Our second clue, of "Dirt-Track Racing" ought to have given us TRACK, which is one of the most important parts of any train set, though when the earliest model trains were manufactured they ran by clockwork along the floor. These came to be known as floor trains, trackless trains, or even carpet trains. Most of them just ran in a straight line until they hit an obstacle but some included mechanisms to make them run in circles.Sadly, I have still drawn a blank on Jack Barrett, the subject of this card, which seems to be his only cartophilic appearance.
This card does also mention Triss Sharpe, who appears on card 20 of this set too, but it looks like his only card ever, though we do know a bit more about him. He first raced in the 1928 season, and was given the job of "skipper", or captain, of the Crystal Palace team in 1929, but he gave it over to Roger Frogley in 1930 in order to take part in the speedway league events. It appears that it was during one of these that he was injured in some way, bad enough to rule him out of the 1930 Star Riders final. He did return, though, and continued to ride with Crystal Palace right until he joined Coventry in 1933. That information led me to the fact he did not stay there long, and moved back down to south London to join New Cross in 1934, a track he never really took to, because it was rather hemmed in the area and kind of tight.
He also had two sons, also keen on motorbikes, and in the 1950s they started making a name for themselves in a slightly different branch of the sport, for they were off-roaders. Their names were Triss Jr. and Bryan, but it looks like they called themselves Sharp without the "e" on the end, so I am wondering if our card was a typo and if I went back to Triss Sharp Sr., I would find more. But its now eight a.m. on Wednesday morning so I must get up and get out (as well as check the weather).
This is a very interesting set, comprising record breakers, personalities, and sports, yet it seems not to be known of by many collectors of those subjects. Perhaps the publication of this list will aid that, for in this format it will show up in search engines, and more people will realise that the set includes :
- Warrant Officer Dal Molin [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Flying Officer R.L.R. Atcherley [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Arne Borg [swimming - Shelton Club, New York City]
- D.G.A. Lowe [running]
- Lieut. Giovanni Monti [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Flight Lieut. D'Arcy Greig [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Flying Officer H.R.D. Waghorn [flying - winner of Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Squadron Leader Orlebar [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Malcolm Campbell [land speed record breaker]
- Miss M.B. Carstairs [motor boat world speed record holder]
- The R.A.F. Display, Hendon, July 23rd, 1929 [39th Squadron - flying]
- The British Schneider Cup team, 1929 [Flying Officer Waghorn, Flying Officer Moon, Flight Lieut. D`Arcy Greig, Squadron Leader Orlebar, Flight Lieut. Stainforth and Flying Officer Atcherly - flying]
- The Italian Schneider Cup team, 1929 [flying]
- 30,000 Miles in 30,000 minutes [Miss Violette and Miss Evelyn Cordery : automobile endurance racing]
- Jack London [sprinting - Stamford Bridge]
- Dirt Track racing [Jack Barrett - speedway - Crystal Palace]
- Broadsiding [Nobby Keys - speedway]
- Sidecar Cornering [Bradford track at Greenfield]
- Neck and Neck [Roger Frogley and Ben Heiatt - speedway - Crystal Palace]
- "Cinder Shifting" [Triss Sharp - speedway - Crystal Palace]
- Forseti [racehorse - H. Beasley on top - winner of Cesarewich Stakes, 1925)
- British Super Marine S6 [flying - winner of Schneider Trophy 1929]
- Gloster Napier 6 [flying - Schneider Trophy 1929]
- The Golden Arrow [land speed record breaking car, driven by Major Sir Henry Segrave]
- The Shamrock [Sir Thomas Lipton`s yacht, challenger for the America`s Cup]
- Trigo [racehorse, winner of Derby, St. Leger, and Irish St. Leger in 1929)
- Gertrude Ederle [swimming - English Channel]
- Major Sir Henry Segrave [land speed record breaker / speed boat racer]
- Kaye Don [land speed record breaker]
- Lord Burghley [hurdling]
As for the cards, they are first recorded in our original Godfrey Phillips reference book, RB.13, as
- 128. SPEED CHAMPIONS. Small cards, size 67 x 37 m/m. Fronts printed by photogravure in sepia. Backs in brown with descriptive text. Issued 1930.
This is much reduced in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, where the entry reads only :
- SPEED CHAMPIONS. Sm. 67 x 36. Sepia gravures. Nd. (30) ... P50-82
And that remains identical in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, save a new card code :
- SPEED CHAMPIONS. Sm. 67 x 36. Sepia gravures. Nd. (30) ... P521-370