The 1931 Junior TT Race was run at a very fast pace by Jimmie Simpson riding for Norton who completed the first lap in 30minutes and 49 seconds and was 6 seconds ahead of fellow Norton teammate Stanley Woods in 2nd place and 18 seconds ahead of Freddie Hicks in 3rd place riding an AJS motor-cycle.[1] Although Jimmie Simpson was able to hold on to the lead for the next 5 laps, he was slowed by having to refuel every two laps because of carburetor problems.[2] Fellow Norton teammate Tim Hunt recovered from a slow first lap with a loose plug-lead to set the fastest lap on lap 4 of 30minutes and 5 seconds an average race speed of 75.27mph (121.14km/h) and steadily moved up the leaderboard.[1] Further, carburetor problems caused Jimmie Simpson to drop off the leaderboard; he eventually finished in 8th place.[1] This allowed the 1931 Junior TT Race to be won by Tim Hunt riding for Norton, in 3hours 34minutes and 21 seconds, at an average race speed of 73.94mph (118.99km/h), from Norton teammates Jimmie Guthrie and Ernie Nott riding a Rudge motor-cycle.
The 1931 Lightweight TT was dominated by the works Rudge motorcycles and the race was lap 1 by Ernie Nott by 45 seconds from Rudge teammates H. G. Tyrell Smith and Graham Walker in 3rd place.[1] By lap 6, Ernie Nott had a lead of 4minutes over the rest of the field, until on the last lap he slid off just below the Mountain Mile and finished in 4th place steadying a damaged push-rod with his hand.[2] This provided a first and only TT Race win for Graham Walker riding a Rudge at an average race speed of 68.98mph (111.01km/h).
The highly anticipated 1931 Senior TT Race which was again set to be dominated by Rudge and Norton motorcycles. However, it proved to be dominated again by Norton and Jimmie Simpson and Jimmie Guthrie. This time Guthrie led on lap 1 by 1 second from Jimmie Simpson and Norton teammate Stanley Woods by 17 seconds in 3rd place.[1] On lap 3, the 1931 Senior TT Race produced the first 80mph (130km/h) lap by Jimmie Simpson on a Norton motor-cycle in 28minutes and 1 seconds an average speed of 80.82mph (130.07km/h). Despite taking over the lead from Guthrie, Jimmie Simpson crashed on lap 4 at Ballaugh Bridge and the bike, ending up in the river.[2] Despite re-taking the lead, Jimmie Guthrie slipped off at the Governor's Bridge on lap 5, but continued to finish in 2nd place at an average speed of 77.34mph (124.47km/h). Fellow Norton teammate Stanley Woods finished in 3rd place with a glove in the petrol-tank filler.[2] The fast-paced and incident-packed 1931 Senior TT Race provided Tim Hunt with a popular Junior/Senior double win in 3hours, 23minutes and 28 seconds for the 7 lap (264.11mile) race at an average race speed of 77.90mph (125.37km/h). The winner of the 1929 Junior Race, Freddie Hicks, crashed on lap 5 at Union Mills and was killed.
At Sulby during practice, Jack Williams riding a Raleigh motorcycle was timed at 100mph (160km/h) and Percy Hunt riding for Norton was timed at 101mph (163km/h).[4]
During practice, Wal Handley slipped off his F.N. motorcycle at the Gooseneck.[4]
During the 1931 Junior TT Race, H. G. Tyrell Smith riding for Rudge retired on lap 3 running out of petrol. At Ballacraine, Otto Steinfeller retired with gearbox failure. On lap 5, Ted Mellors riding a New Imperial motorcycle and F.A. Renier both crashed at Glen Helen. Both continued; Ted Mellors finished in 10th place and Renier in 16th place.[5]
On the first lap of the 1931 Senior TT Race, Wal Handley riding for the Belgium motorcycle firm of F.N. slipped off at the Quarterbride and retired. At Keppel Gate on lap 3 of the 1931 Senior TT Race, R.F. Parkinson riding a NSU motorcycle hit a bank and three spectators were slightly injured.[1]
Sources
1 2 3 4 5 6 Isle of Man Examiner dated 19 June 1931
The 1923 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the introduction of the first Sidecar TT race over 3 laps, won by Freddie Dixon and passenger Walter Denney using a special Douglas motorcycle with a banking-sidecar in a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds, at an average speed of 53.15 mph (85.54 km/h). The fastest Sidecar lap was by Harry Langman on a Scott at 54.69 mph (88.02 km/h).
James Guthrie was a Scottish motorcycle racer.
The 1924 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the introduction of the Ultra-Lightweight class for motorcycles of 175 cc capacity that was run only twice, in 1924 and 1925. This was the second year of the Sidecar race that would also be dropped after 1925.
The 1937 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw Freddie Frith break the 90+ mph lap for the first time during the Senior TT with a speed of 90.27 mph on his Norton beating Stanley Woods by only 15 seconds. Frith also beat Wood in the Junior TT but only with a second placing.
The 1936 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw Norton rider Jimmie Guthrie win the Senior, and come fifth in the Junior. The Junior was won by Freddie Frith in his first year on the Norton team, and the Lightweight was won by Bob Foster on a New Imperial.
For the 1935 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, Stanley Woods provided another surprise by moving again, from Husqvarna to Moto Guzzi.
