Alec Bennett
Alec Bennett (* 1897 in Craigantlet, County Down , Ireland ; † January 15, 1973 ) was an Irish - Canadian motorcycle racer .
Bennett was one of the motorcycle racing pioneers who made the races popular in Great Britain after the First World War popular in continental Europe . He was one of the first big stars in his sport. Among other things, he has won four TT wins.
Career
Alec Bennett, originally from Craigantlet in County Down , Ireland, which was still united at the time, emigrated to Canada with his parents as a child . It was only during the First World War that he returned to Europe and his British homeland, first as a motorcyclist and later as a fighter pilot for the Canadian Expeditionary Force .
After the First World War, Bennett intervened in the increasingly popular motorcycle sport . In the early 1920s he was a works driver at Sunbeam in Wolverhampton . In 1921 Bennett first took part in the Isle of Man TT , the most difficult and prestigious race of the time, and finished fourth in the senior race (500 cm³ class) behind Howard Davies , Freddie Dixon and Bert le Vack . A few weeks later, he won the second UMF Grand Prix at the Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans .
In 1922 Alec Bennett won the Senior TT for the first time in his career and at the finish line was over seven minutes ahead of second-placed Walter Brandish after just under four hours . He was also victorious again at the UMF Grand Prix, this time in Strasbourg .
The 1924 season was the most successful of Bennett's career. He started only for Norton and within a few weeks won the Senior TT , the UMF Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps . The following year he repeated his victory in Belgium.
In 1926 Bennett won the Junior TT (350 cm³ class) for the first time on a Velocette and was successful at the UMF Grand Prix in France for the fourth time on a 500cc Norton . In 1927 and 1928 Norton was followed by TT victories number four and five in Alec Bennett's career.
In the 1930s he retired from motorcycling to concentrate on his motorcycle trade in Southampton . Alec Bennett died on January 15, 1973 at the age of 75.
statistics
Isle of Man TT victories
| year | class | machine | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Senior (500 cm³) | Sunbeam | 58.31 mph (93.84 km / h ) |
| 1924 | Senior (500 cm³) | Norton | 61.64 mph (99.2 km / h) |
| 1926 | Junior (350 cm³) | Velocette | 66.70 mph (107.34 km / h) |
| 1927 | Senior (500 cm³) | Norton | 68.41 mph (110.1 km / h) |
| 1928 | Junior (350 cm³) | Norton | 68.65 mph (110.48 km / h) |
Race wins
| year | class | machine | run | route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 500 cc | Sunbeam | 2nd Grand Prix de l'UMF | Le Mans |
| 1922 | 500 cc | Sunbeam | 3rd Grand Prix de l'UMF | Strasbourg |
| 1924 | 500 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps |
| 500 cc | Norton | 5ème Grand Prix de l'UMF | Lyon | |
| 1925 | 500 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps |
| 1926 | 500 cc | Norton | 7ème Grand Prix de l'UMF | Strasbourg |
References
Web links
- Alec Bennett on the Isle of Man TT official website.
Individual evidence
- ^ Mac McDiarmid: The Magic of the TT . A Century of Racing Over the Mountain. Haynes Pubn, 2004, ISBN 978-1-84425-002-8 .
- ^ GS Davison: TT Special . 1930.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bennett, Alec |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish-Canadian motorcycle racer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Craigantlet, County Down , Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th January 1973 |