Triumph to Triumph
Decades before the epic State of Origin Rugby League clashes, NSW road racers Ron Toombs, Jack Ahearn and Kel Carruthers became legends while riders from north of the Tweed remained unknowns. Come 1967, when John Warrian became the first Queenslander to win an Australian Unlimited Grand Prix, and did so in front of a parochial home crowd at Surfers Paradise, the ‘cane toads’ were delighted.
None more so than proud Queensland fabricator Brian Payne who, only two days previously, had applied the final welds to his self-designed and built Transac frame; into which Brian and John had installed the Triumph Bonneville 650 engine painstakingly assembled for the occasion. Though Brian’s Transac unique creations had previously enjoyed success with speedway and road-racing outfits, and John had accumulated several Queensland road racing titles, the 1967 Unlimited Grand Prix victory was their long awaited recognition of local talent.
Early Days
Done with school at an early age, the drudgery of John’s first job on a dredge quickly led to him signing on with the Merchant Navy, visiting all ports from tranquil Thursday Island in the tropics all the way south to the City Of Churches. “The pay was terrific” recalls John. “You were paid for weekends on board even if you weren’t on shift, so I was soon cashed up and looking for more adventure. When I found out I could get a motorcycle licence at 16- years-old in South Australia I couldn’t wait.”
On his very next shore leave in Brisbane, John paid