For the 1934 Isle of Man TT Races, despite the winning of four TT Races in two years, Stanley Woods parted with Norton motorcycles over the issue of prize money and race tactics and joined Husqvarna alongside Ernie Nott.
Henry George Tyrell-Smith (1907–1982) was an Irish motorcycle road racer. He was born in Co Dublin and studied at Trinity College, Dublin for a B.A. And B.A.I.degree. He raced at the Isle of Man TT from 1927 to 1939, and between 1929 and 1936 competed in the German Grand Prix. He also raced in The Swedish Grand Prix in Saxtorp 1933–36.
The 1933 Isle of Man TT saw a double victory for Stanley Woods, who won the Junior TT Race at an average speed of 78.08 mph (125.66 km/h), heading a top three place finish for riders from the Norton marque, followed by Tim Hunt and Jimmie Guthrie.
The 1932 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race meeting was watched by Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first royal visitor to the Isle of Man TT Races. The 1932 Junior TT Race was won by Stanley Woods riding a Norton at an average race speed of 77.16 mph (124.18 km/h) from Wal Handley and Tyrell Smith riding for the Rudge factory. Again Rudge were beaten in the 1932 Lightweight TT Race by Leo H. Davenport riding a New Imperial motorcycle at an average race speed of 70.48 mph (113.43 km/h). The 1932 Senior TT Race provided Stanley Woods with the "Norton Habit" and another Junior/Senior double win at an average race speed of 79.38 mph (127.75 km/h). The 1932 Senior TT Race was initially led on the first lap by Norton teammate Jimmie Simpson who set a new overall lap record of 27 minutes and 47 seconds at an average speed of 81.50 mph (131.16 km/h). Also on the first lap Wal Handley riding for Rudge crashed at the 11th milestone sustaining a back injury and retired. The place on the TT course where the incident occurred was renamed Handley's Corner.
The 1930 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was dominated by the Rudge marque. Despite problems in practice for Rudge and the new George Hicks designed four-valve over-head valve motor-cycles the 1930 Junior TT was a closely contested race. At the end of the first lap, Charlie Dodson riding for Sunbeam led the Rudge of H. G. Tyrell Smith by only 4 seconds. On lap 2, a dead-heat was posted between Dodson and Tyrell Smith both completing the Snaefell mountain course in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 32 seconds. At Kirk Michael on lap 3, Charlie Dodson retires with valve problems, leaving Tyrell Smith to win the 7 lap race at an average speed of 71.08 mph (114.39 km/h) from Rudge team-mates Ernie Nott and Graham Walker.
For the 1929 Isle of Man TT races the Velocette marque had high expectations of another win in the Junior TT Race. Despite the early lead of Alec Bennett, riding a Velocette, and Wal Handley, now riding an AJS motor-cycle, it was Freddie Hicks that led from the third lap and won the 1929 Junior TT Race at a record average speed of 69.71 mph (112.19 km/h) and setting a new race lap record of 31 minutes and 5 seconds an average speed of 70.95 mph (114.18 km/h). Two times European motorcycle champion Cecil Ashby suffered serious injuries during the race, and died at Noble's Hospital several hours later.
The 1957 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the Golden Jubilee event and the second race in the 1957 Motorcycle World Championships.
In the 1928 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy the newly developed 'positive-stop' foot gear-change by Velocette gave Alec Bennett his fifth TT Race win in the 1928 Junior, in the time of 3 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds, at an average speed of 68.65 mph (110.48 km/h), and setting a lap record at an average speed of 67.19 mph (108.13 km/h), with his teammate Harold Willis coming second.
The 1927 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw more changes occur with a fatal accident during practice to Archie Birkin, a brother to Tim Birkin of the Bentley Boys fame. The corner in Kirk Michael where the accident occurred was renamed Birkins Bend and from 1928 practice sessions were held on closed-roads. In the 1927 Junior TT Race the retirement of Wal Handley on the last-lap handed the victory to Freddie W Dixon, riding a HRD motorcycle, winning at an average speed of 67.19 mph (108.13 km/h).
Further changes occurred in the 1926 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy with the scrapping of the Side-Car TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT Races from the lack of entries. Most of the TT Course had now been tarmacked, including the Snaefell Mountain Section. Another change in 1926 was the ban on alcohol based fuels, forcing competitors to use road petrol. Despite these changes the prestige of the Isle of Man TT Races had encouraged the Italian motor-cycle manufacturers Bianchi, Garelli and Moto Guzzi to enter.
The 1925 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second and final year of the Ultra-Lightweight class for motorcycles of 175 cc capacity. This was the third year of the Sidecar race, which was also dropped after 1925.
The 1954 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second race in the 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and proved highly controversial for TT Course and race changes. The 1954 Junior TT was the first race where the official race distance was reduced from 7 laps to 5 laps. The 1954 Senior TT Race was stopped at half distance due to the weather conditions on the Mountain Section of the course.
Jimmy H. Simpson (1898–1981) was a British motorcycle racer.
The Isle of Man TT and other motorcycle racing in the island did not restart after the end of the First World War until 1920. Changes were made to the Snaefell Mountain Course causing competitors to turn left and proceed up the hill at Cronk-ny-Mona to follow the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road through to Governor's Bridge with a new start/finish line at Glencrutchery Road lengthening the course to 37¾ miles.
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