I knew Bruce Main-Smith in the mid 1950's when I was an apprentice at Vickers Armstrong's aircraft factory at Weybridge (site of the present Brooklands Museum), Bruce worked as a turner in the guided missiles department and in those days rode a Vincent 1000. Most lunch times he would spend tweaking the engine and testing it, leaving lots of black rubber on what was part of the Brooklands race track straight. He left to become a motor cycle journalist about 1956. The next time I met him was at a Vincent Owners clubnight where he gave a talk,he was driving a Messerschmitt (apologies if I have spelt it wrong) which he had "breathed" on, he said it would do 90mph, I only hope he hadn't still got the original cable operated brakes which faded going down hill at 50mph!