History
Scottish Six Days Trial
It’s been 109 years since the first Scottish motorcycle trial was held
Originally a a five-day event devised by Campbell McGregor of the Edinburgh Motor Cycle Club. Originally, the trial started in Edinburgh, going to John O’Groats before returning to Edinburgh.
The early history of the Scottish Six Days Trial runs alongside the history of the motorcycle in general. In the early 1900s early bikes such as Triumph, Matchless, Ariel and Douglas were primitive, and the original SSDT was mainly a test of reliability.
Ever since those early days, the SSDT has attracted factory involvement from the major manufacturers as the sales benefits of winning the SSDT were, and still are, a major selling point for their machines.
1932 saw the introduction of individual award winners, and the first individual winner of the SSDT was Scotsman Bob MacGregor. In 1938 Fort William was chosen as a new central point for the trial, although the start and finish of the week were still in Edinburgh. This didn’t take effect immediately as the trial was halted during the Second World War, but in 1947 the event resumed and grew from strength to strength.
By the 1970s the popularity of the SSDT had exceeded all expectations and entries had to be limited by ballot as it became impossible for all entrants to complete the daily route within daylight hours. The next change came in 1977 when the link with Edinburgh was finally broken and the event started and finished in Fort William rather than having the traditional runs from and to Edinburgh at the open and close of the week.
In the 1980s the international flavour of the event came to the fore, with the first overseas rider winning the event, a theme that was to continue for nine consecutive years.
The early 1990s tested the SSDT when the focus shifted to world trials – entries diminished and many predicted the demise of the event, but that didn’t last for long and by the time the mid-90s arrived the event was more popular than ever before.
The trial has grown steadily in stature and popularity ever since, and continues to grow today regularlry having over 400 entries for the 270 starting positions.
In association with the Scottish Six Days Trial, Edinburgh & District Motor Club also run a Pre-’65 two-day Trial for motorcycles manufactured before 1965. This takes place on the Friday and Saturday immediately before the SSDT every year, starting and finishing in the small town of Kinlochleven, some 36 miles from Fort William.
The Pre-’65 trial celebrated it’s Silver Jubilee in 2009 and has proved to be the most important Pre-’65 trial in the UK with entries for the trial massively over-subscribed each year.