1951 Junior TT

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 264.25 miles (7 laps)

Description: Race report from the IOM Weekly Times 9 Jun 1951 p. 10, below which is a full list of competitors:

Duke’s amazing win in Junior
Nortons win 1,2 and 3 and team prizes
Rider dies of injuries
Harry Hinton crashes when lying second

Wonder man of motor cycle road racing, Geoff Duke, led the Norton team to a record breaking victory in the Junior TT on Monday, during which the St Helens ace won at a speed of nearly 90 mph, faster than last year’s record, and smashed everything there was to smash except the amazing Norton.

We regret to report that No. 5, J. F. Wenman (Norton) crashed at Birkin’s Corner (between Michael and Bishopscourt) on his third circuit, and died later from injuries.

Duke took the lead in the first lap with a breathtaking effort of 25 mins 14 secs (which beat Artie Bell’s 1950 record by 42 seconds), and thereafter the St Helens lad did not slip up. He never lost the lead; the spectators crowded round the course had faith in him, and the only question which troubled them was who was to fill the remaining five places on the leader board. At the end of the first lap Duke was 33 seconds ahead of the next man, Harry Hinton, redoubtable driver from Australia, but on the second lap Duke went ‘like a bomb’ and put up a fresh record of 24 mins 47 secs, and average speed of 91.38 mph and that record stood for the race, although the first three men (Duke, Hinton and Johnny Lockett) had in the first lap beaten Bell’s 1950 record and the fourth man (Doran, of AJS) had equalled it with a lap of 25.56.

In the second lap Hinton went round in 25.14, thereby equalling Duke’s first lap record, but nobody seemed to realise his achievement. Times were so fast, and Duke’s performance so positively glamorous that his performance was apt to take the spectators’ whole attention. Yet the shows being put up by the succeeding five men were worthy of attention too. They were Hinton, Johnny Lockett (both on Nortons), Doran (AJS), Brett (Norton) and Armstrong (AJS).

Rider’s boot burnt through

A hard luck story gave the trials and tribulations of E. V. C. Hardy (Norton). He retired at the pits, having travelled in from Sulby with a loose exhaust pipe, which he held up with his boot. The boot was burnt almost through, and the rider decided to call it a day before his foot followed.

News was later given of a particularly courageous performance by L Williams, who ran out of petrol at Kate’s Cottage and pushed his Velocette into the pits to refuel and continue the race.

The Winner

Geoffrey Duke, 28 year old St Helens ace, has had a phenomenal rise to road racing fame. He won the Clubman’s Senior TT at the meeting two years ago, won the Senior Manx Grand Prix the same year, the Senior TT last year, all at record speed, and has capped that remarkable record by winning the Junior TT.

He has also had an impressive record of successes on the Continent and leading events in the British Isles.

Crombie McCandless and Manx rider Tommy McEwan had been sticking ‘closer than brothers’ for two laps, having a little race of their own. Mr David Lay, at Cronk-ny-Mona, said they were pretty well together at that point. He also reported that Duke was riding with masterly precision as he flew through after the mountain descent.

Rider sustains fatal injuries

The third lap spelt disaster to No. 56 J. T. Wenman (Norton), who crashed at Birkin’s Corner, between Kirk Michael and Bishopscourt, and died from his injuries shortly after the race concluded. His wife was on the Grandstand, and the news was broken to her.

This lap also put paid to the hopes of Harry Hinton. He crashed at Laurel Bank, and subsequent news was that he had a lacerated hand and an injured knee. No. 108, R. E. D. Harrison, also had a spill at Birkin’s Corner in a later lap and sustained a broken finger. Another rider to have a spill was D G Lashmar, but he was not hurt.

By the end of the third circuit Nortons were running first, second and third, and all riders were members of the Norton team. Curiously enough, the official AJS team were in fourth, fifth and sixth places. The Norton performance was all the more commendable because literally at the last moment Brett had taken the place of Dickie Dale, ill in hospital with pleurisy.

AJS hopes were dashed first by the enforced retirement of Doran due to mechanical trouble and later by the hard luck which overtook Armstrong. He was reported from Cronk-ny-Mona as pushing his machine, and at 1 o’clock he came over the finishing line still pushing.

Armstrong, intrepid rider from Dublin, was cheered as he completed the distance; at all events, his pluck and endurance gained him a replica.

Ere this Duke and company had captured first three places (manufacturers’ and team prize) for Norton Motors Ltd.

Fine performance by Dominion riders

A word of praise must be given to the men who came from overseas to compete. Harry Hinton, though luckless because of his crash, was the ace among them, and K. Kavanagh, also from Australia, had done very well in the practices. His good fortune deserted him on race day; he packed up with engine trouble at the Quarry Bends (near Sulby). The remaining of our overseas friends finished the race and gained replicas.

61 finish the course
20 get first class replicas

Of the 98 starters, 61 finished, and of these 20 got first class replicas, 36 qualified for bronze replicas, and only the last four got no award. Norton’s team won the manufacturers’ team prize.

Club team prize

The club team prize went to the British Motor-Cycle Racing Club. Members of the team were W. R. Amm (of Rhodesia), H. B. Rawson, and S. Lawton.

Competitors

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