A superb and rare photo of Bill
(W.G.) Dehany , seen in action with his immaculately prepared 250cc Velocette during the 1953 250cc Ulster
Grand Prix which was ridden on August 15, 1953.
This image shows excellent detail of his interesting racing machine.
Irishman Bill Dehany
was a specialist of the Irish roadraces. In 1953, the year this photograph was
taken, he won the 250cc class of he Enniskillen 100 with the photographed
Velocette. That year he also finished 14TH in the Ultra Lightweight TT on the
Isle of Man. He was known for his careful preparation and expertise his of his
racing bikes.
This great
photograph of the Grand Prix of Ulster was taken during the 250cc race of 1953.
The race was won by Reg Armstrong (Ireland) on a NSU Rennmax with an
average race speed of 81.76
mph (131,58
km/h).
Velocette is the
name given to motorcycles that were made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green,
Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was
a small, family-owned firm, selling far fewer hand-built motorcycles than the
giant BSA, Norton or Triumph concerns. Renowned for the quality of its
products, the company was 'always in the picture' in international motorcycle
racing, from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, culminating in two world
championship titles (1949–1950 350 cc) and its legendary and
still-unbeaten 24 hours at 100 mph
(161 km/h)
record. Veloce, while small, was a great technical innovator and many of its
patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today, including the
positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic
dampers. The company was founded by John Goodman (born Johannes Gütgemann and
later known as John Taylor before formally changing his name to Goodman) and
William Gue, as "Taylor, Gue Ltd." in 1905. Its first motorcycle was
the Veloce. Later that year, John Taylor set up Veloce Limited, to produce
cycles and related products and services. Veloce Ltd initially produced
four-stroke motorcycles. The first two-stroke, built in 1913, was called a
Velocette. This name was used for all subsequent models. He was joined in 1916
by his sons Percy and Eugene Goodman. Between 1913 and 1925, Veloce only
produced expensive, high-quality two-stroke motorcycles of (nominally)
250 cc, which gained an excellent reputation, and which were entered in
competitions, such as the Isle of Man TT, with some success. The
single-cylinder machines had many advanced features, such as a throttle-controlled
oil pump, which set them apart from other manufacturers' products. The factory
gradually developed this machine from the 'A' series and variants (A, AC2 -
coil ignition, two-speed gearbox, AC3 - three speed gearbox, etc.), then the
'H' series, the model U and variants, culminating in the model GTP in 1930,
which was produced until 1946. The GTP was a reliable lightweight motorcycle
with good steering and power delivery. In the early 1920s, Veloce realized that
in order to grow as a company, it needed a new machine of advanced
specification and developed an overhead camshaft (OHC) 350 cc engine,
which became known as the 'K' series, introduced in 1925. After a year of
teething troubles with this new design, Veloce entered the model KTT into racing
events such as the Isle of Man TT and Brooklands races, and the reliability and
sweet running qualities of their new engine led to a long string of racing
successes. The roadster models developed from this initial model K were the
Velocette KSS (super sports), KTS (touring sports), KTP (twin exhaust ports),
KN (normal), and a few variations. The OHC engine series continued for
roadsters until 1948, when the final KSS versions were produced, with rigid
frames and Dowty air-sprung telescopic forks. Accurate valve timing was
accomplished through the pioneering use of stroboscopic lamps (see timing
light). The 'K' series showed an excellent turn of speed and reliability and
soon the factory developed racing models to compete in the Isle of Man TT. In
1933, the company decided to introduce a new line of overhead valve (OHV)
machines, in order to cut production costs and make a more affordable
motorcycle. The K series was expensive to produce, requiring selective hand
assembly of the shaft-and-bevel camshaft drive; it was determined that a
simpler OHV design would be quicker to build and require less skilled labour to
assemble. The first of these new machines was the MOV, using a 250 cc
engine of 'square' dimensions (68 mm
bore x 68 mm
stroke). It was an immediate sales success, having lively performance for the
time (78 mph),
and proved a reliable machine with excellent road manners. From this machine,
by lengthening the stroke of the crankshaft, the Velocette MAC 350 cc was
introduced in 1934. It proved even more popular than the MOV, and became a real
money spinner for the company, bringing much needed capital into the firm. In
1935 an entirely new machine was introduced, based on the two previous OHV
models, the Velocette MSS of 500 cc. A new, heavier frame was utilized
with the intention that the machine could serve as a sidecar hauler. This new
frame was developed from the mkV KTT racing machine, and was shared with the
KSS MKII of 1936-48. The MSS also proved very popular and profitable for
Veloce. After the Second World War, the company sought to capture what it saw
as a developing need for personal transport and created (with the help of Phil
Irving of Vincent fame) the model LE. This was a 192 cc watercooled flat
twin with side-valves, a pressed steel frame and telescopic forks and swingarm.
It was sophisticated and expensive. Unfortunately it proved less successful
than the firm had anticipated and although it became Veloce's best selling
model ever, the massive tooling costs for this all-new machine were barely
recouped. It did see widespread adoption by British police forces for urban
patrol. At the time Metropolitan Police Officers on foot patrol were required
to salute Sergeants and Inspectors. With the introduction of the Velocette LE,
this became dangerous, requiring the officer to take his hand off the handle
bars, and so the rider was to allowed to show his respect with a smart
inclination of his head, or to put it another way, to give a smart nod and the
bikes became known as 'Noddy Bikes'. At the 1947 TT, the company won the first
four places in the Junior race, and in 1950 they were the 350cc World
Champions. In 1960, Velocette introduced the Viceroy, a very unusual
250 cc opposed twin two-stroke scooter. Unique to the Viceroy was the
front mounted twin-cylinder engine, and the fuel tank mounted under the front
legshield. The engine itself was extremely compact, and connected to the
rear-mounted clutch and transmission by a drive shaft from the engine-mounted
flywheel. With electric start, 12 volt electrics, a very low centre of
gravity, power over 15 hp and a reported comfortable cruising speed of 65 MPH (105 km/h),
performance, handling and features of the Viceroy were first class.
Unfortunately the scooter came as market forces and rider preferences were
changing, and the Viceroy was not a sales success. The late 1960s were the last
years of production for Velocette motorcycles, production for the Velocette
Viper and Vogue ending in 1968, "Special", Scrambler and Endurance in
1969, and MSS Venom and Velocette Thruxton in 1970. Veloce Ltd. closed in
February 1971.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects
a wonderful era of 1950s motorcycle history in a wonderful way. This is your
rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large
format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly
suitable for framing!