TSOA SA member Barry Clark’s TR4A with Mark Webber on board at this year’s F1 event in Melbourne. Not too shabby Barry! What a Triumph!

The Nationals were two years in the planning and it is now all over!!!   The week was full of fun and camaraderie and it is always nice to catch up with our interstate colleagues.  The weather in Mt Gambier was very kind to us and it was even hot on the Wednesday travelling back to Victor Harbor.  Unfortunately the weather in Victor was typical for the area with drizzly rain.   We hope that all those who attended had an enjoyable time and will consider going to Victoria in 2012.

The All Triumph Rally for the Tony Esau Memorial Trophy is on Sunday 20th November meeting at Burnside Townhall carpark at 9.00am.   There will be a club sponsored BBQ at the destination which is a tightly held secret until the day, with the run being set by last year’s winners, Bill and Margie.   This will be the last Sunday run for the year with the Christmas dinner rounding off what I hope has been another successful year socially.

The Christmas Dinner and Trophy Presentation night is on Saturday 10th December at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club and payment is required in full at the meeting on 15th November.   The menu and cost are listed in TRak and it should be another successful night, the venue being very popular.

The annual after Christmas run is heading to Middleton Tavern for lunch meeting at Crafers Inn at 10.00am for coffee departing at 11.00am sharp.

Sue Gibson

Wow what a month of diverse activities for our club members last month, sometimes I wonder how some people find time to fit it all in, certainly it was “Adelaide Alive”  for Triumph motoring enthusiasts in September.

We started with a mid week club run on September the 7th from windy point to Meadows for afternoon tea, and for the competition members a chance to attend the S.A. Hillclimb event on the 10th and 11th of September assuming they were not involved in our premier club display “The Day of Triumph “ held opposite the TTP on Sunday 11th.

The weather was not as good to us as the Sunday before, or the couple of Sundays after, but 45 of the clubs finest cars and approx 80 club members who attended put on a creditable display and promotion of the Triumph marque.The overall winner on the day was the very well prepared and presented newly restored red TR6 of Geoff Mockford, with Noel and Cindy Schmidt in their red TR3A coming in a creditable second on the day, all other results will be reported on later in the Mag.

Continuing on – the “Classic Targa Adelaide” held on public roads of the Adelaide hills and surrounds from the 13th to the 18th for all motoring enthusiasts, with Round 4 of the sprints at Mallala on the 18th for our competition guys again.

Our Tuesday 20th general meeting had a near record attendance when we had a display of over $500K worth of “Triumphant Italians” (you may know them as Ferrari’s) on stage with the owners giving us a short talk on their Italian Love affairs.

And today (25th September) we held our club yearly breakfast get together on Dequetteville Terrace to watch the wonderful world class event “The Bay to Birdwood Rally” with 1800 classic cars on display, a display that took over two and a half Hours to pass any one spot on the approx 70Km of roads the entrants travelled. ……………Hot off the presses!!, …….I understand Noel and Cindy Schmidt were selected in the final 10 in the concour’s in their beautiful red TR3A, well done!!Who would want to live in any other city ?

I am sure reports and photographs on most of the above events will be reported later in the magazine.

Now to October, approximately 35-40 club members are waiting in anticipation to participating in the S.A run National rally to Mount Gambier and Victor Harbor with a side trip to K.I. for some. This is a unique opportunity to meet with old interstate friends for some, and make new friends for others, along with inspecting the variety of interstate Triumph vehicles present on the rally.

Thanks to all those who helped organise the above events, and to all members who participated in these continuing to help make the club the success it is.

REMEMBER NO GENERAL MEETING IN OCTOBER DUE TO NATIONAL RALLY

Till we meet again

John Sampson

The mid week run in September ended up at Balance in Meadows for afternoon tea.  There were seven Triumphs given a run that day along with a few other vehicles.  The run took us to Stirling, Mylor, Echunga and Macclesfield and back to Meadows on country roads.  Thanks to those people who came along and thanks to Tony for organising and Natalie for typing up the directions.

