,

Dark day at the races

by

With a tragic accident during Friday practice and then a hugely disappointing crowd, enthusiasm was dampened further by race day morning rain. But, gradually, the sun came out and the racing was actually rather good.

Roy Mayhew leads a gaggle of machines round Anchor Crossing.
Roy Mayhew leads a gaggle of machines round Anchor Crossing.

There was a dark shadow cast over the late July meeting at Aintree in 1956 as in Friday practice, New Zealander Bob Cook crashed his AJS 7R at the fast right-hand Waterway Corner, overshooting and colliding with a concrete wall. He sustained serious head and neck injuries to which he succumbed at 7pm in the Walton Hospital, Liverpool.

After such a grim start to proceedings, there was more bad news for the organisers come Saturday too – hardly anyone turned up to spectate. Noted Motor Cycling: “One could have been excused for thinking that it was practice day and not race day.” A lunchtime shower hadn’t helped things either.

Article continues below…
Advert

Enjoy more Classic MotorCycle reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Photograph: Mortons Archive

Read more in September’s issue of TCM

 

Article continues below…
Advert

Advert
Subscribe to The Classic MotorCycle Magazine Enjoy more The Classic MotorCycle reading in the monthly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Article Tags:

About the Author