1926 Isle of Man TT
Encyclopedia
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 7 lap (264.11 miles) 1926 Junior TT
race was won by Alec Bennett
riding a 350 cc overhead-camshaft Velocette
motor-cycle, in 3 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds, at an average speed of 66.70 mph.
The 1926 Lightweight TT Race produced one of the most notorious events in the history of the Isle of Man TT Races, described by the "The Motor-Cycle" Magazine as the "Guzzi Incident." The Italian rider Pietro Ghersi
was excluded from second place for using a different sparking-plug
in the engine of his Moto Guzzi. Despite the competition from the Italian marques the 1926 Lighweight TT Race was won by 'Paddy' Johnston riding a Cotton motor-cycle, in 4 hours, 23 minutes and 16 seconds, at an average speed of 60.24 mph for the 7 lap race.
The 1926 Senior TT
Race was less controversial and was won by Stanley Woods
riding for Norton
for the first-time by 4 minutes from Wal L. Handley. The 1926 Senior TT Race produced the first 70 mph (113 km/h) lap and was again set by Jimmie Simpson on an AJS
motorcycle in 32 minutes and 9 seconds an average speed of 70.43 mph.
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
with the scrapping of the Side-Car TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT
Ultra-Lightweight TT
The Ultra-Lightweight TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1951 and 1974 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The Ultra-Lightweight TT and the Lightweight TT...
Races from the lack of entries. Most of the TT Course had now been tarmacked, including the Snaefell Mountain Section
Snaefell mountain course
Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...
. 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
Bianchi (motorcycles)
Bianchi motorcycles were made from 1897 to 1967 by F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A, a company which today is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer, and who also produced automobiles from 1900 to 1939. Edoardo Bianchi started his bicycle manufacturing business in a small shop on Milan’s Via Nirone in 1885...
, Garelli
Garelli Motorcycles
Garelli Motorcycles is an Italian moped, and motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 by Alberto Garelli.At age 22, Adalberto Garelli received a degree in engineering and dedicated his work to developing and perfecting the 2-stroke engine for Fiat. Garelli quit in 1911 due to Fiat's lack of...
and Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It is one of seven brands owned by Piaggio.Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its central historic role in Italy's motorcycling manufacture, its prominence worldwide in motorcycle racing, and a series of...
to enter.
The 7 lap (264.11 miles) 1926 Junior TT
Junior TT
The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June...
race was won by Alec Bennett
Alec Bennett
Alec Bennett was an Irish-Canadian motorcycle racer famous for motorcycle Grand Prix wins and five career wins at the Isle of Man TT Races.-Biography:...
riding a 350 cc overhead-camshaft Velocette
Velocette
Velocette is the name given to motorcycles that were made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling far fewer hand-built motorcycles than the giant BSA, Norton or Triumph concerns...
motor-cycle, in 3 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds, at an average speed of 66.70 mph.
The 1926 Lightweight TT Race produced one of the most notorious events in the history of the Isle of Man TT Races, described by the "The Motor-Cycle" Magazine as the "Guzzi Incident." The Italian rider Pietro Ghersi
Pietro Ghersi
Pietro Ghersi was an Italian motorcycle racer and, since 1927, also a racecar driver from Genoa.With his brother Mario Ghersi and Luigi Arcangeli he biked in the 1926 Isle of Man TT and 1930 Isle of Man TT in Moto Guzzi....
was excluded from second place for using a different sparking-plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
in the engine of his Moto Guzzi. Despite the competition from the Italian marques the 1926 Lighweight TT Race was won by 'Paddy' Johnston riding a Cotton motor-cycle, in 4 hours, 23 minutes and 16 seconds, at an average speed of 60.24 mph for the 7 lap race.
The 1926 Senior TT
Senior TT
The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. The Senior TT is the Blue Riband event of the festival and takes place on the Friday of race week. The Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars...
Race was less controversial and was won by Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods Dublin, an Irish motorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins and winning the Isle of Man TT races 10 times in his career. He was a past pupil of The High School, Dublin. Stanley started racing in 1921 on a Harley Davidson...
riding for Norton
Norton (motorcycle)
Norton is a British motorcycle marque, originally from Birmingham, founded in 1898 as a manufacturer of "fittings and parts for the two-wheel trade". By 1902, they had begun manufacturing motorcycles with bought-in engines. In 1908, a Norton-built engine was added to the range...
for the first-time by 4 minutes from Wal L. Handley. The 1926 Senior TT Race produced the first 70 mph (113 km/h) lap and was again set by Jimmie Simpson on an AJS
AJS
AJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on...
motorcycle in 32 minutes and 9 seconds an average speed of 70.43 mph.
