“Rist’s talent was apparent from the start, and BSA’s Bert Perrigo was quickly on to him.”

Born in 1916, Fred Rist had his first ride on a motorcycle aged seven, when he’d ride a ladies’ two-stroke Royal Enfield around his father’s poultry farm, near Stokesley in North Yorkshire. By 14, Fred had a driving licence – his father was also the proprietor of the old-established motor business Fred Burr and Co. and Rist junior would ride around Middlesbrough on a 350cc Coventry-Eagle, as Rist senior had the franchise for the marque.

But Fred didn’t want to enter the family firm, not just yet anyway. So