The Cw Connection
The CW Connection
BEFORE RON WOOD AND HIS SUPER-SANO COMmandos, there were other tuners trying to make dirttrackers out of the venerable British Twins. During my early-’70s stint as a Cycle World staffer, I rode one, a Trackmaster Norton tuned by Harold Allison.
I’d ridden Ascot in the early ’60s before graduating college and spending four years in uniform as a Navy carrier pilot, including a tour in Vietnam. Released in 1969. I picked up my racing career just in time for a big change in AMA dirt-track rules-750cc overhead-valve motors were now legal, as were purpose-built frames and lo-andbehold! rear brakes. At the time, BSA Singles ruled Ascot Park; a good Gold Star could get around the tacky halfmile in the mid-23-second bracket. But the larger engines permitted lap times in the midto low-22s.
New riders were challenging the old guard, too. Paul Conserriere had been a promising Novice on a Yamaha 250 Twin, but when he straddled Allison’s Norton 750, he became an absolute star. Unfortunately, he fell one night, breaking his collarbone, and after a tryout on the team’s rigid, Goldie-framed Norton, I was moved up to Conserriere’s swingarm job.
Despite being relatively new to the intricacies of Ascot, the Allison Norton was very quick. It was geared high; its long stroke made ultra-high rpm an impractical situation. Plus, it had a soft sound, almost as if the reverse-cone megaphones were running baffles (they weren’t). Unlike the Triumphs and BSAs, which had a positive crackle when the throttle was opened wide, the Norton’s stealth was spooky. Oh so quietly, the slowrevving Twin would hook up, no matter what the consistency of the Ascot clay, and absolutely rocket down the straightaway toward the next turn. Uncanny.
Jody Nicholas, our man at Ascot
The Trackmaster frame used by Allison was originally designed for a unit Triumph engine,transmission. No matter, I don’t believe Ray Hensley, founder of Trackmaster, could have gotten closer to the ideal combination. In spite of blown head gaskets at the Tulare and Ascot Nationals, there was no doubt the Allison Norton would be a force to be reckoned with in 1971. Norton threw some sponsorship money our way, which allowed us to commission a new Redline frame for a backup bike. Out of 17 Ascot starts, we had 13 wins, one third, two mechanical DNFs (both broken primary chains) and I got knocked down once. As assistant editor, I chronicled the undertaking in Cycle World's July, 1971, issue. Even made the cover!
Many good memories of the Allison Norton remain for me. Leading the ’71 Ascot National until the rear tire went away on the 16th of 20 laps was a bummer, but I still managed a third. Catching “Tiger” Gene Romero’s Triumph at the Sacramento Mile remains a constant high-I try to forget the return line to the oil cooler pulling out, though.
By the time the ’72 season arrived, Norton decided it had more important places to invest its money and the Allison project was put to bed. Norton’s cause, though, was picked up by the conscientious, methodical, indefatigable Ron Wood. I rode one of Ron’s Nortons to a third place at a regular weekly Ascot race. The machine was so beautifully constructed, I almost felt guilty getting it dirty.
-Jody Nicholas
