What was Les Rafferty like as a person?
This is a rather personal question, and I can only speak for myself. I know that some people found Les a little distant and unapproachable, but that was just Les’s way. He was a very private and unassuming person, not in the least gregarious as you would imagine someone in his position to be. When I got to know him personally, I found him to be a great guy. He was very loyal to people who went out of their way to help themselves, i.e. those who didn’t just sponge off his business for parts, and use him to do things they could easily have done themselves. Most of the works Wildcat riders built and maintained their machines themselves, using Les only as their mentor and guide. He would still do the highly technical stuff, such as profiling the barrels and special machining of parts. This is why I keep on emphasising that Les was a perfectionist, and wouldn’t tolerate shoddy workmanship. A works rider had to be prepared to spend an inordinate amount of time preparing his own race machine,
