C
alling the roll of the greatest
BSA motorcycle racers might as
well be a registry of some of the
greatest riders of all time. Dick Mann,
Jim Rice, Dave Aldana, John Cooper
and Jeff Smith comprise a short list
of the legends who made their names
on BSA motorcycles, winning World
and National Championships, scoring
impressive victories along the way at
famed circuits like Daytona, Mallory
Park and numerous stops on the
grands prix motocross tour. The Gold
Star, the Lightning, the Thunderbolt,
and the Rocket III were the flagship
models for the Union Jack company,
motorcycles for mods, rockers, and
others who believed that machine
choice spoke volumes about its rider.
The legend would fall in the early
1970s, when the proud BSA marque
was shuttered. Hard times befell the
motorcycle industry in England, and
one by one, the great brands were
CNIIARCHIVES
P122
BY KENT TAYLOR
One
MORE
FOR THE
ROAD
JORGY GIVES BSA
WANING WIN
In 1978, five years
after the last BSA
motorcycle rolled
off the production
line, Alex Jorgensen
gave the iconic
brand a National win
at the Ascot TT.