The finest hour

In hindsight, the choice of Chris Vincent (who died in February 2021, aged 86) to take on the might of Continental crews racing outfits powered by BMW race engines with a near-obsolete, pre-unit BSA A7 pushrod motor, appears brave at best, plain bonkers at worst. The fact he’d been back working at BSA for some time (which helped with components sourcing) and that he’d learned how to carefully build these engines into successful racing units influenced him, but for many of us the choice remains, well, ‘optimistic.’ But we need to remember the nature of the man, a nature which drove him on to give himself and BSA their finest hour – victory at the 1962 IoM Sidecar TT.

Rather than repeat what has been written about Vincent’s racing career, here’s a diary of 1962 events leading to that win by the man who professed to have enjoyed his time working at ‘The BSA,’ even if there were differences of opinion...

Saturday, April 7, 1962, Silverstone

Leading the charge for the BSA Barrow Boys, accomplished sidecar racer and BSA employee Chris Vincent had his first international taste of the year’s BMW powered opposition in front of 20,000 spectators at the Hutchinson 100 meeting. Despite the presence of Continental BMW aces Florian Camathias and Max Deubel, veteran Lincolnshire runner Jackie Beeton (BMW/Watsonian) won the day. Crewed by Eddie Bulgin, 47-year-old Louth, Lincolnshire garage proprietor Beeton won the BMCRC Championship sidecar race from Camathias, with Vincent/Eric Bliss on their pushrod BSA twin third. Later, Beeton