1958 Junior MGP

Course name: Mountain (post 1914)

Course length: 226.38 miles (6 laps)

Description: 1958 Junior Manx Grand Prix

Race report from the IOM Weekly Times 12 September 1958 (p. 5) below which is a full list of competitors:

SHEPHERD LEADS ALL THE WAY

Wins Junior Manx Grand Prix After Brilliant Ride But Alan Holmes' Record Still Stands

EDDIE CROOKS A GOOD SECOND

Peveril Take the Club Team Prize

ALAN SHEPHERD, the brilliant 22-year-old rider from Grange-over-Sands on his Bancroft A.J.S., won the Junior Manx Grand Prix over six laps of the T.T. Course on Tuesday at an average speed of 89.08 m.p.h. and failed by less than six seconds to beat Alan Holmes’ race record, made when he recorded the first lap of his double win last year. Alastair King’s lap record made two years ago is also still intact, but Shepherd made a gallant attempt at that too. He was less than eight seconds outside it. lt was quite a day for the Manx riders. Eddie Crooks took a very good second place, and Bob Dowty finished fifth, with young Mike Kelly making up the trio which won the club team prize for the Peveril Club.

The Start, Tuesday.
Weather conditions perfect; roads dry (excepting for one or two unspecified patches said the Clerk of the Course, adding, with five minutes to go, the instruction to line up ready for the start, and, exactly at 10-45 a.m., R. J. Brinnand (Norton), a wholesale meat salesman from Shrewsbury, led the way for 99 good men and true! Junior entries had stood at 94; there were the usual crop of non- starters, but nineteen finishers in yesterday’s Junior class of the Snaefell race were on the Course—led by G. Bell (Norton). As the fast men got under way, news of the first retirement came in—and the rider was o.k. He was T. F. Watson (B.S.A.), a mobile crane driver from Scunthorpe, whose engine called it a day at Barregarrow. Before 11 a.m. all the men were away, a noteworthy tribute to well-tuned engines being the fact that not one rider had trouble in getting his engine to fire—of course, the drive from Messrs Fargher and Ashton's depot would help a great deal. As J. F. Righton (Norton), farmer from Gloucestershire, was reported past the 33rd milestone going magnificently, it was announced that B. Hunter (Velocette), radio engineer from the Manchester area, had had to pack up at Handley’s Corner with engine trouble. H. A. Jenkins (Norton), weight and measures officer from Bristol, also found it necessary to retire and then came news that the clutch of E. P. Davies' A.J.S. was not functioning properly, so the motor engineer from the Southampton area was touring round the remainder of the circuit. By this time, the men were streaking past the Grandstand, giving exhibitions of some particularly fast motoring. First man through was T. R. Graham (Norton), lorry driver from Lockerbie, Dumfries—time 26m. 8s. (speed 86.63 m.p.h.)—but he didn’t get very far because he retired at Union Mills with engine trouble shortly after his fast first lap had been recorded. “Hard luck" because he was sixth man! E. Whiteside (A.J.S.), lorry driver from Barrow-in-Furness, gave up the race too, because his plugs oiled up at Glen Vine. But although the men got away well, mechanical trouble took its toll in the first lap, including among them newcomers from yesterday's race— N. Bramhall (A.J.S.), garage proprietor from Chapel-en-le -Frith at Guthrie' s ( rider o.k.), and R. Culshaw (B.S.A.), a fitter from the Preston area. Various reasons are given for retirements but A. Fisher (Norton), motor-cycle engineer from the Manchester area, briefly and pungently summed up his reason for giving up the race by saying "engine's as sick as a dog."

SHEPHERD LEADS
But A. Shepherd (Bancroft/ A.J.S.), a laboratory process worker from Grange-over-Sands, and a man who had driven magnificently in practice—had outstripped the best. He was ahead of the field, and Manx people felt a special pride in Eddie Crooks' first lap. Described as belonging to Barrow-in-Furness, where his business is, Crooks is a Manxman. Shepherd's lead was a slender one of ten seconds. E. J. Washer, joiner from Crawley was after him: so was Crooks and J. H. L. Lewis, motor-cycle salesman from Hounslow, Middlesex, was after Crooks. Not even one second divided these two and the first four men were the only ones to come in the 25-minute lap range.

SECOND LAP
A laboratory process worker. What a scientific and slow job it sounds. Yet Shepherd was not slow on this second lap. He was driving that Bancroft A.J.S. of his most "scientifically" clipping this corner and that bend just a shade closer: coaxing an extra "horse" from the model on the fast stretches. He motored round in a little matter of 24m. 59.4s. (a speed of 90.58 m.p.h.)—not eight seconds outside the record and, as it was to turn out, the fastest lap of the day. Yes. Shepherd was now away in front, and though Washer was after him, the leader was out on his own at this stage. The struggle for third place went to Lewis. Somewhere along that tortuous 37 3/4mile course the Manxman had been passed, whilst Minihan hung on to his fifth position and T. Thorp (Norton), pattern maker engineer from Ruislip, Middlesex, occupied sixth place, a vacancy caused by Graham's retirement. One or two men pulled in for replenishments at the end of this lap. There was a complete absence of flies from windscreens, and more retirements continued to come in thick and fast. Mike Kelly had completed two laps with a growing time of 53m. 39s., and R. Dowty in 52m. 51.8s. —fast, but not fast enough!

