1954 Clubman Senior TT

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 150.92 miles (4 laps)

Description: 1954 Clubman Senior TT
Race report from IOM Weekly Times 12 June 1954 pp. 1, 5, below which is a full list of competitors:

King Wins for Scotland!
Senior Clubman’s was a Thriller
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Leaders Slash Lap Records.
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Exciting finish between B.S.A. riders.

Riding a brilliant race, Alistair King, from Glasgow, on Thursday won the Senior Clubman’s Trophy in quite professional style after an exciting duel with J. B. Denton, from Heaton, near Bradford, another B.S.A. rider, and a fellow Scot, E. McG. Haldane.

Winner Alistair King is a 27 year old agricultural engineer, married, with two children. He finished fifth in the race last year. His finishing time was 1 hour 45 minutes 36 seconds, an average speed of 85.6m.p.h.
He put in a magnificent last lap in 26 minutes 1 second, a speed of 87.02m.p.h.
Haldane led from the start, but spectators were kept on tenterhooks until the end, because Haldane’s lead had been cut to eight seconds by fellow Scot Alistair King (B.S.A.) from Glasgow, with a record third lap at 86.7m.p.h. and King went on to win in magnificent style from Denton, with Haldane third.

Lap records were the order of the day from the start, and the first three on the leader-board at the end of the first lap all broke last year’s record. E. McG. Haldane (B.S.A.) knocked 16 seconds off it, and there were only 5 seconds between the first three men, while Haldane was a mere second in front of J. B. Denton (B.S.A.), with A. King (B.S.A.) third. In fourth place was D. V. Chadwick (Norton), spoiling a perfect leader-board picture for the B.S.A.s. He was 20 seconds behind the leader.

The Start. Thursday Afternoon.
By the afternoon conditions all-round the course were perfect. Thirty-nine riders lined up on the grid. His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor (Sir Ambrose Flux Dundas K.C.I.E., C.S.I.) spoke to several of them immediately before the start. Two of the starters were Manx, Bob Mawson (Norton) and W.S. (“Sid”) Mizen. Last Year’s Manx riders, Eddie Crooks and Alan Holmes, finished second and third respectively in the Senior Clubman’s. Manx hopes are not so high this afternoon. Although the sun was shining brightly the grandstands were, once again, sparsely covered.

First Lap
First man to get his machine away was H. McKenzie (Triumph) followed by N.F. Sweetman (Ariel). The field, with the exception of P. Plaskett (B.S.A.) and J Hedley (Norton), were quickly away to a good start. Finally, when the leaders were already flashing towards Kirk Michael, his engine started. Hedley got started shortly after, but his engine did not sound too ‘healthy’. P.H. Tait (B.S.A.) took over W.H. Allen’s entry in the Senior race.

LAP RECORD GOES.
First man through Ramsey was E. McG. Haldane (B.S.A.) with D.V. Chadwick (Norton) only seconds behind him. Later as Haldane flashed through the Start to begin his second lap the report came from Ramsey stating the Alistair King (B.S.A.) had already passed his rival Eddie Dow (B.S.A.).

Haldane led on the road at the end of the first lap, and he smashed Bob Keeler’s record lap by takin his B.S.A. round in 26 mins. 32 secs., a speed of 85.36m.p.h. This bettered R.D. Keelers record last year by 16 seconds.
It was not a good day for Manx riders. From Sulby came the report that Sid Mizen, from the Southern Club, had “stopped to make adjustments”. Later came the information that Sid had changed both plugs on his Triumph and was calling at the pits to pick up an additional supply of spark plugs.

A report form the Quarry bends stated that J.E. Guest (Norton) had retired with engine trouble. The rider was O.K.

Second Lap.
Whilst the Junior race of this morning was the most exciting on record, the Senior promised to run it very hard for the title.
Only five seconds separated the first three men at the start of the second lap, and all had smashed the previous record from a standing start.
Eddie Dow, who was fancied as a possible winner, was “not in it”.

Creg-ny-Baa reported Haldane and Denton through in quick succession. Denton appeared to be losing ground to the leader as he flashed past the Grandstand to start lap three. A. Johnstone (Triumph) pushed into the pit and retired after completing one lap. His magneto had failed.

Haldane increased his lead over Denton to 13 secs. Meanwhile Maurice Ralph Baigent (B.S.A.), 25 years-old New Zealand rider had taken third place with a record lap of 26mins. 29secs., a speed of 85.52m.p.h.
Sid Mizen (Triumph) retired at the Hairpin on his first lap. No reason was given.

Third Lap.
An exciting race was raging between T.A. Ovens (Triumph) and P.H. Tait (B.S.A.) who were lying fifth and sixth respectively at Cruickshank’s Corner. The commentator reported that only 10 yards separated them.
As the leader, Haldane, pulled in to refuel he overshot the pit by several yards, wasting valuable seconds. His attendants sent him away quickly, but Denton was preparing to overtake as they both raced away towards Bray Hill.

Denton pulled back 2 seconds on this lap. He took his B.S.A. round in 26mins. 23secs., a speed of 85.84m.p.h. He now lay 11 seconds behind Haldane.
Sensation came when Alistair King lapped in 26mins 7secs., a speed of 86.7m.p.h., to bring him within eight seconds of the leader.

Fourth Lap.
With only seconds separating the first three at the end of lap three, the leaders roared round on their final lap.
At Cruickshank’s corner Denton led Haldane by 1 ½ seconds. Creg-ny-Baa reported the gap as only a matter of yards and it was Denton who finished first, leading by 50 yards to finish his final lap in 26mins. 3.6secs., an average speed of 86.86 m.p.h., yet another record.

Meanwhile Alistair King was past the Mountain Box and travelling speedily for Creg-ny-Baa, where he arrived on time, and within a few minutes he, too, had finished – the winner by 5½ seconds.
Bob Mawson, popular Competitions Secretary of the Peveril M.C.C., finished in 2 hrs. 0 mins. 46secs. on his Norton. He was the only Manxman to finish as Mizen retured before he completed a lap.

COURSE MUCH SAFER
Interviewed immediately after the race, the winner said that he had had a comfortable ride, and thought the course was much improved and much safer.
Scotland Repeats Team Victory

It was a great day for Scotland. Their A.C.U. Centre team took first place in the Junior and repeated their success in the Senior, two of the riders being King and Haldane, who were first and third respectively, and the third member of the team was H. McKenzie on a Triumph.

SECOND AND THIRD MEN.
John Benjamin Denton is a 34 year-old married man and is an electrical contractor. He was competing for the first time on the island.

Ewan McGreggor Haldane is a 24 year-old electrician from Clackmannanshire and has competed here before. He is single.

Competitors

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