Bob Gerard - Early Career

Early Career

Bob Gerard was born into a family well acquainted with mechanical transport. His family's business was Parr's Ltd., initially a bicycle manufacturer who, like many others such as Triumph, moved into the newly evolving motor vehicle market at the turn of the 20th century. Parr's, though, was far from a high-performance firm, concentrating mostly on haulage.

However, as daily transport his father favoured the sporting Riley brand, and it was with a Riley Nine that Bob Gerard made his first foray into motorsport in the 1933 MCC Land's End trial. Success came immediately, and in this first event Gerard not only completed the demanding course (in itself a significant achievement) but did so in sufficient style to earn himself a Premier Award. This despite him being severely near-sighted.

Throughout the remainder of the 1930s Gerard continued to compete in trials and sprint races, and after purchasing a 1½ litre Riley Sprite he also began to participate in circuit racing. Early club races at his East Midlands home circuit Donington Park continued his success, with Gerard taking two victories over cars with much larger engines, as well as ninth in the prestigious Donington TT race. In between running the family business, Gerard continued to compete at Donington as often as he could, driving in the Nuffield Trophy in 1938 and 1939, although without success. With war looming, in 1939 he also took the little Riley down to the Brooklands circuit in Surrey. At that year's Opening Meeting he took a highly creditable third place, and won a Campbell circuit handicap race later in the year.