|
Vic Huxley |
|
Starting Out |
In a letter he wrote to a friend
in Australia in 1972, Johnnie Hoskins made the following comment on the subject
of Australia’s pre-war riders – “Vic Huxley and Bluey Wilkinson were the
greatest of the Aussies …”
A number of years ago, Marshall Huxley, Vic’s brother, related the following: -
“Vic was born Victor Nelson Huxley on the 23rd of September, 1906, and was
always called Nels or Nelson by his mother. Vic Huxley started work at the age
of 16 on a dairy farm twenty-five miles from Brisbane. By the age of 18 he had
left and joined the Exide Battery Company. By the time he was 19 he had saved
enough money to buy a new 1926 G8 AJS, no lights.”
Vic Huxley’s first motorcycle race was on the grass surface at the Brisbane
Motor Cycle Club’s annual carnival at the Deagon Racecourse on August 14, 1926.
Brisbane motorcycle enthusiasts of that time made the long journey to Deagon
either by train or on the dusty, and, at times, ill-kept road. Not even in his
wildest dreams would the young 19-year-old Huxley have anticipated what would
transpire that day. He had entered his 2 ¾ h.p. A.J.S. for two events - the Five
Mile All Powers Novice Handicap and the Five Mile All Powers Handicap (which was
the feature solo motorcycle handicap event on the programme). The latter event
was open to all classes of competitors. Although this was his first racing
appearance, Huxley had previously been present as a spectator at the motorcycle
races at Deagon. On those occasions he had looked on in amazement at the skill
and daring of the racers. He decided this was something he just had to try.
The feature events on the August 14 Deagon programme were two Queensland
Championships (one for solo machines and one for sidecars) and an Australasian
Solo Championship. A long dry spell had resulted in sections of the un-banked
course becoming quite bumpy. With speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour being
attainable on the 1,782-yard circuit, the track conditions that day made even
the seasoned riders race with caution. Vic Huxley’s performance certainly didn’t
go un-noticed by those present. With some practice laps under his belt prior to
the commencement of racing, Huxley rode his machine onto the track for his first
race, the Five Mile All Powers Novice Handicap. He had been allocated a 22
second start on the scratch rider in the race, Geoff Hopper. Even though Huxley
had never previously raced a motorcycle, he wasn’t the front marker. First to be
flagged away was Les Crookall, to whom Huxley gave a 28 second start.
Having taken just two laps to catch and pass those who had started before him,
Huxley set sail for home. The back markers failed to make any impression on him;
Huxley won his very first race start by 100 yards. His next appearance was in
the second heat of the Five Mile All Powers Handicap. Experienced big track
rider Frank Arthur had won the first heat. In his heat, Huxley, starting from
the front of the field, was never in any danger of being headed; he raced away
to win by three-quarters of a lap. The race report contains the following: -
“The feature of this race was the remarkably smooth running of Huxley’s machine.
He led easily all the way and substantially increased his lead at each lap.”
Huxley, having again started as front marker, led the final of the event for the
entire journey. This race was reported as follows: -
“The winner gave no chance to anyone else in the race, and was so far ahead
after the third lap that he eased up considerably. Even then he won comfortably
by a good quarter of a lap.”
Three wins from three starts at his first racing appearance; what a memorable
day it was for young Huxley.
Years later he spoke of that day at Deagon: -
“Our first races in Australia were not on dirt, for there were no dirt tracks.
The races took place on grass, which was infinitely more dangerous. After
watching some of these races for a while I plucked up courage and asked to try.
To my joy they gave me permission. I must have picked up some of the tricks from
just watching, for after practising, I was offered three rides. I won all three
of those races!”
The Brisbane Motor Cycle Club staged another of its annual events six weeks
after the Deagon meeting. The contest for the Barry Cup was a 50-miles road race
staged at the Logan Reserve, Kingston. To refer to the course this race took
place on as a “road” probably gives the incorrect impression, it was more of a
“track”. Vic Huxley nominated his 2 ¾ hp o.h.v. A.J.S. for this event. The
handicapper took into account Huxley’s fine showing at Deagon when issuing the
handicaps for the Kingston race. The back marker was Frank Pearce who had
nominated on a 2 ¾ hp o.h.v. Harley. The front marker, Les Crookall (2 ¾ hp
sports model New Imperial), would start 14 minutes before Pearce. The
handicapper gave Huxley just 4 ½ minutes start on Pearce.