SPILL AT WINDY CORNER
A Hislo, a Hawick joiner (from yesterday's race), took a spill at Windy on this lap. "Rider O.K." said the announcer, "but he has hurt his thumb and retired."

THIRD LAP
News of this circuit opened with a spill at Glen Helen. It happened to D. Rigby (B.S.A.) a mechanical engineer (research department) from St. Helen's, who suffered a cut knee and shock. We were told that a doctor had seen him and pronounced that he was "quite all right.” Bob Dowty was eighth man: Mike Kelly was still on the road (he completed half the race in 1h 20m. 10s.), and then came news that G. E. Corlett (B.S.A.), copy lathe operator in an aircraft factory, Douglas, had re-tired at the pits. Manx hopes were now running very high indeed. Somewhere on the course the engines of Washer and Lewis could not have done all they had hoped of them because Eddie Crooks crept up on them—forgive the word "crept," he probably did it at round and about 100 m.p.h —and leaped into second place. A very good show indeed!

FOURTH LAP
This section of the race opened with news of misfortune to another rider. W. J. Sawford (A.J.S.), a lorry driver from Belvedere, Kent, came off his mount at Glen Helen and suffered concussion and abrasions to one of his wrists—so another man who had shown great promise in practice was out of it. And so was Minihan, winner of last year's Newcomers race. He packed up at the pits with front brake trouble. Hard luck, Minihan, who was relegated to fifth place at the end of the fourth. It only went to show that nobody had the race "in the bag." In the meantime, Shepherd and Crooks were hurtling round the course with a turn of speed that put them comfortably ahead of the field.

TAUBMAN OUT
There was news of another Manx retirement. K. A. Taubman (B.S.A.), who had completed three laps in 1h. 35m. 15s. Manx team hopes were bright, through (sic). Mike Kelly, Bob Dowty and, of course. Eddie Crooks, were doing very nicely. Kelly completed four laps in 1h. 47m. 39s. and Dowty in 1h. 45m. 38.2s. (10th man). F. Burgess, development engineer from Wigan, "dropped" his machine at the Nook and came off, but was unhurt and walked into the pits. When times were painted up, it was found that Shepherd still led the way.

FIFTH LAP
Still more retirements came through as the fast men got away on this section of the race. There seemed to be so many that it was somewhat surprising to note that the ominous "R" was painted up on the score- board only 28 times, but there were more to come, as the list of finishers shows. Eddie Crooks was holding on to Shepherd for all he was worth. He still retained his second place and was narrowing the time gap, but Shepherd's Bancroft A.J.S. sounded particularly healthy as he passed the pits with only another 37 3/4 miles to go. And now we had two Manxmen on the leader board, because Bob Dowty crept up into sixth position as T. Thorp had had to retire with engine trouble. Dowty's performance was indeed an excellent one.

JUMPED FOUR PLACES
In one lap he had improved his position by four places. With a reduced field and some men slowing up, there were lulls at the start, although we watched the position clocks with unabated interest and excitement.

SIXTH LAP
By the time this last lap got under way it was obvious that if Shepherd's wheels would only keep turning, the race was his. It was! In 2h. 32m. 30.4s.— average speed 89.08 m.p.h.— six seconds slower than the record for the distance put up by Alan Holmes last year. He flashed over the line, glancing momentarily, and probably joyously, at the chequered flag and the crowd applauded his performance. Very soon afterward he was followed by Crooks, despite the fact that they were Nos. 26 and 90 respectively, and then Mike Kelly (No. 2) and Bob Dowty, 5th (No. 80) pulled in, their racing over for 1958. Were they to bring home the team award? They were, because the only other trio left intact was the B.M.C.R.C. Ltd. "C" team, and they were way back of the field with the exception of one man, C. A. Parsonage (Norton) who almost finished well up, but ran out of petrol. So the Peveril (I.O.M.) M.C. & L.C.C. were victorious.
When times were announced it was Shepherd, Crooks, Washer in the first three places—a very good show by very good men. Shortly after he finished the course, the laboratory process worker from Grange-over-Sands, who had ridden such a fast and reliable race was brought to the enclosure and was congratulated by the Lieutenant-Governor. J. F. Righton, who got into fifth place on the fifth circuit had the misfortune to crash at the Gooseneck on this lap, but was reported to be "o.k." K. Barfoot, a fireman from Liverpool, was another competitor to meet trouble in the last few miles or so of the race. He had a minor spill at Signpost, remounted and finished the distance.

A GOOD RIDE
Alan Shepherd was brought to the loudspeaker later on when he said he had a good ride with a machine which behaved beautifully. His position signalling system at Ramsey worked excellently, "although," said the victor of the race. "I wished I had gone a little faster over the last two laps because then I might at least have equalled the record." Asked whether he had had any incidents. Alan replied. "No. a comfortable ride- but I thought during the second and third laps I had a drop of oil on the machine, but I think it must have been my imagination." Later on, in reply to another question the Grange-over-Sands man said he would not dare to prophesy as to the possibility of pulling off the double on Thursday. Seventeen "newcomers" from Monday's Snaefell Race "took a ride" with the M.G.P. men, the best performance being put up by J. McC. Adam (Norton), who finished eighth man, with Monday's winner, G. Bell (Norton) in 11th place. Four others qualified for replicas and another six finished the distance. Fifty-seven of the 99 starters completed the race.

Competitors

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