Maudes Trophy

Last updated

The Maudes Trophy is a motorcycle award established in 1923 by George Pettyt, owner of Maudes Motor Mart [1] based in Great Portland Street, London who promoted an impartially-observed endurance test for motorcycles and provided a challenge award to the ACU who participated by acting as the body responsible for providing observers. [2] Pettyt donated a silver trophy for the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) to award annually, although over the years attempts proved to be infrequent. [3] [4]

The last award came in December 2023, when electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles successfully took a pair of DSR/X machines on a 60 hour, 1200 mile, ride starting in Lands End and taking in Lowestoft, Edinburgh and Holyhead, before ending at the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Awards ceremony in the city of Liverpool. [5]

Winners

YearWinnerMotorcycle(s) usedNotes
1923 Norton 500 cc, soloAveraged 64 mph for 12 hours at Brooklands. [3]
1924Norton Big Four with sidecarRidden 4,060 miles from Land's End, Cornwall, England to John O'Groats, Highland, Scotland, and back in 18 days. [3]
1925Norton
1926 BSA Demonstration of sixty climbs of Bwlch y Groes
1927 Ariel 557 cc Model B with sidecarRidden for 5,011 miles without stopping the engine. [6]
1928Ariel250 cc overhead-valve
500 cc overhead-valve		10,000 mile endurance test over a 120-mile open road course. [7] [8]
1930Dunelt498 cc ohv engine13,119 miles endurance test over 16 days in the Isle of Man. [9]
1931ArielSeven motorcycles:
  1. MB.32 (350 cc side-valve)
  2. M.2F.32 (350 cc overhead-valve 2-port)
  3. VB.32 (550 cc side-valve)
  4. VG.32 (500 cc 4-valve overhead-valve)
  5. SB.32 (550 cc side—valve "Sloper")
  6. SG.32 (500 cc 2-valve overhead-valve "Sloper") with sidecar
  7. 4F:6.32 Square Four
Seven tests, one for each motorcycle:
  1. Seven-hour endurance run at Brooklands: 368 miles covered.
  2. Consumption test: approx. 700 miles on seven shillings worth of petrol and oil
  3. Head decarbonised in 4 min 19 s using only spanners from the motorcycle's tool kit (target time: under 7 min)
  4. One-hour speed run at Brooklands: more than 80 miles covered. (target distance: 70 miles)
  5. Run for 70 minutes in each of four gears on ordinary roads
  6. Seven non-stop ascents and descents of each of seven famous test hills: Porlock, Lynton, Beggar's Roost, Countisbury, Bwlch y Groes, Dinas Hill, and Alt y Bady
  7. 700 miles in less than 670 minutes (target time: 700 minutes) [8] [10]
1933 Triumph 6/1 motorcycle with Gloria sidecarCovered 500 miles in 498 minutes at Brooklands. (The combination had earlier won a silver medal at that year's ISDT) [11] [12]
1934 Phelon & Moore 250 cc Red PantherPerformance in Land's End Run: average speed greater than 35 mph (56 km/h), fuel efficiency of 115.7 mpg‑imp (2.44 L/100 km; 96.3 mpg‑US), "hands-off" stability at and over 50 mph (80 km/h) [12]
1937 Triumph Tiger 70
Tiger 80
Tiger 90 		Machines chosen by ACU at random from Triumph dealers. Three hour high speed run at Donington Park followed by timed lap around Brooklands:

Tiger 70: 66.39 mph (106.84 km/h)
Tiger 80: 74.68 mph (120.19 km/h)
Tiger 90: 82.31 mph (132.47 km/h) [2] [12]

