New Gerrard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Gerrard was a British motorcycle manufacturer . The company existed in Edinburgh from 1922 to 1940 .

Company history

Technology of motorcycles

The company's founder and designer of the machines was Jock Porter , who himself used them very successfully in races and sold them in his shop at Porter's Motor Mart , 25-27 Greenside Place in Edinburgh. Initially, the motorcycles had 350 cc built-in engines from Blackburne or units from Barr and Stroud with 348 and 499 cc. The machines had a three-speed gearbox and chain drive .

From 1925 onwards there were only side or overhead controlled Blackburne engines with 249 or 348 cm³ displacement. In 1926 only 348 machines were produced, later larger-volume motorcycles with 549 cc were added. In 1929 only the 348 cc OHV model was offered, which was available as a road and racing version. In 1930 New Gerrard switched to JAP built-in engines with 346 cm³. The 350 model was offered throughout the 1930s. From 1936 the street version was manufactured at Campion in Nottingham . Production was later relocated back to Edinburgh. 1940 came the end for New Gerrard.

Racing

In 1922 Porter competed with a New Gerrard in the junior category for the first time at the Isle of Man TT . The following year he won the lightweight race on a New Gerrard machine with a 248 cc Blackburne engine with a lead of almost five minutes over Bert le Vack ( New Imperial ). In 1924 Porter won the ultra-lightweight TT race (up to 175 cm³) on a New Gerrard .

From 1925 Porter was also very successful in continental Europe in the small displacement classes on New Gerrard. In 1925 he won a total of four grand prizes in Belgium , Italy and France . Since the 1925 European motorcycle championship title was also awarded during the race on the Monza high-speed railway , the Grand Prix of Nations , with his victory in the 250cc race, he was ahead of the Italians Amedeo Ruggeri (Garanzini-JAP) and Miro Maffeis ( Maffeis -Blackburne) European champion in the quarter-list class. The following year Porter defended this title at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps , repeated his two previous season victories in France and also won the 250 cc race and the German Grand Prix at the Berlin AVUS . In 1929 he won the Belgian Grand Prix for the fourth time.

literature

  • Encyclopedia of the motorcycle . Brands - models - technology. Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1999, ISBN 3-86047-142-2 , p. 357 (Italian, original title: Enciclopedia della moto . Novara 1986.).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vincent Glon: L'Histoire de la course moto; 5th partie: Les Grand Prix d'Europe. (1924-1937); 1925. racingmemo.free, accessed on May 6, 2020 (French).
  2. ↑ Vincent Glon: L'Histoire de la course moto - Palmarès des Championnats d'Europe (1924-1937 et 1947-1948). racingmemo.free.fr, accessed on May 6, 2020 (French).