Name: Ian Ager 
Birth date:  23 April 1940
Birth Place:  
Date of Death :  Not Yet
Place of Death :  Not Yet
Nationality: English 
Gender: Male

I had seen and been in the company of Ian, as a casual acquaintance back in the early days of 50cc racing. This was after being introduced to the class by Dave and Mike Simmonds at a chance meeting whilst testing my 350cc Norton Manx at Brands Hatch in 1959. On their suggestion I joined the Racing 50 Motorcycle Club which had sprung into life in 1957/58, taking over from the Chiltern 50 Racing Club. Picture: Ian Ager at the 1962 Snetterton 50cc Enduro.

As I only raced the ‘50’ for one year in 1963, I lost touch with some of the club members but stayed active in seeing the development of the class and in collecting any data on the ‘50’ It was not until 1998, at the Stafford Motorcycle Show in the April that I met with Ian again

This was on the stand of the Racing 50 Enthusiast Club, a club started in 1997 to support the growing interest in the Classic 50 and its racing. Ian commented on the club and this web page that was in its infancy, also the club news letters of which 3 had been published. His comment on this was “ I think it would be a great if you could include a note about the racing members”. I said I had thought about this and had researched one or two but had not taken this further, “Why don’t you put together a list of ten questions, Ian replied "and ask members to fill them in, that way you would have a start.” As a result some of the racer pages are based on this questionnaire. When I sent a copy to Ian,  the first question was: 

1. When did you first become interested in racing 50’s?:

Ian’s reply was: "In 1959, a BSA Gold Star fitted with a Triumph T100, 500cc engine with a twin carb, splayed head, T100C. E3134 camshafts, the ultimate street racer was purchased, this being my third motorcycle after a 125cc Norman in trials trim and a 350cc BSA B31".

"This is where my downfall starts, living only some 8/10 miles from Brands Hatch most weekends during the summer were spent watching motorcycle racing. I soon found out that on Wednesdays and Saturdays there was an open practice with alternating 20-minute sessions between cars and bikes. All this for the princely sum of 15/- (75p) per half day, or 25/- (£1.25) for all day, it was just a case of turning up, paying your money, tape up the headlight glass and off you go on the track."

"It was whilst trying to emulate the likes of the” King of Brands” Derek Minter that “IT” first came to my attention by overtaking me on the inside of nearly every corner of the track and it was only on the straights that I could reap my revenge, with the grunt of some 40+BHP against the 5 BHP from the ITOM".

"Being passed whilst riding the 500 TRIBSA by a 50cc was so demoralising that something had to be done!!. After chatting to the owner of the ITOM 50 in the pits, I talked him into a ride on a “what you bend you mend” basis and that was it. After 20 minutes I just had to have one of these flyers".

"Dick Chalaye, of Tooleys in Lee Green, London told me that it was one of the first batch of 6 they had ever sold, The model came fitted with leading link forks, 180 degree front mudguard, and 20x 1.3/4 inch tyres. The engine, standard 3 speed hand change unit gear box, comp barrel fitted with the small size cylinder head, 16mm Dell'Orto carb, and the piston was the thick ring competition type with a contoured head".

"With the 20 inch wheels it was a case of lining the bike up for the corner and go for it without moving a muscle, if you had to change your coarse for any reason, it would promptly spit you off, onto the green stuff, I know I learnt the hard way!!. Being a 57 model it was not as quick as the latest 1960 mark 5 models. How did I set about resolving the speed problem, see what I did about tuning later .

2. When and from whom did you acquire your first Racing 50?

Answer:  In the later part of 1959 I purchased an ITOM Competition from a chap called Les Howard who must have weighed about 11 stone plus and had raced it a couple of times in the year without much success. As it was his only form of transport, for 5 days a week it was used for work and then on the Sunday race day it was ridden to Brands Hatch some 20 miles, lights, mudguards and exhaust removed etc, cow-horn megga fitted, raced, rebuilt and then ridden home. 

