The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
HOUSEWIFE MOTOR CYCLE ACE (1965)
Run Time: 3:10
A Film By: British Pathe
Key Cast: Renee Bennett
FILM MAKERS
This classic British Pathe short features “Housewife Renee Bennett who at weekends is a trial bike rider, Hounslow, London.”
SUMMARY
“Perhaps I’ll live to be a ripe old age… see you around!”
Anything but a housewife. Renee Bennett grew up in her parents motorcycle shops in East London’s Canning Town. Following in dad ‘Wag” Bennett’s footsteps, she became an accomplished Trials rider, and owned several shops of her own with husband Howard who was also an avid trials rider.
Renee raced the Scottish Six Day Trial many times, and considered the Welsh Three Day Trial event “My favourite, fast and furious!”. In the 1970’s she opened ‘Renee Bennett’s East London Sportman’s Centre’ to support and sponsor up and coming racers. Over the course of a quarter century career, Renee became known as Britains best known lady rider.
Throughout her career Renee also worked as a successful model and motorcycle stunt double. She was ever in demand and know in the film and TV business as ‘The Girl On A Motorcycle’. While I haven’t tracked down her film work yet. Be sure that I am on it!
RELATED MEDIA
Read: Renee Bennett – East London’s Lady Trials Rider, By her daughter Julie Powell






maybe she doubled for Marianne faithfully when she went flying thru the air
Too bad I don’t bet on those predation sites … cause son … I could of bet on this mind in the gutter response the minute I saw Mantlo’s post …. damn ….
Oh well …
This … back in the 60’s … when a woman holding down any job other than teacher , nurse or secretary …. was considered anathema by the majority of Euro/American society ..
That attitude … following a decade of major service ( manufacturing , code breaking , intelligence etc ) during WWII as well as another 4 years in WWI …
Not to mention … ahh … sorry all you macho wanna be idiots … back in the early days of motorcycling .. women were doing everything and more that men did on motorcycles … primarily because they’d been riding bicycles for a good decade plus .. while the majority of men were still on horses and buckboards ..
Look into the history books … and you’ll see s string of firsts accomplished by women riders well before their male counterparts … such as cross country ( and continents ) rides … etc etc … et al … and I DO mean et al
One problem with todays women is they have no effing clue the sacrifices and danger their predecessors faces … as their rights are getting stripped left and right .. with todays woman ( and men ) thinking a strongly worded email … social media … or ONE solitary protest riddled with a plethora of competing ideologies … in any way’s gonna fix the matter …
So kudos to those in the past willing to lay it all on the line … and shame to those of the present who have no clue … as everything is being taken away from them .
” Find the Cost of Freedom … lay Your Body Down .. ” or watch your freedom disappear before your very eyes … in the Enshitocene you helped create !
Lecture over… learn .. or not … your choice just don’t come crying to the likes of me when it all goes down the tubes ..
And to end on a positive … Kudos to you Mz Mantlo … this is a good one indeed !