2013 BBC Rally Review/Photos
With perfect weather finally arriving in Wisconsin after a spring of flooding and wildly fluctuating temperatures, the members of the British Biker Cooperative were ready to put on a great show – and they did.
As an organization, the BBC turned 36-years old in 2013, the year that marked the 33rd edition of the BBC’s annual Rally and Bike Show held in Southern Wisconsin’s verdant Richland County at Eagle Cave Natural Park July 19-21.
Over the years, the BBC has learned how to organize a great event with live music, door prizes, food, beverages, BBC memorabilia, poker run, 50/50 raffle and of course, loads of great bikes – mostly British, of course, but riders of all makes, models and vintages are welcome to join.
The event site is a great camp facility with paved access road and parking lot, showers, bathrooms, a restaurant, small store and tours of Eagle Cave available. The roads fanning out in all directions from the site offer great scenery, loads of curves and rolling hills to provide for a great weekend of riding.
It was the year of the scrambler and some excellent vintage and modern British scramblers showed up, but every class in the bike show had excellent entries.
An annual favorite is the BBC Burner Run led by T.C. Christenson, who is featured in the documentary DVD “Hogslayer” by James Cutting.
Hogslayer chronicles Christenson’s rise to dominate top fuel motorcycle drag racing in the early 1970s with his double-engine Norton, to win four consecutive world championships.
These days, Christenson no longer drag races professionally, but he does know how to lead a merry chase through the southern Wisconsin countryside aboard his 1974 Norton Commando.
For more on the BBC, visit britishbiker.net.
Here are the class winners:
- Best in Show: 1949 Sunbeam S8 500 – Mike Crane
- Featured class (scrambler): 1969 Triumph Trophy 500- Team Triumph
- Antique British (pre-1962): 1949 Sunbeam S8 – Mike Crane
- Old Stock British (1963-1970): 1965 Matchless G12 CSR – Steve Aretz
- Late Stock British (1971-1989): 1974 Norton Commando 850 – John Pendell
- Modern Retro British (1990-present): 2002 Triumph Thruxton – Kevin Morgon
- Modern Stock British (1990-present): 2010 Triumph T100 Bonneville – oseppi
- Custom British (any vintage): 1974 Norton Commando 850 – Dick Schmidt
- Radical British (any vintage): 1972 BSA 650 – Joe Ruddy
- Rat British (any year): 1970 Triumph Trophy 500 – Logan Harden
- Non-British (any year): 1954 NSU MaxTT 250 – Mike Crane
Photography by Gary Ilminen
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