Eric Oliver
Staines Eric Oliver ( born April 13, 1911 in Stratford- upon- Avon, England; † 1 March 1980) was a British motorcycle racer.
In his career, Oliver was among other things four times as a driver side car champion. Although he was never an official factory driver, but always drove with the support of Norton and sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire.
Eric Oliver was known for his unconditional will to win, his great sportsmanship and its accuracy in preparing for the race. To date, he is considered one of the best team rider in history.
- 3.1 External links
- 3.2 Notes and references
Career
Eric Oliver began his career in motorcycle racing in his home for grass track racing. In 1937 he started for the first time at the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man in the 500 cc class, the so-called Senior TT on a Vincent HRD 500, but did not reach the goal. The following year he suffered at the TT, this time starting at Norton, the same fate in both the 350 - and in the 500cc class. At less important races in England, where he started at 500 cc Norton and 350 cc Velocette, Oliver had at that time, although more successful, the final breakthrough, however, he did not make before the Second World War.
After the war, during which he served in the Royal Air Force, Eric Oliver focused on the sidecar class. In 1948 he took part, on an old Saroléa also on the sidecar race at the Belgian Grand Prix next to the 350 cc solo race. The Briton finished second after an excellent idea and reaped after the race the praise of experienced Italian and Swiss pilots. So Oliver started quickly climb to the world's best team pilots.
In the 1949 season, Eric Oliver took the British motorsport journalist Denis Jenkinson as a passenger, on a Norton team with 596 cc DOHC single-cylinder engine in the newly launched motorcycle 's World Cup. The duo won the Grand Prix of Switzerland in Geneva the first Sidecar World Championship race at all and also won the following race at Spa -Francorchamps. The British secured superior before the Italians Ercole Frigerio / Dobelli Lorenzo, who started on a four-cylinder Gilera team, the first team world title in history. After the season, Eric Oliver belonged to an official Norton team, which established several world speed records in the French Montlhery.
The following season, Eric Oliver went with the Italian Lorenzo Dobelli in the boat at the start. The two won all three belonging to the World Cup runs each with a new lap record and secured with the maximum score of 24 points superior to the title again before Ercole Frigerio. Especially at the Grand Prix of Nations on the high- speed Monza circuit, the rivals in an exciting battle for the win.
In the season 1951, the duo Oliver / Dobelli won on the proven single-cylinder Norton, which was equipped as the first team in history with a telescopic fork and rear suspension and had ³ because of Displacement limited to 500 cc only 499 cm, three of the five discharged World Cup runs. Since only the best three results were included in the overall standings, Oliver won again with a maximum number of the title, again Frigerio had left behind.
In the 1952 season, Oliver / Dobelli started very badly. In a non -counting for the World Cup race on May 3 in Bordeaux, France overthrew the two and broke up one leg. Although Oliver in the face of injuries sustained did not trust to be able to start again this year, he won on July 6th with his compatriot Stanley Price for the fourth time in a row the Belgian Grand Prix. When following Germany Grand Prix fell Oliver and -again Dobelli Lorenzo in the lead due to a defect at the wheel of the sidecar from. At the last race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, the two were again victorious. In the overall standings, the team had as a result of missed races still no chance. Oliver was fifth in the World Championship, the title secured his compatriot Cyril Smith, who also started on Norton.
In 1953 Eric Oliver launched with a completely new Norton team, which had in common with its predecessors, only slightly. It featured a lower frame and a panel, a smaller third wheel, and the fuel tank was mounted for the first time under the passenger space. Nevertheless, the British left the entire season on his old team, he had already been used in previous years. However, its single-cylinder Norton of the Italian four-cylinder competitors Gilera and the resurgent BMWs had become technically inferior. What his machine was a lack of power, the experienced Briton but made through hard work and a few tricks up for it. So he took on long straights his feet off the pegs and lay down flat on his motorbike to reduce air resistance. This riding style later led to the development of the kneeler - carts used to date. The boat took with compatriot Stanley Dibben, who had only worked in the Norton test team, a new affiliate space. The duo won with Belgium, France, Switzerland and the Nations Grand Prix four of the five races held and had at the end of the season 32 points to his credit. While reached Cyril Smith and Les Nutt as many points, but achieved this in five races. In the overall standings, however, were included only the four best results, what Oliver / Dibben secured the world title.
The 1954 season began for Eric Oliver, who as " Schmiermaxe " and never before used in the previous year modern kneeler - Norton team was on the road now with Les Nutt, with victories in the first three World Cup races. The duo won the sidecar TT race in the Tourist Trophy, which was played for the first time since 1925, the Ulster Grand Prix and the Grand Prix of Belgium. A week before the Grand Prix of Germany, which took place at the Stuttgart Solitude, Oliver / Nutt started the German championship race Feldberg Taunus race on a wet runway and crashed. Eric Oliver broke his left arm and then had to pause for a few weeks. After his return the injury for the rest of the season with disabilities it still so difficult that it get no further victories. The almost seemed to be sure Sidecar World Championship - the British would have sufficed a victory in the three remaining races - won the German duo Wilhelm Noll / Fritz Cron to BMW, which won for the Munich so that an era of 14 consecutive drivers' championship titles in the sidecar class rang.
1955 was Eric Oliver, now 44 years old, no longer return to its former shape. He ran his compatriot Eric Bliss in the boat at the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Montjuïc in Barcelona with rank three, the single championship point of the season, but had especially against the now dominant BMW teams with the pilots of thumb, Noll Schneider and no chance. Shortly before the end of the season he retired from public life and concentrated on his Norton motorcycle shop in Staines, Middlesex.
Nevertheless, Eric Oliver did not lose his enthusiasm for motorcycle racing. In 1958 he returned to the Isle of Man back and took on a standard Norton Dominator 88 with Watsonian " Monza " sidecar sidecar at the TT part. His co-driver was Pat Wise and the two gained a respectable tenth. The last TT- appearance was the Briton in 1960, again with Stanley Dibben in the boat. The duo fell heavily because of a broken bolt on the fork in training. Eric Oliver broke his spine in two places. Dibben was almost decapitated by a wire fence, but was lucky because the team the fence exactly destroyed in the second when the touched his throat. Both recovered fully from their injuries, but decided to finally retire from racing.
Eric Oliver died on 1 March 1980 at the age of 69 years during the restoration of one of its motorcycles to a heart attack. He won in his career 17 Motorcycle Grand Prix and drove a total of 33 podium finishes.