This is a film made by Derrick Walton of various motoring events in 1953.  It includes motorcycle races at Craven and Brough, car test driving in Ripon and a Craven Treasure Hunt. Title – Skipton Sept. 1953 A group of men and women are putting posts in the ground, taken from the back of a lorry, to mark the course for a motorcycle scrambling race, possibly at Craven grass track.  Riders line up at the start, the line up rope is pulled, and they are off.  There are several races around the...

This is a film made by Derrick Walton of various motoring events in 1953.  It includes motorcycle races at Craven and Brough, car test driving in Ripon and a Craven Treasure Hunt. Title – Skipton Sept. 1953 A group of men and women are putting posts in the ground, taken from the back of a lorry, to mark the course for a motorcycle scrambling race, possibly at Craven grass track.  Riders line up at the start, the line up rope is pulled, and they are off.  There are several races around the dirt track, some filmed in slow motion, with a crowd of spectators lining the circuit. The film switches to a proper race track, possibly at Brough, where a motorcycle race is followed by a racing car race, and then a race of motorcycles and sidecars.  This is followed by more solo motorcycle races.  Spectators line the course, which has hills in the background.  The film shows the start and the finish of the races.  Car and motorcycle races follow each other.  [It isn’t clear whether more than one race circuit is featured]. Next is a cross country motor car race, YSCC Trial, going over rough terrain, with cars often getting stuck.  This is followed by a cross country motorcycle race, possibly the Craven Club Trial at Stump Cross.  A man jokingly goes to throw a woman contestant into some water.  The film moves on to a road rally, along country lanes, some filmed from the front of a car.  The cars stop off at the Angel Inn, at Hetton.  They continue along wintry roads, and stop again at the Black Bull Hotel, and the White Swan Hotel. The film switches again to show a motorcyclists rescuing his bike, having falling off in deep snow.  People have a snowball fight.  The rider, covered in snow, re-joins the race over rough terrain.  Some of the race is filmed speeded up and there is a section where the film goes backwards. The film switches again to show a man with a motorcycle and sidecar parked on the road with two children in the sidecar.   A number of motorcyclists appear to be looking for something near a bridge, on the Craven Treasure Hunt.  They are joined by many more, clambering around rocks near a waterfall.  The motorcycles and sidecars are parked up, some with children in them.  They set off, with two cars, one a Morris Minor, across moors.  A woman gets out of the Morris Minor to open a gate.  Again they stop, near a street sign, and look for more clues before setting off again. Following this is footage of a racing track and country roads, where cars being timed as they complete a course with several manoeuvres.  There is a brief look at waves pounding the shire, possibly at the BARC Scarborough Rally, before returning to the road test.  There is a driving test at Ripon Barracks, where some of the precise driving manoeuvres around obstacles are shown close up.  There are a variety of cars, with at least one of the contestants a woman.  They set off again, this time filming form the rear of the car the car that is following. Intertitle - Grasstrack races. A rider wheels his bike into position on a special trailer.  Spectators and contestants mingle on the side, at Craven grass track, and then the riders line up for the race.  Several races are shown, on a course with trees on the outside and the film comes to an end.