| 1921 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 and 16 June 1921 |
| Location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Course | Snaefell Mountain Course 37.75 miles (60.75 km) |
| Organiser | Auto-Cycle Union |
| Clerk | T.W. Loughborough |
| Junior TT | |
| First | Eric Williams,AJS |
| Second | Howard R Davies,AJS |
| Third | Tom Sheard,AJS |
| Fastest lap | |
| Howard Davies 41min. 4sec. 55.15 mphNew record | |
| Lightweight class | |
| First | Doug Prentice,New Imperial-JAP |
| Second | Geoff Davison,Levis |
| Third | W.G. Harrison,Velocette |
| Senior TT | |
| First | Howard R Davies,AJS 349cc |
| Second | Freddie Dixon,Indian |
| Third | Bert le Vack,Indian |
| Fastest lap | |
| Freddie Edmond 40min. 8sec. 56.40 mphNew record | |
The1921Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Junior 350 cc race took place on Tuesday 14 June and the Senior 500 cc was on Thursday 16 June.
In this yearAJS redeemed themselves by completing a hat trick, taking the first four places for a total of six of the top ten places in the Junior 350 cc race. Works teams boosted the entries to 133 riders and machines and amongst the thousands of spectators wasStanley Woods, making his first visit tothe island as a young man, who would later return to make TT history by winning 10 times.[1]
The Junior race speeds also rose considerably over the previous year with a lap speed of more than 50 mph (80 km/h). It had been suggested thatsidecar racing could start in 1921 but this idea was not well received and not implemented until 1923.[1] It was announced there was a possibility of moving the TT races toBelgium for 1922 but theAuto-Cycle Union never made the switch.[2]
Despite AJS motorcycles filling the first five places of the Junior race, it was punctures that decided the race outcome. The eventual winner of the 1921 Junior TT Race wasEric Williams riding an AJS in 3 hours, 37 minutes and 23 seconds, an average race speed of 52.10 mph (83.85 km/h). The race was initially led byHoward R Davies also riding for AJS who set a new lap record for the Junior race of 41 minutes and 4 seconds, an average speed of 55.15 mph (88.76 km/h). Time lost by Howard Davies mending a puncture atWindy Corner gave the lead to Jim Whalley riding aMassey-Arran motorcycle. On the last lap Whalley also punctured at Windy Corner and finished the Junior race in fifth place.New Imperial made sales-boosting news with a win in the Lightweight 250 cc class by rider Doug Prentice, coming tenth overall in the 350 cc Junior race.[1][3]
More drama was to follow in the Senior event as the race-lead changed every lap betweenAlec Bennett riding a Sunbeam,Freddie W.Dixon riding anIndian, and Freddie Edmond riding aTriumph who set a new lap record of 40 minutes and 8 seconds, an average speed of 56.40 mph (90.77 km/h). The Senior race was eventually won by Howard Davies riding a 350 cc Junior race motorcycle, by a margin of 2 minutes and 3 seconds from Freddie Dixon and Bert Le Vack in 4 hours, 9 minutes and 22 seconds, at an average race speed of 54.49 mph (87.69 km/h).
Held on Tuesday, 14 June, at 9:30 am over a distance of 188.75 miles (5 laps of 37.75 miles each), limited to machines of cylinder capacity not exceeding 350cc., with a class for 250 cc. engines run concurrently forThe Motor Cycle cup.[4] All 65 entries started the race (43 in 350cc class, 22 in 250cc class), comprising 33 four-stroke singles, 22 two-stroke singles, 7Flat Twins and 3V Twin, thirty-eight finished (25 in 350cc class, 13 in 250cc class).
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Held on Thursday, 16 June, at 9:30 am over a distance of 226.50 miles (6 laps of 37.75 miles each), limited to machines of cylinder capacity not exceeding 500cc.[5] Out of 68 entries, comprising 52 four-stroke singles, 9 four-stroke twins, 6 two-stroke twins and 1 two-stroke single, sixty-four started the race and twenty-four finished.
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) IOM TTThe Mountain Circuit (retrieved 20 August 2006)