Huxley, who had turned 20 years-of-age just two days prior to the Kingston
event, couldn’t repeat his fine Deagon showing. His total inexperience in this
form of racing proved too great an obstacle to overcome and he failed to see out
the gruelling event. Leading from start to finish on an ex-Frank Pearce machine,
Crookall raced to victory. Huxley had tried a big grass circuit and a road
circuit. His next challenge was to prove a true test of character and
perseverance.
When A. J. Hunting leased the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in 1926 to introduce
motorcycle speedway to the northern capital, one of his first tasks was to find
the riders to fill the programme on race nights. One of those to take up the
challenge of the new sport was Vic Huxley. Seasoned big track riders such as
Frank Pearce and Charlie Spinks took to riding on the small quarter-mile
grass-surfaced circuit without much trouble at all. Hunting provided plenty of
practice sessions for the riders to become accustomed to the Exhibition track.
Huxley was one who found great difficulty at first. Although he fell on numerous
occasions, he made steady progress. A “dress rehearsal” for the October 16
opening meeting took place under lights on Thursday October 7. One of the
purposes of this occasion was to stage time trials over one mile to determine
the nine riders who would take part in the Golden Helmet feature event on
opening night. Charlie Spinks recorded the fastest time of 79 seconds. Following
is how Huxley’s four-lap time trial was reported: -
“Young V. Huxley earned the unstinted applause of the crowd by completing a mile
in 85 seconds after twice coming down. In the first attempt he fell in the first
lap, but on his second run he was halfway through the last lap when he executed
a sensational skid and came off, rolling a dozen yards like a ball. He got up
immediately and ran back to the machine, which he was obviously pleased to find
quite undamaged.”
Huxley was successful in making the starting line-up for the October 16 Golden
Helmet event.
Even though the Exhibition Grounds season had yet to commence, Huxley was
already receiving newspaper coverage. The following was written by a keen
observer following the October 7 session: -
“ … I have a fancy for young Huxley, who showed a decided ability as a race
rider. He was not at home at all against the watch, but when four riders went on
the track in a racing try-out he was a different rider altogether. He simply
refused to be beaten. He raced around the outside of every rider, and hit the
front inside a few laps. Once in front he started to ‘loaf’, and the others took
him unawares and passed him. Nothing daunted, he again set out in pursuit, and,
staging a great finishing dash right out near the outside fence, he snatched
victory in the last stride by a narrow margin.”
The four-rider eight-lap race referred to in this extract was the second of two
trial races staged that evening in which Huxley competed. In the first, a
four-lap trial, Fred Nixon won from Huxley. Huxley got his revenge in the
eight-lap event when he reversed the previous finishing order.
It should be mentioned that on the evening of October 7, Huxley was
inconvenienced by having to use a worn tyre on his machine. That makes his
performance even more impressive as he had difficulty obtaining the desired
traction on the corners. |
 |
| The
Great Vic Huxley |
 |
This
photograph was taken at a practice session prior to opening night.
Dick Smythe is on the bike at the far left and Vic Huxley is on his bike on the
far right. |
The first race witnessed by the
16,000 spectators present on opening night at the Exhibition Grounds, October
16, was the first heat of the One-Mile Handicap. Rain during the afternoon had
left the track in a treacherous condition; it was wet and slippery. The riders
soon found themselves racing on a circle of mud. Huxley, with a two second start
on backmarker Charlie Spinks in this opening heat, handled the conditions
admirably. Having caught and passed the two riders who started before him,
Huxley raced to victory. Later in the programme, he won the final of the event.
Although he had no success in the Golden Helmet contest, Huxley did complete the
evening having recorded two race wins and two second placings from six starts.
Frank Pearce, riding an I.O.M. Douglas, won the Golden Helmet event, and Dick
Smythe (A.J.S.) took out the Two-Mile Handicap.
One initiative the management introduced was to reward the riders who were
responsible for the most spectacular races on the programme. On opening night,
Huxley received a bonus of four pounds, having competed in two of the three
selected races. Those competing on the night also received quite lucrative start
money on top of any bonus and prizemoney payments. Each earned thirty shillings
start money for heats and semi-finals, while a start in a final attracted sixty
shillings. When compared to his weekly earnings when working as a battery
mechanic, the evening of October 16 proved most profitable for young Huxley and
his stripped-down 350 cc A.J.S. tourer.
