The Frank Perris Story Mr. Frank Perris
Frank Perris's first motorcycle was a 1934 350cc BSA Blue Star which was advertised in the local paper. In 1948 at the age of 17 he'd been an apprentice for a year and had saved a whole Ten pounds, (approximately 260.00p.in todays money 2012.) from his weekly wage of one pound and five shillings ( 32.44p.) He then bought a 350KTT Velocette which he converted into what they call a "CAFE RACER" which he started racing at Rhydymwn near Chester with five of his mates. Frank started to make his name in the early 1950's, riding on the old world war 2 Royal Air Force Bases. His father used to transport him to the circuits and they bedded down in the old Nissen huts as the beds were left there from the war days. He was doing national service and was due to embark to the war in Korea when he had a meeting in Silverstone and fell off and broke his wrist, he was lucky as they took him off the embarkation list and gave him a job in Towcester as REME Paymaster.
Frank on his 500cc Grand Prix Triumph at the Silverstone Circuit
Frank was a draughtsman working at AMC (Associated Motor Cycles) during the 1950's working on Matchless and AJS on frame design, he also did testing on the AJS which he extremely enjoyed. He started his apprenticeship in 1947 when he was 16 and started racing a short time after that. One day he recieved a call from Jock West who was the AJS team manager and also the very first man to ride the legendary "Porcupine". He said grab your lid and leathers, so I said what the devil for and he replied "to ride our bikes of course". I then went to work for them in Plumbstead and also rode for them. I was then drafted into the drawing office at AJS working on frame design for the racing bikes. The AJS team was a very tight-knit group working with development engineer Jack Williams (father of the great Peter Williams) on the "7R", he was a very modest man and a very clever engineer.
Frank at work in the drawing office
Frank with engineer Jock West and the 350cc AJS 7R.
While working for AJS Frank also modelled machinery for marketing
By the late 1950's frank then bought his own transporter as he used to ride his bike to meetings, this was a Morris 1000 with a tow bar and a former florists box trailer. They had it set out very nice as his wife Rita had wallpapered and painted the inside and also put up curtains. Frank always said that it was not the high society she had expected when they got married but it worked out well. When I started earning decent money we bought a caravan and Rita loved it, the Suzuki mechanics would stand outside in a line while Rita made them Japanese tea which they loved.
Frank and Rita's new transportation, the Morris 1000 and florists box trailer.
Rita in the back of the Box trailer cooking up the meals
From 1951 to 1971 Frank raced in the Isle of Man but he could not make his dream come true as he never won a TT. He made his IOM debut on a clubman's Triumph, and his best results were two second places, one behind his team-mate Hugh Anderson when they were riding for Suzuki in 1963 in the 125cc. race and then in the 1969 250cc. race behind Kel Carruthers. His father first took him to the IOM in 1949 and he just loved it there, (he still loves the place). He always said that the TT was a very bumpy place but this he believed helped what he called the brave had a better chance of winning or having a higher place. You got blisters on your hands just trying to hold on the bike. He spent many years riding two-stroke machines and that meant you had to have fingers on the clutch lever because of seizures, He's only just lost a large callus off his left thumb which was caused by trying to hold onto the bars. Protective clothing was not very good in those days, so most of us riders used very thin leathers just to conform with regulations. Lewis leathers were the best but he found them too heavy for his use, but he does agree that it was a little stupid to use the thin ones as the protection was not there.
Frank on his Triumph in the 1951 Senior Clubmans TT.
Frank Perris Joined Suzuki in 1962, he was joined by Ernst Degner who defected from MZ. Frank only met Mr. Suzuki a few times but he was very nice even though he didn't have the best of starts with the team. The first time he rode for Suzuki was at Spa Francochamps in 1961 when they offered him a 125cc. single. These bikes were their very first Grand Prix bikes and they were not very good. He was on the second row and when the flag dropped the thing would not start, he pushed it all the way down the hill and up the other side of Raidillon as for as he could go, he then laid it against the bank and gave it a good kick. He did not realise that Mr. Okano the team manager was watching through binoculars as he saw him kick it. But he was offered to join the full team in 1962.
The team at the Japanese GP at Suzuka. Frank is seated on the far right, Hugh Anderson seated wearing the cap, Ernst Degner wearing the team jacket being introduced to Mr. Michio Suzuki who founded the Suzuki motor company in 1954.
In 1965 when Frank and Hugh Anderson were still team-mates, there was a rift between them as they never really got on very well and they were fighting for the world 125cc. championship which went to the New Zealander. Ernst Degner said he would try to help me win the championship by taking points from Hugh but Ernst fell off and smashed his femur. Ernst also received facial burns in a crash in the 1963 Japanese GP, and after you crash you try to go fast but you can't always go as quickly.
Frank with his lovely wife Rita and Hugh Anderson in Monza 1965
Frank was one of the unlucky riders that had to ride what rider Jack Ahearn called "Whispering Death". It was a 250cc. square four. At Daytona it was clocked at 165mph which was very quick for a 250cc at the time. He remembers in practice at the 1964 US Grand Prix with his team-mate Bertie Schneider, they saw Mike Hailwood in front of them on the 500cc. MV Augusta and signalled to each other to go past him one each side which gave him a bit of a fright. The 250cc square four had a terrible reputation to seize up on you, you could ussually catch the 125cc. but the 250cc. you had no chance. It also had such a narrow power band and used to come in with a bang so you had to be very careful with the throttle. It used to do-in pistons and big-ends on a regular basis, piston seizures wore not quite as bad as the big-end seizures you might have had a chance of catching them but the big-end ones you had no chance and at 150mph at Spa you would think Oh my god! Oh heck! among other quotes. He smashed his leg up at Daytona doing around 140mph and ended up going over the top of the bike and out of racing for a few weeks.
The 250cc square four
Direct support from the factory continued until 1967, during which time the company collected three world titles, but that did not mean an end of Suzuki in racing. By 1968 Suzuki GB had been established and its racing interest was being looked after by Eddie Crooks, a rider of no small talent, who ran a motor cycle business in Barrow-in-Furness. Frank Perris, made one of his many comebacks that year to race a Crooks 250 Suzuki and 500 Cobra air cooled twin for Suzuki GB. The following year Frank Perris, with Suzuki's blessing, set off on the world championship trail with a 250 provided by Crooks and with a fourth at Hockenheim, a fourth at Le Mans and second at the TT he was holding second spot in the championship when business commitments forced him to abandon his campaign.
Frank Perris passes the nurseries on the Glencrutchery Road in the 1955 Senior TT on the G45 Matchless.
The start of the 1964 Belgian Grand Prix. No.2 Frank Perris Suzuki. No.8 Jim Redman Honda four. No.10 Alan Sheperd MZ. No.26 Mike Duff Yamaha and eventual winner. No.40 Bertie Schneider Suzuki. No.4 Phil Read Yamaha.