The 29th Pioneer Run

The 29th Pioneer Run

B. R. NICHOLLS

EACH YEAR since 1930 with the exception of the war years, the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club's Pioneer Run from London to Brighton has taken place. This event is the major date on the calendar for those whose hearts lie in the history of the motorcycle game. It is the time when marques long since forgotten are brought to mind again and we are made to realize just how long some manufacturers have been in production. Featherstone, Rex, Quadrant, Etna, Juno and Fafnir are all brands of a bygone age whilst BSA, Royal Enfield, Triumph and Matchless are still here.

This year there were two hundred and forty-seven entries. All the machines were manufactured before 1915 and authenticity is the keynote of each model. It is, to quote the program, not a competition but "... a Procession of Historic Motor Cycles, Sidecar and Tri-cars being coaxed along by the skill and patience of their drivers."

It was one of those pleasant motorcycle gatherings where pictures and not words tell a story and the more one looks at the old machines the more true seems the saying, "There is nothing new in motorcycling." Study the photo of the 1909 four-cylinder shaft drive F.N.

And how many machines of today will be chugging around in sixty years time like the 1903 Rex Forecar, which must have had a high passenger consumption for it is heavy to push on hills and if the brakes fail, well ... •