Straight from the plate

Royal Enfield star, 1952 winner Johnny Brittain, was to finish third.

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The 1953 Scottish Six Days Trial

The 1953 Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT) was expected to be a battle not only between the top riders but also the main manufacturers too. Riders of the calibre of Johnny Brittain, Hugh Viney, Gordon Jackson, John Draper, Artie Ratcliffe, Bob Ray, Jeff Smith, Brian Martin and David Tye were among those who lined up at the start, riding a variety of machinery from the leading manufacturers, with the wares of AMC, BSA, Royal Enfield and Ariel supplying motorcycles for the real ‘top men.’

Pre-event, the two favourites were the two Johns, Draper and Brittain. The pair – riding BSA and Royal Enfield respectively – came into the ‘Scottish’ as favourites on account of being the two men on the national scene in the richest vein of form. Added to that, Brittain had won the event in 1952 so it was understandable the pair were expected to challenge for overall honours.

However, if they’d discounted veteran Hugh Viney, they’d done so at their peril. Viney started off in fine form and maintained it, winning the event outright for the fourth time (he was the winner in 1947, 48 and 49). Riding his rigid-framed 350cc AJS, Viney held off young team-mate Gordon Jackson and won by three marks. Opined The Motor Cycle; “His (Viney’s) win was well merited, since he led the trial from start to finish and rode faultlessly, as only he can, throughout the entire six days.”

Johnny Brittain, on the 350cc Royal Enfield springer, had to be content with third, with Draper (500cc BSA) coming in fifth, the pair split by Ariel man WSG ‘Nipper’ Parsons. Sixth was Bob Ray (500cc Ariel), seventh GE Broadbent (350cc Royal Enfield), eighth Artie Ratcliffe (350cc Matchless), ninth HR Kemp (200cc James) and 10th youngster Jeff Smith (500cc BSA). With the exception of 1959 winner Roy Peplow, all the other winners for the eight years (1954 Ratcliffe, 55 Smith, 56 Jackson, 57 Brittain, 58 Jackson and 1960/61 Jackson) were in the 1953 top 10.