The annual Day of Triumph was held at Civic Park in rather inclement weather, however it was pleasing to see over 40 cars brought out despite the forecast and rain.  Congratulations to all winners and thanks to all the judges, scorers and helpers on the day.  A big thank you to Bill and Margie for providing the tent and also donating two bottles of wine for the gate prizes, also Bob Cini for getting to Civic Park very early to keep the entry clear and returning the key to the Council.   A list of trophy winners will be in TRAK.

There is a mid week run on Wednesday November 2nd being organised by Bill Smith and details are in the magazine.

The Christmas Dinner is fast approaching and payment in full is required at the November meeting.  Bookings are being taken now and if you wish you can post payment to the Club address.   The date is Saturday 10th December at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club where we will enjoy pre dinner drinks (club sponsored) from 6.30pm and a 3 course dinner (with choice of two in each course) at a cost of $45 for members and $59 for non members which represents very good value.  The menu is published in the magazine.  We would love to see all the Day of Triumph winners present to accept their trophy(s).

Sue Gibson

The new club year begins, and in reflection I would once again thank all those club and committee members who helped make the last year so successful.

Thanks goes to Rick Staehr for accepting the committee position of Competition Secretary and also filling in and assisting in publishing our TRAK magazine for the next couple of months while Richard is away on holidays, it is good to welcome a new enthusiastic member to our committee. Congratulations Rick.

While on the subject I would thank the retiring committee member Trevor Lindsay for his efforts as competition secretary over the last two years.

While the AGM is over and the new Committee has been established, if you have any skills or aspirations as club Treasurer or Social secretary there could be an opportunity next year, but in the mean time you could gain a year’s experience working with the current incumbent, a great opportunity – think about it and if you are interested or speak to Peter, Sue or myself.

Three important dates for your diaries for September :

1. The Day of Triumph Sunday September the 11th – Not only is this a great picnic day for all members to attend and mingle with fellow Triumph owners, but it is a tremendous opportunity to promote our marque at this fantastic venue, so polish your car and come and enjoy the day.

2. The General meeting Tuesday September 20th we will have 3 special “Triumphant Italians” on stage, prancing horses ranging from 1965 to 2005 models, so come along and enjoy the noise.

3. The Bay to Birdwood breakfast Sunday the 20th on Dequetteville Tce  @ 9.00am – BBQ provided but BYO food.

For full details refer further in the magazine.

Our AGM was also a special event celebrating the 50th birthday of the TRIUMPH TR4, August 1961. The stage and tables were suitably decorated by Rick and Maree Staehr and there were three highly polished great looking examples of the TR4 for the full house to admire.

Thanks to Richard Bingham, Bill Jones and Steve Hutchinson for bringing their cars in for the night and joining in the celebrations.

Till we meet again

John Sampson

GT6 in the Mist – 2011 All British Weekend at Wakefield Park.

We have reached the end of another club year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for helping me work through the last year as President. There were many  things to learn throughout the year that weren’t too obvious at the beginning, in order to make the club run seamlessly and smoothly. The committee are a dedicated group of people who carry out their responsibilities in the running of the club very effectively and it has been my pleasure working with them.

I would also thank all the various members who work tirelessly and proactively behind the scenes in many ways carrying out small tasks that generally go unnoticed because they just get done when needed.

This year’s August meeting is significant not only because it is our AGM but it is also the 50th anniversary of the TR4 and it is proposed to have a celebration to mark this event at our meeting, so I would invite all to attend on the night and join the festivities on this occasion.

As is the usual practice at the AGM all positions are declared vacant and I would ask all members to consider if it is your turn to do something for the club. No position is too onerous and everybody helps out, so if you think you would like a new challenge or can help out then let me know either before the meeting or on the night, I am sure it will be a rewarding experience.

Several of our recent club runs have been dampened by the weather, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the members who attended, again I must thank those who organised these events,

Our July meeting was well attended as it provided a one stop shop for membership renewal and log book sign off for those on concessional registration. The registration scheme requires members to be a financial member of the club to participate in the scheme and there will be another opportunity at the August meeting to finalise these matters so you can legally drive your pride and joy.

Last year we held a very successful Day of Triumph and we are hoping that again this year we can equal or better the 70 or so cars we had on display at TTG Civic Park opposite the TTP shopping centre. Not only is this a great picnic day for all members to attend and mingle with fellow Triumph owners, but it is a tremendous opportunity to promote our marque at this fantastic venue.

