When members of the Netherlands Motorcycle Club visited the Isle of Man for the 1911 Tourist Trophy they came up with the idea of an international contest between them and the Brits.
The rules were simple: each country would field 18 riders – two teams of nine private owners and nine factory riders – and their motorcycles had to be genuine touring machines equipped for the road.
The first Anglo-Dutch took place in Holland in August 1912.
Fortunately for the Dutch, national teams didn’t have to use bikes made in the home country and although they entered three Eysink and two Vulkaan singles, they went to Germany for NSU motorcycles and Phanomobile three-wheelers, America for an Indian V-twin and Belgium for an FN single and a four.
Read more in this month’s TCM
