Scrambles dont get crowds like this anymore

[John Wakefield]

This pic lifted from Facebook, apparently Mike Jackson in the Greeves and Jerry Scott on the Fanny Barnet at a South Western Centre event in the 1960's. Clubs would do well to get that sort of crowd at a National event these days
How many clubs are still running scrambles/motorcross events? Brian Stonebridge's old club Cambridge Matchless gave up running scrambles years ago at Elsworth. The track survived with Andy Lee for some years but has now closed.

[teamferret]

Scrambling ain't what it was, there used to be, real tracks with long steep hills stream crossings and various obstacles in the track (Pathfinders once ran an event with their bulldozer stuck in the middle of the main straight with a broken crankshaft!). Todays tracks are usually on a flat field with a couple of artificial silly jumps the only natural elevation change. The bikes too don't resemble what the public generally see on the road, a lot of the people at the meeting pictured above would have had a commuter bike similar to those bikes in the photo. I think that youth has missed out the last decades on motorcycling being 'bribed' by parents buying them a car on their 17th birthday

[dave higgins]

You are obviously refering to modern motocross teamferret, & you may be right, as i have not got a clue.
But classic scrambles scene is very much alive & kicking, using tracks like you described in your opening comments, although, the numbers of the pre 65 class bikes has dwindled to virtually a handfull in certain parts of the country, but is still strong in the south east & northern areas
Most classic scrambles are now pre 74 & twinshock, the latter being oversubscribed at most scrambles, & the popularity of these events outways the available spaces for riders, which is a good thing, & to answer johns question, no! there are not crowds in the thousands anymore, let alone ten thousand, as were seen years ago, but popularity is gaining & now most events have a good 500 spectators, plus riders family friends etc, it all makes up for a good event.
As for clubs that hold scrambles, there are probably around 25 big clubs in the uk that hold 2 to 3 events per year & as i said, with most, you have to get your entry in quick to get a ride, so its all looking very good for the future & lets hope it stays that way.

[dave higgins]

I have replied to this, but the system is regarding it at as spam....needs to be autherised by a moderator......

[Colin Sparrow]

You are obviously refering to modern motocross teamferret, & you may be right, as i have not got a clue.
But classic scrambles scene is very much alive & kicking, using tracks like you described in your opening comments, although, the numbers of the pre 65 class bikes has dwindled to virtually a handfull in certain parts of the country, but is still strong in the south east & northern areas
Most classic scrambles are now pre 74 & twinshock, the latter being oversubscribed at most scrambles, & the popularity of these events outways the available spaces for riders, which is a good thing, & to answer johns question, no! there are not crowds in the thousands anymore, let alone ten thousand, as were seen years ago, but popularity is gaining & now most events have a good 500 spectators, plus riders family friends etc, it all makes up for a good event.
As for clubs that hold scrambles, there are probably around 25 big clubs in the uk that hold 2 to 3 events per year & as i said, with most, you have to get your entry in quick to get a ride, so its all looking very good for the future & lets hope it stays that way.

I can see your post, Dave. I still can't figure out how to approve individual posts, so I've copied and pasted it above.

[dave higgins]

I thought, it would not go live until it was approved, but if everybody can see the original, then no problem!

[John Wakefield]

Colin as you will know I have on several occasions had posts blocked until approved, I assume some word triggers off an anti spam device built into web site. Best way is to delete original post and re post it again.

[johnrunnacles]

Just to add to Dave's post, the Essex-based Pre 65 Motocross Club puts on upwards of a dozen scrambles per year, most of them featuring a round of the Greeves Championship. Participating bikes in the scrambles programme range from Pre 60 qualifying mounts on, and the older bikes do predominate usually in the entry list, anything from a (say) 1954 Matchless through to the Greeves Griffon of the early 1970's, and include models like those in the photo. Rider numbers regularly exceed 120 at every such meeting. Spectator numbers are growing but, I fear, will not mount up to the tens of thousands who attended the Shrubland Park meetings I so enjoyed in the 1960's ……………. ….. but then we no longer have our local hero, the late, great Dave Bickers to support!
Incidentally, Dave, I was not able to view your original post, so thanks Colin for copying it.

[John Wakefield]

Whilst I appreciate that the pre 75 and twinshock scene is currently active, my original post (and pic) was referring to the scrambles scene as it was back in the 60's no 'classic' events then. So why has scrambling/motocross gone out of fashion when road racing is still very much alive with the various Moto GP and Super bike events that are covered on TV and of course the IoM TT & MGP
If youngsters do not see modern scrambling/motocross events then they will not carry forward their interest when current modern bikes become classics.

[johnrunnacles]

A question perhaps to put to those responsible for TV programming, John? Scrambling and motocross are "out there", indeed they served the Winter programming well when weather conditions went against the screening of other sports in the 1960's, but all that seems to have been forgotten.

[John Wakefield]

A question perhaps to put to those responsible for TV programming, John? Scrambling and motocross are "out there", indeed they served the Winter programming well when weather conditions went against the screening of other sports in the 1960's, but all that seems to have been forgotten.

Well I suppose why there is no scrambles/motocross on TV is due to the fact that there are few (maybe no) major National & International Championship events. Who are the motocross stars these days?

[johnrunnacles]

TV made its own stars of the sport back in the day, John, with precious little reference to National and International Championships. I think in particular of the BBC Grandstand Trophy series.

[Colin Sparrow]

Colin as you will know I have on several occasions had posts blocked until approved, I assume some word triggers off an anti spam device built into web site. Best way is to delete original post and re post it again.

We could have a bit of fun trying to figure out what the offending words are. Unless they're "higgins" or "Wakefield" of course...

[Brian Thompson]

We could have a bit of fun trying to figure out what the offending words are. Unless they're "higgins" or "Wakefield" of course...

S'funny Colin....I'd always thought it was "Emu" or "Boris".....(poor Boris....'sniffle'....)

[johnrunnacles]

Sadly missed, Brian. A casualty of Borexit?