1960 Mark 5 - Turned into a Water-Cooled ITOM
This engine was built for the 1962 250 mile Chiltern Enduro to be held at Snetterton. Porting for the barrel was taken from my home worked 1957 engine with some input from the late Brian Woolley, the engine was first started up on the Friday evening before the race on the Sunday, It finished the Enduro in 8th place, on the pit stops for fuel and rider changes, the water temperature was taken and was running at approximately 80 degrees C. Later experiments showed that as you increased the water temp you got an increase in power etc, the water temp was set at 95 degrees, for all the races after that, back in the early 60`s there was no information available on what temperatures to run two stroke engines at. My Mark V ITOM  Picture: Ian Ager and Frank Wildes with the ITOM at the 1962 Snetterton Enduro.

Ian on his 1960 Mk.5 water-cooled ITOM climbing the Mountain at Cadwell Park

The water-cooled ITOM at the 1962 Snetterton Enduro.

Ian Ager at  Silverstone, August 1961-50cc ITOM

Ian - 50cc Silverstone race in the late June of 1962

Ian, at a meeting on the Silverstone circuit coming from the third row to take race leader position. Beryl Swain in the brown jacket.

1963 Mark 5 Rotary Valve, Water Cooled TSO.

Overview: Very quick and very unreliable, too many things to sort out at one go, should have built the frame first and sorted that out before building the engine, but the details of this can be seen here.

3. How many racing 50`s have you owned over the years (supply makes with likes and dislikes of the machine)

 Answer:  1957 mark 5 Itom Competition This was supplied by “Tooleys” of Lea green, South London,  

The late Brian Woolley who I shared many a phone call and letters with, who even in the early 60`s knew what he was doing and also the late Geoff Bedford (Steve’s dad) with his little note book where he recorded the set up for each race meeting i.e., jet size, and gearing, weather and any other mods he had just done, and would openly share with anyone this information.

As for the achievements and successes, winning the first race of the season at Brands Hatch in 1962, OK, the big names, Simmonds, Ivy, Mates, etc were not there, but a win is a win.  Back to the days of the Itom in 1962 One of the first batch of 6 factory racing Itoms to be sold by Tooleys in 1957 Winning the first race in 1962 at Brands Hatch. Tis bike had been slowly developed to be a little power house.

301 in the picture is R. J. Webber, Itom

Riding Brian Woolly’s Kreidler at Cadwell Park after it came back from competing in the 1962 TT where it was “looked at” by the Kreidler works team and then telling him that after testing, I would ride my own IWA Itom in the race. It was quicker and in the race it broke the lap and race record, only to see Hugh Anderson break it a couple of months later by some 9 mph. on the works Suzuki single at 61 mph.

Another memory that I have was prompted by coming across a letter from a spectator at a Cadwell Park race held on the 1st July 1962. You can even break records and not know about it.

5.  Have you been involved with any other class of racing motorcycles or competitive motorcycling?

Answer:

I did get involved in tuning a 125 Parilla for a group of engineering apprentices, who used it in a Go-cart to compete against other engineering companies apprentices in an annual challenge match. It went well against the 125cc BSA Bantams and Villiers of the day.
 
The 125cc Parilla Engine 1964

6.  Who, if anyone has been the biggest influence in your racing career, or the 50 cc in general?

Answer:

The likes of Derek Minter whose riding style was so smooth and unhurried, but could lap the small circuit of Brands at 56 seconds from first to last lap in the early 60's, where his competitors started at that speed but gradually slowed up as the race progressed, even in these later years he still has the style of high order at the parades he enters. And Dave Simmonds he was so professional in his approach to 50cc motor cycling that he made the rest of us look like amateurs, so nice to see him as 125cc World Champ in the 70's

7:  What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given and by whom?

Answer:
From Bob Latham, in the early months of 1960 after seeing me pick myself up after taking a tumble on paddock hill bend at Brands, Get rid of those 20” wheels and tyres, fit 18”x 2” and you will find it will stick on the road a bit better, get hold of a set of Girling rear suspension units to replace the spring damped Itom units, and lock up the friction dampers on the leading link front forks so they are solid, This advice certainly made the bike more rideable.

8:  What piece of advice or tuning tip if any would you like to pass on to fellow members.

