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 BOB
MACGREGOR - SCOTLAND'S
LONE SSDT WINNER
In what promises to be a landmark year, the revered
Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT) will celebrate its one-hundredth
birthday in between 2nd to 7th May 2011. With this in mind it is
perhaps surprising that during its rich and celebrated history the
event, which has become synonymous with the country that hosts it, has
only seen one Scottish winner - the late Bob MacGregor.
Born in 1899 MacGregor, who passed away in 1975 at the age of
seventy-six, rode his first Scottish Six Days Trial in 1926 before
winning in 1932 and 1935. Back then the gruelling event, which is now
considered a right of passage for any hardened trials rider, was an
entirely different animal. As were the stubborn machines that the
steely and often equally stubborn entrants competed on.
With suspension that was uncomfortable at best, and engines that bear
little resemblance to the lightweight and punchy motors of today, for
those brave enough to tackle it the SSDT was a soul-searching battle
against the elements, the uncompromising Highland terrain and their
bike’s reliability. Indeed, it was during these formative years that
Trial earned its reputation as one of the most physically demanding
and technically challenging propositions on two wheels the World over.
 MacGregor
was the first SSDT participant to be officially classed an individual
winner as, prior to 1932, no single victor was declared. Instead, all
finishers were awarded either a silver cup, if they completed the
Trial with no penalties, or a gold, silver or bronze medal depending
on the number of penalties they incurred during the course of the
six-day marathon.
“My dad was extremely fond of the Scottish Six Days Trial,” said
Sheila Cattell, Bob MacGregor’s daughter. “He really loved
participating at Fort William, it was a very special event in his
calendar. He would obviously be very proud to know that, in its one
hundred year history, he is still the only Scottish man ever to have
won this event. Naturally, all the family is very proud of his
achievement, too.”
 The
first SSDTs in 1909 and 1910 were simply a route around Scotland with
time checks throughout to ensure that all entrants kept to the
required speed schedule. There were no special hill climbs or any
sections involved, the surface of Scottish roads and the natural
terrain they cut through were considered to be enough of a trial. In
1911 the Edinburgh and District Motor Club took charge and there were
some changes to the format, then in 1914 time cards were introduced
before a four-year hiatus due to the First World War.
The rules did not change significantly again until 1926, when four
categories were established for recording penalties: reliability, hill
climbing, daily condition of machine and brake test. It was not until
1931 that something resembling the present format was introduced, as
hills were observed for the first time with penalties incurred for
putting your foot down, and awards were allocated on a percentage
basis at the end of the Trial. There was still no individual winner
recorded, though.
In 1932 that changed and the decision was taken to create an award for
the best individual performance. Scotland’s very own Bob MacGregor
won that accolade and despite the best efforts of local rider Gary
MacDonald in more recent years, MacGregor remains the lone home
victor.
Marking its centenary, the 2011 Scottish Six Days
Trial will take place in and and around Fort William between Monday
2nd and Saturday 7th May - for more details please visit www.ssdt.org
Images thanks to the kind cooperation of Tommy Sandham. |
