1952 Ultra Lightweight TT

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 113.19 miles (3 laps)

Description: Race report from the Isle of Man Weekly Times 14 Jun 1952 (p. 5) below which is a full list of competitors:

Sandford Wins in “Baby” Class

Great Win for Agusta Over Mondials

VICTOR BREAKS LAP RECORD IN ‘ONE-HORSE’ RACE

The well-known British rider, C. C. Sandford, to-day won the Ultra-Lightweight T.T. at record speed on an Italian Agusta which was originally entered as Les Graham’s mount. Sandford beat off the the Mondial challenge and with a lap record on his second circuit he had a comfortable win.

Right from the start C.C. Sandford put the Agusta in front of the Mondials, and the excitement in the Agusta camp was intense when it was seen that on the first lap he was approaching Cromie McCandless’s winning speed last year and had a lead of 40 seconds over the nearest Mondial, world champion Carlo Ubbiali.

Sandford broke the record on his second lap by 17 seconds, at 76.51 m.p.h. and then had the comfortable lead of over a minute.

In the 125 c.c. race the international flavour was supplied by Britain, Italy and Ireland. Men were despatched at 10-second intervals as usual – there were 17 starters and within a few minutes there were only 16, as G. Newman, on a Dot, packed up at the pits.
C. C. Sandford driving Les Graham’s Agusta, was going “great guns.” He passed seven men before Ballacraine, and he passed even more before he reached Michael.

Favourite was the Italian, C. Ubbiali, driving a Mondial, and was certainly not letting grass grow under his wheels. Last competitor to start, he was the fourth man signalled at Ramsey.

A keen race was on between A.L. Parry (Mondial) and Sandford. They were signalled at Governor’s Bridge simultaneously and passed the start with Parry leading on the road., but Sandford started 1 min. 10 secs. after him. At that time Ubbiali was signalled at the Creg. His was certainly a terrific performance, but it was not terrific enough. He came past the start to complete the lap in 31 minutes, but Sandford 30 minutes 20 secs., and so led the race.

Cromie McCandless (Mondial) was fourth man, with a lap of 31 mins. 38 secs.

Second Lap
First news this lap was that Parry had stopped at Quarter Bridge, had made adjustments and proceeded. As Sandford had followed him down Bray Hill he would probably see that one of his nearest rivals had a mechanical problem to solve and while we waited for the stars to do their stuff on their tiny motorcycles there was time to note that W. Hall on a Royal Enfield, had retired on his first lap at Ramsey with engine trouble, and that M. Sunderland, on an Anelay, had stuck at Governor’s Bridge to make adjustments. M. N. Mavrogordato (E.M.C. Puch), also appeared to have engine trouble below the Creg, had stopped, but had eventually proceeded.

All the other men were well away on their second lap. The head wind on the Mountain must have troubled them a great deal, and consequently the journey from Ramsey was relatively slow, but Sandford “stepped on it” all round the course and created a fresh record by lapping in 29 mins. 48 secs., an average speed of 76.51 m.p.h., thus knocking 17 seconds off the record set up by Cromie McCandless last year.

Cromie McCandless, by the way, had now crept into third place with Ubbiali still hanging on in second place. The Italian’s lap time was 30 mins. 26 secs., which bettered his time on his first circuit.

Parry went through the Start going well.

Third Lap
Sandford streaked away on this the last lap for the “Tiddlers” and won the race – so it was an Anglo-Italian victory. He fled round the course crouched low over the handlebars an easy winner and a popular one.

Sandford had finished the course when it was announced that Milton Sunderland had packed up at the Highlander on his second lap. This was the first year in 18 entries that Sunderland had failed to finish the distance.

There was drama too in this last lap. Cromie McCandless, who had crept into third place by reason of Parry’s stop at Quarter Bridge, was signalled as pushing in from Governor’s Bridge, so Parry came into his own again.

The first three men to finish were Sandford, Ubbiali and Parry.

Only Half of the 125 c.c. Finishers Get Replicas
So fast did the leaders go in the Ultra Lightweight T.T. race on Wednesday, that very few riders received replicas, the times for which are harnessed to the winner’s time. Only the first five received first class replicas, and there was a lone second class replica, F. H. Burman, who finished sixth. Of 17 starters, 12, or nearly 71 per cent., finished.

Replica times were 1 hr. 38 mins. 54.2 secs. for first class and 1 hr. 47 mins. 53.6 secs. for second class.

Competitors

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