Harold Taylor ISDT

[Graham Smith]

A 5.6 second pit stop to take on liquid during the last day of the 1948 ISDT in San Remo, Italy.

Harold Taylor, fighting for his Gold Medal as a privateer, has the clutch in, engine running, ringer on the front brake, but ready to gun his H.R.D. Vincent back into the fray. He eventually won Gold.

 

[vibrac]

Harold had a complaint against him by the German team because he only had one leg and that made his Vincent outfit thinner than a standard one. I suppose Harold smiled at that because he had been in the notorious 1939 ISTD (The one cut short by the war starting) when on day 2 he had been rammed by a German team members outfit which had sent him and outfit (BSA) in the ditch the rammer did not stop and Harold lay with the outfit on top while the exhaust pipe burnt into his one good leg. " For you the trial is over" but he survived to ride in 1948 and seek revenge

 

[ClassicBiker]

When I read stories like that I always think people who perpetrate actions like those described are competing out of their league. I know people like that have been around since the beginning of time, but it still irritates me.