Charlie Palmer is back and winning again

EXPATRIATE Euroa resident and motor cycle enthusiast Charlie Palmer has once again taken out the iconic Sellick’s Beach race for historic motor cycles in South Australia. The legendary Sellick’s Beach race has been held for 72 years and in 2019 Mr Palmer won all four of his races emphatically. The event was not contested for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Palmer, who is now based in Sydney, made the decision to attack the beach once again this year, with excellent results. His 1937 Harley-Davidson “knucklehead” might be 84 years of age, but it still punches well above its weight in terms of performance. Together with the considerable talents of Mr Palmer, its rider, the knucklehead won the 2003 Australian Historic Championships. The machine is also known as a “Meth Head” due to the addition of special heads which are specifically designed to run with methanol fuel. Apart from the obvious mis-conception that the bike is on drugs (well, sort of) this gives a very significant performance boost which belies its age. In March 2021, Mr Palmer didn’t quite have it all his own way, with some tricky track issues. On Saturday, the first race track was rough on the high side because of wash outs on the beach, and at the other end there were two big “lakes of water” that competitors needed to negotiate. “On the last lap I hit one of the lakes and “Meth Head” ran on just one cylinder on the way back. A BSA M20 from SA got me, so I came in second,” Mr Palmer said. In the next race he got a good start and held the lead all the way to the finish line. The BSA came in 2nd, so they were a win and a second place each. Day two, and on Sunday the track had improved but still “a bit rough on the high side”. At the start, the “Meth Head” kicked out sideways and locked handlebars with the BSA. Mr Palmer was able to ride it out and went on to win both races. Robbie Burns, another resident of Euroa was there to cheer Mr Palmer on. “Had to ride it like I stole it,” Mr Palmer said. We are hopeful of seeing Charlie Palmer and the “Meth Head” at the Euroa Show and Shine on Sunday October 3rd.