Search records

1951 Clubman Junior TT

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 150.92 miles (4 laps)

Description: 1951 Clubman Junior TT
Race report from the IOM Weekly Times 9 Jun 1951 p. 3, below which is a full list of competitors:

Shop Assistant Wins Junior Clubman’s

Lap and Race Records Smashed

Competitor Dies of Injuries

Riding in his first big race, B. G. Purslow, 18-year-old Shrewsbury shop assistant, won the Junior Clubman’s T.T. in record time on Monday. His time of 2 hrs. 0 min. 10 secs. smashed the record set up by B. A. Jackson last year by 1 min, 48.2 secs. His average speed for the four-lap race over a distance of 150.933 miles was 75.36 m.p.h., which bettered Jackson’s record by over one mile an hour.

Purslow was not alone in his record-breaking feat. The first five men also beat Jackson’s best. Thirty-one-year-old Wolverhampton garage mechanic G. E. Read took his Norton round at 74.87 m.p.h. in 2 hrs. 0 min. 56.6 secs. to capture second place, while G.J. Draper, 22-year-old Cheltenham farmer, also astride a Norton was third with a time of 2 hrs. 1 min. 10.8 secs., an average of 74. 73 m.p.h.

It is with regret that we have to add that one competitor, D. L. Parris, crashed at the Bungalow and sustained injuries from which he died in Noble’s hospital during the evening.

There were several spills, and the high speeds caused many to retire, some through mechanical trouble and others for neglecting the pull of gravity.

Only 41 of the 75 started completed the course.

LOCAL MAN EIGHTH

Only Manx entrant to finish was J. W. Moore, of Douglas, whose competent riding on his B.S.A. brought him eighth place in 2 hrs. 5 mins. 18.4 secs., at a speed of 72.28 m.p.h. M. R. McGeagh, of Ramsey, the only other local rider, retired halfway through the race with a broken foot-rest. Interesting point is that McGeagh and Moore, whose numbers were 80 and 81 respectively, covered the first lap in the same time – 32 mins. 45 secs. A conspiracy perhaps?

Only other rider with local connections was B. Duffy who parted with his Norton on his first lap at Laurel Bank. The Norton, which was extensively damaged, came off worst. The rider emerged unscathed. Southerners may remember Duffy. He lived on the island until he reached the age of 11, and received his early education at Castletown school.

LAP RECORD BROKEN

Not to be outdone by the International men, the “amateurs” shot round the course like veterans. So fast did they go that we didn’t have to wait long for that now familiar cry “He’s broken the record.” And the man in this case was K. R. V. James (Norton) who caused the first sensation by smashing the lap record – set up by Jackson last year – by ten seconds. And this on his first lap from a standing start! His time was 29 mins. 35 secs., a speed of 76.55 m.p.h. Not far behind came B. J. Hargreaves astride a B.S.A. with a lap of 29 mins. 57 secs.

JAMES’ HARD LUCK

But it does not pay to tempt the gods too much, and first hard luck story had James as its main character. He stopped at the Hawthorne on his second lap and feverishly tinkered with his mount in an attempt to start. This lapse cost him 20 valuable minutes, and he was last to finish. Hargreaves’ clock stopped with its finger pointing to Ramsey, so it was apparent that he too had encountered trouble. This left the way clear for Purslow, who crept – if you will excuse the word – from third to first place on the leader board and retained that position to the end.
News of some of the earlier leaders showed that this demon course was claiming more victims in both machines and men. Retirement after retirement was reported.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT

Despite perfect conditions several casualties were reported.
An accident which was to prove fatal occurred at the Bungalow, where
R.L. Parris (Douglas) crashed on his third lap. He was taken to Noble’s
Hospital, via the Manx Electric tram (to Derby Castle), thence by ambulance,
and was operated upon, without avail, in the evening. He died at 8-30 p.m.

It was the first time the unfortunate rider had raced on the T.T. course. He was 23 years of age, single, and belonged to Croydon, Surrey. By trade he was a toolmaker.

