Whale Handley

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Walter Leslie Handley (mostly Wal Handley ; born April 5, 1902 in Aston, Binghamton , † November 15, 1941 in Kirkbampton , Cumberland ) was a British motorcycle racer .

He was one of the most famous and successful motorcycle racers between the two world wars. His account includes four wins at the Isle of Man TT and three European championships .

life and career

youth

Walter Leslie Handley was born in 1902 in what is now Aston, a borough of Birmingham, the eldest of three sons of Clara and John Thomas Handley, who worked in an industrial company. In 1912 his father passed away very suddenly. At the age of 13, Handley left school to work as a motorcycle courier for Humphries & Dawes in his hometown . There were bikes of the brand OK-Supreme mounted and the young Handley came by motorcycle sport in touch.

Motorcycling

OK supreme

In 1920 Wal Handley competed in the ACU Six Days on an OK-Supreme . In 1922, at the age of 20, he was registered for the first time in the lightweight category (250 cc class) for the Isle of Man TT by his boss Ernie Humphries . He came on the eve of the first practice on the Isle of Man and saw in the early hours of the following day on the completely unknown to him, 37.73  mi (60,72  km ) long Snaefell Mountain Course with heavy fog confronted why Handley turned in the wrong direction when exiting the pits and drove the course as a wrong-way driver . At Governor's Bridge , he was of a marshals stopped just before would come to meet him the first pilot. This incident received a lot of press coverage. In the race, Handley turned the fastest lap on his OK-Supreme with 61.00  mph (98.17  km / h ) , but did not see the checkered flag. In September of that year he won the first major race of his career on the over 20.5  mi (33  km ) long, public road Clady Circuit in County Antrim near Belfast with the first ever Ulster Grand Prix .

In the following year, Wal Handley competed in the lightweight and junior category (350 cm³) and recorded eighth place and one failure. At the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps , riding a Rex-Acme, he achieved his first major success on the European mainland by winning the 250 cc race . In September he repeated his victory at the Ulster Grand Prix last year in the 250cc class, also on a Rex-Acme.

Rex-Acme

In 1922, the motorcycle manufacturers Rex and Acme merged to form Rex-Acme in Birmingham . Walter Handley started as a works driver for the manufacturer from 1924 to 1928 , made him internationally known through his victories and also became a member of the company's management.

In 1924 he competed in the TT in the categories Junior , Lightweight and Ultra-Lightweight (175 cm³), but did not finish. Handley tried these three classes again in 1925 and won both the junior and ultra-lightweight races. In the lightweight run, however, he was eliminated. In the 350 cm³ class, the Briton had a lead of just under four minutes over runner-up Howard Davies ( HRD ) at the finish line , and in the 175 cc class he was six and a half minutes ahead of Paddy Johnston on Cotton . With these successes, Wal Handley became the first rider in races that had been held since 1907 to win two races in one event. At the Belgian Grand Prix he celebrated his second success in the 350cc category after 1923.

At the Isle of Man TT 1926 Handley finished second behind Stanley Woods ( Norton ) in the senior race (500 cm³) on a 498 cm³ OHV - V-Twin . He fought for the lead with Woods and Jimmie Simpson ( AJS ) on the first lap, but had to head for the pits after the second lap because his Rex-Acme only ran on one cylinder due to a damaged candle . After about seven minutes, Handley resumed the race in 22nd position, fought his way to second place and was only 4 minutes and 21 seconds behind Woods at the finish. In the junior run he finished third behind Alec Bennett ( Velocette ) and Jimmie Simpson (AJS) and in the Lightweight TT he was eliminated. In September he won number three at the Ulster Grand Prix in Northern Ireland . In 1927 Wal Handley won the lightweight race eight and a half minutes ahead of Italian Luigi Arcangeli on Moto Guzzi , but did not finish in the Junior TT .

In 1928 Handley saw the checkered flag neither in the Senior nor in the Lightweight TT and then left Rex-Acme after a total of three TT victories to compete on other machines.

Numerous engagements with various manufacturers

In the 1928 season, Wal Handley won the V Grand Prix of the FICM , which was held on July 28 and 29, 1928 in Geneva as part of the V Grand Prix of Switzerland on the Circuit de Meyrin , in classes up to 350 and up 500 cm³ the title of the European motorcycle championship in 1928 . In the 350cc race he competed for the Swiss manufacturer Motosacoche on the vertical shafts -350-M-35 developed by the Englishman Dougal Marchant and won ahead of Jimmie Guthrie (Norton) and his brand colleague Bruno Martinelli . In the half- liter race, Handley won on AJS ahead of the two British Rudge works drivers Ernie Nott and Graham Walker . A little later, Handley also won the 350cc race for the Austrian Grand Prix in Vösendorf on AJS .

