Harold Daniell
Encyclopedia
Harold Daniell was a British
professional Grand Prix motorcycle
road racer
who competed in the 1940s and 1950s. On retiring from racing he owned a Norton motorcycle dealership in Forest Hill, London
.
Harold Daniell and George Rowley
rode the supercharged AJS V4
s in the 1936 Isle of Man Senior TT
, but despite its high top speed, it lacked acceleration. Both riders retired due to mechanical problems.
In the 1938 Isle of Man TT
Daniell completed the first under 25-minute (24min.52.6sec), 91.00 plus mph, lap of the Isle of Man TT
Snaefell Mountain Course
on his Norton
in the Senior TT, a record which would stand for 12 years. He managed to win, beating Stanley Woods
by only 14.4 seconds.
He competed in the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
riding on a 500cc Norton and finished sixth overall with 17 points in the World Championship while Leslie Graham
and Nello Pagani
finished first and second respectively. In the same year he also won the Isle of Man
Senior TT and was placed fifth in the Junior TT
.
.
racer declared that the new Norton was like "riding on a featherbed" compared with riding the "garden gate" - and it has been called the Featherbed frame
ever since.
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...
professional Grand Prix motorcycle
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...
road racer
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
who competed in the 1940s and 1950s. On retiring from racing he owned a Norton motorcycle dealership in Forest Hill, London
Forest Hill, London
Forest Hill is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It situated between Dulwich and Sydenham. The area has enjoyed extensive investment since plans to extend the East London Line to Forest Hill were unveiled in 2004....
.
Harold Daniell and George Rowley
George Rowley
George Rowley was Dean and Master of University College, Oxford and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University.Rowley was educated at Abingdon School in Abingdon, south of Oxford....
rode the supercharged AJS V4
AJS V4
The AJS V4 started out as a prototype air-cooled V4 road bike, but became a water-cooled and supercharged racing bike.-The 1935 Olympia Show bike:...
s in the 1936 Isle of Man Senior TT
1936 Isle of Man TT
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....
, but despite its high top speed, it lacked acceleration. Both riders retired due to mechanical problems.
In the 1938 Isle of Man TT
1938 Isle of Man TT
The 1938 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the Senior TT lap record of 90.27 mph set by Freddie Frith the previous year broken in 1938 when Harold Daniell completed a lap at 91.00 mph on his Norton, a record which would stand for 12 years. He managed to win, beating Stanley Woods by only...
Daniell completed the first under 25-minute (24min.52.6sec), 91.00 plus mph, lap of the Isle of Man TT
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...
Snaefell Mountain Course
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...
on his 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...
in the Senior TT, a record which would stand for 12 years. He managed to win, beating 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...
by only 14.4 seconds.
He competed 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...
riding on a 500cc Norton and finished sixth overall with 17 points in the World Championship while Leslie 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...
and Nello Pagani
Nello Pagani
Cirillo "Nello" Pagani was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. He was born in Milan, Lombardy, and died in Bresso....
finished first and second respectively. In the same year he also won the Isle of Man
1949 Isle of Man TT
The 1949 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy or I British Motorcyle Grand Prix festival were the first races of Grand Prix World Championship that were held in the Isle of Man....
Senior TT and was placed fifth in 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...
.
Tourist Trophy race victories
His Isle of Man TT racing career spanned the years from 1930 until 1950 and included three victories and several placings in the Tourist Trophy races but he also competed in the Manx Grand PrixManx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course every year for a two-week period usually spanning the end of August and early September. The 'MGP' or 'Manx' is considered to be the amateur riders' alternative to the Isle of Man TT Races held in May and June...
.
| TT Career Summary | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finishing Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | DNF |
| Number of times | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
The Featherbed frame
Harold Daniell, the highly successful Isle of Man TTIsle 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...
racer declared that the new Norton was like "riding on a featherbed" compared with riding the "garden gate" - and it has been called the Featherbed frame
Featherbed frame
The featherbed frame was a motorcycle frame developed by the British Norton motorcycle company to improve the performance of their racing motorcycles around the twisting and demanding Isle of Man TT course in 1950. It was considered revolutionary at the time, and the best handling frame that a...
ever since.