Jimmie Guthrie
James "Jimmie" Guthrie (born May 23, 1897 in Hawick , Roxburghshire , Scotland , † August 8, 1937 in Chemnitz ) was a British motorcycle racer .
Career
Jimmie Guthrie drove his first race in 1923. In 1930 he took his first win on an AJS. From 1931 until his death in 1937 he was a works driver for Norton . Guthrie was a successful racing driver in various classes, in 1935 and 1936 he was European champion in the 500 cc class. In 1937 he was able to win the European title in both the 350 and 500 class. Guthrie was also victorious in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy six times .
Deadly accident
Guthrie had a fatal accident on August 8, 1937 during the race for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring . He fell two minutes ahead, on the last lap in the last section of the track.
The cause of the accident was never fully clarified. Three possible causes of the accident are taken into account: two technical defects (loss of oil or breakage of the rear axle) and one [deliberate] mistake by a German driver. Guthrie's Norton team named a technical defect as the cause, while Stanley Woods , who also took part in the race, named a German driver as the cause in a 1992 interview.
Memorial stones
Two memorial stones commemorate the racing driver. At the Snaefell Mountain Course on the Isle of Man in the Mountain Section shortly after Ramsey , where he in his final senior TT retired, moved to the new Guthrie's Memorial . Another stone is at the scene of the accident at Sachsenring. A memorial was erected to him in Guthrie's hometown of Hawick.
statistics
title
- 1935 - 500 cc European champion on Norton
- 1936 - 500 cc European champion on Norton
- 1937 - 350 cc European champion on Norton
- 1937 - 500 cc European champion on Norton
Isle of Man TT victories
year | class | machine | Average speed |
---|---|---|---|
1930 | Lightweight (250 cm³) | AJS | 64.71 mph (104.14 km / h ) |
1934 | Junior (350 cm³) | Norton | 79.16 mph (127.4 km / h) |
Senior (500 cm³) | Norton | 78.16 mph (125.79 km / h) | |
1935 | Junior (350 cm³) | Norton | 79.14 mph (127.36 km / h) |
1936 | Senior (500 cm³) | Norton | 85.08 mph (136.92 km / h) |
1937 | Junior (500 cm³) | Norton | 84.43 mph (135.88 km / h) |
North West 200 Victories
year | class | machine | Average speed |
---|---|---|---|
1934 | 500 cc | Norton | 80.37 mph (129.34 km / h ) |
1935 | 500 cc | Norton | 78.99 mph (127.12 km / h) |
1936 | 500 cc | Norton | 81.28 mph (130.81 km / h) |
1937 | 500 cc | Norton | 82.17 mph (132.24 km / h) |
Race wins
(colored background = European championship run )
year | class | machine | run | route |
---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | 350 cc | Norton | Grand Prix of Germany | Nürburgring |
1931 | 350 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps |
1933 | 350 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps |
350 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Castrejana | |
500 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Castrejana | |
1934 | 350 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Circuito de las avenidas de Ensanche |
500 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Circuito de las avenidas de Ensanche | |
1935 | 500 cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten |
500 cc | Norton | Dutch TT | Circuit van Drenthe | |
500 cc | Norton | Grand Prix of Germany | Badberg square | |
500 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps | |
500 cc | Norton | Ulster Grand Prix | Clady Circuit | |
350 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Circuito de las avenidas de Ensanche | |
500 cc | Norton | Spanish TT | Circuito de las avenidas de Ensanche | |
1936 | 350 cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten |
500 cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten | |
500 cc | Norton | Grand Prix of Germany | Badberg square | |
500 cc | Norton | Dutch TT | Circuit van Drenthe | |
500 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps | |
1937 | 350 cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten |
500 cc | Norton | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten | |
500 cc | Norton | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa Francorchamps |
References
literature
- Gordon Small: Jimmie Guthrie - Hawick's Racing Legend . Ed .: Hawick Archeological Society. Hawick 1997.
- Paul W. Guthrie: Jimmie G. The extraordinary life and tragic death of a Scottish motorcycle racing champion . Germany 2019, ISBN 978-3-9820872-0-7 .
Web links
- Jimmie Guthrie on the Isle of Man TT official website.
- Jimmie Guthrie. www.motorsportmemorial.org, accessed on March 10, 2014 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erwin Tragatsch: Famous Motorcycles. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, 1st edition 2000, ISBN 3-613-02038-6 . P. 127
- ^ LJK Setright: The Guinness Book of Motorcycling . Facts and Feats. 1982, ISBN 0-85112-255-8 , p. 57
- ↑ a b bbc.co.uk Jimmie Guthrie win European Grand Prix 1935 (accessed June 21, 2014)
- ↑ Mick Walker: The Norton Manx. Redline Books, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9544357-9-0 , p. 26
Remarks
- ↑ Stanley Woods (see Walker) speaks 1992 of a "foul". An unnamed German driver is said to have pushed Guthrie off the racing line. Woods names the accident site as a section of the route "Heiterer Blick" with a downhill right-hand bend. Gordon Small names Jimmie Guthrie in his 1997 book . Hawick's Racing Legend, Hawick Archaeological Society , Kurt Mansfeld as a lapped driver who is said to have pushed Guthrie off the track. Guthrie is said to have died in the last corner after Setright and Tragatsch. The BBC report mentions the “Noetzhold corner” (youth curve) as the scene of the accident, a little further from the destination of the 8.6 km long links course. The Guthrie-Stein is now after the section “Heiterer Blick”, the finish line was then in front of the Queckenberg curve. See [1]
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Guthrie, Jimmie |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Guthrie, Andrew James; Jimmy |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British motorcycle racer |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 23, 1897 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Hawick , Scotland |
DATE OF DEATH | August 8, 1937 |
Place of death | Chemnitz |