The following Saturday evening Huxley was back at the Exhibition Grounds. He
competed in four races recording a win and two second placings. He won his
One-Mile Handicap heat and finished in second place in both the semi-final and
the final of that event. The feature event on the programme was the Silver
Gauntlet scratch race. Huxley had a place in the semi-final sewn up until, while
in second place in his heat with just 100 yards remaining in the race, he fell
on the turn into the home straight. Charlie Spinks (Harley-Davidson) won the
final of the event.
The rider to beat Huxley in both the semi-final and the final of the One-Mile
Handicap was Rockhampton star Clem Roderkirchen. He had made the trip to
Brisbane to try out the new Exhibition track. Roderkirchen told the Brisbane
riders about the carnival which was to take place the following weekend at the
Rockhampton Showground in Central Queensland. A motorcycle race would be staged
on each of the three evenings of the carnival. The first prizes for these events
were 8 pounds, 10 pounds and 14 pounds. Huxley liked the sound of that and he
and his pal Dick Smythe forwarded nominations for the carnival.
Having arrived in Rockhampton on the Thursday, Huxley and Smythe availed
themselves of the opportunity to practise at the Showground track the following
day. This was yet another new experience for young Huxley. Unlike the racing
surface at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds track, the Rockhampton surface was
dirt. The hard working and diligent Secretary of the Rockhampton Agricultural
Society, Harry Hill, had overseen major improvements to the ground during the
previous 12 months; around 2,600 pounds had been outlayed for the work. Electric
lighting had been installed at the end of the previous year and, in recent
weeks, the track had been widened and the bends improved. The track, measuring
484 yards around the inside, was now practically circular. A crash involving
Dick Smythe marred the practice session. Badly bruised and shaken, Smythe’s
hopes of taking some of the carnival’s prizemoney back to Brisbane were dashed.
The opening day of Rockhampton’s Spring Carnival, Saturday October 30, featured
afternoon and evening sessions at the Showground. During the evening session the
two heats and the final of the first of the three carnival’s motorcycle events
were held. Although he had competed in both one-mile and two-mile handicap
events at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, Huxley had to adopt a different
mental approach when contesting the races conducted over the three nights in
Rockhampton – they were held over a distance of 5 miles. Huxley was keen to get
his hands on the 10 pounds first prizemoney on offer the first evening. He won
his heat in a time of 7 minutes 24.60 seconds. The big danger to Huxley’s
chances of winning the three-rider final was Townsville flyer Frank Randall.
Huxley’s plan was to put his head down and make the best use of the handicap
advantage he had over Randall. That is exactly how things panned out. Huxley
caught and overtook the front marker early in the race; and Randall failed to
make any impression on the visiting young rider from Brisbane. The 10 pounds was
Huxley’s. The time he registered for his win, 7 minutes 41 seconds, shows that,
once in the lead, he took no chances, and was determined to see out the 5 mile
journey.
Dick Smythe had hoped to be fit enough to compete on the Monday and Tuesday
evening’s programmes; but this was not to be. The 5-mile handicap final on the
Monday evening carried a first prize of 8 pounds. Even though he gave Frank
Randall’s brother 7 seconds start, Huxley easily caught and passed him to
register an easy victory in his heat. However, the placings were reversed in the
final, Arthur Randall won comfortably from Huxley. Huxley’s second prizemoney
was 2 pounds 10 shillings.
The event Huxley really wanted to win was the championship event held on the
Tuesday evening. The first prize was 14 pounds. Huxley knew he had a difficult
task in front of him, as this event was a scratch race; he had no handicap
advantage. Huxley lined up with four others for the running of the first of the
two heats. He needed to finish first or second to start in the final. Although
he rode a fine race, he just missed out on securing second place.
It had been just 80 days since Huxley had ridded his 350 cc A.J.S. tourer out
onto the Deagon Racecourse back in August for his first experience of motorcycle
racing. He now knew that there was money to be made from this new sport of
speedway if one persevered, and, when the money became available, purchased a
motorcycle more suited to racing on a small track. Persevere he did, and, when
he eventually changed his A.J.S. for a Harley-Davidson in the New Year, Huxley
became a star at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks to Ross Garrigan for this report. |
|