Details of the Day of Triumph are shown later in the magazine and I urge to take this opportunity to clean and polish your car and participate in this event, this will also mean that your car is well prepared for the coming summer months of club runs.

For those who may not have caught up the fact, I am pleased to report that Brian Argent is home and recuperating well after his major operation of a couple weeks ago and we wish both Brian and Peggy all the best, and look forward to seeing them again soon at club functions.

Till we meet again

John Sampson

Thank you to all who have assisted during the past year be it organising runs, preparing supper, selling raffle tickets etc.   The job of Social Secretary is a lot easier when you have willing helpers.  If you would like to take on the position, please put your name forward as this position becomes vacant at the AGM on 16th August.

Thanks to Stephen for organising the mid week run on 6th July in, what can only be described as atrocious conditions.  Three brave people brought their Triumphs, the rest opting for the comfort of good demisters, windscreen wipers and a good heater.   The meeting place was Millies at Stirling for coffee then the run went for a distance of approx 75kms taking in Clarendon, Meadows, Macclesfield ending up at Grumphy’s at Hahndorf for wood oven pizzas.

Ian and Raelene’s run to Cafe Y at Chateau Yaldara Lyundoch on Sunday 24th July saw 11 Triumphs brought out in the very inclement weather.  A few other members came along in their normal cars.  We had a tour of the back streets of North Adelaide passing the sad TR6 (it has featured in TRak) parked on the side of the road before heading up Gorge Road to Cudlee Creek for a coffee stop.  The rain conditnued to fall as we made our way to Lyndoch and lunch at Cafe Y.   Thanks to Ian and Raelene for their efforts in organising the run.

The next ladies technical session is on Tuesday 9th August at Cafe Buongiorno Mitcham and we would love to see you there for a chat and a bite to eat and, of course, a little technical discussion.

The run on Sunday 21st August is heading south to Willunga for coffee (the swap meet is on if anyone wants to go early and meet up afterwards) then heading down to Middleton Tavern for lunch.

Don’t forget to put Sunday 11th September in your diary for the Day of Triumph at Civic Park opposite TTP.  This is a major event in the Club’s year so let’s see a record number of Triumphs on display, even if you don’t want your car to be judged bring it along and put it on show.

The other major event is the Christmas Dinner and Trophy Presentation on Saturday 10th December at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club.  The 3 course meal with choice is very good value.   Details will be in TRak.

Sue Gibson

The Triumph story, according to Graham Robson and Richard Langworth, goes back to 1863 when a young and very ambitious 21 year old man by the name of Siegfried Bettmann decided to leave Germany and head to London to make his fortune.

Siegfried was very bright, well educated and he spoke German, French and English. Given that he was very talented at an early age gave him advantages and is why his rise through the ranks was so spectacular.

Siegfried had soon out grown his initial menial job as a translator and had created S.Bettemann & Co and obtained a number of continental companies for whom he was London agent. With the exception of one of these agencies most not that successful; the only one which was successful was a manufacturer of sewing machines from Saxony and S Bettmann & Co imported these sewing machines under this agency agreement to be sold profitably throughout the England.

Bettmann saw that there was little to be seen of a profitable nature in importing but there was a real market in exporting, and at that point of time transport was in its infancy with the humble bicycle being the “new” mode of transport.  At that time the “penny farthing” was all the rage.

However Bettmann saw that the high front wheel of the Penny Farthing was not as easy to ride as the smaller front wheel and had a Birmingham company manufacture them for his company, he foresaw that there was a huge market over the channel.

But he knew that calling these new bicycles the “Bettmann” would not be a good marketing product and he wanted a name which would be recognized worldwide, he came up with the name “Triumph” which he felt would be recognized throughout.

Little was he to know that this name would become so well known the world over for such high quality cars and motorbikes. The Triumph Company has arrived!

In  1887 Bettmann needed more capital to continue to expand this thriving small concern and he asked a fellow German countryman of his , a Mauritz J Schulte to be a partner, this partnership was to last over 30 years.

