1954 Clubman Junior TT

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 150.92 miles (4 laps)

Description: Race Report from The Isle of Man Weekly Times June 12 1954 below which is a full list of results:

YORKSHIREMAN WINS JUNIOR CLUBMAN’S

Palmer Snatches Victory in Last Lap

Race of Thrills and Many Records

In the most thrilling race of the Clubman’s series Philip Palmer (B.S.A.), a 25-year-old Huddersfield joiner, on Thursday won the Junior Clubman’s Trophy at the record speed of 81.71 m.p.h. after a great duel with other B.S.A. riders and a lone Norton challenger, G. B. Tanner. The record lap was set up by Desmond Wright (B.S.A.), who finished second. Wright lapped in 27 minutes 15.8 seconds, a speed of 83.05 m.p.h., on his final lap.

The Start, Thursday.
Only 49 of the original 63 entrants started their warming up period for the Junior Clubman’s Trophy Races. Of the 49 three were Manxmen and were representing the Island centre A.C.U. They were David Quayle, G. Owen and Joe Clague, all on B.S.A. machines. A fresh westerly breeze was bringing mist patches across the mountain section and the start was delayed 15 minutes to 10-15 until visibility improved. Very few spectators patronised the grandstand. There could not have been more than 150, but among them was His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor.

First Lap
Promptly at 10-15 a.m. timekeeper L. H. Lumby dropped his little Union Jack flag and the first men, A. F. J. D. Martin (B.S.A.), J. W. Davie (B.S.A.), and G. B. Tanner (Norton) kicked away at their starters. First off was Martin, followed closely by Tanner. Davey was delayed about 20 seconds before his motor finally fired. David Quayle (B.S.A.), No 19, could not get his B.S.A. to fire. He spent over 20 seconds at the side of the road kicking frantically at the starter before the engine roared into life, while his rivals speeded out of sight. David very nearly missed riding in the race. Up to last week-end his machine had not arrived from England. Then on Monday he took delivery of the engine. He and his friends worked all through Monday night to fit the engine into his own B.S.A. By 3 a.m. on Tuesday the job was finished, and before 5 a.m. David had started on the first of his practice laps. Another Manxman in trouble at the Start was G. Owen (B.S.A.). He spent several minutes trying to get his motor to fire, and was last man away. From Quarter Bridge came the report that he had stopped and was making adjustments, while the leaders sped past Kirk Michael and on to Ramsey.

Hopes of a Manx team victory were dashed by the news that David Quayle had retired at Laurel Bank with clutch trouble. Still more bad news: J. Clague (B.S.A.) was reported to have retired at Creg-ny-Baa after trying to make adjustments. Also in trouble was D. J. Smart (B.S.A.), who came off in loose gravel at Ramsey, and J. D. Morton (B.S.A.), who stopped at Cronk-ny-Mona to make adjustments, but pulled into the pits and retired after a nut had worked loose on his rear brake.

Leading on the roads the end of Lap 1 was Geoff Tanner, who, crouched over his Norton, led Davie (B.S.A.) by a matter of 100 yards. Tanner’s opening lap was covered in in 28 mins. 9 secs., a speed of 80.44 m.p.h., only 11 seconds outside Dave Powell’s lap record.

The sensational news was soon received that, from a standing start, G. Arnold (B.S.A.) had lapped at 81.71 m.p.h., clipping 15 seconds off the record.
Other record breakers were P. Palmer (B.S.A.) and A. S. Bowie (B.S.A.), who dead-heated for second place at 81.31 m.p.h., seven seconds better than the old record.

Second Lap
Davie and Tanner were having an exciting duel for leadership on the road. At the end of lap 2 the B.S.A. rider led after putting in a record shattering circuit at 82.75 m.p.h. This knocked 36 seconds off Powell’s record. Davie had pulled right away from the Norton rider and now led him by 11 seconds. Pit attendants waiting with spare goggles as riders pulled in for their refill were pushed aside. Not one competitor changed goggles for this reason. There were no flies to contend with. All riders reported the complete absence of these usually troublesome pests.

Records were being broken with a vengeance to-day. G. Arnold was heading A. S. Bowie by only four seconds. Arnold’s average was 81.76 m.p.h. for the two laps. The average speed of the first five men bettered last year’s record lap, while the sixth man’s average equalled the old lap record.

Third Lap
Leaders on the road, Davie and Tanner, were already flashing along on their fourth and final lap while the “back-number” men raced over the Mountain section on the third lap. Davie was steadily increasing his speed. His latest record lap clipped three seconds off the previous best time. It gave him a lap speed of 82.9 m.p.h., and this included slowing up for his pit stop. As his attendant whipped away the quick filler, splashing petrol over the machine and the road, Tanner was signalled at Governor’s Bridge, but Davie was safely on his way before his rival roared through the Start.
Davie’s latest effort put him into a seven-seconds lead at the end of lap 3. Arnold dropped back to sixth place. No reason was given. Only 46 seconds separated the first six men. All were averaging a higher speed than last year’s record lap.

Fourth Lap
As the leader on the road, Davie, was signalled at Governor’s Bridge, Bowie flashed past Cruickshank’s Corner, and the commentator there estimated that the first two men were dead heating.
The leader, Davie, was signalled at Cruickshank’s Corner as A. S. Bowie flashed along towards Glen Helen. Both men with many miles of the road separating them, were making a tremendous effort, and with P. Palmer still in the picture it promised to be a neck and neck finish.
Young Geoffrey Tanner, the Norton rider from London, made a tremendous last lap effort to catch the leader, Davie, and cracked Davie’s lap record with a time of 27 mins. 18 secs., a speed of 82.95 m.p.h.

Palmer, making a terrific last lap effort, lapped in 27 mins. 20.8 secs., an average speed of 82.8 m.p.h. to snatch victory from Wright by 12 seconds. Wright had put in a new lap record of 27 mins. 15.8 secs. (83.05 m.p.h.) in a desperate effort to win.

Scottish Team Winners
Winners of the team award were the Scottish A.C.U. Centre team, J. W. Davie, A. S. Bowie, third and fourth respectively, and J. Buchan, who finished in 1 hr. 52 mins. 8.8 secs. Only two other teams completed the course.

Competitors

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