“Looking for adventure, Perris decided to take off for the continent to race his Velocette KTT – as well as ride it there!”

Born on May 28, 1931, in Toronto, Canada, Frank Perris was three when the family moved back to Cheshire, owing to his father’s job. With his dad a keen motorcyclist – as well as model engineer – young Perris was clearly possessed of an engineering bent, starting his motorcycling in 1948 on a 1914 Douglas he found and persuaded to run, soon replaced with a 1934 350cc BSA Blue Star. Then a trip to the Isle of Man for the TT further fuelled the motorcycling