Answer:

With the limited power output of the 50`s what you loose on the corners you can never make up on the straights, watch the quicker guys they will have the best lines round the corners and are twice as quick along the straights as you. If the engines going well, leave well alone, always try to tune your engine to the same pitch that it was in when it was absolutely flying, just before it cried enough in a big way!!!. Why do they always go that much quicker, at that moment in time, than any other?

 Old Codgers Ramblings - By Ian Ager

Whilst watching the 125cc G P from Italy on British Euro-sport television a couple of months ago, the commentator remarked as the winner, second and third place men parked there bikes in “parc ferme” that they were off to be weighed before going onto the rostrum for the prize giving. He stated that the machine and rider must weigh a minimum of 147 kg to comply with the regulations. On saying that it reminded me of an incident that took place many years ago.

Towards the end of the race season in 1962 there was a meeting at the Snetterton circuit organised by BMCRC with a class for 50cc`s.

To share the transport costs (with petrol at 5/-. 25p a gallon) we all agreed to go up in my 15 cwt Ford Thames van, that was Ray “Jasper” Smith, Bill Ivy, Brian Cockell and yours truly.  Just getting 4 bikes, tool boxes, petrol cans and two bodies into the back of the van was an exercise in its self, but after much heaving and shoving the back doors slammed closed. (the likes of Steve Bedford, Ron Ponti and John “Jeep” Elton Payne know what I mean after seeing them unload Steve’s Transit van when we arrived in the Isle of Man for the 2000  T.T. Parade,)

We set off in the early hours of Sunday morning from Bexley Heath in Kent, going though the old Blackwell tunnel, weaving our way though North London at a leisurely pace and up on to the A11 heading towards Norfolk.. These were the pre motorway days, only the M1 had been built by then and that only went as far as Rugby, and it was a case of filling the vans petrol tank to the brim at the start of the trip as “all night “petrol stations were to be a thing of the future in those days.

The journey took about four hours and we arrived about five in the morning, just long enough to catch a few hours sleep before being awoken by the sound of un-silenced motorcycles being started up in the paddock.

On goes the Primus stove for a brew up of nice hot tea, and a couple of pieces of charcoal black toast cooked over the open flame of the Primus. It was during this breakfast that Bill told us this little story.  For those of you who ever had the pleasure of knowing “Little Bill Ivy” would know of his ability of being the greatest of practical jokers, and storyteller whilst keeping a straight face, leaving you not knowing if you had been taken for a ride or had been told the truth.

Bill was talking about his trip over to the island for the 50cc T.T. and said when he went with the bike for scrutineering he was asked to jump on the weighing scales to be weighed and then told that he was under the official weight limit for the class and would have to carry some ballast to make up the weight. So off he trots to the local builders merchant and buys some lead sheet that they use for flashing on house roofs. this was then cut to shape and fitted as insoles in his boots, and at the second attempt passed scrutineering.

This story I have lived with for the last 40 years not knowing if there was a grain of truth in it, or was it just another one of “Bills” famous stories.                                                                                                                         Photograph: Bill Ivy

With a chance meeting with Mick Duckworth of Classic Bike Magazine fame, I retold the story of little Bill and his lead lined boots. To my amazement he told me the complete story of the weight limits imposed to all the 5 classes in the T.T.

In the late 1950`s Geoff Duke had been on a visit to Japan as an ambassador for motorcycling, whilst there he had been some motor cycle races and noticed how small and light in weight the riders were.

On his return Geoff relayed his concern to the A.C.U. saying if they ever come over Europe to race because of there light weight they would win everything in sight and the 10/11 stone and heavier Europeans would not get a look in. With that, in association with the F.I.M. the A.C.U. formulated a minimum weight limit for each class. And this was even before the land of the rising sun’s motorcycle industries made there presents felt on the island and other G.P. Events.

So there after all that time I now know that for once “Little Bill” was not just spinning us a line, but for a one off occasion, he was telling the truth and the only unanswered question is now how much did Bill weigh?  In the spring of 1988 the ”Classic Racer” magazine gave his weight as barely nine stone but I would think he was a few pounds under that weight.

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