The company was changed to a limited liability company when Schulte added his life savings of 150 pounds (which in those time would have been a large sum!) and the Triumph Cycle Company Ltd was created!

Sales of bicycles continued to sell so much that Bettmann, being driven by the more astute Schulte asked several more financiers to assist in the expansion of the company.

As part and parcel of this process the Directors made the decision to manufacture bicycles themselves rather than have someone else do the manufacturing. So they started to look for suitable location in Coventry; which was the hub of bicycle manufacturing at that time.

The Triumph Cycle Company indeed found a suitable building in Much Park Street, in the West Mid-lands town of Coventry, the Company were to move to Priory Street in 1907 but some major factors propelled the company to become so much more successful and this was due to  a number of factors;

One was that Mauritz Schulte was more forward thinking and

Secondly the link with a Dublin based Company, called the Dunlop Rubber Company in seeing what success the Triumph Cycle Company was having and wishing to be involved.

These two factors were part of the process in changing the way the Triumph Cycle Company was to go into the future. On pneumatic tyres!

By 1897 manufacturing of bicycles started selling motorized bicycles with very primitive and tiny motors; Triumph was also interested in this move forward and tried a number of different engines before deciding to build their own 3& 1/2 hp engine.  The company was still finding its way and by 1906 had started production in a small way. As mentioned above in 1907 the Triumph Cycle company sought larger space and some of the manufacturing moved to the Priory Street premises.

Siegfried Bettmann started to move into politics while keeping an eye on the bicycle division which was his main interest thus leaving the other Directors to drive the motorcycle division forward.

Siegfried’s civic life saw him become a member of the City Council then President of the Chamber of Commerce and in 1913 became Mayor of Coventry.

However the next link in this chain of events occurred in 1911 or 1912 when Siegfried became the Chairman of the Standard Motor Company.  There is some thought that he provided some funds to Reginald Maudslay in order that he could obtain the controlling interest in the Standard Motor Company . Maundsley was to become a Director of Triumph as well.

According to Graham Robson and Richard Langworth; Siegfried Bettmann did not have a very long period of involvement with the Standard Motor Company but it would be 34 years later that this relating link would come full circle. Bettmann had retired with a very handsome payout and the Company was now under the control of Mauritz Schulte, a much more dynamic and forward thinking individual with a new Company Manager, Col. Claude Holbrook who had been closely involved with Bettmann and Maudsley in the procurement of motorcycles as part of the war effort during the Great War.

In fact the Triumph Cycle Company did very well during the war with large orders for motorcycles as part of the war effort, orders for machines increased from 3000 in 1909 to some 15,000 by 1923 and by 1929 this number had doubled!  By then the Priory Street building was a seven storey building thanks to the high quality of material and workmanship which has made Triumph motorcycles famous.

During the early 1920’s management at Triumph were cashed up and were like a number of companies interested in building Automobiles. An article in The Autocar printed an article advising that the Triumph Cycle Co Ltd was interested in producing light cars and had purchased the Dawson Car Company who had built a 12 hp light car. Unfortunately the Dawson motorcar was not a success with some 65 cars built and there are apparently no survivors today.

When this purchase was made by Bettmann prior to his retirement his intention was more for the value of the property that came with the sale which was only half a mile from Priory Street. When William Morris ran into financial difficulty he approached Bettmann with a view to buying the Morris Motor Company, however Bettmann refused, reasoning that he could build exactly the right complex for the production of the Triumph motorcar.

In April 1923 it was announced that the production of wholly Triumph designed”Triumph 10/20” was to commence.

The start of a long illustrious period of some 60 years for this famously named automobile!!.

By Mike Greenwood – Adelaide

Past

25 – 26 June Wakefield Park

Six cars left for Wakefield Park on Thursday 23rd June comprising our entire TSOA(SA) racing contingent for the annual All Triumph Race and Sprint. The trip over and back is split into two parts with an overnight stop at Hay. We rolled into Hay around 4:30pm and registered at the motel then met up at the hotel for refreshments and a game of pool before meandering into the restaurant for an enjoyable evening meal. This was followed by viewing of racing videos at the motel.

