1949 Isle of Man TT
Encyclopedia
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| Race No 1 of 6 races in the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the inaugural F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 600cc... . |
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| Date | 13 June – 17 June 1949 | |||||||||||
| Location | Douglas, Isle of Man Isle of Man The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is... |
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| Course | Road Course 37.733 mi / 60.73 km |
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| 500cc Senior TT | ||||||||||||
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The 1949 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy
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...
or I British Motorcyle Grand Prix festival were the first races of Grand Prix World Championship
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
that were held in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
At the FICM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
(later called FIM) meeting in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
near the end of 1948, it was decided there would be a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
World Championship along Grand Prix lines. It would be a six-race annual series with points being awarded for a placing, and a point for the fastest lap of each race. There would be four classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc and 125cc. In the past a Grand Prix had been an individual race. In 1949 for the first time, a series of Grand Prix races would decide who would be the 1949 World Champion
1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the inaugural F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 600cc...
that year.
Harold L Daniell
Harold Daniell
Harold Daniell was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1940s and 1950s...
, on a 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...
, won the 500 cc 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...
event at 86.93 mph while 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...
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...
won the 350cc race at 83.15 mph. Manliff Barrington 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...
took the 250 cc race at 77.96 mph. Les Graham
Leslie Graham
For the English footballer and manager see Leslie Graham Robert Leslie Graham DFC was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s...
on an AJS Porcupine
AJS Porcupine
-Racing history:The motorcycle was originally designed by AJS to be supercharged, as were a number of pre-war racing bikes, but the FICM banned supercharging in 1946. The motor was then worked on to allow it to perform without a supercharger...
500cc twin, led the Senior race until the last lap, when his magneto
Magneto (electrical)
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce alternating current.Magnetos adapted to produce pulses of high voltage are used in the ignition systems of some gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to provide power to the spark plugs...
drive sheared. He had to push the bike past the finish line, and gained 10th place for his effort. The fact that he had finished gave him one championship point for recording the fastest lap and he went on to win the 500 cc World Championship that year while Freddie Frith became 350 cc champion.
Four Clubman races were included in this year's festival; the previous Clubmans Senior, Clubmans Junior, Clubmans Lightweight, and the new Clubmans 1,000 cc.
Junior TT (350cc)
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Speed | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Freddie FrithFreddie 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... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
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... |
83.15 mph | 3:10:26.0 | 10 | |
| 2 |  Ernie LyonsErnie Lyons Ernie Lyons is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Ireland.-By season:-External links:*... |
Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
Velocette | 82.92 mph | 3:11:08.0 | 8 | |
| 3 |  Artie BellArtie Bell Arthur James Bell was an Irish motorcycle road racer became known for his short, yet brilliant, post-World War II Isle of Man TT career that came to notice with his second place finish in the 1947 Isle of Man TT on a second-hand 500cc Norton he bought himself on which he led for three of the seven... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Norton | 82.62 mph | 3:11:49.0 | 7 | |
| 4 | Harold Daniell Harold Daniell Harold Daniell was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1940s and 1950s... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Norton | 82.59 mph | 3:11:52.2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Reg Armstrong Reg Armstrong Reginald Armstrong was born in Liverpool, grew up in Dublin. He was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and raced for AJS, Velocette, Norton, NSU, and Gilera. He then became team manager for Honda's racing team in 1962 and 1963, and they won five world championships in that time. He was also in his... |
Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
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... |
82.34 mph | 3:12:28.0 | 5 |
Fastest Lap and New Lap Record: Freddie Frith 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...
– 84.23 mph; 26 minutes 52.71 seconds (1 championship point for fastest lap).
