Victoria Motorcycle club Trail Association · Victoria BC

By Roger Boothroyd
1906 Roots go back to the time when it was a car/motorcycle club
1911 – 1918 Activities ceased for WWI as many members left for war in
Europe.
1912 Officially became known as the Victoria Motorcycle Club
1927 Reorganized after WW1 - Joined American Motorcycle Association
1929 First perpetual trophy events began with the Paul Girardeau Hillclimb
trophy followed by the Brentwood Reliability Trial in 1930 and the Kirk
Reliability Trial also in 1930. These trophies are still in use today.
1939 – 1945 Activities ceased for WWII as many members left for war in
Europe.
1947 Inaugurated into the Societies Act as a non-profit society.
1940, 50 and 60’s – The club would hold rodeos in local parks for the public
to enjoy.
1946 – late 70’s – The club would lead the Victoria Day Parade with a drill
team as crowd control. Now we frequently participate with a float and trials
riders.
1960 through 1990’s the Club would sometimes participate in the Oak Bay
Tea Party doing stunts on the beach.
1954-1963 Owned seven acres of property eight miles from Victoria –
suitable for scrambles, some observed trials and starting reliability trials.
1967 Purchased 160 acres on the side of a mountain in Happy Valley, ten
miles from Victoria. A year later, we purchased about 12 acres at the
bottom to gain access to this property. The club, with help from Reg Shanks
and through a concentrated effort, had clear title to the 172 acres within a
few short years. Perfect for observed trials, this property has been used
for cross country trials but it is not particularly suitable for motocross.
At present the club has use of 5000 acres of Crown land on the west coast
of Vancouver Island. This land is suitable for enduros and is laced with a
network of trails, many cut mostly by club members.
1929 – present day – A full schedule of events in trials, enduros and road
rides continue with over 40 perpetual trophies being awarded each year.
From its inception the club has had monthly meetings using a “Roberts Rules
of Order” format. As of Feb. 2017 we have 325 members.