Ernie Thomas

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Ernie Richard Thomas ( bl. 1930s to 1950s) was a British motorcycle racer .

Career

Ernie Thomas first started on the Isle of Man in 1927 . In 1929 he took part in the senior category of the Isle of Man TT on Velocette for the first time and was 14th of 16 pilots who had finished. In the following years he was a regular starter at the TT on machines from the Birmingham manufacturer Velocette. In 1935, Thomas achieved his first place in the top ten with sixth place in the junior race. With a total time of 3: 24.57.0 hours and an average speed of 77.34  mph (124.47 km / h ), he was 4.41.0 minutes short of  the winner, Jimmie Guthrie ( Norton ). The following year he was fourth in the junior run.

Velocette KTT (350 cm³) from 1936

When on August 24, 1935 as part of the XVI. Ulster Grand Prix at the 20.5 mile long Clady Circuit held the European Motorcycle Championship in 1935 , Ernie Thomas finished second in the 350 cc run behind his Velocette teammate Wal Handley . In 1936 and 1937, Thomas was victorious at the Ulster Grand Prix. In 1936 he won the 350cc race on a Velocette and in 1937 in a DKW in the quarter liter class.

In 1937 Ernie Thomas also competed in the Junior TT on a factory machine from the German manufacturer DKW and took third place. At the finish, after seven laps of 264.131  mi (425.078  km ) on the Snaefell Mountain Course, he only had to give way to the exceptional Italian drivers Omobono Tenni ( Moto Guzzi ) and Ginger Wood ( Excelsior ). At the European motorcycle championship in 1937 , which this season as part of the XIII. When the Swiss Grand Prix was held on July 3rd and 4th 1937 on the 7.28 km long Bremgarten circuit in Bremgarten near Bern , Thomas finished third in the 350cc race behind British Norton factory drivers Guthrie and Freddie Frith .

In 1938 Ernie Thomas won the 250cc race for the Ulster Grand Prix on a DKW ahead of Henry Tyrell-Smith (Excelsior) and Chris Tattersall (CTS). Since this run was part of the European motorcycle championship in 1938 , it was seventh in the overall championship of this class.

On May 7, 1939, Thomas won the Hamburg city park race on a 350 cm³ Velocette . At the German Grand Prix on August 13, 1939 at the Sachsenring near Hohenstein-Ernstthal , he finished second behind Walter Hamelehle (DKW).

After the Second World War , Ernie Thomas continued his career. On May 9, 1948 in Budapest - Budaörs he won the 350 cc race for the Hungarian Grand Prix on a Velocette . In 1950 he won the Finnish Grand Prix in Helsinki on Velocette in the same category . He also took sixth place in the lightweight TT race (250 cm³) in 1949, 20.55.4 minutes behind the winner Manliff Barrington (Moto Guzzi).

In the years 1949 , 1950 , 1951 Thomas competed in the 500 cm³ class of the newly created motorcycle world championship on Triumph , Velocette and Norton , but without achieving any notable successes or world championship points.

Race wins

year class machine run route
1936 350 cc Velocette Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1937 250 cc DKW Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1938 250 cc DKW Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1939 350 cc Velocette Hamburg city park race Hamburg city park
1950 350 cc Velocette Hungarian Grand Prix Budapest-Budaörs
1950 350 cc Velocette Grand Prix of Finland Helsinki

References

literature

  • Woldemar Lange / Jörg Buschmann: The great days of DKW motorcycle racing . 1920 to 1941 (Zschopau). 1st edition. Bildverlag Böttger GbR, Witzschdorf 2009, ISBN 978-3-937496-29-0 .
  • Steffen Ottinger: DKW motorcycle sport 1920–1939 . From the first victories of the Zschopau two-stroke model at track races to the European championship successes. 1st edition. HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-028611-7 , p. 88, 93, 96, 97, 99, 103, 104, 107-110, 112, 113 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Thomas, Ernie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thomas, Ernie Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century or 20th century
DATE OF DEATH 20th century or 21st century