Dragon Rally

(From Tim's account of the 1969 Shamrock Rally.

- Tim Hall


As far as the 1968 Dragon Rally is concerned, photographic records tend to be rather scarce. Although there were hundreds attending the Welsh winter meeting that year, relatively few took a camera with them to capture the scene and record their adventures on the road to Llamberis.

Among the many participants were a trio of young motorcyclists from Wigan. Fortunately for us one of them had the foresight to take a camera with him , to immortalise the best moments of their trip.

Dragon Rally 1968 - Brian Gore and Jack Griffiths photographed here in the heights overlooking Colwyn Bay, a location in Conwy which during the Victorian era was a very popular seaside resort

There are seemingly no pictures taken at the rally itself to give us a taste of the atmosphere and ambiance that existed. However, there are some shots taken en route, that I found on the internet quite by chance, and that I am taking the liberty of sharing with readers.

Dragon Rally 1968 - On the way home, Graham Hart (left) and Jack Griffiths (right) stopped at Llanberis Pass. They pose once again to keep a souvenir of their motorcycle ride in their photo album. The photo was taken by Brian Gore who unfortunately had to leave his motorbike broken down in Warrington on the way to the rally and continue the journey as a pillion

The Bonnie's of the young Wigan rallyists seen here in these photos are a testament to the vigorous British industry of the late 1960s. A time when British motorbikes had an unrivalled reputation worldwide and were then Britain's third largest source of income after cars and whisky.

- Jean-Francois Helias