Local Boy Romps Home

One advantage of being a Manxman is that there are splendid opportunities for getting acquainted with the famous 37.73 miles of highway which makes up the Mountain course. But road knowledge is far from enough. If, like Eddie Crooks did last Thursday, you would win the Senior Manx Grand Prix, then you must also have an abundance of sheer riding ability. Second man home in the 1958 event, Crooks started relatively slowly, then whipped his Norton into the lead on the third lap. And there he stayed, with two lap records to his credit, to win magnificently at an average speed almost 2 mph better then  the previous best.

So nearly winner of Tuesday’s Junior Race, Tom Thorp (Norton) clung on handicapped by a fading front brake, to finish in a secure second place. Although not on the leader board in the opening stages, Ned Minihan (Matchless) improved steadily to claim third berth. Supporting Crooks in the trio which won the team award for the Ramsey (IoM) Club were Mike Kelly and Fred Fisher (Nortons). A shadow fell over the meeting when it was learnt that John Hamilton, who crashed at the 33rd Milestone on his first lap, had died in hospital from his injuries; well known on short circuits, Hamilton was making his first appearance in the Manx Grand Prix.

Breakfast time in Douglas was punctuated by the dismal mooing of the harbour foghorn. A bank of mist lay over the sea and inland the mountain slept on behind drawn, hazy curtains. Yet visibility on the roads was excellent and – promised the weather men – it would be even better by the time the race got under way. An ideal day for record breaking? In anticipation the crowds thumbed through their programmes to look up the existing figures.

A far-off rumble of exhausts swelled to an ear-shattering roar as the competitors – 105 in all – arrived in procession from the overnight depot. Always, it seems, there is one man who strikes trouble on the warm-up run; this time the unfortunate was Dan Shorey, in oiling difficulties with his Norton. Officials offered him the last man away spot but Dan declined. He  would push away at his scheduled time and try and effect repairs at the pits…

The racket died away. Machines were wheeled into place on the grid and all was ready. Flag up, flag down and C J  Williams scorched off to start his six-lap (226.38 miles) journey. Not all got going so smoothly. As Ginger Payne (Norton) stuttered unhappily down the road – to an early retirement at Quarter Bridge -  he was overtaken by Ellis Boyce (Norton). For Ian Wallace (Norton) the race was even shorter, for his gearbox shell shattered as he pushed away from the grid. Shorey’s troubles proved too great for easy rectification and he, too was out. A fancied runner, Phil Read (Norton) lost some time in plug changing before he could depart.

Meanwhile the individual thread, woven on the loo9m of the race, began to develop a pattern. By the time Peter Middleton – Junior winner and strongly tipped to pull off the double – heaved his pale green Beart Norton into life the leaders on the road were tackling the tree-lined swervery on the approach to Ramsey. Out ahead was Bob Ritchie (Matchless), with Boyce already running second. Farther back, Tony Godfrey (Matchless) had picked up several seconds on his starting schedule. But for poor Michael Brooks (Norton) this was evidently just one of those weeks: he was out of the running, stranded at  Rhencullen, near Birkin’s Bend.

On they went, into the second lap. With the likeliest placemen spread throughout the field it was some little while before the true order was known. But at last all the times were checked to show Middleton as race leader, with Thorp second and Crooks third. Then followed John Lewis (Norton), Godfrey and Boyce. Eddie Crooks was well aware of the situation, for he had established no fewer than three signalling stations; his first-lap run had been spoilt by a plug lead adrift at Bray Hill but now he was settling down to demolish the opposition.

Thorp, too, was getting into his stride and his second lap time of 23m 41.6s (95.58 mph) was a record; but it was short lived. Almost before the buzz of excitement had died down, Crooks replied with 23m 40.8s (95.64 mph). Now Thorp led with Crooks second and Middleton was down to third position. Lewis, Godfrey and Boyce still filled the remaining places on the leader board but Rutherford, ninth on the opening lap, was gaining on Boyce and, indeed, slipped past as they left Sulby Bridge; obviously there would be changes next time round.

The field was thinning out. As P A Alexander (Matchless) passed the pits to end his second lap he pointed vigorously at his engine; soon afterwards his retirement was announced. Out at Laurel Bank with a split tank went R Polak (Norton). At Governor’s Bridge R W Hardy (BSA) walloped into the protecting sandbags. The came the first leader board casualty as Godfrey pulled out of the running with clutch trouble at Greeba.

As the third lap ended, so rider after rider drew in for refuelling. And Crooks had cracked the record again; now it stood at 23m 31.2s (96.30 mph) and that included slowing for his pit stop! It was more than enough to take him into the lead for the first time, for Thorp was slowing and, indeed, his fading front brake caused him to overshoot his pit when calling in for fuel. Middleton, lying third was another man with a load on his mind, for his lightened Norton was not handling so well as had been hoped. A new name appeared in fourth position for Ned Minihan (Matchless) had jumped ahead of Lewis and Rutherford..

Lap 4 saw Thorp in a spot of bother at Glen Helen when his footrest dug into the road and he travelled through the bend in a sideways drift. There were also anxious moments for Minihan: the filler cap of his oil tank would not stay shut and spilt oil smothered the rear of his mount. And Lewis had got no farther than Bray Hill when a broken rear chain put paid to his efforts. Boyce came back on to the board to take over sixth position.

While the leaders naturally stole most of the thunder, there were plenty of knowledgeable spectators who noted the inspired riding of Derek Williams, whose three-fifty AJS was distinguishing itself in five-hundred company. Had it been Tuesday, William’s finishing average speed of 88.68 mph would have taken him into second place in the Junior; as it was, he could at least gain a Senior replica. John Holder’s unexpectedly lowly position was largely due to loss of fourth ration from the five-speed gear box of his Daniel-modified Norton.

For Crooks the race was already in the bag – barring the unforeseen, of course; he was riding in accordance with the instructions of his corps of signallers and there was no further need to break records. Thorp was about 25 seconds behind, but nobody else was within striking distance for Middleton, worried about his machine’s behaviour, had lost time in visiting his pit to investigate the tightness of his rear wheel nuts. Nothing amiss could be seen but the stop dropped him to sixth while Minihan, Rutherford and Boyce each stepped up a place.

There were to be no more major upsets and, to waving programmes, cheers and clapping, Eddie Crooks completed his final lap to make a “local boy makes good” story come true.

First / E B Crooks/ Norton/ 2h 23m 11.4s / 94.87mph
Second / T Thorp / Norton / 2h 23m 42.0s / 94.53mph
Third / E Minihan / Matchless / 2h 27m 27.6s / 92.12mph

Record Lap            EB Crooks                        23m 31.2s            96.30mph

Replicas awarded to first 24 finishers.

Newcomers’ Award                        J R Holder  Norton

Team Prize:            E B Crooks; M S Kelly; F Fisher (All Nortons)

Lady Hill Trophy (best performance by a resident Manxman): M S Kelly (Nortons) seventh in Senior and ninth in Junior.

Courtesy of The Motor Cycle, 17th September 1959