Anthony Falconer RIP

Pic: Tony whilst out at the Llanidloes Enduro World round

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Funeral arrangements

Tony's funeral will be held on Wednesday, October 14th at 3pm at Oak Chapel, Cheltenham Crematorium with the wake following at the Rising Sun Hotel, Cleeve Hill.

All who knew him will be very welcome. Dress code: Whatever you feel comfortable in. If you are able to confirm attendance that would be helpful to plan catering at the Rising Sun, but do not let that stop you from attending. editor@acuwesterncentre.org.uk

Tony Falconer - A tribute

Lifelong motorcyclist Tony Falconer died on Sunday, September 27th. He was 83.

He loved motorcycle sport, particularly trials, and served the ACU Western Centre and Cheltenham Home Guard MCC in various capacities including as President of both. Most importantly to him, he observed at hundreds of trials over seven decades.

He refused to drive a car until he was 45, and every two and three-wheeled trip was an adventure. His interest in trials was piqued by his friends Chris and Andy Gilbert on Cleeve Hill in the early 60s. They progressed from home-made "mountainbikes" and he soon picked up a Francis Barnett which he garaged at his grandmother's house on the edge of the Common. As a "resident" of Cleeve Hill he used the benefit of being able to access her home via the Common's tracks to the fullest extent, and a Greeves Scottish then a TES followed. His first trial on the TES in 1964 was the OK Supreme, starting in Moreton-in-Marsh. Arriving at the town centre start, all of his tools fell out of his waxed cotton jacket pocket - "a classic newbie mistake" he joked.

After gaining valuable advice on better machinery from Pat Barrett of nearby Upper Hill Farm, a new Bultaco Model 10 followed, which he said felt like a magic carpet compared to the Greeves. A Model 49 followed.

He turned to the Motor Cycling Club's classic long distance trials in 1976, first in the road tyre class of the Land's End Trial aboard his 250 MZ which he usually rode to work. He was hooked on these near-24 hour overnight events and his year revolved around the Exeter Trial in January, the Land's End at Easter and the Edinburgh in October, for 50 years. With CHG team mates Dave Mason, Andy Gaunt, Roy Savery, Allan Whittington, Tony Noel, Eddie Cortijo and Chris Hope, he enjoyed great camaraderie - once at his expense when his electrically heated motorcycle suit shorted out and burned him at the top of his thigh, prompting a swift exit from his bike and strip down at the side of the road while his CHG friends enjoyed the spectacle.

His wife Judith's Puch 125 and her Honda CB250 RS were used in the road tyre class but he mainly competed on his Bultaco Sherpa converted to Alpina trim with a bigger tank and seat. He would think nothing of riding from home near Gloucester to the Land's End Trial start near Bristol, doing the event overnight which finished near Penzance, then riding home on the same day. Following a coveted Triple award, a near-miss of the Triple caused by a puncture on the last section which featured in Motorcycle News, and an overall win of the Land's End, he went to the sidecar class in the late 80s. Initially with Stan Howitt passengering in Stan's Honda XL305 outfit, Tony then powered up with an XR500 outfit and finally a Malcolm Harvey Honda Dominator-powered Wasp. Passengers in these events and others around the south west included me, wife Judith and Paul James. The latter was a great motivator. From 2003 he went to four wheels, navigating for Judith in the MCC events, first in a 1600 MK1 Ford Escort, then a Suzuki X90.

As long distance trials grew, he competed on the Bultaco in the 70s and 80s in events including the West Glos Wyegate Trial, and LDTs across Wales and the West Country where he made many friends. The Bultaco was eventually laid up in favour of a Honda XL250 which was succeeded by a Gas Gas Pampera in 1999. By then he reckoned it was cheaper to own a Pampera than maintain an outfit's appetite for chains, tyres and sprockets, and we rode LDTs together for 20 years. Whatever the result, the adventure mattered the most to him. Seeing his grandsons Amory Falconer and Dan Moir take up trials gave him great pleasure, as did observing with them and the rest of the Falconer and Moir families. A lifelong supporter of the Wyegate as a rider then an observer, he missed only one when it clashed with the Land's End. He was incredibly proud to see Amory win the Wyegate Trial on his Pampera in 2024.

He enjoyed many spectating trips to Grand Prix of all disciplines, most memorably for me to the German GP at Hockenheim when I was seven, and to the ice speedway at Eindhoven in Holland - our transport being a van equipped with a sofa in the back! Every year he would take me to watch the Welsh 2 Day Trial/Enduro, loading up his Panther outfit with camping equipment for a tour of mid Wales. For two decades he supported me and fellow West Glos and CHG members in our riding efforts there too. Our first trip to the Pre65 Scottish Trial in 2009 to support David Eeles gave him the bug for that event, and he chased down the rare Scorpion Trials bike for me, then Amory to compete on - it required a lot of work from him, Stan, and Peter Neale.

He enjoyed his work at the National Coal Board's research facility in Stoke Orchard but if he could involve bikes in his work trips he would - his first trip to the SSDT in 1973 started with his 150 MZ being transported to Scotland in a works van via a job to check on a boiler in a castle, then he spent the rest of the week following the event, and rode home - until the bike's crank went in the Lake District so he returned by train including an interesting transfer underneath Birmingham New Street station's many lines.

He was a committed member of the Cheltenham Home Guard MCC and helped run many events including trials, grass tracks and scrambles for several decades. He succeeded John Draper as Cheltenham Home Guard MCC President in 2003. He was elected President of the ACU Western Centre following Trevor Hunt's passing in 2014, and was surprised and delighted at both appointments. Typically, he felt there were more deserving candidates than himself.

His week revolved around motorcycling, with weekly CHG meetings, and he enjoyed the company at the West Glos & Dean Forest club meetings which he was introduced to by Colin Jones and Julian Bishop, and VMCC summer meets in addition to making the most of a Sunday. He was a loyal customer of BVM and Haines Motorcycles, and enjoyed the social aspect as much as the retail experience. Fittingly, the last trial he observed was the CHG New Year Trial at Chedworth on January 4th 2026.

Other interests including cycling and model boating were also on his agenda. The owner of a Hetchins, he and Judith ran an annual camping weekend for owners of the curly-framed bicycles, for 20 years. Many bicycles of all forms featured in our household and he was very proud to see his granddaughter Islay take up road riding, and he could often be found on a touchline supporting grandson Eddie's football and cricket teams.

Although we had watched various days of the SSDT over the years, we enjoyed all six days in 2025. He was slowed by his health, but he was incredibly happy, spending every day in the Highlands with trials people.

We will all miss him greatly.

Ben Falconer.