Ray Pickrell was born in Harrow Weald, Middlesex, on this day in 1938. Those were the days of the Ace Cafe and impromptu races on the roads of North London.
Ray’s racing career began in 1961 on a Manx Norton. In 1964 he had a serious accident when the brazing holding the rear swinging arm came unstuck leavng the rear wheel held in only by the suspension units and the chain. He woke up in hospital with a broken thigh pinned together.
1965 could have been Ray’s last in racing with costs rising. Fortunately, he picked up some sponsorship giving him rides on a 250cc Bultaco, a 350cc Aermacchi and a Triumph-engined 500cc Monard.
Continuing to improve and impress, his first big success came in 1967 at Snetterton, riding a 750cc Domiracer.
Paul Dustall, a South London dealer, provided full sponsorship with Norton twins for Ray 1968, and he responded by winning 17 races, including his first TT - the 750cc Production Machine TT - at the record average speed of 98.13mph, including a record lap at 99.39mph.
In 1971, Ray switched to the Triumph/BSA team, maintaining a successful career on the 750cc triples including the big production class at the Isle of Man TT and the Bol D’Or on the famous Triumph Trident ‘Slippery Sam’.
1972 saw another two TT wins but at the last race of the year at Mallory Park, the gearbox on Ray’s bike locked at 90mph. The resulting horrendous crash, with another bike langin on top of him, broke his pelvis in six places, ending his career and very nearly his life.
