Most Clubs have some skeletons in the cupboard and these are a few mutterings from the Pontypool Club.
The club was formed just after the first world war as the Eastern Valley Motorcycle Club. The first Secretary was Jack Salter . One of the early members, T.J. Saunders who became President of the East South Wales Centre, owned the Park Gate Garage in Pontypool, and gave a room which was the Club's headquarters right up to the early 60's.
A number of events were held in those early days including reliability trials over many lanes in the Sluvard area including 'Snowdrop', still quite a ride on a modern trail bike, and hill climbs at Cross Ash and on the lower road from Usk to Raglan, at Llansoy.
In the beginning of the 30's a visit was made to Hendre Park in Monmouth to ask the late Lady Llangattock, mother of the famous C. S. Rolls, for the use of roads in the Park for speed trials (sprints) and she agreed on condition that any profit should go to her favourite charity, the local District Nursing Association.
Someone invented a clever timing device, an old bicycle tyre was fitted with two strips of metal which made contact when the motor cycle wheel passed over them, and set a stop watch going - at the top of the hill a similar device stopped the watch - sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't!
Following the second world war the Club was restarted and besides trials it organized many events in conjunction with the Pontypool fete in the local Park ranging from grass tracks to scrambling.
The Monmouthshire Grand National had all the top riders of the day racing over a 3 mile course and it was here that the little 2 strokes - the work's DOT.s - took on the might of the big A.J.S., Norton and Gold Stars. Later on sprinting was introduced on the Park road with riders like George Brown on his big Vincents being one of the attractions.
The 60's saw a change in policy when the Club started to concentrate on trials. Many new ideas were tried which included short course, novice and a series of 'Flung Dung' fun trials. In the last decade the Club have hosted the National Mitchell Trial, and the Sebac then Falcon National Twin Shock series.
The main driving force behind the clubs continued presence in trials in recent years are , Chris and Tula Bounds and Dave and Elaine Sargent, who have managed to run, organize, set out, pack away, etc, the trials through thick and thin, and built the reputation we have today of good class events, thank you all.
Over the ages its members have always been a force to reckon with and have won many of the major Championships both Welsh and Centre and with both Gary Bamford and Lee Sargent receiving the B.B.C. Welsh Youth Sportsman of the Year award.
An eventful past , and here's to an eventful future.
