Fans of off-road motorcycling will be thrilled by the latest exhibition being staged by motorcycle sport historian Bill Snelling.
The club house at Knock Froy in Santon will be the venue for Bill’s exhibition of photographs showing all aspects of off-road competition around the island and through the ages.
Bill, himself a former keen trials competitor and Manx Grand Prix racer, will be staging the exhibition starting at 7.30pm at the headquarters of the Peveril Motorcycle Club on Wednesday April 13.
‘It’s an evening of muddy motorcycling nostalgia for the exhibition visitors this time. We have photographs from the early 1950s depicting off-road action which will be shown on the big screen in the clubhouse,’ he said.
The photographs are from the Bill Salmond collection, which was later held by Island Photographics and is now co-owned by Bill Snelling and Monica Clarke.
Bill added: ‘This is a wonderful archive of motorcycling life on the island in the early 50s. There are pictures of trials, scrambles, hill climbs and gymkhana held around the island.
‘I first came here in 1960 so I have no first-hand knowledge of these events but I am hoping competitors and fans alike will come to the show and put names to the riders shown, to add the off road heritage to the better known road racing events.’
The club will be putting on a sausage and chip supper which is excellent value at £2. The venue has ample car parking facilities and can be found down the narrow lane which runs off the New Castletown Road opposite the Mount Murray. Head down the lane by the telephone box and turn left into the Knock Froy car park.
Bill has an extensive photographic archive which also includes shots from the early days of the TT, Manx Grand Prix and other racing events.
