VMCC Inaugural Scottish Veteran Run
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The VMCC held its inaugural run in Scotland for veteran motorcycles ( manufactured prior to 1915) on Sunday 3 October starting at the Lion and Unicorn Inn at Thornhill near Doune, Stirlingshire. The run attracted an entry of twenty three machines and followed a sixty eight mile route taking in Lochs Katrine and Ard. The earliest machine entered was the VMCC’s 1903 Dreadnought which was gifted to the Club by Harold Karslake affectionately known as “Oily”. He wanted the machine to be used and not languish in a museum and it regularly takes part in runs around the country. It was loaned by the Club to Dr. Alastair Alexander, their Area Representative for Scotland, for the inaugural Scottish run.
John Macmillan of Lanark was the run organiser and said, “There seemed to be a demand for a veteran run and we were hoping for perhaps single figure entries but the response far exceeded our expectations. The riders came from all over Scotland and a number from England and Northern Ireland. A great variety of early marques such as BSA, Triumph, Scott, Douglas, James, Norton, Humber and Sunbeam were ridden on the day providing a memorable display of the once mighty British Motorcycle Industry in the early part of the twentieth century. The smallest machine entered was a 1914 175cc Calthorpe owned by David Clark of Forres.”
Alastair Alexander said, “The Run was part of the VMCC’s strategy in Scotland to encourage the older machines to get back into regular use on runs and rallies. British veteran motorcycles were high technology in the early 1900s but today it takes a skilled rider to manage a machine with perhaps a single gear, a belt drive transmission, no clutch and primitive brakes. The Scottish veteran run demonstrated that a carefully chosen route tailored to machines of a similar performance appealed to VMCC members knowing that they could ride in safety and with confidence.”
A 1905 Peugeot 500cc V-Twin
