1930 Rudge-JAP 500cc Speedway Racing Motorcycle

Dirt track (speedway) racing arrived in the UK in 1928 from Australia, the first make of motorcycle to achieve dominance on the cinders being Douglas. The latter was soon deposed and for a while it was the lighter and more compact Rudge that ruled the roost, before the arrival of the ubiquitous 'Speedway JAP' set the pattern for the next 30 years. Rudge's reign as the top speedway bike was brief, the combination of JAP engine in a proprietary frame having established itself as the winning formula by the mid 1930s. Nevertheless, the Rudge frame had much to commend it, and rights to the design were acquired by JAP employee Victor Martin, who marketed complete machines fitted with his employers' engine and a 'proper' lightweight front fork in place of the original heavy Rudge girder. Unfortunately, nothing is known of this machine's history.