1938BSAM21 Combination
M23 Empire Star.		Endurance test: [13]
  • 20 climbs of Bwlch y Groes
  • Acceleration, speed, and braking tests at Brooklands
  • 20 more climbs of Bwlch y Groes
  • Crossing London in traffic, north–south and east–west, in top gear [12]
1939Triumph Speed Twin
Tiger 100 		Bikes chosen by ACU observers from Triumph dealers at random. Bikes ridden from John O'Groats to Land's End, and then across to the Brooklands circuit, a total of 1800 miles, followed by a 6 hour high speed run at Brooklands. [2]
1952BSA500 cc Star Twin,Three motorcycles were randomly selected from the production line and ridden to Austria to compete in the 1952 International Six Days Trial. All three bikes won Gold medals in the competition. The bikes were then ridden through Germany and Denmark to Oslo, where flying quarter-mile tests gave average speeds greater than 80 mph (130 km/h). The bikes were then ridden back to the UK, covering a total of 4,958 miles. [3] [12] [14]
1962 Honda Super Cub Three standard production Honda 50cc motorcycles (a C100, a C102 and a C110) with a team of 20 riders covered more than 15,800 miles at Goodwood in a week long day and night continuous test. [12] Honda received the first manufacturer's award in a decade and held the trophy for 11 years. [3] [15]
1973 BMW R75/5 Two motorcycles ran continuously over the Isle of Man TT circuit for a whole week, day and night, between 3–10 May 1973. [3]
1974 Suzuki GT380
GT550
GT750 		Ridden three times around the coastline of Britain. [12]
1994 Yamaha FZR600 10 New Zealand riders average over 100 mph on standard bikes chosen at random from the UK warehouse in the Supersport 600 TT.
2023 Zero Motorcycles DSR/XTwo electric motorcycles ridden between four points in UK in 60 hours. [16]

Related Research Articles

Triumph Engineering Co Ltd was a British motorcycle manufacturing company, based originally in Coventry and then in Meriden. A new company, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, based in Hinckley, gained the name rights after the end of the company in the 1980s and is now one of the world's major motorcycle manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police motorcycle</span> Motorcycle used by police

A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by police and law enforcement. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. Units that use motorcycles are often called motorcycle units or motor units, and police officers assigned to these units are known as motorcycle officers or motor officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel Motorcycles</span>

Ariel Motorcycles was a British maker of bicycles and then motorcycles in Bournbrook, Birmingham. It was an innovator in British motorcycling, part of the Ariel marque. The company was sold to BSA in 1951 but the brand survived until 1967. Influential Ariel designers included Val Page and Edward Turner. The last motorcycle-type vehicle to carry the Ariel name was a short-lived three-wheel tilting moped in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel Square Four</span> Ariel motorcycle

The Square Four is a motorcycle produced by Ariel between 1931 and 1959, designed by Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufacturers. The early engine with "two transverse crankshafts" was essentially a pair of 'across frame' OHC parallel twins joined by their geared central flywheels, with a four-cylinder block and single head. The idea for the engine was rejected by BSA, but adopted by Ariel. Thus it became the Ariel Square Four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Turner (motorcycle designer)</span>

Edward Turner was an English motorcycle designer. He was born in Camberwell in the London Borough of Southwark, on the day King Edward VII was proclaimed King. In 1915, Turner had his first ride on a motorcycle, a Light Tourist New Imperial.

Herbert Hopwood was a British motorcycle designer. He was, at least, partly responsible for some of the most influential designs for the British motorcycle industry and worked for Ariel, Norton, BSA and Triumph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Sangster</span> British industrialist

John Young Sangster was a British industrialist and philanthropist. He was an important figure in the British motorcycle industry, where he was involved with Ariel, BSA and Triumph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero Motorcycles</span> American manufacturer of electric motorcycles

Zero Motorcycles Inc. is an American manufacturer of electric motorcycles. Formerly called Electricross, it was founded in 2006 by Neal Saiki, a former NASA engineer, in Santa Cruz, California. The company is now located nearby in Scotts Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Vincent (motorcycle sidecar racer)</span> British motorcycle racer (1935–2021)

Chris Vincent was a British motorcycle sidecar road racer who was very successful in short-circuit (tarmac) racing in the 1960s and early 1970s. He entered Grands Prix using BSA, BMW and URS engines. He also rode solo motorcycles, particularly in the smaller race classes and production-machine categories.

The Thruxton 500 was a motorcycle endurance race for production based road machines, covering 500 miles and ridden by a team of two riders per machine. The first event was a 9-hour race which took place in 1955, organized by the Southampton and District Motorcycle Club (SDMCC) at the Thruxton Circuit near Andover in Hampshire. Two more 9-hour races followed in 1956 and 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Val Page</span> British motorcycle designer

Valentine Page (1891–1978) was a British motorcycle designer, who worked for several of the UK's leading marques, including Ariel, Triumph, and BSA. Page was an innovator whose radical designs include the Triumph 6/1, BSA Gold Star, BSA A7 and BSA M20, the J.A.Prestwich engine of the Brough Superior SS100, and the Ariel Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BSA A7</span> Motorcycle

