I first met Ken Sprayson in his "Office" up behind the Falcon Cliff Hotel. My Dad and I were visiting Louis Carr who also had a section in a huge garage where he had his Matchless. I was fascinated by the size of the piston from the Matchless and stood watching Louis putting the engine back together.
At the side of where Louis had his machine, I could see blue flashes and heard popping and banging. Ken was welding a frame for the Suzuki Team which also had a plot in the huge garage. My Dad introduced me to Ken and subsequently, with Kens permission, I spent a lot of time watching as riders and mechanics brought in items all day for Ken to weld or to fabricate.
1963 - The Gilera comes for repairs
I took dozens of photographs and my collection of "Sprayson in Action" photographs grew over the years. When Ken was forced to move to other venues I followed him right up to the time he moved into the gardeners garage in Nobles Park.
A young Ken Sprayson
Ken and TTFan at the Centenary TT 2007
Ken and Ian were awarded long attendance tankards
Ken with Bridget Dobbs at TT 2011
Ken is now Technical Officer at the TT and has recently produced an album of some of his own photographs of the people who visited the free welding service he set up.....From also-rans to the top teams Ken served them all and actually helped Honda to create a frame for Mike Hailwood. Kens story is a story that most people envy yet he worked hard at the TT, having very little spare time.
He was and still is a person without whom many riders would not have got to the start had it not been for Kens Skills.......................