34 :OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA
sixth in the 500 race. He had one more start in
Europe at St. Wendel in the German state of
Saarland, finishing a fine fourth in the 500 race
which was won by Eric Hinton, before heading for
Liverpool to catch the boat to the Isle of Man.
Barker found he slotted in well with the European
scene and his bubbly personality made him popular
with his peers. He found it easy to make friends
wherever he went, and for the long-established
Schleiz races he created a great impression with the
organisers and amongst the townsfolk. In July 1957,
Eastern Europe was in the grip of a major heatwave,
and on the weekend of the races the mercury
hovered around 40 degrees for hours on end. It was
so hot that the race organisers decided to hold the
500 race straight after the 350 and move the
sidecars to the end of the program, which meant
that Roger and most of the other riders had two
long races on the trot, each lasting more than one
hour. The Rimond fairing, although providing a vital
increase in top speed, was also like an oven,
trapping heat from the engine to further add to the
rider’s discomfort. Nevertheless, Roger had a
brilliant start in the 350 race and had the event shot
to pieces when he picked up a puncture in the rear
tyre and was forced to retire. With the temperature
continuing to rise, the fairing was quickly swapped
to the 500 and he took his place on the grid, again
making a great start to lead the field away. The race
was scheduled for 20 laps but Roger, leading from
the German rider Ernst Hillier on a BMW, only made
it to half distance when he blacked out, toppling
from his Norton as he accelerated from a slow
corner. He struck a roadside tree and died on the
spot. The race was stopped soon after and the
Sidecar race cancelled.
Doctor Trauneck from Schleiz, who was well
known to the riders who visited the area annually,
said in a letter to Bob Brown’s mother, “We have
had a terrific heat wave; he (Roger) must have
been groggy and fell off his bike. We all have to be
grateful that he wasn’t mutilated and ruined to theend of his days, but had an instantaneous death.
I am sure he didn’t feel a thing, it was so sudden.
His comrades are looking after his belongings and
affairs. It is very, very sad.”
Eric Hinton said, “Roger was the safest and fastest
man on the (Schleiz) course. Ernest Hillier, who was
the only one still in sight of Roger said that he was
riding beautifully and could not understand how it
happened. All this season, since we have been
together, Roger has been a good friend to us and all
the other riders and people with whom one comes
in contact in this business.”ROGER BARKER
Leading Ron Miles at Darley.Roger leading in the junior race at
Schleiz, Thiringia, Germany, 1957. He
was leading by a wide margin when
tyre failure put him out of the event.