Senior TT (500 cc)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stanley WoodsStanley Woods Stanley Woods Dublin, an Irish motorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins and winning the Isle of Man TT races 10 times in his career. He was a past pupil of The High School, Dublin. Stanley started racing in 1921 on a Harley Davidson... |
Norton Norton (motorcycle) Norton is a British motorcycle marque, originally from Birmingham, founded in 1898 as a manufacturer of "fittings and parts for the two-wheel trade". By 1902, they had begun manufacturing motorcycles with bought-in engines. In 1908, a Norton-built engine was added to the range... |
67.54 mph | 3.54.39.8 |
| 2 |  Wal L. Handley |
Rex-Acme Rex-Acme Rex was a motorcycle company which began in Birmingham, England in 1900. Rex soon merged with a Coventry bicycle maker named Allard and then later in 1922 the company merged with Coventry's 'Acme' motorcycle company forming 'Rex Acme'... |
66.31 | 3.59.00.6 |
| 3 | Frank Longman |
AJS AJS AJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on... |
66.03 | 4.00.03.4 |
| 4 | Joe Craig |
Norton | 64.75 | 4.04.47.0 |
| 5 | C P Wood |
HRD HRD Motorcycles HRD Motors Ltd was a British motorcycle manufacturer in the 1920s. It was founded by Howard Raymond Davies. He had worked in motorcycling, and had raced with some success in the mid-twenties, but often not finishing due to unreliability. This inspired him to build a reliable performance motorcycle,... |
64.02 | 4.07.35.0 |
| 6 | George Rowley |
AJS | 63.96 | 4.07.48.6 |
| 7 |  Achille VarziAchille Varzi Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer... |
Sunbeam Sunbeam (motorcycle) Sunbeam was a British manufacturing marque that produced bicycles and motorcycles from 1912 to 1956. Originally independent, it was ultimately owned by BSA... |
0 | 4.08.05.0 |
| 8 | S P Jackson |
HRD | 0 | 4.10.22.0 |
| 9 | Kenneth Twemlow |
HRD | 0 | 4.12.03.6 |
| 10 | Graham Walker |
Sunbeam | 0 | 4.12.35.0 |
Junior TT (350 cc)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alec Bennett Alec Bennett Alec Bennett was an Irish-Canadian motorcycle racer famous for motorcycle Grand Prix wins and five career wins at the Isle of Man TT Races.-Biography:... |
Velocette Velocette Velocette is the name given to motorcycles that were made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling far fewer hand-built motorcycles than the giant BSA, Norton or Triumph concerns... |
66.704 mph | 3.57.37.0 |
| 2 | Jimmie Simpson |
AJS AJS AJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on... |
63.903 | 4.08.02.0 |
| 3 | Wal L. Handley |
Rex-Acme | 63.375 | 4.10.06.0 |
| 4 | Freddie Dixon Freddie Dixon Frederick William Dixon was an English motorcycle racer and racing car driver. He was the designer of the motorcycle and banking sidecar system. He was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been successful on two, three and four wheels. He was twice awarded the BRDC Gold Star... |
Douglas Douglas (motorcycles) Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907–1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family, and especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined bikes and as manufacturers of speedway machines... |
63.249 | 4.10.30.0 |
| 5 | Gus Kuhn Gus Kuhn Gus Kuhn was a successful British TT and Motorcycle speedway rider during the 1920s.He was born in Birmingham, England.-Speedway:... |
Velocette | 62.345 | 4.14.14.0 |
| 6 | J G Burney |
Royal Enfield Royal Enfield Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was... |
60.849 | 4.20.29.0 |
| 7 | C W Hough |
AJS | 0 | 4.20.47.0 |
| 8 | Frank Longman |
AJS | 0 | 4.22.32.0 |
| 9 | G F Povey |
Velocette | 0 | 4.23.30.0 |
| 10 | J Amott |
Montgomery | 0 | 4.24.31.0 |
Lightweight TT (250 cc)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C. W. Johnston |
Cotton Cotton (motorcycle) The Cotton Motorcycle Company, was a British motorcycle manufacturer of 11a Bristol Road, Gloucester, and was founded by Frank Willoughby Cotton in 1918. F.W. presided over the company until his retirement in 1953. The company was reconstituted as E. Cotton Ltd, and traded till 1980.-The... |
60.204 mph | 4.23.16.0 |
| 2 | F G Morgan |
Cotton | 55.129 | 4.47.30.0 |
| 3 | W Colgan |
Cotton | 53.532 | 4.56.05.0 |
| 4 | S H Jones |
New Imperial New Imperial Motors Ltd New Imperial was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by Norman Downes in Birmingham, between 1887 and 1901, and became New Imperial Motors Ltd in 1912, when serious production commenced. New Imperial made innovative motorcycles that employed unit construction and sprung heel frames long... |
53.049 | 4.58.47.0 |
| 5 | W F Bicknell |
Royal Enfield Royal Enfield Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was... |
48.471 | 5.27.00.0 |
| 6 | E Archibald |
OK-Supreme OK-Supreme OK-Supreme was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1899 to 1939 located in Birmingham. Grass-track racing versions of the machines continued to be available until 1946.-History:... |
0 | 5.33.06.0 |
| 7 | Sid Gleave |
Diamond | 0 | 5.36.59.0 |
| 8 | G W Shepherd |
New Imperial | 0 | 5.51.30.0 |
| 9 | J G Burney |
Royal Enfield | 0 | DNF |
| 10 | Syd Crabtree |
Crabtree | 0 | 4.41.00.0 |