Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic

THOMPSON, CT – What the first-ever Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic may have lacked in quantity, it sure made up for in quality. Parked among all the old Indians and Harley-Davidsons were dozens of other rare bikes, including a 1950 Vincent Grey Flash, a 1914 BSA 557H, a 1950 Ariel Square Four with Steib sidecar, a 1924 Grindlay Peerless and a 1936 BMW R12.

The event, held Sunday at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, attracted an enthusiastic crowd who braved chilly morning temperatures and gusty winds to make it the show, which also featured a swap meet, track day and parade laps for riders entered in the show.

The BSA belonged to Mark Turkington of Bolton, CT and it won an award in the pre-1920 category. He warily took it out on the track. “It was a little scary,” Turkington admitted. “A couple of the turns were a little tighter than I figured. With these floorboards hanging out, it was a little sketchy.  I manage to get around a couple of laps and it was fun. I didn’t crash. My knees are still shaking a little bit.”

Winning in the 1920-1949 category was Victor Olson of Putney, VT. He brought the Grindlay Peerless, which has a four-stroke motor without valves. He didn’t ride it. “It doesn’t handle particularly well. The motor itself is extremely quiet since there’s no valve noise,” he said.

Hans Deamer of Cranston, RI won in the 1950-1959 grouping with his 1950 Ariel Square Four. He bought the bike in England in 2003 and restored it. “Runs beautifully. Starts instantly. Very reliable,” he said, adding that even with a heavy sidecar “this thing will run all day at 55, 60 miles per hour if you want it to.”

While it didn’t win an award, the production racer Vincent Grey Flash got a lot of attention. It is one of 31 ever built, and only three were brought to North America in 1950, according to owner Carlton Palmer of Putney, VT. Palmer bought the bike in 1979 and even raced it in the 1990s at places like Daytona and Mid-Ohio.

Especially pleasing about the show was the variety of motorcycles available to be seen. There may have been a few more BMWs, Indians and Harley-Davidsons, but there were many other brands as well.

Adding an element of danger to the show was the track day that followed the parade laps. Riders roared around the exterior loop providing a noisy soundtrack that sometimes drowned out conversations.

Getting overlooked by some spectators because of its faraway location beyond the show ground the area for the swap meet, where vendors offered both parts and old bikes for sale.

For an inaugural event, the Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic has to be judged an aesthetic success, and certainly has the potential to grow into a sizable kick-off event for the riding season each year. Had the day been warmer and less blustery, more riders certainly would have turned out. Word of mouth praise, though, will help the event in year two.

RIDE-CT AND RIDE-NewEngland will have video package of the event soon.