The Trials world was saddened to hear of the death of Jim McColm earlier this week. For all those who followed the The Scottish Six Days Trial, through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, Jim McColm is a name that was synonymous with the event.
Jim joined the Edinburgh & District MC as a club steward in the very early 60’s moving on to assistant secretary a few years later. Jim then took over from Tom Melville as Secretary in 1970. Jim was a cornerstone in the smooth running of the event for the next 25 years after which he stood down from The SSDT committee. But not one to sit back, Jim then joined the newly set up Pre’65 Committee and gave many more years service. Jim also remained the Company Secretary of the E&DMC Ltd until he retired from the post earlier this year.
Jim guided the SSDT through some glorious years and also through some hard periods, and was one of the many unsung dedicated workers grafting away to ensure the SSDT runs like clockwork. He also masterminded the first World round to be brought to Scotland when the E&D club ran the UK world round on the slopes of Ben Nevis in 1992.
What many people didn’t realise was that Jim was not a motorcyclist and only got involved in the event due to his administrative skills. However with his years of SSDT experience and knowledge gained, Jim must be classed as one of the few trials ‘experts’ who has never ridden a bike! In 1984 Jim, fittingly, was awarded the Jim Clark Memorial Trophy for services to motor sport.
As so many SSDT fans do, Jim treated the SSDT as a family affair with his wife Heather helping to process the results and his son Kevin learning the ropes to take the position of chief marshal for a good number of years before tragically passing away in 2013. Kevin’s wife Brenda and Daughter Kara remain involved with the event.
Everyone at the Club would like to pass on our condolences to Heather and the family, Jim’s presence will always be with us as preparations for future events get underway. The Scottish Six Days Trial, the finest motorcycle trial in the world, is a fitting legacy to his memory.
The funeral will take place on Friday 24th November at 11 am at the Lorimer Chapel at Warriston Crematorium, Edinburgh.
Ed: It was May of 1989 when a wide-eyed, daft young lad made the trip from Edinburgh to Fort William for the first time, having been persuaded to help with the results system by then event sponsor NCR. Other than Kickstart on the telly, he'd never heard of this thing called Trials before, but thanks to the welcome shown by Jim, George Turner and Bill Grant, it was to be start of a 13 year engagement providing the results computer systems and support for the SSDT, along with the very first SSDT website and subsequently Trials Central. The close relationship with the Scottish continues to this day. It's safe to say that if it had not been for the kindness shown by Jim, George and Bill, none of that would have happened and this website would not exist. My thoughts are with Heather and Jim's family at this sad time.
Andy
Trials Central
That wide-eyed, daft, but not so young any more lad