Another man to suffer a spill was J. R. Clark, who received first-aid treatment for abrasions after coming off at Michael. Another accident which caused an early retirement involved S. Graham, a Lanarkshire man on leave from the R.A.F. His legacy from a crash at Glen Helen included several painful cuts. Cuts and bruises were also the lot of W.C. Reed, who came off at Hillberry and retired. Creg Willys Hill claimed one victim J. R. Hill, who crashed there, but escaped injury.

Competitors

PositionCompetitor(s)TimeSpeedMachine
1Purslow, Brian2:00:10.0075.36BSA
2Read, Geoffrey2:00:56.6074.87Norton
3Draper, John2:01:10.8074.73Norton
4Bradshaw, D.N.2:01:33.2074.51Norton
5Farrant, Derek2:01:48.4074.35BSA
6Carr, D.2:02:42.0073.18Norton
7Cooper, Stan2:04:59.8072.45Douglas
8Moore, John2:05:18.4072.28BSA
9Staley, C.E.2:05:35.2072.11BSA
10Morley, Derek2:05:53.0071.94BSA
11Davis, P.B.2:05:54.6071.92BSA
12Seston, Sam2:05:56.0071.91BSA
13Fisher, Charles2:06:13.0071.75BSA
14Nash, Harry2:06:50.0071.4BSA
15Harris, J.H.T.2:07:12.6071.19BSA
16Beaney, Peter2:07:31.0071.02Norton
17Smith, B.J.2:07:52.0070.82BSA
18Bean, John2:08:01.0070.74BSA
19Bell, Douglas2:08:13.0070.63Matchless
20Dunham, Laurence2:08:14.0070.62AJS
21Stevenson, Leslie2:08:45.0070.34BSA
22Burns, P.E.2:11:42.0068.76BSA
23Parry, G.E.2:11:48.0068.71BSA
24Prince, Ken2:12:28.8068.36BSA
25Brown, Tommy2:12:31.0068.34AJS
26Blackwell, E.D.2:12:36.0068.3Douglas
27Baker, Eric2:12:47.0068.2BSA
28Goddard, Ellis2:14:05.0067.54BSA
29Matheson, I.G.2:14:34.0067.3BSA
30Hutchinson, Arthur2:16:29.0066.35BSA
31King, Basil2:18:48.0065.25BSA
32Kirby, J.2:20:02.0064.67BSA
33Newstead, Arthur2:22:59.0063.34AJS
34McIvor, A.2:24:09.0062.82Norton
35Tully, Kevan2:26:24.0061.86AJS
36Arnold, George2:26:25.0061.85BSA
37Collett, G.E.2:27:18.0061.48BSA
38French, Lionel2:28:22.0061.04Douglas
39Sutherland, Jake2:29:39.0060.52BSA
40Hill, Jack2:34:19.0058.69BSA
41James, Ken2:39:20.0056.84Norton
RMcCutcheon, RonnieAJS
RAkers, A.W.BSA
RBeckton, JamesBSA
RBrown, Gerald R.BSA
RCarr, LouisBSA
RCorley, W.S.BSA
RGibson, G.E.BSA
RGraham, S.BSA
RHouseley, EricBSA
RMcGeagh, MichaelBSA
RPowell, DerekBSA
RSanders, AlanBSA
RSheppard, D.BSA
RThomason, A.BSA
RTurk, AllenBSA
RBlum, JackDouglas
RBoulter, JonDouglas
RChapman, DonDouglas
RGandy, F.T.Douglas
RHargreaves, BernardDouglas
RHilditch, FredDouglas
RHolywell, R.W.Douglas
RMilner, GeorgeDouglas
RParris, DougDouglas
RReed, WalterDouglas
RSproat, P.R.Douglas
RDuffy, BrianNorton
RNowell, BertNorton
RBruce, CharlieRoyal Enfield
RSheene, FrankRoyal Enfield
RBrown, HarryBSA
RClark, JohnDouglas
RRobinson, CharlesDouglas
RHopwood, CyrilVelocette

Comments

Optional, not displayed

Manx National Heritage (MNH) will always put you in control of the information we send you. Read our privacy policy