Triumph Club 75th Celebration

In 1949, the Triumph MCC was initially established. This summer, 75 years later, the TOMCC celebrated that milestone moment in fine style with a once in a lifetime jamboree at Shelsley Walsh’s iconic hill climb venue.

Shelsey Walsh itself has a special place in Triumph history. Back in 1946, Irish rider Ernie Lyons set fastest time on the hill-climb aboard the Triumph factory prototype 500 twin – the machine he also rode to win the Senior Manx Grand Prix that year. Echoing Lyons’ achievement, the first bike away at the anniversary event in 2024 was what is believed to be that very prototype 500.

Another hundred Triumph bikes followed along the challenging 1000-yard course in a series of sessions, including modern factory specials like the 765cc three-cylinder Moto2 prototype. Norman Hyde, Meriden engineer and TOMCC patron (a role once held by Edward Turner), roared up the hill on one of the world-beating triple racers he helped develop in the early 1970s. Once ridden by legendary factory rider Percy Tait, the tricked-out Trident was one of three classic Triumphs brought by the National Motorcycle Museum.

Over the decades, the TOMCC developed into a worldwide organisation which took its British members across the Channel on the TOGA (Triumph Owners Go Abroad) rides to Belgium and France in the 1960s. In 1977 the club hosted its first Britannia Rally, open to riders of any British motorcycle. By the club’s 50^th anniversary in 1999, the TOMCC had expanded onto the worldwide web and boasted 37 branches – including a New Zealand representative. With the arrival of Hinckley Triumph, interest in the marque continues to grow and there are now more than 50 TOMCC branches across the globe.

At the 2024 event, 20 of those TOMCC branches mounted displays of varied machines from Triumph’s rich history, as did specific model sections, the World Association of Triumph Owners Clubs and the classics-only Trident and Rocket 3 OC. Reflecting the club’s 8500-strong international reach, groups from Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden helped fill two fields of camping.

Brisk business was done with merchandise and Norman Hyde hosted a Talking Triumphs interlude about old times. The Furthest Travelled award was won by Martino Campanella and Claudio Ruggieri, who had ridden 1550 miles from Italy. Over the whole weekend, more than a thousand people joined in the festivities. Although that’s the end of the official celebrations, the TOMCC branches and members host a huge calendar of events throughout the rest of this extra-special year – including the Britannia Rally, still going strong.

Annual membership costs £22 – if you don’t actually own a Triumph (yet) then you can sign up to receive the club’s magazine. See www.tomcc.org

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Photos: TOMCC, John R Nelson Collection