| Stanley Woods | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stanley Woods in 1923 | |||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Irish | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1903 Dublin | ||||||||||||||
| Died | (1993-07-28)28 July 1993 Castlewellan, County Down[1] | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Stanley Woods (1903[2] – 28 July 1993[3]) was an Irishmotorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins in the 1920s and 1930s, winning theIsle of Man TT races ten times in his career, plus wins atAssen and elsewhere. He was also a skilledtrials rider, competing in the 1940s.
Woods was born inDublin and educated atThe High School, Dublin.[4] He started racing in 1921 on aHarley-Davidson and made his début on the newIsle of ManSnaefell Mountain Course in 1922 as a promising seventeen-year-old, finishing fifth in the Junior TT on aCotton, even though his machine had a fire at a pit stop,[5] after which he completed the race without brakes.[6] He won it the following year. His association withNorton spanned the years from 1926 until 1934 during which he won four of the 1927Grands Prix, two more in 1928 and several more in the following years. He became disillusioned with the Norton and rode forMoto Guzzi in 1935 giving them their first victory at the TT Races, only the second time a non-English motorcycle had won (the first being anIndian, ridden by Oliver Godfrey in 1911).
Described by the motorcycle press at the time as the "Irish Dasher"[7] his stylish riding style was influenced by watching fellow TT competitorAlec Bennett[7] Over the years many scraps took place between the likes ofJimmie Guthrie,Jimmie Simpson, Charlie Dodson,Harold Daniell,Freddie Frith andWal Handley during these races. Stanley was atoffee maker and in the Isle of Man TT history it states that he would bring a couple of boxes of toffee with him for theScouts who manned thescoreboards[8] on which the grandstand audience relied to follow the races. Stanley was president of the TT Riders Association.[9]Commandant Stanley Woods is credited with the task of training some of the firstIrish Army 4 Cavalry Squadron's Motor Squadron personnel duringThe Emergency as thepresidentialEscort of Honour.[10]
His career record of ten Isle of Man TT victories remained until the era ofMike Hailwood who won fourteen TT races. Three riders have equalled his record, while another three have had eleven victories, but the record number of victories now belongs to another great Irish rider,Joey Dunlop, with 26 TT wins.
Woods's standing in the history of the TT was so high that in 1968 a panel of experts named him the greatest of all the island's competitors. In 1957 he returned to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the TT races riding a 350cc Moto Guzzi round the course at just over 82 mph.
In 1996 theIrish Post Office issued a set of postage stamps of notable Irish motorcyclists that included a stamp depicting Stanley Woods.
Woods began competing in race sprints and handicap races with his father's Harley-Davidson motorcycle, used in his father's business as a commercial salesman for Mackintosh toffee,[11] and called the pre-war Rudge rider Tommy Green his mentor.[12] Green encouraged him to visit theIsle of Man TT Races in 1921 with his friendC. W. 'Paddy' Johnston. After watching the races atHillberry Corner during the1921 Isle of Man TT Races, Woods told his friends that "I can do that".[13] Despite his enthusiasm for the Isle of Man TT Races, Woods was without a motorcycle to compete in the1922 Isle of Man TT. After writing to most of the British motorcycle manufactures, he was able to persuade theCotton motorcycle company to provide a machine for the 1922Junior TT Race. The Cotton marque had entered a new motor-cycle with a new overhead-valveBlackburne engine. On first meeting Woods, the Cotton racing manager exclaimed that;- "My God! They've sent me a bloody schoolboy![12]
TheIsle of Man Examiner newspaper described Woods as an "enthusiastic amateur"[14] and he started the 1922 Junior TT with the number 40 entered by Cotton. After being delayed at the start to stop to recover dropped spark plugs which had fallen out of his pocket,[15] Woods still managed to make good-time and lapped in 40 minutes and 50 seconds, despite[16] clipping the kerb at Governor's Bridge on lap 1. At Sulby on lap 2, Woods slipped off the motor-cycle[17] and got up and continued, but hit the same kerb again at Governor's Bridge, losing part of the exhaust. A fire in the pits at the TT Grandstand followed which was extinguished by pit attendants and by Woods himself, using an overcoat. Further problems occurred atBraddan Bridge when Woods had to stop to replace an exhaust valve after the inlet push-rod had broken.[15] AtGreeba Castle he discovered the brakes had failed after the rear brake cam lever had split[15] a result of the pit-fire. Woods continued the 1922 Junior TT Race with no brakes, and again fell off at the Ramsey Hairpin on the last lap,[7] still finishing the race in 5th place, in a time of 3 hours, 55 minutes and 33 seconds.
| Year | Race & Capacity | Make of Motorcycle | Average Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Junior 350cc | Cotton | 55.73 mph |
| 1926 | Senior 500cc | Norton | 67.54 mph |
| 1932 | Junior 350cc | Norton | 77.16 mph |
| 1932 | Senior 500cc | Norton | 79.83 mph |
| 1933 | Junior 350cc | Norton | 78.08 mph |
| 1933 | Senior 500cc | Norton | 81.04 mph |
| 1935 | Lightweight 250cc | Moto Guzzi | 71.56 mph |
| 1935 | Senior 500cc | Moto Guzzi | 84.68 mph |
| 1938 | Junior 350cc | Velocette KTT Mk VIII | 84.08 mph |
| 1939 | Junior 350cc | Velocette KTT Mk VIII | 83.19 mph |
| Finishing Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | DNF |
| Number of times | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
Woods won theDutch TT six times on the earlyAssen circuit.
| Year | Capacity | Make of Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|
| 1927, 25 June | 500cc | Norton |
| 1928, 23 June | 350cc | Norton |
| 1931, 11 July | 350cc | Norton |
| 1932, June, 25 | 350cc | Norton |
| 1933 | 350cc | Norton |
| 1933 | 500cc | Norton |
| Date | Capacity | Make of Motorcycle | Grand Prix & circuit | Average Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 600cc | New Imperial (980cc)[18] | Ulster Grand Prix,Clady Circuit,Dundrod,Northern Ireland | 72.71 mph |
| 1925 | 600cc | New Imperial (980cc) | Ulster Grand Prix | 65.26 mph |
| 1927 | 500cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix, Circuit de Meyrin,Genève | |
| 1927 | 500cc | Norton | Belgium Grand Prix,Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps | |
| 1928 | 500cc | Norton | Grand-Prix de L'U.M.F,Bordeaux, France | |
| 1930 | 500cc | Norton | Ulster Grand Prix | 80.56 mph |
| 1930 | 500cc | Norton | Grand-Prix de L'U.M.F,Pau, France | |
| 1931 | 500cc | Norton | German Grand Prix,Nürburgring | |
| 1931 | 500cc | Norton | Belgium Grand Prix | |
| 1931 | 500cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix,Bremgarten,Bern | |
| 1931 | 500cc | Norton | Ulster Grand Prix | 86.43 mph |
| 1932 | 500cc | Norton | Grand-Prix de L'U.M.F, Circuit ofReims, France | |
| 1932 | 500cc | Norton | Belgium Grand Prix | |
| 1932 | 350cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | |
| 1932 | 500cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | |
| 1932 | 500cc | Norton | Ulster Grand Prix | 85.15 mph |
| 1933 | 500cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | |
| 1933 | 500cc | Norton | Ulster Grand Prix | 87.43 mph |
| 1935 | 500cc | Husqvarna | Swedish Grand Prix, Saxtorp | |
| 1939 | 350cc | Velocette | Ulster Grand Prix | 91.65 mph |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
