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

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