The Don Lafford Memorial Run 1 July 2012
After a week of wet weather the morning started brightly if not a little cool, twelve bikes met at the start with one pillion passenger Fran Wiles on our 1947 Norton.
The bikes ranged from a 1920 Triumph and a 1927 AJS ridden by David Payne and David Kendall respectively to a 1985 Suzuki ridden by Phil Roberts, at the other end of the scale to the 1920 Triumph Bill Howells arrived on a 2008 Triumph. The early Triumph and the AJS, along with Frank Parker on his L E Velocette set off ten minutes before the rest to give them a head start.
The route was about 40 miles long using the highways and byways of Warwickshire in a figure of eight pattern taking in some pretty villages with their thatched cottages. A number of horses on route being our only problem, except that is for Frank Parker on the L E, we came across him in a gateway with the engine in bits, his head gasket had blown, a common occurrence it appears as he was carrying two spare head gaskets and some water to top up the radiator. When we arrived at the finish, The White Hart Inn at Ufton, Frank was already there having taken a short cut once he got the L E back together.
A couple of friends of the organiser, along with a couple of section members, turned up at the finish swelling the bike numbers in the car park to fifteen. The weather deteriorated during the day with some light showers but I do not think anyone got a soaking.
Our thanks go to Mick Jaggard for organising the run and our host at the White Hart Inn for their hospitality.