Royal Enfield logo The Competitive Enfields

The following article is an excerpt from the book 'Royal Enfield: From the Bicycle to the Bullet' by Anne Bradford and published by Brewin Books Ltd. 

What had started life as the Thruxton Nine Hours Race staged by the Southampton and District Club in 1955, became the Motorcycle 500 Mile Race in 1958 and was to be the scene of several manufacturer inspired entries in the long distance production machine race. The likes of Mike Hailwood and many another great names of the time raced production machines entered by dealers which were in reality works-prepared machines, including Royal Enfield.

It was the sight of one of the Super Meteors competing in the Thruxton Production Machine Endurance Race in 1958, ridden by the great Bob McIntyre contending for the lead, that was instrumental in my making my own competition debut. The sight was sufficiently inspiring for me to acquire a Super Meteor, which I soon found to be the equal of current big British twins when ridden with elan on the open roads; there was no 70 mile per hour speed limit in those days.