Recently I got hold an integral videoclip copy of the french movie "Continental Circus". It is based on the 1969 motorycle racing season of australian rider Jack Findaly. There is some interesting real action from the Isle of Man TT races - for example, a jump of Agostini in perfect style at Ballaugh bridge on the MV 350cc during the Junior race. Other action from Bray Hill, Ramsey etc. Did you already know this movie?

One of the best racing films ever, and one of the saddest as well.

Where did you get it Marco? I've never been able to find a copy.

Marco,i'd also be very intrested in accuiring a copy of the above video,as i have beside me the machine that finished second to Agostine in the race you describe (69 junior)and one place ahead of Jack Finlay on a similar bike (Aermacchi)
unfortunatally that rider who came second (was from my home town)died after a crash at the black
hut while lying 4th in the 1970 Senior...His name .....Brian Steenson......

Forgot to say.......Brian was only 23..

Brian Steenson was one of the most talented and intelligent riders Ireland ever produced, and it has produced many.His loss was as unexpected as it was tragic, and I often think of him. Good to know his memory and his machine are treasured by you. I noticed mention of the QUB somewhere recently too...was it in Classic Racer...the memory is going.

Wow, Brian Steenson, God rest him!
Too much nostalgia...

I can just see his distinctive riding syle now..

The aforementioned postings have brought a tear to my eyes, from the fact that there were others from outside Ireland who thought highly of Brian Steenson, He was my hero when i was a wee lad!, and to this day i have vivid memories of him on the 250/350 aermacchis and 500 Seeley.My first visit to the TT , was for the junior event , two days before Brians fateful crash.God rest you Brian MY HERO.
I would certainly love to get hold of that peice of video , so PLEASEEE, If anyone can help out here , we would all very much appreicate it.
Baylon

He WAS a hero, Baylon. You only get one or two like him in a generation.

Jack Findlay, Brian Steenson, Ago. Great People to race with and and great years if not the greatest years ever to be racing motor cycles.

Marco,how can we get hold of or identify the the video?????????

Tom (and the others: but not too much!!!), you answer me: Marco,how can we get hold of or identify the the video?????????

It is simply. Write me privately

The video is out of print but here is a picture of what the cover looks like.
As everyone else I would love a copy of our great Australian rider Jack Findlay in action.
I think he is still second with the most starts in the 500 class championship races with 165 behind Alex Barros. Don't quote me on this.

How strange I had just this day been reading the TT edition of Motor Cycle 1964 and I just ran down the finishers in the Senior and there it was no. 13 J Findlay and no.14 J Ahearn. Of course the race was won by the greatest SMBH on the MV at a race average of 100.95mph.

Yes, there is also a short portrait of the great Brian Steenson in that movie. It is portraied at the start of the movie, and then in the TT part of the movie: he is at the Grandstand after the race, together with Agostini and others. There is also HRH the Price of Edinburgh!

Please read what I answered to Tom.

As I told you, only write me privately and you will have *gratis* your copy (I'm not a seller!). But I have to do a note to what you say about the '60s being the best motorcycle road racing years ever. For me the best years has been the period from the '30s to the '50s.

Oh, I told *gratis*...but if some of you had a copy of Formby's "No limit", I would be very grateful! If not, it doesn't matter.

I wrote: "Oh, I told *gratis*...but if some of you had a copy of Formby's "No limit", I would be very grateful! If not, it doesn't matter."

Of course *I didn't know* that this movie is *actually* published by the Duke Video. I apologize for this.

Marco

I have a copy of this but as it was given to me in France I can only view it in Black and white. It is still a very dramatic piece of film. On the subject of Brian Steenson I have an interesting story to tell. My brother John Blanchard was leading the 500cc North West 200 in 1971,then crashed very heavily, Finishing his Grand Prix and international career. He was the winner of this race the year before and was a bit of a bogey to Brian and the other Irish boys on their own road circuits.
I knew that my brother was very ill with a fractured skull and obviously I was concerned that I may never see him again. I travelled to Brands Hatch for the May Bank Holiday event just prior to the start of the TT practise. I saw Brian who had travelled over straight from the North West for this event. I was asking him about my brothers condition and he was kind and gave me an up date which relieved my anxiety. However, he did add with a racers bravado that he thought John was going to quickly on certain sections and telling Brian and other riders that he could manage these sections flat out although pulling a higher gearing from his winning set up the year previously. (Sounds like John.....)Brian told me that after Brands he was enroute to the Island for that years TT races. I begged him to be careful, feeling having never spoke to him before and wished him the best of luck. I was not sure I was going to get a brother back in one piece and within two weeks Brian himself was no longer with us.
I felt that it was ironic that my brother came home and recovered to race again and yet this young man I never saw again. I'll never forget that conversation Brian.
Jim

We were at Snugborough that year and the way Brian went through that section was scary, incidently Snugborough wasnt as it is now it was half the width.

Round the big stone wall Pykey?

I know someone who has a copy of this film & has promised to make a copy for me many times but so far I haven't had it.What a coincidence but I was looking at Brian Steenson's trophies yesterday & talking about him and John Blanchard winning the NW200 & crashing heavily the year after.Also the film Continental Circus was produced as a book, I have a copy but is a very poorly produced item & in French of course which doesn't help!

We used to sit on the wall on the inside Larry, in fact Sid Mizzen's dad used to chat to us.

There was also a soundtrack album issued for this film,by a group known as "Gong" According to the review the best track is called "Blues for Findlay"
A review can be found halfway down the page at
<A HREF="http://starling.rinet.ru/music/gong.htm">http://starling.rinet.ru/music/gong.htm</A>