At the start of the 1929 season, Wal Handley won the half-liter race at the Algerian Grand Prix in Staoueli . At the Isle of Man TT 1929 the Briton competed again for AJS in the senior and junior races and started again for OK-Supreme in the lightweight class. In the 350cc race he finished second behind Freddie Hicks (Velocette). In the senior TT he was involved in a serious accident with Doug Lamb, Jimmie Simpson and Jack Amott at Greeba Castle . Handley could have resumed the race as his machine was not seriously damaged, but decided to take care of his fellow racing drivers who had had an accident, especially his friend Jack Amott, who was seriously injured. He also did not finish the 250cc race. In continental Europe, Handley was more successful for this. In July he won the 250cc race for the Dutch TT in Assen on Motosacoche , as well as the 350 cc races for the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring - Nordschleife and the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps within a few weeks .

In 1930 Handley won the Senior TT on a Rudge privately used by Jim Whalley . This was the fourth and last TT victory of his career. This made Handley the first driver in the history of the race to win it in four different classes. On his last appearance for Rex-Acme, in the lightweight race, he did not see the checkered flag. The following year he competed in the Senior TT on a Belgian FN designed by Dougal Marchant and also retired. The newly developed bevel motor with hairpin valve springs was fast, but not yet reliable. Nevertheless, on August 24, 1931, Handley set a new world record over the flying mile with the 500 (195.14 km / h). With a 350cc machine he set the world record over five kilometers with an average of 179.6 km / h.

Handley's Corner, Snaefell Mountain Course , Isle of Man

In the 1932 season he competed in the senior , junior and lightweight TT on Rudge . Handley finished the 250cc class in second behind Stanley Woods and the 350cc class in third behind Leo Davenport ( New Imperial ) and Graham Walker (Rudge). In the half liter race , Handley fell on the fourth lap at Ballamenagh near the 11th Milestone and suffered back injuries. The S-curve was then named Handley's Corner . At the North West 200 in Coleraine , Northern Ireland, he won the 350cc race on a Rudge.

In 1933 Handley started as a works driver for the Italian manufacturer Moto Guzzi and won the quarter liter races for the Swiss Grand Prix in Bremgarten and the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa for the company from Mandello del Lario . During training for the Swedish Grand Prix in Saxtorp , where the European motorcycle championship was held in 1933 , Handley fell and was unable to take part in the races. He was replaced by the local talent Rolf Gülich , who finished second behind European champion Charlie Dodson . Handley recovered and won the Ulster Grand Prix in September on a 250 cc Velocette .

At the Isle of Man TT 1934, Handley drove a Norton in the junior race, but did not finish. This was the last of his 28 appearances in what was then the most difficult and prestigious motorcycle race in the world. At the Belgian Grand Prix, Handley won the half liter race for the fourth time in his career.

In 1935, Handley was unable to take part in the TT because of a thumb injury that he suffered while changing chains on a training drive at Sulby . At the 1935 European Motorcycle Championship , which was held by the FICM on August 24, 1935 in County Antrim near Belfast as part of the XVI. Ulster Grand Prix was held, Handley won the 350cc race on Velocette ahead of Ernie Thomas (also Velocette) and Johnny Duncan (Norton), crowning himself the 350cc European Champion for the second third time in his career.

He then ended his active career in motorcycle racing after four TT victories and three European championship titles.

Wal Handley returned in 1937 and was hired by BSA to pilot the special version of a 497cc BSA Empire Star fueled by ethanol and prepared by his old friends Jack Amott and Len Crisp, among others . On June 30th, he won a three-lap race on the fast oval track of the Brooklands -Bahn near Weybridge in Surrey with an average speed of 102.27  mph (164.59  km / h ) and had on his fastest lap an average of 107.57 mph (173.12 km / h). Handley received the traditional Gold Star badge as the winner , which inspired BSA to produce the BSA Gold Star to celebrate this victory .

Automobile sport

Wal Handley opened a motorcycle shop on Suffolk Street in Birmingham as early as 1929 . From the beginning of the 1930s he also took part in automobile races. However, his automobile career was not nearly as successful as that on the motorcycle.

In 1931, for example, he was one of the drivers of Freddie Dixon's Riley in the 500-mile race on the Brooklands-Bahn, in which he caused a retirement. 1933 Handley started with Mannin Moar in Douglas on an Alfa Romeo 8C and in 1934 and 1935 with Mannin -G race. In 1934 he also drove an MG Magnette in the Brooklands International Trophy Race , but crashed after an axle bracket tore in an accident.

At the very first Grand Prix in Great Britain at Donington Park , Handley drove a 2-liter Riley with Pat Driscoll, but was eliminated after only five of 120 laps. At the British Empire Trophy in 1936 on the Brooklands Railway, he had an accident lying in third position with Freddie Dixon's Riley and broke his arm.

World War II and death

During World War II , Captain Walter Leslie Handley was stationed at Hawarden , Wales , and served as a pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary , a civilian organization that flew new, damaged or repaired aircraft between factories and bases across the kingdom.

