Johnny Terrill, Motor Cycle Race Champion

I bought my first motorcycle in March of 1954. It was a Matchless 500 twin, finished in gleaming black and chrome. On the Easter weekends of ’54 and ’55, I made the annual Easter weekend trek to 63 Beach Corentyne, to see the “big guns” Max Jardim, Jerry and Alvaro Gouviea , Hashimn Hack and company race their BSA.s, Nortons and Triumphs in organized drag races on 63 Beach. It was thrilling to watch the riders thunder down the beach, in some cases lying prone on the motorcycle seat to reduce air resistance. I must admit I was well and truly bitten by the motorcycle racing bug after those trips.

However, it seemed that at 125 lbs, I was no match for my rather heavy Matchless twin, and in my first two years of riding, I was involved in every type of motorcycle accident, breaking numerous bones and losing a kidney and spleen.. I reluctantly had to bow to pressure from my parents and sold the motorcycle. I still longed to race motorcycles though.

So when I was asked some time later by lawyer Marcellus Fielden-Singh, the purchaser of my Matchless, to ride his motorcycle in an upcoming organized race meeting at Atkinson Field, I jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, during practice the engine of the Matchless seized at 90 mph, spewing broken parts and oil all over the track. Thus ended my first stab at motorcycle racing.

I then decided to try racing a smaller motorcycle, and set my sights on a Triumph 200 cc Cub for starters. I approached Hack’s Cycle Store, the Triumph agent, to sponsor me on the Cub. They told me point blank they were not interested, mainly due to my accident record. I then tried Standard Radio & General Store, agents for Husqvarna motorcycles. The owner John DeFreitas showed me a Husqvarna 175 cc Silverpilen which they had in stock, and suggested that I take it for a ride. I did so, and immediately fell in love with the bike. John was extremely enthusiastic about sponsoring me, and immediately contacted Husqvarna in Sweden. They were also enthusiastic, and provided us with specifications to modify the engine and exhaust system of the Silverpilen for racing.

I was able to carry out the modifications to the engine, which included enlarging and polishing the intake, exhaust and transfer ports of the two-stroke engine. The standard exhaust system had to b e replaced by a racing exhaust system, and this was fabricated by George and Alan Jardim at their dad’s engineering works. Fortunately, the Husqvarna’s engine block was solid aluminum, but even so the modifications to the engine required many hours of work, and resulted in sore and blistered fingers, as most of the polishing work had to be done by hand.

The Husqvarna 175 cc motorcycle was extremely light, weighing in at 155 lbs. The frame was constructed of chrome molybdenum steel, and most of the rest of the bike was aluminum. The front suspension was a unique trailing link setup, utilizing rubher bands and small bolt-on hydraulic dampers on the front forks instead of metal springs and hydraulic dampers. This arrangement considerably reduced unsprung weight, thus improving the handling of the bike. The Husqvarna could outmaneuver any other motorcycle on the Atkinson Field racetrack at that time, and out-accelerate even the 500 cc Triumphs from 0 to 80 mph. I once had a drag with Neil Savoury’s 1000 cc Ariel Square Four downtown, and the Husqvarna beat him comfortably each time we raced.

On the negative side, the Husqvarna lacked top speed, and was prone to seizing. Every time it seized, I would have to replace the block and piston, as the cylinder was chrome plated directly on to the aluminum of the engine block, and the piston rings would rip the chrome off the cylinder, making it useless. And the block could not be re-chromed in British Guiana.

My first race with the Husqvarna was at the BGMCCs March 3, 1957, in the 250cc class. I placed second to the 250cc NSU of Norman Illsley. Husqvarna was very pleased with the result, and shipped me their latest 200 cc model, fully modified for racing. I rode the bike at the TMCC’s race meeting of April 8, 1957, winning the 200 cc and 350 cc classes. Ironically, Hack’s Cycle Store asked me to ride one of their 150 cc Triumphs in the 150 cc class (after previously turning down my request for sponsorship) as IO did not have a ride in that class. I agreed to ride the Triumph, and won the 150 cc race.

In view of this, Husqvarna sent me a 150 cc engine to replace the 175 cc engine in my Husqvarna, so that I could compete in the 150 cc class. They also provided me with a 50 cc model, but this proved to be not very competitive.

