I still had one more year of studying to get done which would take me to the grand old age of 22 so I decided that during year I would strip the Goldie and get it ready for racing the following year. Also the theory being it would keep me at home more for some serious studying and not out chasing the girls and drinking, fat chance.

During this time our regular meeting places started to change from cafes and coffee bars around South Croydon to the pubs, the most popular night was Monday night at the Bull at Chelsham. This was lads night and amongst the lads were some very good road racers and friends, Barry Tingley, Peter Busswell, Dave Nixon well known proddie racer and great mate sadly later killed in the IOM, Rex Butcher already getting start money, Ian Ratcliffe known as Iron Man, Tony Randle who weighed nothing and made a 125cc Honda Benly go quicker than my Goldie, The Doble brothers Mick and Chris who raced a Greeves with great success beating Tommy Robb on a works Bultaco at Brands. My lifetime friend and best man Geoff Reed who could always find a way past me in a bloody Morris Minor sidevalve through the lanes home, closely followed by Don Sharp who had a pilots licence and with his leather flying jacket looked as if he and his 350 Velo were both about to take off. Martin Carney later to move on to the States and Kawasaki.  The list goes on but if you remember the classic era you will recognise a name or two. The year passed soon enough and with the exams over and passed, it was time to go racing.

Now if you think I had spent hours tuning and honing the Goldie to perfection forget it, this was racing for fun and on the cheap, hard earned money was for beer and birds in those days. Everything that could be was thrown off was thrown off like the now very expensive steel tank  swapped for a  7R type fibreglass job, mudguards, lights, toolbox, primary chain case’s etc probably all bined  but to save money the steel rims stayed as did the side oil tank. All that I put on was a second hand fairing and some second hand race tyres bought from John Cooper yes Old Mooneyes for five shillings at a Brands meeting. As for the engine I overhauled it and found it to be basically sound after three years of road riding so in went some W&S valve springs and a slightly higher compression piston, 10 degree advance pinion, new push rods, some internal polishing and that was that. As far as I know that engine, apart from a cam follower breaking has had no major problems since and is still going strong in Ireland to this day. The RRT2 gearbox and chassis, apart from fitting two way fork dampers, were left as was.

By now it was September so down to Brands we go for a Wednesday afternoon five shilling practice session.  Right of we go and sure enough after a couple of sessions I am enjoying myself ,other riders are not coming past so often, lines are getting better, most of the gears seem to be the right ones at the right time I even manage to pass a few people, I’m getting cocky and like all learners going into the bends too fast and sure enough down I go in a heap at Druids. Ken Phillips the chief marshal arrives in his Morris Minor Traveller and say’s "I could see that coming lad, in you get".  So the bike’s in a mess and that’s that for that season.

During the winter of 64/65 the bike is repaired and I enter a meeting for Easter Monday at Thruxton circuit. Now then, first for the benefit of those who dwell in sunnier climates let me tell you about our Easter weather, one minute its lovely all daffodils and blue skies next minute its like the middle of bloody Siberia combine that with a very exposed old wartime airfield and that was Thruxton  1965. In those days we camped or slept in the back of our vans. I was lucky Dave Nixon took pity on me and let me share his Ford Thames. I would swear there was more frost on the inside rather than the outside of those dam vans. On the morning of the race meeting, having arrived very late the night before, we looked out to find that the weather was undecided about whether to rain , sleet , snow or shine so it did all of that and more. Anyway when you are young and stupid you don’t worry about such minor details and after scruterneering and a suitably greasy cooked breakfast which did wonders for clearing out an already wobbly stomach, a visit to the loo’s, (which looked and smelt like the Luftwaffe had just bombed it with something very nasty), was called for. Finally my group were called up for practice. In the warming up area I looked quickly around and realised there was Paddy Driver on one side, Pat Mahoney (still about by they way after that terrible crash at Brands much later on) on the other and Sid Mizen in front all real Ace’s what the hell am I doing here. I need not have worried as soon as we moved off they were all gone and for most of the practice session I plonked steadily around on my own. There was to be two heats and a final for the 350cc race and would you believe I got into the final, god knows how, I think some riders got so cold they stayed in the refreshment tent. After a lot of hanging around it was time for the final and again I’m thinking what am I doing amongst this lot anyway down goes the flag and they just vanished. The heat was a stroll this was for serious money, so I thought I had better get going before they all come around again and kick my backside, After about 3 laps it started to snow what fun and before you can say Mike the Bike I’m on the grass with snowed up goggles at about 90mph. Broad-siding speedway riders had nothing on me I was magic, the only trouble was I was supposed to be road racing. Fortunately I got away with a megga full of mud and dented pride. So ended the first lesson let the aces get on with it, take your time. 

After that first meeting things didn’t improve much in fact I fell off six times in five meetings mainly due to my overdoing things however I was enjoying myself strange as it may sound now. I loved the travelling and the camaraderie that comes with the sport. I raced about once a month which stretched the budget badly enough but always looked forward to the next meeting when I was going to do much better, course I was. The sixth time I came off was at Brands coming into Clearways from the long circuit very fast even on a 350cc Goldie. Eventually the Blood wagon arrived and they stuck me in it then announced that they were going across to Paddock bend on the grass to pick up another victim Joe Dunphy as it turned out. Well I don’t know which was worse the crash or the ride in the ambulance but it was time to get a better handling machine and learn to steady up. Now Barry Tingley had a spare Manx chassis so in went the Goldie engine didn’t even cut the bottom frame tube and hey hoe instant handling bike mit brakes even. Only problem, highest finisher in the heat got the ride in the final, Barry entering one heat and me another.  Well Barry had been racing for a few years and knew the score and it took me a season to work out that quicker times didn’t equal higher places if you were in the faster heat, but the bike was good I learnt how to ride properly not like an idiot and occasionally I got a ride on his lovely Manx Triton.

In 1966 I decided to build my own bike again and got hold of a Wide-line Norton Dommi rolling chassis and two Dommi engines, one a 500cc and a 650cc.  The 650 engine was slower than the 500 and that was not much better than my 350 Goldie engine so eventually back in went the 350 Goldie engine and that’s how it stayed till this day.  Now around this time the Aermacchis were doing really well and the old Goldie was getting really outclassed so it was make your mind up time.  In addition I was in love, no not with a bike with a girl, the lovely Yvonne from Crawley in Sussex, A while after we had met I was racing at Lydden in Kent and she was a spectator, my results were getting better and I was staying on but I knew I was pushing it on the old tackle I was riding  and sure enough down I went for the first time in ages, she was not amused and told me straight you are riding too fast trying to kept up with bikes you will never catch.  It always needs someone else to tell you what you already now get some decent gear don’t push it  Well she was dead right and I had had a really good run for my money with no broken bones, lots of laughs, plenty of good mates. A new Aermacchi was over a year’s wages so lets pack it in while the goings good.

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