So read the title of the editorial in ‘Motor Cycling‘ in the issue of 25 September 1952 in a report covering the ISDT 1952 that had recently taken place at Bad Aussee in Austria.
“Bad News From Bad Aussee:
THOUGH these words are being written while we still await the final confirmed results of the International Six Days Trial it seems evident that things have by no means gone as planned by Great Britain. Until our representatives return home it will not be possible to establish a clear picture of what went wrong and, In any case, this is not the moment to conduct a post-mortem. Rather is it one to congratulate the winners on their success, to compliment the organisers on what seems to have been a difficult yet fair trial and to commiserate with those who found that their luck was Out.“
Photo – Conditions at the start of Saturday’s run are depicted above. Reflected in the waterlogged ground, spectators and officials see the riders off on their third day’s journey ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Read the full report of the event in ‘Motor Cycling‘ at our issuu.com library here
Photo – The Czechoslovakian team, winners of the 1952 International Trophy. With their 250cc Jawa two-strokes are #177 Jan Novotny, #169 Jiri Kubes, #148 Richard Dusil. Circled are (left) Cenek Kohlicek and right Jaroslav Pudil, the two 150 cc CZ-riding members of the quintet ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – F Bracher (350 Jawa) of Czechoslovakia, riding above the clouds, near the top of the Gross Glockner Pass. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – JR Hebden (498 Triumph) in a Christmas card setting near Randstadt, in the Tauern Pass area. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – British Trophy teamster Jack Stocker (692 Royal Enfield) leads a rival down a track in the Mandling District which typifies the terrain in the trial. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – Sunday morning sunshine in Bad Aussee speeds Jim Alves (649 Triumph) on his way to fight for the Trophy. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – German sidecar expert M. Klankermeier (BMW) takes a corner in Admont. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – A Puch pütsch! Karl Zührer lifts his front wheel as he and Edi Platzer ( Austrian Vase ‘B’ Team) make up time on a by-road in Admont ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – P Carissoni (124 Rumi), of Italy, passes a picturesque Tyrolean wooden ‘music-box’ building in admont village. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – HJ Marriott (490 Norton) effectively framed on a road in Mandling while and elderly villager watches the trial go by. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – Member of the Cezechoslovakia Trophy team, Jiri Kubes seen during Sunday’s run. His mount is a 250cc Jawa two-stroke. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – Former captain of the British Trophy team and veteran ISDT competitor Fred Rist, a member of the Birmingham MCC club team of BSA riders. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – Germany’s famous TT Winner, Georg Meier (500 BMW) representing the Fatherland in the competition for the Silver Vase. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – This year’s British Trophy Team ‘Skipper’, Hugh Viney piloting his 500cc ‘Springtwin’ AJS over a rough section of Sunday’s route. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – L. van der Noll of Holland (590 BMW sc) begins the climb of the Steinberg Pass followed by his compatriot, BP Emmelkamp, on a 597cc Zündapp outfit. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – So this is Austria, in September! The Dutch 499cc BSA rider M.Rodenberg leads Phil Mellers (498 Ariel) through the street of a snow clad village on Saturday. ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
Photo – And now the sunshine! On the lower slopes of the Steinberg Pass, British Army rider #222 Sgt FW Gamwell (498 BSA) catches up Austrian Hans Waska (148 Puch). ISDT 1952 (Speedtracktales Collection)
If anyone has a copy of the post mortem or can comment on what happened that gave the GB Trophy Team the prodding it needed to go back and win the Trophy in ’53 please do let us know.
