Arthur Williams found some bits for this page so, here we go!, ISDT? rumbles came from Manufacturers, Eastern Bloc galloped ahead in reliability plus marketing plus HARD effort, here goes 49cc Hercules Rider N Gobler on the way to a Gold.

Glen Mona bend, the first day 65 L Specht & V Cramer both on 123cc Zundapps  en route to Cornaa, Specht took Gold.

At Glen Maye even on the 5th Day a  Russian rider's mealtime, with effort from team & rider,

Greeba Hill checked out by Radio Team for 250 Maico rider M Studemann German Rider

Greeba Hill, Russian A Egorov 350 IZH finished with Bronze.

First Day at Laxey 97cc Hercules rider R Witthoft leads S Gienger's 97cc Zundapp, both West Germans took Golds

Triss Sharp on the Greeves Challenger, all seems well until you gather how little support these skilled lads had, a warm drink, dry clothing, spares etc were lacking when competitors were supported grandly, Triss was wrongly maligned, after a brief Husqvarna spell Triss left the non helpers at the end of season, disappointment to all.

M Sensburg of West Germany on a 600 BMW near the Gooseneck followed by R A Jones on his 500 Velocette.

Ray Sayer on 350 Triumph twin leads H Wendelgalst  of Holland on a Greeves 250 into the water

Skyhill Section! D Richardson 650 Triumph 292, Ken Heanes 299, E Dunnicliffe 350 Matchless 259, Director of Industries Assoc.. H M Palin looks as if he did not really wish to be there!

Brian Martin of BSA watches Alan Lampkin  with another BSA as expected needing fettling! at Cornaa on 2nd Day.

Ken Heanes Triumph with right USA Teamster M Green on a 500 Matchless

Triss Sharp, 246 Greeves was described to be controversial!.   TRISS WAS A DETERMINED CHAP UNAFRAID TO VOICE HIS OPINION, WHEN NEEDING TRADE SUPPORT HE MORE THAN DESERVED.   BRITISH OPPOSITION RECEIVED A TERRIFIC AMOUNT OF SUPPORT.      ACU & Brit TRADE BARONS & MANUFACTURERS HOWEVER buried their heads in convenient sandhills whilst talented Riders on British machinery were simply not supported. 

Reliability along with performance plus earlier market dominance was allowed to drift into the mists, Britain's Motorcycle Industry directed by top level manufacturers was run by people who could have done better.     British Motorcycle Marketing could not even notice Honda & serious foreign engineering efforts, reliability plus performance advances, only challenged as usual by antique machinery, brave men plus Italian flair and design underlined how Britain was determined to lag behind.   'British always needed guidance, investment plus effort from the top, hardly ever present compared to the rest of the world. (My opinion plus that of Arthur Williams is to follow) 

 My old friend RTM 'Big Roger' Maughling actually took the risk of publishing info much known after Triss was in my opinion cruelly plus unjustifiably termed "the man who stayed in bed".   RTM spoke out to suggest that the Industry Association was initially felt to be responsible for applying too much pressure.    Roger then clarified his account.   Selection Committees appointing Ken Heanes at the last minute only if certain machinery was to be used.   Actually the likes of Jack Stocker, Johnny Giles, Dick Mann, & Jim Alves would have conducted things far better had they been appointed to relate Ombudsman style with Allan Jefferies. (ie No Manufacturers representatives)   Triss plus his younger brother Bryan were riding for Greeves using 250's but on the 5th Day in 1965 Triss decided to stay in bed, quickly Greeves then stopped support to them.   HOWEVER, Bryan had actually retired with concussion after a heavy Friday spill, Triss had lost the front mudguard & all goggles he could locate became eventually too caked for use and a long hard riding period into continually sprayed dust grit plus mud had Triss's eyes too sore to continue especially with no mudguard on his front wheel at a stage when the Team members had only 2 left, both well out of the contest.    Promised support for British Teams was not even in existance & seeing East German Entrants with 40 or so support people cleaning or providing fresh goggles, spares ,food, tools etc. to support their Teamsters.   Friday arrived, spirited British efforts came to an end, virtually no support for the British Teams even on British soil had been received!, a few sweets etc from spectators was all Bryan Triss & Co had been able to partake of, no Lunch Checks, , snacks or much needed liquids, breaks etc.  & things reached a head when a spectator trying to supply Bryan Sharp with just a cup of tea was rudely told to "***** off" by a British Team Official.    Auto Cycle Union (ACU) had selected people plus machinery, where now were those Team Managers & officials when the chips were down? few know & those who did seemed not to care, expectedly unreliable BSA machinery had all packed up, as expected & privateers plus Teamsters found a chaotic spares situation using cannibalized bits from dead machinery along the course.  BSA Manager Brian Martin, with Greeves Manager Bill Brooker had their hands very full much due to their products too, however their jobs were perhaps dependant on their comments & attitude to media.   Somehow arranging spares, cups of tea, snacks & clean goggles would seem to have been beyond the organisations.   Personally Arthur Williams, the late Roger Maughling & myself are disgusted.  Triss & Bryan have our sincere sympathies for being neglected by a British System, much as an old Soldiers or Hero still is in UK.  We still see it & no wonder British motorcycle Market machinery is treated as 'Vintage' only.

East German K Wagner 250 MZ of East Germany on 5th day negotiating 'the Slabs'

Ken Heanes & Roy Peplow both riding 650 Triumphs Heanes took a Silver Medal on the special Test.

Bill Faulkner, a well known one day Trials man brought the only BSA to the finish , albeit for a Bronze after those 343 & 441 Victor style Works machines all packed up, to Britain's & BSA shame. Bill was quoted as stating that an ordinary bloke had no idea how tough it was.  Bill nursed his private unit B40 BSA home to the finish though. He used ignition system from a scrapped Tina Scooter, a Gold Star front wheel, a Gold star QD Rear wheel, a standard C15 camshaft & raised his Trials gear ratio & ran it on Castrol R30, cycle bits 3 years old Bill upped carb main jet from 240 to 280, advanced his ignition slightly, perhaps the factory could have noted.   I was riding a 500 Tribsa in Hawkestone Grandstand Scramble when Jeff Smith flew past me on the old long straight heading for the big hill, I think it was a 340 or similar & media people's columns spoke of Magnesium bits etc & yet a big ex arms producing company could not get a machine to last throug the ISDT.

Ray Sayer's 350 Triumph as it finished for Gold.

MZ Trophy Team IoM 1965.

Ray Sayer's Gold Medal winning 350 Triumph machine.