SCOTS IN COMPETION
By Bruce Robbins
|
|
The inherent qualities of the Flying Scot led to many Scottish riders selecting the bike for competitions throughout the 1950s and 1960s where they featured in national track championships and international events such as the Empire Games. However, renowned grass track exponent, Vic Polanski, was reluctant to swap his Scot for something more modern and still raced on his 30-year-old model into the early 1990s. Vic,
who professes a fondness for bikes almost as old as himself, fitted
the 1958-60 machine up with wood-rimmed wheels and found that combination
good enough to help him on his way to considerable success, including
the Scottish Track Championship at Alva in 1992. |
| |
Vic, a member of Dundee Wheelers, has tried his hand at most forms of racing over a career as an amateur and professional that stretches back to 1960. It's on the grass that he does most of his good work, though. As secretary of the Scottish Professional Cycle Racing Association, he is one of a dwindling band of enthusiasts devoted to preserving the sport north of the border. The season lasts from late May to September with most races taking place at Highland Games all over the country.
Like Vic's old Scot, the bikes are basic track machines with a fixed wheel, no brakes and tyres to suit the softer surface. Vic added, "We try our best to follow in a great tradition of grass track cycling which can be traced back to the origins of the sport, more than a hundred years ago. Grass Track cycling is fast, exciting and still popular with spectators who can number well into the thousands at the larger Highland Games."
Jim Duff also attended the 1985 Ceres Highland Games and is seen here on his all-chrome Scot.
Photographs Courtesy of Neil Macmillan.
