Stan is now 83 years old, and looks like carrying on for a lot longer, judging by the pictures in this book. He is an amazing man, considering the adversities he has had along the way. His father died when he was only an infant, and his poor mother had to bring up the family on her own.

He spent a miserable time at boarding school, and was glad to leave, as he wanted to join the Air Force. This was not to be, and he ended up in the Navy, where his prowess in his electrical ability saw him through this time.

After the war, he joined BSA where he worked on Gold Stars. He also worked for Norton and was the first man to race the Norton Dommie Racer. He also tested bikes at the MIRA test track, so he had plenty of opportunities to try out different models.

This is where he first encountered Eric Oliver (who was World Champion in those days), who required someone for ballast, to test the suspension on his outfit. It came as a bit of a surprise to Stan, when Eric Oliver told everyone that he was having Stan Dibben as his passenger for the next season’s World Championship Series, without asking him! Stan, of course, did just that, as anyone would do if given the opportunity!

This must have been the most exciting and fulfilling part of Stan’s life. He and Eric Oliver rode the first fully streamlined kneeler outfit at the Belgian GP in 1953. He also rode as passenger for Cyril Smith in subsequent years. He rode in solo races too. So he was very versatile. His favourite circuits were the TT and the big Nurburgring. He liked road circuits best of all.

In my opinion, it must have taken a lot of guts to do what Stan did, especially as this was a life-threatening activity for very little money. It is surely a sad state of affairs that he who rides the ‘bit on the side’ does not get as much recognition as he should have had.

The term ‘passenger’ is very misleading, as Stan explains. He calls himself a sidecar rider, and when you read just what riding in the sidecar of a World Champion involves, you will understand why. There is a chapter describing this in great detail, which is most illuminating.