On November 15, 1941 he took off with a Bell P-39 "Airacobra" of the Royal Air Force from Kirkbride Airfield near Kirkbampton , Cumberland . Shortly after take-off, the Allison engine lost power. The plane crashed into a field about two miles east of the airfield and exploded. Handley was dead on the spot. He was 38 years old.

The accident was described by an eyewitness as follows:

"Walter took-off from an aerodrome ... and crashed into a plowed-field within five minutes of being airborne. He was piloting at Airacobra. When he took-off the motor was 'moving' hard with an awful din and when he throttled down, it appeared to cut for a few seconds and then finally died out. Wal side-slipped towards a wood with it seemed the intention of putting his craft into the tree-tops. He missed the wood by feet. The starboard-wing hit the ground first and the machine immediately exploded. "

- Walter took off from an airfield ... and fell on a plowed field five minutes after taking off. He flew an Airacobra. When he took off the engine made a terrible noise and when he took the throttle back it seemed to die for a few seconds and eventually died completely. Whale flung towards a forest and seemed to want to steer the plane into the treetops. He missed the forest by a few meters. The starboard wing was the first to hit the ground and the engine immediately exploded.

Wal Handley is buried in Yardley Cemetery and Crematorium in his hometown of Birmingham. In 1948 a memorial stone with the following inscription was erected for him at Quarter Bridge on the Snaefell Mountain Course .

"None Ever Passed This Way More Bravely"

- Nobody ever passed this point more courageously

statistics

title

Isle of Man TT victories

year class machine Average speed
1925 Ultra-Lightweight (125 cm³) Rex-Acme 65.02  mph (104.64  km / h )
1925 Junior (350 cm³) Rex-Acme 65.02 mph (104.64 km / h)
1927 Lightweight (250 cm³) Rex-Acme 63.30 mph (101.87 km / h)
1930 Senior (500 cm³) Rudge 74.24 mph (119.48 km / h)

Race wins

(colored background = European championship run )

year class machine run route
1922 250 cc OK Supreme - Blackburne Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1923 250 cc Rex-Acme Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps
250 cc Rex-Acme Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1925 350 cc Rex-Acme Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps
1926 350 cc Rex-Acme Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1928 350 cc Motosacoche Swiss Grand Prix Circuit de Meyrin
500 cc Motosacoche Swiss Grand Prix Circuit de Meyrin
350 cc AJS Grand Prix of Austria Vösendorf
1929 500 cc Motosacoche Grand Prix of Algeria Staoueli
250 cc Motosacoche Dutch TT Circuit van Drenthe
350 cc Motosacoche Grand Prix of Germany Nürburgring - Nordschleife
350 cc Motosacoche Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps
1933 250 cc Moto Guzzi Swiss Grand Prix Bremgarten
250 cc Moto Guzzi Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps
350 cc Velocette Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit
1932 350 cc Velocette North west 200 Coleraine
1934 500 cc Norton Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps
1935 350 cc Velocette Ulster Grand Prix Clady Circuit

References

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Stanley Robertson Keig: The Keig Collection: six hundred photographs from the Manx House of Keig of TT riders and their machines from 1911 to 1939; Vol. 1 . Bruce Main-Smith & Co, Leatherhead 1975, ISBN 0-904365-05-0 .
  2. ^ David Wright: TT Topics and Tales . Amulree Publications (Paperback), 2006, ISBN 1-901508-09-9 .
  3. ^ ACU TT World Championship Road Races 1968 Official Program and Guide . S. 25 .
  4. ↑ a b G. S. Davison: TT Special . Amulree Publications (Paperback), 1956, ISBN 1-901508-09-9 , pp. 14 .
  5. ^ Peter Krackowizer: Historic motorcycle brands from Matchless to Rudge. www.reisemosaik.at, February 2011, accessed on April 1, 2013 .
  6. ^ Isle of Man Weekly Times , June 8, 1935.
  7. ^ Ray Thursby: 1960 BSA Gold Star Classic Bike Review. www.ultimatemotorcycling.com, March 3, 2010, accessed April 1, 2013 (English).
  8. ^ The Mannin Beg Race. (PDF; 134 kB) www.triple-mregister.org, accessed on April 1, 2013 (English).
  9. ↑ Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: 1935 Grand Prix season. www.kolumbus.fi, March 28, 2013, accessed April 1, 2013 .
  10. ^ A b Martin Chorlton: Cumbria Airfields in the Second World War including The Isle of Man . Countryside Books, Newbury 2006, ISBN 1-85306-983-3 , pp. 143 .
  11. ^ Mac McDiarmid: The Magic of the TT . Haynes Group, Sparkford 2004, ISBN 1-84425-002-4 , pp. 133 .
personal data
SURNAME Handley, whale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Handley, Walter Leslie (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British motorcycle and automobile racer
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Birmingham
DATE OF DEATH November 15, 1941
Place of death at Kirkbampton , Cumberland