Lightweight TT (250cc)
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Speed | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manliff Barrington Manliff Barrington Manliff Barrington Monkstown, County Dublin, was an Irish motorcycle racer famous for winning the Isle of Man TT races 2 times in his career.-Racing career:... |
Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
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... |
77.99 mph | 3:23:13.2 | 10 | |
| 2 | Tommy Wood Tommy Wood Tommy Wood was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in his first Manx Grand Prix in 1937. His best season was in , when he won two races, including the 1951 Isle of Man Lightweight TT, and finished second to Bruno Ruffo in the 250cc world championship.-Reference:... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Moto Guzzi | 77.91 | 3:23:25.8 | 8 | |
| 3 | Roland Pike |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Rudge | 72.79 | 3:37:42.6 | 7 | |
| 4 | Ronald Mead |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Mead-Norton | 72.68 | 3:41:06.6 | 6 | |
| 5 |  Svend Aage Sørensen |
Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
Excelsior | 71.00 | 3:43:12.0 | 5 |
Fastest Lap and New Lap Record: Dickie Dale
Dickie Dale
Richard H. Dale was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer born in Wyberton near Boston, Lincolnshire, England.He competed in the inaugural 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Dale was a victor in the 1951 North West 200...
– 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...
– 80.43 mph; 28 minutes 8.9 seconds.
Clubmans 1000 TT
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis G Lashmar |
Vincent Vincent Motorcycles Vincent Motorcycles was a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1928 to 1955. Their 1948 Black Shadow was at the time the world's fastest production motorcycle... |
76.3 mph | 1.29.01.8 |
| 2 | James N P Wright |
Vincent | 72.68 | 1.33.27.6 |
| 3 | Pat C Wilson |
Vincent | 72.19 | 1.34.06.6 |
Clubmans Senior TT
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geoff Duke Geoff Duke Geoffrey Ernest Duke OBE is a British multi-time motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion.Geoff Duke dominated motorcycle racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and six Isle of Man TT races... |
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... |
82.97 mph | 1.21.53.0 |
| 2 | Allan Jefferies |
Triumph | 80.79 | 1.24.04.0 |
| 3 | Leo Starr |
Triumph | 76.15 | 1.29.13.2 |
Clubmans Junior TT
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Clark |
BSA Birmingham Small Arms Company This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors.... |
75.18 mph | 1.30.21.6 |
| 2 | John Simister |
Norton | 74.51 | 1.31.11.0 |
| 3 | Alan Taylor |
Norton | 74.32 | 1.31.24.6 |
Clubmans Lightweight TT
| Rank | Rider | Team | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyril V Taft |
Excelsior | 68.11 mph | 1.06.30.2 |
| 2 | Dennis A Ritchie |
Velocette | 67.43 | 1.07.10.2 |
| 3 | Bernard J Hargreaves |
Velocette | 66.84 | 1.07.45.2 |
1949 Isle of Man Senior TTSenior TTThe 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...
(500cc)
7 Laps (264.25 Miles) Mountain Course.
| Place | Rider | Number | Country | Machine | Speed | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold L Daniell Harold Daniell Harold Daniell was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1940s and 1950s... |
14 | Britain United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
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... |
86.93 mph | 3:02:18.6 | 10 |
| 2 | Johnny Lockett Johnny Lockett Johnny Lockett was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1940s and 1950s.He competed in the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season riding on a 500cc Norton bike and finished seventh overall with 13 points, 17 points behind fellow British rider and teammate... |
42 | Britain United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Norton | 86.19 mph | 3:03:52.4 | 8 |
| 3 | Ernie Lyons Ernie Lyons Ernie Lyons is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Ireland.-By season:-External links:*... |
Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
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... |
85.50 mph | 3:05:22.0 | 7 | |
| 4 | Artie Bell Artie Bell Arthur James Bell was an Irish motorcycle road racer became known for his short, yet brilliant, post-World War II Isle of Man TT career that came to notice with his second place finish in the 1947 Isle of Man TT on a second-hand 500cc Norton he bought himself on which he led for three of the seven... |
1 | United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Norton | 83.83 mph | 3:09:03.0 | 6 |
| 5 |  Syd JensenSyd Jensen Syd Jensen was a Grand Prix motorcycle and auto racer from New Zealand.-Racing career:Jensen's best result in motorcycle racing was at the 1949 Isle of Man TT when he placed 5th in the Senior TT. He later moved to auto racing, finishing second to Bruce McLaren the New Zealand Gold Star Championship... |
New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Triumph | 83.17 mph | 3:10:33.0 | 5 |
Fastest Lap and New Lap Record: Bob Foster 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...
– 89.75 mph (25 minutes 14 seconds) on lap 2. Retired lap 5 at Sulby with failed clutch.