TOURIST TROPHY RACE.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 28 July 1933, Page 7

TOURIST TROPHY RACE.

LIGHT-WEIGHT EVENT. FAMOUS RIDER KILLED. (reOM CUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, June 15. Frank Longman, a veteran motorcyclist, was killed in the Light-weight Tourist Trophy race in the Isle of Man yesterday. After covering 40 miles, he fell and broke a front spring, but, effecting a temporary repair, he carried on. Not long after he crashed heavily at Glen Tramon, a lonely spot on the course. He was taken to Ramsey Hospital, where he died from a fractured spine. The race was unexpectedly won by S. Gleavc on an Excelsior; he averaged 71.59 miles an hour for the 264 miles course, a record for the race. The previous best was L. H. Davenport's 70.48 miles an hour set up last year. Second place went to Charlie Dodson, on a New Imperial, who finished two and a half minutes after Gleave. The two Italians, Mario Ghersi and Bandini, made a striking pair with their crimson riding kit and scarlet machines, as they lined up with the 26 other riders. Everyone got away well, except for the Australian, C. J. Weathcrby, who spent several frantic moments before his engine fired. The Italians' riding was as startling as their appearance, and Ghersi averaged nearly 70 miles an hour on his first circuit. He swerved round the hairpin at Governor's Bridge at terrific speed and thrilled the spectators as he tore round the second corner and shot up the hil. Bandini was not so fortunate, for he crashed heavily road, and severely grazed an arm, and was taken to hospital with a broken collar-bone. R. Merrill also came off at speed and was taken to hospital with a badly sprained wrist and hip. Many Retirements. The pace was too hot for all but the very best men and machines, and retirements came quickly. Both Australians, E. A. Simcock, who crashed and damaged his wrist, and Weatherby, who had machine trouble, went out on the second circuit. E. Hughes, the Canadian, came down on the Mountain road, and severely grazed an arm, and A. Moxo, the Spanish representative, was put out with machine trouble. The third lap saw Duncan putting on speed, and he set Handley back another place, but he was unable to catch the flying Gleave. The closing stage of the race produced a terrific struggle between Handley and Dodson for second place. Dodson gained the upper hand on the sixth lap, but he was only five seconds in front. Handley's last chance vanished with only half a lap to go, for his engine gave trouble, and he stopped. Thirteen of the 28 riders completed the course within the time limit, all but one of whom win replicas of the trophy, as their times did not exceed that of the winner by more than one-eighth. The race is limited to machines with engines of less than 250 c.c, nominally 2J horsepower. The first three, with their times and speed, were:— S. Gleave (249 c.c. Excelsior), 3hr 41min 23sec, 71.59 miles an hour 1 C. J. P. Dodson (246 c.c. New Imperial), 3hr 43min 43sec, 70.85 miles an hour .. 2 C. H. Manders (249 c.c. Rudge-Whit-worth), 3hr 49min Bsec, 69.17 miles an hour .. 3 Longman was one of the best-known riders in the country, and at 38, the oldest, with two young daughters. He had taken part in 26 races in the Isle of Man since he first rode there, in 1921. He won the lightweight contest in 1928, was second in the Senior in 1925, and third in the Senior in 1926. He also took part in many races at Brooklands and on the Continent. It was his intention to make this race his last. He was a motor agent. This is the fifth fatality in the races since the Tourist Trophy was started 26 years ago.