The Great 500-Mile Race
An except from the book �Brooklands bikes in the twenties� by Peter Hartley (Argus Books Limited), which describes one of two lesser-known episodes in the famous half-century-long rivalry between the Harley-Davidson and Indian marques. These both took place at Brooklands track in 1921. The �more important� of the two, the 500-mile race, was won by Indian. The by-implication �less important� episode, becoming the first motorcycle in Britain to officially exceed 100mph, was won by Harley-Davidson, but only just.
TWO EVENTS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE took place at Brooklands in 1921. Firstly, a motor cycle exceeded 100mph officially for the first time on British soil and secondly, and probably more important, a motor cycle won a race over a distance of 500 miles at an average speed of over 70mph and demonstrated beyond all doubt the reliability of the motorised two-wheeler to the general public in Britain.
The great 500-Mile Race
Back in March the BMCRC had announced its intention of running a 500-Mile Race for all the major solo classes on Saturday, July 2nd, and A.G. Miller had commissioned Sydney Garrett the well-known rider, a jeweller and silversmith by profession, to make a 200-guinea cup to go to the overall winner. Second and third prizes were to be silver cups awarded by the BMCRC, while Victor Horsman had put up a silver cup for the first under 350cc machine to finish. There was also a team prize for the first nominated trio of riders on machines of the same marque to finish, with gold medals for each of them.
Because of its length, the event started at 7.00am. Just as dawn broke sixty-four riders and their machines lined up for the mass start, which was in four ranks alongside the Vickers' Sheds at the Fork. The riders wore coloured jackets, the front rank being in white (250cc) or blue (350cc), the second rank (500cc) in yellow, the eight runners in the third rank (750cc) in green, and the back row (1000cc) in red. This gave a great splash of colour to the event.
[Page 2]