The BSA A7 was a 500cc motorcycle model range made by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at its factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. The range was launched in 1946 using a 495 cc (30.2 cu in) long stroke engine. An improved 497 cc (30.3 cu in) version based on the BSA A10 engine was launched in 1950. The various A7 models continued in production with minor modifications until 1961/2 when they were superseded by the unit-construction A50 model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT Zero</span> Motorsport event

TT Zero is an electric motorsport event introduced for the 2010 Isle of Man TT races – replaced the similar TTXGP race as a 1-lap circuit of the Snaefell Mountain Course. The TT Zero event as an officially sanctioned Isle of Man TT race is for racing motorcycles where "The technical concept is for motorcycles to be powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions." The Isle of Man Government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first entrant to exceed the prestigious 100 mph average speed around the Mountain Course.

The BSA B50 was a single-cylinder 499 cc (30.5 cu in) ohv motorcycle, produced by BSA at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. The last of the big capacity unit-construction singles from the Birmingham Small Arms company, it had an alloy engine with a bore of 84 mm (3.3 in) and a stroke of 90 mm (3.5 in). As well as the road version, special models were produced for off-road competition use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Cottle</span> British motorcycle racer

Marjorie Cottle was an English works supported motorcycle trials rider. She was one of Britain's best-known motorcyclists in the 1920s and 1930s. She competed regularly in reliability trials and was considered to be one of the best riders in the country – male or female. Her greatest success was the International Six Days Trial of 1927, in which the British Ladies' Team won the International Silver Vase. That year the trial was held in the Lake District, and attracted a large number of competitors. She was described as the "most famous girl rider in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph 6/1</span> British motorcycle

The Triumph 6/1 is a motorcycle that was made by Triumph at their Coventry factory from 1934 to 1936. Designed by Val Page, the 6/1 was the first Triumph motorcycle to use a parallel-twin engine. A sidecar-equipped 6/1 won a silver medal in the 1933 International Six Days Trial and went on to win the Maudes Trophy for 1933. The 6/1 was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 600 in two years on the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric motorsport</span> Category of motor sport

Electric motorsport is a category of motor sport that consists of the racing of electric powered vehicles for competition, either in all-electric series, or in open-series against vehicles with different powertrains. Very early in the history of automobiles, electric cars held several performance records over internal combustion engine cars, such as land speed records, but fell behind in performance during the first decade of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transatlantic Trophy</span> 20th-century motorcycle races

The Transatlantic Trophy was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Brands Hatch, Mallory Park and Oulton Park, although some races were held at Donington Park and Snetterton. Three different specifications of motorcycles were used in the series at various times: AMA/F750, Superbike and GP.

References

  1. ↑ "Grace's Guide: Maude's Motor Mart". Grace's Guide. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Triumph wins Maudes Trophy !". Tiger100.co.uk. Media JuJu. November 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nutting, John (June 2003). "BMW's Big Week" (PDF). Classic Bike: 37–39, 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-05-04. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  4. ↑ "Maudes Trophy history". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  5. ↑ https://www.acu.org.uk/News/2023/12/Zero-Motorcycles-awarded-Maudes-Trophy-after-epic-electric-winter-endurance-ride/
  6. ↑ "Lot 505 The ex-E H Littledale,1931 Ariel Square Four Motorcycle & Sidecar". Bonhams. Bonhams. 23 April 2006. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "10,000 MILES — Ariel Machine's Great Feat". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 10 January 1929. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 "THE MAUDES TROPHY". The West Australian. Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 18 February 1932. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Dunelt Motorcycles". Sheldon's EMU. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "Sales brochure". Ariel Klubben Danmark. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Davis, Simon (May–June 2013). "Triumph's First Twin: Triumph 6/1". Motorcycle Classics. Topeka, Kansas, USA: Ogden Publications. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thomas, Trevor (February–March 1991). Bowdler, Jeremy (ed.). "Maudes Trophy" (PDF). Classic Motorcycling. Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia: Mason Stewart Publishing (25): 62–64. ISSN   1033-3517 . Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "BSA Milestones". Archived from the original on 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  14. ↑ Wilson, Hugo (1993). The Ultimate Motor-Cycle Book. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley. 1952 BSA A7 500cc Star Twin, p. 69. ISBN   0-7513-0043-8. This is one of three historic Maudes Trophy bikes, subjected to an observed 4,958-mile (7,979km) test in 1952
  15. ↑ "The history of Honda". Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  16. ↑ https://www.visordown.com/news/general/zero-makes-electric-motorcycle-history-maudes-trophy-success
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.