158 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auFACTORYRIDE/READERSRIDE/HERITAGE/ACTION/OAS/BUYERSGUIDE
ManyADBreaders
would not know
aboutaTribsa,tell
us about it.
Itwasahybridbuilt
up from various
Britishbikes,afairly
common practice in
thosedaysbothfor
motocross and road racing. My
TribsawasaTriumph500twin,
thealloymotor,withaBSA
gearbox, Triumph clutch,
Norton fork and a BSA frame.
Those machines still had
pre-unit construction, meaning
thegearboxandclutchwasa
separate unit from the motor. I
bought it from John Burrows’
shop.Hewasawellknown
Melbournedealerinthosedays,
andtheymademelayitonthe
floorandproveIcouldpickitup
beforetheywouldsellittome.
Thatwasin1965andIwasstill
justakid,15yearsold.
Your racing would have
spannedtheyearsthatthe
Japanese bikes were coming
onto the market. What were
the common brands before
the Japs arrived?
WellaftertheTribsa,Irodea
Greeves250and360in1967
and’68,anotherlong-gone
Britishbrandandatwo-stroke.
Itwasabitlighterthanthe
four-stroke Tribsa. Then in 1969
IwasonaMontesa250and
360.Otherbikesonthestart
line were Husqvarna, Ossa and
Bultaco. Some of the earliest
Japanese bikes were Yamaha
DT1s with a factory kit. The kit
had a head, barrel, piston, carb,
exhaust pipe and other bits to
upgrade the performance. It
was called a GYT Kit, Genuine
Yamaha Tuning.
What sort of results did you
get when you were racing?
Always the bridesmaid, never
the bride (laughing), I was a
perpetual runner-up. Often on
the podium but never
on the top step of it.
Someone has to
come second to
make the winner
look good. I did finish
third in the very first
MrMotocrossseries[in
1974] though.
Has all your racing in
AustraliabeeninMX?
Yes,Ionlyrodeinmotocross.
When I retired from racing I had
a brief go at enduros and when I
was overseas I dabbled in trials
riding.IwenttotheUKanddid
two years over there, ’71 and
’72, riding in the domestic races
mainly on a Husqvarna 400.
Thatwasarealthingformeto
be lining up on the start with
some of my heroes that I’d
always read about in the
Pommybikemags.Therewere
no Aussie magazines back then,
wehadtowaitfortheBritish
and U.S. magazines to arrive
and by the time they reached
the shops here they were well
outofdate.Ialsogotarideona
factoryBSA,oneofthelast
ones before the factory went
broke, when their rider Dave
Allenbrokehisleginthefirst
GPoftheyear.Therewasa
regular motocross series that
wastelevisedonTVintheUK
and I rode in that to replaceREAR GUARD
KID ON A POMMY SLED
WHEN HE WAS 15,JACK PENGELLY STARTED RACING ON A LUMBERING TRIBSA 500 TWIN
him. After that I returned home
and threw a leg over a Yamaha
in 1972, then Maicos from ’73 to
’78 in the 250 and Open classes
and Suzukis in ’79 and ’80.
Are there any events you
never got to compete in but
wanted to?
No, not really. It was a great era
back then with lots of great
mates, and it was a different
atmosphere. We were just out
for fun, to have a good time and
we did. The sport boomed in the
’70s and I was lucky enough to
be in the middle of it all.
Do you still ride?WE WERE JUST
OUT FOR FUN, TO
HAVE A GOOD
TIME AND WE DID
FI
VE
MINUTES
WITH
JACK
PENGELLYNot motorbikes but I do have a
mountain bike that I get out on
for some exercise. I’m 67 now,
so racing motocross is a bit of
an ask. I did play Aussie Rules
for a while in Masters games,
for the more senior players.
What did you do for a living
when you were racing?
I’ve had a motorbike shop in
Elizabeth St, Melbourne since
the mid ‘70s and still run it now.
We buy and sell second-hand
machines, as well as parts and
accessories, and do repairs. It
still keeps me pretty busy.
Do any bikes from the past
stand out in your memory?
The Maicos were always good to
ride, fast and good handling.
Then when Maico invented
long-travel suspension in 1974
things changed very quickly and
the other brands had to catch
up. I remember that old Tribsa
well, it was a lumbering
dinosaur and heavy. Those
hybrid bikes were good in their
day but that era was coming to
an end fast when I rode it.
Your toughest race, where
would that have been?
Christmas Hills in Victoria, The
Grand National, it was the event
every Victorian motocrosser
wanted to win and it was a
tough race, 45 minutes plus a
lap. The early Mr Motocross
races were hard as well with the
back-to-back sprint format, four
10-minute motos, one straight
after the other.
Who would be your most
respected rival from those
times?
I suppose I should mention
Trevor and Gary Flood as they
were the big names of the time
but really I was good mates with
everyone. It was just such a laid
back friendly time to be in the
sport. We all got on well with
each other.
with Warren Jack