250 Sportsmax, but before eager Tom could wheel the racer out onto the track, he was sternly warned, ‘If you crash it – don’t come back!’
Happily, Tom came back.
Jack Gow himself had raced the Ducati throughout Scotland and at the TT. Tom was apprehensive about racing per se, but decided to give it a go on the condition that his mum would never find out – else he’d be for the high jump… ‘I didn’t want my mum worrying, but when I came home from work the following day, sitting next to my dinner lay an open race programme with my name highlighted in red ink – I got merry hell! I received the same motherly love when she found out that I was also racing at the TT.
‘I remember mum said, “Aye, you’ll not be long in this world son!” Poor old mum!’
Gow’s Ducati racer ran on a highly volatile mix of methanol and acetone and before Tom could race it, he was required to sign for the fuel at Boots the Chemist. At first Boots staff eyed young Tom with suspicion, until he explained
