FOTers
Several people have asked for my comments on the recent statement in a club
newsletter that, "Mr. Robson was Competitions Director for Triumph UK in
the 60's, rebuilding the competition department and developing the TR4,
Spitfire and TR2000 for stage rallies and closed circuit races such as Le
Mans."
This job description of Robson, and a similar claim he made himself last
year in a club magazine, is fast becoming a joke amongst ex Standard
Triumph employees and informed enthusiasts alike.
Robson's official title was "competition secretary." As such, his duties
were general administration - he was not even a member of the management
staff, let alone being a Director. Bearing this in mind, the nearest Robson
might have come to 'directing' at Standard Triumph was possibly directing
traffic in the car park.
I think I've mentioned before on the list that I've undertaken dozens of
taped interviews with Experimental and Competition department staff (and
works drivers) over recent years for their full stories. A common theme
that runs through all those interviews is how gracious and self effacing
(unlike Robson) all those people are, and how keen they are to highlight
the achievements of their colleagues and point me in the right direction
for information.
Throughout those interviews the name 'Ray Henderson,' who was in charge of
the preparation of those cars, is willingly volunteered as 'the man' who
undoubtedly did most to gel the team and its successes in the era in
question. This accolade, I might add, comes from highly skilled
experimental and competition engineers (like Ray) who each played vital
parts themselves. It should also be noted that throughout all my
interviews, Robson's name was never mentioned once in connection with the
engineering or development of any of those cars.
Paul
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