Barry Briggs

Presenter0:00

This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley. You're a New Zealander, aren't you, Berry? That's right, Roy. Of English stock? Uh, Scottish.

Barry Briggs0:11

Uh

Presenter0:12

What was it, Joe?

Barry Briggs0:13

Both

Presenter0:13

First ambition to be as a youngster.

Barry Briggs0:14

Yeah.

Barry Briggs0:15

I'd think as like most young lads I'd like a train driver or engine driver.

Barry Briggs0:20

You've always had a mechanical turn of mind.

Barry Briggs0:23

No, not really. I started off in an advertising agency, not as a mechanic, sir.

Barry Briggs0:27

I don't really like being a mechanic.

Presenter0:30

How old were you when you first became interested in motorbikes?

Barry Briggs0:33

Oh, I think I started riding motorbikes when I was about 11 years old. Whose bike was it?

Barry Briggs0:38

My cousin had a motorcycle, and I used to clean it for so many rides round the local.

Barry Briggs0:43

Field and um

Barry Briggs0:45

The more I cleaned it, the more I rode. I think I'm a little bit behind in cleaning now.

Presenter0:51

Ha ha ha ha.

Presenter0:52

Uh

Barry Briggs0:52

Well

Presenter0:53

When did you get your own first motorbike?

Barry Briggs0:55

I was about fourteen when I bought my mot motorcycle in partnership with one of my friends. Had you seen any speedway racing?

Presenter1:01

Uh

Barry Briggs1:01

It had just started in Crosshit, yes.

Barry Briggs1:04

How did you get into it? Did you just turn it into

Presenter1:06

Uh

Barry Briggs1:06

Turn up and say, Can I have a go?

Barry Briggs1:08

No, there was a training track in just outside Christchurch that we used to go to that

Barry Briggs1:13

They used to charge, I think, sixpence a lap for practising, but

Barry Briggs1:17

I was just started working, I didn't have very much money, and I used to be the odd

Barry Briggs1:21

job boy around the place and um this is how I got got my rides. Now the sliding you have to do, the broadsiding, is quite an art, isn't it?

Barry Briggs1:31

Sliding is quite hard, but once you've learnt to slide,

Barry Briggs1:35

It's um

Barry Briggs1:37

the the basis of the ordinary sliding is not very hard. It's it's when you come to the last bit of the fine art of it, of saving time. You don't you d lose time by sliding too much.

Presenter1:48

Yeah.

Barry Briggs1:48

Mm-hmm. And you've got to know how to ride it out of a slide more than riding it in a slide.

Presenter1:52

Yeah.

Barry Briggs1:54

How many seasons did you race professionally in New Zealand?

Barry Briggs1:58

Well, I had one season which was approximately I would think about twenty meetings. Hm.

Presenter2:02

Yeah.

Barry Briggs2:02

And then you came to England? Yes. Did you know anybody here?

Barry Briggs2:05

Yes, there was two lads from Christchurch here, uh Trevor Redman and Ronnie Moore. So they were here when I arrived, so this was a big help to me. Which club did you join? I joined Wimbledon in London the first year.

Presenter2:17

And within two or three years you were in the top

Barry Briggs2:20

Three in the World Championship. It's it sounds it sounds not long there, but it seemed ages to me at the time.

Barry Briggs2:27

Now you'll provide your own bikes. Yes, mhm. Are are they specially made bikes?

Barry Briggs2:31

Well, it's special for the speedway. I've got speedway machines and on the other kind of racings when I race on the sand tracks and grass tracks I have another different type of machine and then

Barry Briggs2:42

I've just started doing a little bit of ice racing and I've got a special machine for that as well.

Presenter2:46

Mm-hmm.

Barry Briggs2:47

Uh

Presenter2:47

So you've got, what, four or five in your stable?

Barry Briggs2:49

Oh, I'd have at least four or five, yes. What kind of speed can you reach?

Barry Briggs2:53

On a dirt track.

Barry Briggs2:54

Uh well this is of course by the size of speedway because

Barry Briggs2:58

A speedway machine only has one gear, and a clutch and no brakes, so if you've got a big track like Bellevue or West Ham,

Barry Briggs3:07

Uh the end of the strait you'd probably be doing, I should think, seventy five mile an hour.

Presenter3:12

What is that?

Barry Briggs3:12

Not so fast, but you're on a very enclosed

Barry Briggs3:16

circuit the fence is very close and it's not so wide when you're doing spears like this.

Presenter3:20

Well, it looks terrifying. J just how dangerous is it, apart from sort of cuts and bruises and a and an odd broken bone, do many people get seriously hurt?

Barry Briggs3:29

Oh, it's it's as dangerous as you make it, which is most sports, but there's the element of doubt of sonic breaking on the machines. Most of the boys are professionals now, so it cuts out a lot of the bad crashes. But we normally have a one fertility a year.

Barry Briggs3:44

Which is round about average, there's more sometimes, but there's many broken bones.

Barry Briggs3:49

Have you ever done yourself any serious damage?

Barry Briggs3:51

Oh yes, I've had a few hits but only really only minor things round the feet and last year I did my collarbone and

Barry Briggs3:59

How long? Can a rider reasonably expect to keep going into his forties?

Barry Briggs4:03

It used to be, but not now. There's so many young fellas around that

Barry Briggs4:08

It makes it impossible. You just can't keep the pace up it.

Barry Briggs4:11

I think I should be over my peak, but I look after myself and I don't think age really comes into it if you if you live right and you eat right and sleep right.

Presenter4:21

You mentioned this ice racing just now. This is something I I've read about as cropping up on the continent. How does it work?

Barry Briggs4:28

Well, I've only done one meeting really competitive. This is in Germany at Insel.

Barry Briggs4:34

They race, they have a circuit, which is normally a frozen lake.

Barry Briggs4:39

And they have spikes in the tyres, I should think, inch and a half long.

Barry Briggs4:43

And you go round virtually laying on the ice. You can go this low. You have sh very short handlebars and you can actually just well lay on the ice and go round it.

Barry Briggs4:53

It's faster than speedway as well. It's very spectacular.

Presenter4:57

Uh

Barry Briggs4:57

Is anybody going to try it over here?

Barry Briggs4:59

Well, I've got a machine over here at the moment which I'm going to do a few demonstrations on, but

Barry Briggs5:04

I don't like it very much. It's a bit dangerous but it's it's something different and I enjoy motorcycling and this is something a little bit different for me.