The author
Pereira Chris
Born in Sri Lanka, Chris became interested in motorcycle racing while still a schoolboy by reading his father’s motorcycle magazines from England.
He started racing while still a teenager, riding on Sri Lanka’s public road circuits, with some success. Driven by his passion for road racing he emigrated to England in 1955 and began working for racing dealer Arthur Taylor of Shipston-on-Stour. This brought him into contact with many well known riders including former 250cc World Champion Cecil Sandford. During the 50s and 60s he went to many races meetings and the TT races, often helping out riders. Chris started Club racing in the 1960s on a Honda and in the 1970s he raced Vintage bikes with a modicum of success. In the 1980s he moved into Classic Racing and raced a 250 Ducati until 2000. During this time he achieved a lifelong ambition by racing in the 1984 Classic Manx Grand Prix, gaining a Finishers medal. He also raced in the Classic races on the Isle of Man Billown circuit in 1990 and has also ridden in Historic racing events at Hockenheim and the Nurburgring in Germany and Chimay in Belgium. Although now retired from racing, he still rides in Race Parades and Historic Revival meetings. Because of his obsession with motorcycle racing history, he has written several articles on the subject in the Classic magazines and his published a book on British 250cc Racing Motorcycles that were built and raced between 1946 and 1959. He now lives in Bracknell Berkshire with his wife Sondra who has been his unstinting supporter in all his motorcycling activities.