They Used to Breed ‘Em Tough Reading “The Colemans” by Rod Coleman, which includes a page from Len Perry called ‘My Toughest Four Days.’ It highlights just how hard these old roosters were and what it took to get to the top of the grand prix world when you were half way round the world away. It starts with the New Zealand TT, held on Waiheke Island. Len was riding a Velocette KTT in the lead when he was knocked over a bank by another rider he was overtaking. When he stopped he had lost his right footrest, as well as all the springs in the seat – he rejoined the race and did the last 15 laps sitting on the steel seat mounting tube. He finished the race “minus a great deal of skin on the parts where you sit.” After the race he immediately returned to Auckland by ferry and started preparing his bike for the NZ Lightweight Grass Track Championships at Awapuni Racecourse, New Plymouth, the next day. (even with modern vehicles and roads, this would be a difficult journey.) He stripped the bike, removed the brakes, converted the motor to alcohol, and loaded up his old International Chevy at 2.30am. He picked up a couple of mates and away they went. About half way there they Chevy’s head gasket blew but they struggled all the way – arriving too late to do any practise. He was leading the race when his back tyre failed and he mowed down 35ft of the horse track’s inside railing, including the last post which he took out with his body. “I lay very quiet, as I was not too sure what was broken.” The doctor found nothing broken but admired the huge post-shaped bruise across his legs and stomach - so Perry returned to the track. The other riders thought they were seeing a ghost, they were sure he had died. What was left of his Velo was about 3ft long. They loaded it into the Chev and got permission to replace the headgasket at the local Chev dealers. While working on the engine he passed out across the mudguard and woke up freezing cold in the early hours of the morning, finding that he was locked inside the workshop. They headed for Auckland in heavy rain and as they went up a steep, mud and gravel hill section they were pushed off the road by an out of control car coming down, rolling three times before coming to a rest against two trees that had saved them from a further 70ft drop into the river. They couldn’t climb back up the cliff had to be rescued by being hauled up with a rope. A tow truck hauled the Chev up using a three-part purchase around a tree and a log scarfed into a drain. The Chev’s roof was smashed in but it still ran, so, filling it with gas, they again set off to Auckland, huddled in the truck and lashed by the freezing rain, driving through the night . “I carried on to my work. When my boss saw my smashed up car, rain stained face and bloodshot eyes he said go home before you fall down." Perry slept for 12 hours straight. The only other sleep he’d had since before Waiheke was when he passed out on the Chev’s guard as he replaced the head gasket....
great story........It is a shame Waiheke stopped being used as a TT track..........I know they ran one on the annivesary or something back in the 80's? or 90's?.....with a number of the old guys....I think all people did it tough back then, went with the times
Waiheke Island was still being used as a TT track when I lived there...nearly everyday.
