Published 12 June 2003

VETERAN motorcycle enthusiast and retired garage owner Monty Banks, of Capel, who is 82, has been busy of late helping his son Trevor prepare his racing motor bike to take part in a gruelling international event at the Teterow Bergring circuit, in the eastern part of Germany.

But those preparations were tempered with sadness, for last week marked the 25th anniversary of the tragic grass track racing- event which cost the life of Trevor’s elder brother Graham Banks, also well known as a speedway and grass track racer, on June 4, 1978.

Trevor is 48 this year and dubbed a “super veteran” but he will be up there with the best of them in the two-day event in Germany which is over a tough undulating ' circuit with spectacular jumps taken at high speed. Trevor holds the track record.

Monty and his two sons all raced at the German circuit, as well as at many other tracks in the UK and Europe, including our local Rhodes Minnis where, I was interested to hear, there is to be an international grass track meeting' in August this year.

Graham was only 29 when he was involved in an accident while riding his 500cc bike in the final of the Jack Emmett trophy event at Scotts Marsh, Farm, Old Romney.

He fell as he went into the first corner
and was hit by at least one other machine, suffering crippling injuries. The race was stopped as horrified marshals rushed on to the track to give emergency aid, joined by St John Ambulance members.

Graham was raced to Ashford hospital and later transferred to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital where he was treated for chest injuries, but he died.

Later, at the inquest, it was revealed that Graham’s injuries had included a broken back which would have left him paralysed had he survived.

Among those treating him at the track-side was his sister. Christine, a nursing sister was on holiday with her family at Capel when the two brothers decided to ride at the Marsh race meeting, and had been at the track with parents Monty and Joan Banks, when Graham came off his bike.

Fateful decision
Brother Trevor had been taking part in the same race but was ahead of Graham at the time and didn’t see what happened.

He later took second place in the re-run event.

For Graham that week it had been a return to racing after a three-week lay-off because of an arm injury. The previous evening he had been racing with the Canterbury Crusaders speedway squad.

Monty Banks himself had to retire from racing after serious injury, but not before
chalking up a host of successes across Europe, as did Graham, and later Trevor.

Tragically both brothers had only decided to enter the fateful meeting at the last minute.

In both cases it was to test machines, rather than secure more ‘silverware.’

After the accident Monty Banks spoke of the dangers of the sport. “It was just a terrible tragedy,” he said.

“Graham was an international rider. He doesn’t go into a corner and just fall off. He could have been touched by one of the other riders and then got ploughed into.

“I couldn’t see what happened from where I was.” Monty’s reaction at the time was that there were two many riders taking part in the race - there were 16 - but this was not unusual in this type of event.
BELOW: One-time Councillor J Jones ran his Folkestone Daily News paper from this furniture shop which was at 5 Grace Hill from 1896 until 1913. The newspaper featured recently in “Memories.” The photo of the shop, now an Internet cafe, was shown to me by local historian Alan Taylor, of Folkestone & District Local History Society, just returned from tasting the attractions of a cruise to Scandinavia from Dover on the Norwegian Dream cruise liner.
Ironically Graham’s previous injury was sustained at a Canterbury Crusaders race meeting, when he had crashed his machine rather than run into a fellow rider.

Southern Television personality and speedway racing writer Malcolm Mitchell, once a local journalist, attended the funeral at St John’s Church, Folkestone and paid a special tribute to Graham.

Other tributes came from all over Europe and as far afield as South Africa, many praising Graham’s high standard of riding-and particularly his sportsmanship.

Before the journey to Germany for this year’s race meeting the family took flowers to the garden of remembrance, to honour Graham’s memory.

•The snapshot above is of Graham wearing winner’s laurels after a race success.
Fateful day
 

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