1939 Isle of Man TT
Encyclopedia
The 1939 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy
was the last race festival until 1947 due to the interruption of World War II
. It was the last of ten TT victories for the 34 year old Stanley Woods
in which he won the Junior TT
on a Velocette
at 83.19 mph and came 4th in the Senior TT
race. The Senior race was won by Georg Meier on a supercharged
BMW
.
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...
was the last race festival until 1947 due to the interruption of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was the last of ten TT victories for the 34 year old 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...
in which he won the 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...
on a 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...
at 83.19 mph and came 4th in the 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. The Senior race was won by Georg Meier on a supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
BMW
BMW motorcycles
BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. Motorcycle manufacturing now operates under the BMW Motorrad brand...
.
Senior TT (500cc)
16 June 1939 – 7 laps (264.11 miles) Mountain Course| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Georg MeierGeorg Meier Georg Meier was a German motorcycle racer famous for being the first foreign winner of the prestigious Senior TT the Blue Riband race of the Isle of Man TT Races in 1939 riding for the factory BMW team and the first motor-cycle racer to lap a Grand Prix course at over 100mph.-Biography:Meier was... |
BMW BMW motorcycles BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. Motorcycle manufacturing now operates under the BMW Motorrad brand... |
89.38 mph | 2:57:19.0 |
| 2 | Jock West Jock West John Milns "Jock" West, MBE was a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Great Britain.-Motorcycle career:West was born in Belvedere, Kent to an English father and a Scottish mother. He initially concentrated on grasstrack racing on an Ariel motorcycle and, was successful enough that the Ariel factory... |
BMW | 88.22 | 2:59:39.0 |
| 3 | Freddie Frith Freddie Frith Frederick Lee "Freddie" Frith OBE was a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. A former stonemason and motor-trader dealer was a stylish rider and five times winner of the Isle of Man TT... |
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... |
87.96 | 3:00:11.0 |
| 4 |  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... |
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... |
87.91 | 3:00:17.0 |
| 5 | John H. White | Norton | 85.92 | 3:04:27.0 |
| 6 | Les Archer Les Archer Leslie James Archer was a leading motorcycle racer of the 1920s, competing in long distance speed trials, hill climbs and scrambles, now known as motocross.... |
Velocette | 84.31 | 3:07:58.0 |
| 7 | E. A. (Ted) Mellors Edward Ambrose Mellors Edward Ambrose Mellors , born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, was an international motorcycle road racer who rode in the Manx Grand Prix in 1927 and the Isle of Man TT from 1928 to 1939... |
Velocette | 83.76 | 3:09:12.0 |
| 8 | S Wood | Norton | 82.43 | 3:12:16.0 |
| 9 | Maurice Cann Maurice Cann Maurice Cann was a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He entered his first Manx Grand Prix in 1931, and in 1938 competed in his first Isle of Man TT. Cann won the 1948 Lightweight TT aboard a Moto Guzzi. He competed from 1949 to 1952 in the Grand Prix world championships... |
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... |
81.96 | 3:13:22.0 |
| 10 |  Jack Galway |
Norton | 81.37 | 3:15:00.0 |
Junior TT (350cc)
12 June 1939 – 7 laps (264.11 miles) Mountain Course| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanley Woods |
Velocette | 83.19 mph | 3:10:30.0 |
| 2 | Harold Daniell Harold Daniell Harold Daniell was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1940s and 1950s... |
Norton | 83.13 | 3:10:38.0 |
| 3 | Heiner Fleischmann |
DKW | 82.51 | 3:12:05.0 |
| 4 | E. A. (Ted) Mellors | Velocette | 82.34 | 3:12:28.0 |
| 5 | David Whitworth | Velocette | 79.58 | 3:19:09.0 |
| 6 | Siegfried Wünsche |
DKW | 78.87 | 3:20:57.0 |
| 7 | Maurice Cann | Norton | 78.78 | 3:21:10.0 |
| 8 | S. (Ginger) Wood | Velocette | 78.55 | 3:21:45.0 |
| 9 | Jimmy E. Little | Velocette | 78.22 | 3:22:36.0 |
| 10 |  Frank Mussett |
Velocette | 77.60 | 3:24:14.0 |
Lightweight TT (250cc)
14 June 1939 – 7 laps (264.11 miles) Mountain Course| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E A (Ted) Mellors Edward Ambrose Mellors Edward Ambrose Mellors , born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, was an international motorcycle road racer who rode in the Manx Grand Prix in 1927 and the Isle of Man TT from 1928 to 1939... |
Benelli Benelli (motorcycles) Benelli is an Italian Motorcycle manufacturer owned by Chinese company Qianjiang Group. It once manufactured shotguns, although this part of the business is now a separate company.-Early history:... |
74.26 mph | 3:33:26.0 |
| 2 | Ewald Kluge |
DKW | 72.97 | 3:37:11.0 |
| 3 | H. G. Tyrell Smith H. G. Tyrell Smith Henry George Tyrell-Smith was an Irish motorcycle road racer. He was born in Co Dublin and studied at Trinity College, Dublin for a BSc degree. He raced at the Isle of Man TT from 1927 to 1939, and between 1929 and 1936 competed in the German Grand Prix... |
Excelsior Excelsior Motor Company Excelsior, based in Coventry, was a British bicycle, motorcycle and car maker. They were Britain’s first motorcycle manufacturer, starting production of their own ‘motor-bicycle’ in 1896... |
71.91 | 3:40:23.0 |
| 4 | Les G. Martin | Excelsior | 68.87 | 3:50:08:0 |
| 5 | Siegfried Wünsche |
DKW | 68.78 | 3:50:25.0 |
| 6 | Charlie Manders |
Excelsior | 66.93 | 3:56:48.0 |
| 7 | Harold Hartley | Excelsior | 66.19 | 3:59:27.0 |
| 8 | Ernie Thomas | DKW | 65.81 | 4:00:48.0 |
| 9 | S. (Ginger) Wood | Rudge | 65.04 | 4:03:41.0 |
| 10 | Chris Tattersall | CTS | 63.95 | 4:07:50.0 |