Percy Tait

Record type: Motorsport Biographies

Biography: Age 31, Percy Tait is a motor cycle tester and comes from Wood End Farm, Meriden, near Coventry. He has ridden at many short circuit meetings and has plenty of experience on the Mountain Course, for he was sixth in the Senior Clubman's race in 1954 and ninth in the Junior Manx Grand Prix three months later. He turned to the T.T. in 1955 and came home 15th in the Junior, on an A.J.S., at 85.38 m.p.h., with a Silver Replica.

Percy is entered for both races by Fron Purslow Motorcycles, of Shrewsbury. Hobby: Farming----as one might expect from his address! (TT Special, 16 June 1961, p.18.)

Junior - A.J.S.
Senior - Norton

Age 25, Percy (“Phil”) Tait is a development engineer with Triumph’s of Meriden, and is one of the most promising young riders of the present day. He is familiar figure at most of the short circuits, generally mounted on Triumphs of various capacities, This season he has been seen at Crystal Palace and Silverstone with a modified 650 c.c. “Tiger Twin”.

He has had successes at Oulton Park, Crystal Palace and Castle Combe, while in the 1954 Clubman’s Senior he was sixth, on a B.S.A. Turning to Nortons for last year’s Manx races he was ninth in the Junior event but retired at Ballahutchin on the fourth lap of the Senior race whilst lying third.

This season he has been third in both 250 c.c. and 1,000 c.c. events at Crystal Palace on Easter Monday. On “Silverstone Saturday” he was fifth, on the Beasley-Velocette, in the 10-lap 250 c.c. event.
(TT Special, 10 June 1955, p.22.)

Name Variant: Percy *Tait

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