In 1958, I bought an NSU 250 cc Max, and raced it in the 350 cc and 500 cc classes, winning the 350 cc class and placing 3rd in the 500 cc class. As I recall, there was no 250cc class at that race meeting.

1958 was a good year for me. I had 3 wins in the 150 cc class, 3 wins in the 200 cc class, 2 wins and a 3rd place in the 350 cc class, and 3rd places in the 50 cc and 500 cc classes. In view of my excellent successes with Husqvarna in 1958, the Husqvarna factory in Sweden presented me with a crystal vase, which today is one of my most prized trophies.

By this time, the Husqvarnas were quickly becoming uncompetitive. I therefore bought a 250 cc Honda, and managed to get sponsorship by Marics & Company, the Honda agent. I first raced the Honda 250 at the BGMRAs meeting on February 23, 1964, winning the 250 cc and 350 cc classes, and placing 3rd in the 500 cc class and 2nd in the Unlimited Capacity class.

Motorcycle racing was becoming very popular in British Guiana, and a club was formed in Mackenzie. The Club organized a race meeting at the Mackenzie airstrip on March 22, 1964 (I think that was the date) and a number of riders from Georgetown, including myself, participated at that meeting. I won the 250 cc class at that meeting.

For the March 28, 1965 BGMRA meeting, I was up against the late Clive Holder on a Yamaha TD1 production racer. Nobody gave me a chance against the Yamaha, However, I had fortunately fitted my motorcycle with a fiberglass racing fairing, which I had imported from the UK. This was the first fiberglass fairing to be raced at Atkinson Field, and it gave me the edge on top speed over the Yamaha. I passed Clive on the back straight on the first lap of the race, and never saw him until after the end of the race. The 250 cc race was one of my most memorable races. In addition to winning the 250 cc race, I won the Unlimited Capacity class and placed 2nd in the 350 cc and 500 cc classes.

At about that time DaCosta Jones of Trinidad arrived on the scene with a Triumph 500. I enjoyed several exciting races with him while riding my Honda 250. I had the edge on the Triumph in top speed, but just couldn’t match the acceleration of his Triumph, as the Triumph had twice the capacity of my Honda. Also my bike was fitted with a close-ratio gearbox, while the Triumph had a wide ratio box. This helped the acceleration of the Triumph considerably over the acceleration of my Honda..

My Honda 250 remained relatively competitive until 1966, at which time Marics & Company put at my disposal a brand new Honda 450.
I transferred the fairing from the Honda 250 to the Honda 450, and won the two Unlimited Capacity class races at the October 9, 1966 meeting. I did not start the 500 cc race, due to an electrical fault on the Honda 450s engine.

I did not ride in the March, 1967 race meeting, due to the death of my infant daughter the day before the race meeting. I decided at that time that I would ride at one more race meeting, dedicating the ride to the memory of my daughter. I rode the Honda 450 at the GMRAs October 26, 1967 meeting,, winning the 500 cc and two Unlimited Capacity races. On the Honda 450, I beat DaCosta Jones in every race in which we clashed. I hung up my helmet and gloves after the October 67 race meeting, and retired for good from motorcycle racing.

In addition to racing on the South Dakota Circuit (AtkinsonField), I also won the BGMCC Clay Pit Trial on July 6, 1958, The GMRAs 12 hour Enduro race in the 125 cc class, held in November ’60, and the GMRAs 12 hour Enduro race in the 500 cc class, which was held in December 1966.

Special awards received include the Husqvarna of Sweden Crystal Vase for Excellent Racing Results 1958, The President’s Trophy – Champion Rider October ’58 TMCC meeting, The Pepsi Cola Trophy – Champion Rider of the Year 1966, and the GMRA Champion Rider’s Trophy – October ’67 meeting.

During my racing career, which spanned a period of ten years, I had 27 wins, 8 second placers and 8 third places, I have thoroughly enjoyed racing against a fine bunch of motorcycle riders, including the late Clive Holder and DaCosta Jones (who died in a motorcycle accident in Trinidad in 1972) Frank VanSertima, Errol and Elson Ten Pow, David Reid, Hilary Jardine, Eric Vieira, Mark Steele, Stan Bernard, Noel Foster and Max Jardim and Staffy Stafford to name a few.

I retired from racing after the October 26, 1967 Race Meeting, I have no regrets and only pleasant memories of the Atkinson Field/South Dakota circuit.

Best regards,

Johnny Terrill.

Johnny Terrill’s Racing Records