Up early Friday morning, we sauntered across to the bakery for breakfast around 7am and departed for Goulburn around 8am. Lunch was at the Tucker Box near Gundagai and we arrived at the track about 3pm to off load the cars and equipment in locked garages fronting pit straight. After pre dinner drinks and more videos, we all met up for a meal in town, then back to the motel for more drinks and videos.

Saturday morning was down to business after clearing the ice off our transporters. The track is approximately 15 minutes out of town and started out foggy The sprint was postponed until 11am due to poor visibility. It was also cold – very cold. This gave the opportunity for a group walk around the track for many. There were 104 entries comprising of Sports Sedans, Lotus, Mazda, Jaguar Healey and many Triumphs amongst others. Track conditions improved once the sun came out and dried the wet patches. The SA contingent (which included the sons of Rod Carey and Bryan Young) placed as follows:-

3rd Trevor Lindsay – GT6

15th Roger Lange – GT6

60th Rod Carey – Spitfire

66th Neil Martin – TR7V8

74th Michael Carey – Spitfire

93rd Robin George – TR7V8

94th Daniel Young – Vitesse

104th Bryan Young – Vitesse

Most of us attended a group dinner that evening at the Old Brewery. More drinks and videos followed after at the motel.
Sunday morning was clear and cold. After once again clearing ice of the windscreens, we headed back to the track for the All British Race Meeting. Bryan, Robin and Neil competed in the Regularity events as they didn’t have roll bars for the racing events. Out of four runs, Bryans best placing was 14th and Robin and Neil both gained a  2nd placing.

Out of 22 cars, Roger ended up with 4th position after conclusion of the All Triumph Race with Rod in 16th and myself in 1st. Rogers other two races were spoilt by suspected faulty distributor rotors ending in DNF’s. Rod scored a 7th and 16th in the other events and I scored two 2nd placings.

We all had some minor gremlins to overcome apart from Neil. I had a fuel leak that was found and fixed before racing commenced Saturday and found a way to make my tyres work better. My Dorian timing unit also packed up.

Roger had his rotor button issue (we think?), Rod had to replace a fuel pump, and Bryan lost his fanbelt causing overheating. Robin developed some oil pressure issues and an oil leak.

Sunday night we had a good feed up within walking distance of the motel and celebrated what was 2 days of great fun (plus more videos and refreshments afterwards).

Pressure off, we had a sleep in and relaxing start to Monday morning. After a lunch stop at Narrandera, we met up again at Hay around 4pm and showed those not yet acquainted with it – the old Hay Jail and Museum. After dinner, you guessed it, more of the usual. Roger left early Tuesday morning (Bryan never stopped), Rod and Neil paired up to return via the Riverland and Robin and myself kept each other company returning via Pinnaroo and the freeway. I was home by 4pm.

Another great weekend that brought smiles to everyones faces at one time or another. Bring on 2012.
3 July MSCA Sprint Mallala

Rick Staehr, Peter Davidge, Arrand Ellery, Peter Berlemon, Rod Carey, John Sampson, Andrew McNeil and myself did our duty for the TSOA on what was a windy but fine day at Mallala. I personally enjoy this activity and know many others also do, though it is a time eater. Perhaps next time we can draw a raffle at the preceding GM and the six prize winners get to wave flags and eat out at the track. Just a suggestion.

Neil Martin was the sole representative of the Triumph marque on track and was well observed by all the TSOA flaggies around the circuit. I was impressed at how well the TR7V8 pulls up under brakes.

Well done to our volunteers. The TSOA, MSCA and myself appreciate your efforts even if the majority of our membership is apathetic to the cause.

Future

16 July Come and Try Day Collingrove Hillclimb

17 July Winter Cup Rd 2 Collingrove Hillclimb

7 August Winter Cup Rd 3 Collingrove Hillclimb

14 August MSCA Sprint Rd 3 Mallala

Other

22 July Sporting Car Clubrooms

The SCCSA is holding a Competition Night commencing at 7pm in their clubrooms to discuss the latest in motorsport including Tailem Bend, rule changes, scrutineering etc as well as an interview with Trevor Pound and trade displays. All interested parties are welcome

Cheers,

Trevor Lindsay