Douglas J. Pirie
Record type: Motorsport Biographies
Biography: Pirie died, aged 28, competing in the 1935 Lightweight TT. The race took place in bad weather and Pirie crashed on the mountain section of the course (brother of John Pirie).
Pirie's Effort.
D.J. Pirie's death as a result of an accident in the Lightweight race is a poignant reminder of the risks attached to riding in the TT races. Pirie, as is known, was an old Manx Grand Prix rider, and he was a rider who spared no pains in ensuring that his organisation was as perfect as possible. Very few people will know that Pirie spent his Sunday evening in Ramsey perfecting arrangements for a system of signalling which is his own idea, and which gave him the advantage ot knowing his position at Ramsey as well as at the start of each lap. lt was this system which helped him to win last year's Senior Manx Grand Prix.
TT Tragedy Theory.
The tragic death of D.J. Pirie is deeply deplored in the Isle of Man, for Pirie had a host of friends here, and was extremely popular. He was a fine athlete, a handsome specimen of manhood, and he knew not the meaning of fear. lt is a pity that these races cannot be held without horrible tragedies of this description. One theory I have heard as to the cause of Pirie's accident was that his machine was too slow. lt was not like Pirie to be lapping in 33 minutes; he was more at home with laps of 29 and 30 minutes. It is just possible that the machine, being slower than that to which he was accustomed, he took risks at corners which he otherwise would not have done in order to clip split seconds off his lap times. However, the sympathy of all will go out to his relatives and to the relatives of J.A. MacDonald - both good sportsmen.
(Ramsey Courier, 21 June 1935, p.5.)
In 1936, his family presented a new trophy for the Manx Grand Prix Lightweight race (Isle of Man Times, 18 July 1936, p.6.)
Occupation / profession: Architect
Gender: Male
Date of death: June 1935
Place of death: Douglas, Isle of Man
External sources: Braemar, Chaseside, London N14 or Southgate, London
Name Variant: Pirie, Doug
Competed in
| Race | Position | Time | Speed | Machine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 Lightweight TT | R | New Imperial | ||
| 1935 Junior TT | 4 | 3:24:01.00 | 77.69 | Velocette |
| 1934 Senior MGP | 1 | 2:51:34.00 | 79.19 | Norton |
| 1934 Junior MGP | 2 | 3:02:53.00 | 74.29 | Norton |
| 1933 Senior MGP | R | Norton | ||
| 1933 Junior MGP | 3 | 3:08:36.00 | 72.03 | Norton |
| 1932 Senior MGP | R | Excelsior | ||
| 1932 Junior MGP | R | Excelsior | ||
| 1931 Senior MGP | R | Excelsior | ||
| 1931 Junior MGP | 1 | 3:15:13.00 | 69.59 | Velocette |
| 1930 Senior MGP | 4 | 3:18:35.00 | 68.41 | Velocette |
| 1930 Junior MGP | 1 | 3:40:26.00 | 61.63 | Velocette |
| 1929 M.A.R.R.C. Senior MGP | 5 | 3:50:38.00 | 58.91 | Scott |
| 1929 M.A.R.R.C. Junior MGP | 7 | 3:58:34.00 | 56.95 | Velocette |