COLEMAN WINS JUNIOR T.T.

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27377, 16 June 1954, Page 12

COLEMAN WINS JUNIOR T.T.

MOTORCYCLING

RECORD TIME AT ISLE OF MAN ANOTHER N.Z. RIDER PLACED FOURTH (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, June 14. The New Zealander Rod Coleman, riding an A.J.S., today won the Junior (350 c.c.) Tourist Trophy international event on the Isle of Man at an average speed of 91.51 miles an hour. Coleman won in the record junior time of 2hr 3min 41 4-ssec on the world's most difficult motor-cycle circuit, covering 372 miles. * Derek Farrant, also riding an A.J.S., finished second—less than two minutes behind Coleman, with R. Keller (Norton)

third, trailing Farrant by less than 10 seconds. The New Zealander, L. Simpson (A.J.S.) was fourth, and P. Davey (Norton) fifth. Fortunes changed dramatically with the retirement of the early leaders, and the race ended in a whirlwind climax with little separating the first half-dozen. Coleman, the 27-year-old Wanganui motor-cycle dealer, rode in great style, and was left dominating the field as one after another of the pacemakers dropped out. Coleman finished fourth on an A.J.S. in the Senior TkT. last, year, was third in the Ulster Grand Prix last August, and won this year’s senior and junior New Zealand T.T. events. The New Zealand trio, Coleman, Simpson, and Peter Murphy, won the team trophy. Coleman was first, Simpson fourth, and Murphy eighth. The most disappointed contestant was the Rhodesian star, Ray Amm, who was forced to retire at the thirteenth milestone. He had then already twice set a circuit record of 94.61 miles an holir.

Three thousand persons packed the Villa Marine Park at Douglas tonight to see Coleman presented with the Junior International T.T. Trophy. Coleman, the first New Zealander ever to get a T.T. Trophy, was given a tumultuous welcome as he walked to the rostrum.

Clasping" the 2ft high silver replica, Coleman said that New Zealanders were an unknown quantity when they entered the toad racing world a short time -ago. "What we have achieved today makes me happy for the A.J.S. team's sake and for the honour of every New Zealand rider at the meeting.”, An official, in congratulating Coleman, said he was one of the few topline riders in the world who had not abandoned British machines. Light-weight Event

German N.S.U. machines filled all the first three places when the German world champion, Werner Haas, won the Lightweight International Tourist Trophy event on the Isle of Man today in record time. He twice smashed the lap record with 91.19 miles an hour.

His team mates. R. Hollaus and Reg Armstrong, finished second and third respectively.

N.S.U. machines swept the board, as one after another of the field streaked to the finish. Two more members of the N.S.U. team, P. Muller and H. Baltisberger, came fourth and sixth. The only rider to break the N.S.U. lineup was Fergus Anderson on an Italian Guzze, who, although he had won the event in the last two years, could not do better than fifth today. N.S.U. riders also won the team prize. The times for the international event were:—W. Haas, Ihr 14min 44 2-ssec, at an average of 90.88 miles an hour; R. Hollaus, Ihr 15min 28 3-ssec, an average of 89.99 miles an hour; Reg Armstrong, Ihr 15min 31 4-ssec, an average of 89.92 miles an hour.