| <vintagemxracer.com.> There will not be a National MX Champion this year due to the fuel situation in the middle east.......... |
| British Petrol Ration stamps From the Suez Crisis Dated 1957 |
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Bench racing
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| This is the story about one of the Greatest MotoCross racers of all time Jeff Smith without enough gas to finish the 1957 British Scrambles Championship. Not just him but the whole of bloody England!!! <vintagemxracer.com> |
| Jeff Smith AHRMA Trustee and 2007 +70 expert Champion, was given the news that he would not be able to finish the series he was to compete in. He had won 2 National Titles in a row and was in good shape to win his third. Now it was not going to happen. This notification sounds like it could have happen for the 2008 season with gas heading towards $5.00 a gallon. No this is what Jeff found out in 1957 about the British National MX series or as it was then known the A-CU Scrambles Star series. He was the reigning Champion. This was a bigger deal than you might think because before 1960 when they added the 250 class, to be the A-CU Scrambles Star Champion meant you were THE Scrambles Champion of England. Only the 500cc class existed. <vintagemxracer.com> |
| I got to thinking about all this while reading Encyclopedia of Motor-cycle sport by Peter Carric. In the list of A-CU scrambles stars champions there was an entry behind 1957,not a name simply"not awarded. Petrol rationing (Suez crisis)". I couldn't help but compare then to now. Many people today are not making all the vintage races they used to because gas prices have squeezed them to the" I'll hit as many as I can" point. Where I live in the San Francisco Bay area we pay the highest price for gas in the lower 48 states. 2 years ago wages were about the same, gas was hovering around $2.00 a gal. A guy could go to a race 1000mi. away,do a couple of nights in a motel,gate fee,entry fee,camp the night before the race,pay for gas,food and be into it half a weeks pay. Now that same race will co$t a little more than a weeks pay. The culprit is fuel cost$ <vintagemxracer.com> |
| At least we can buy gas, in 1957Great Britain no amount of schillings would allow you to do so. Aubrey Jones Minister of Fuel and Energy installed Petrol Rationing and stamps of that name were required. You had to record your mileage and keep that under a certain amount as well. The thought of Race bikes sitting idle throughout all of England makes High gas prices here seem not so tough. So I thought I would get Jeff Smith's story of just how bad it was for him there in 1957. Story to follow <vintagemxracer.com> |
To hold you over till
we finish the article
here is some race
footage from British TV
From the mid 60's of
Jeff Smith on his BSA
we finish the article
here is some race
footage from British TV
From the mid 60's of
Jeff Smith on his BSA