Jimmie Simpson
Jimmie H. Simpson ( * 1898, † 1981) was a British motorcycle racer.
Simpson was for many years factory driver, first at AJS and later with Norton and one of the most successful racers before the Second World War.
- 3.1 Title
- 3.2 Isle-of -Man TT victories
- 3.3 race wins
- 4.1 External links
- 4.2 Notes and references
Characteristics
Jimmie Simpson's driving style was considered extremely brutal and materialmordend. In many races, he sat mostly early lead. He often won by a large margin, but just as often he fell out with technical defects, because his driving was too demanding for the machines of the time. Especially in the Isle of Man TT, the then most important race ever, this was very often significantly. Simpson was always the first riders of the TT story that flew around the Snaefell Mountain Course with average speeds of 60 mph (97 km / h), 70 mph (113 km / h) and 80 mph (129 km / h), but was nevertheless due to its constant racing pitch as " Unlucky Jim " ( "Unfortunately Jim " ) in the history of the race.
Due to its many lap records it is awarded in honor at the Isle of Man TT Jimmy Simpson Trophy. These gains annually one driver who drives the absolutely fastest lap of TT week.
Career
Jimmie Simpson took in 1922 for the first time participated in the Isle of Man TT. He started in the Senior race, the 500 - cc class, on a Scott and retired after half a lap with a damage on the tank of his machine.
Factory driver at A.J.S. (1923-1928)
In 1923 he moved to AJS. Simpsons first TT- use for the producer from Wolverhampton in the junior race (350 cc ) of the same year was very typical of him. He presented with an average speed of 59 mph on a new lap record in his class and was leading the race with over a minute ahead, as the retired by a fall.
Also in 1924 he could not finish in both the Junior and Senior in the race. In the motorcycle championship in 1924, the first in the history of motorcycle racing at all, which was held as part of the Grand Prix of Nations on September 6, 1924 on the Circuito di Milano in Monza, Italy, Simpson won before the locals Isacco Mariani and Mario Saetti the 350 cc race and became the first European Champion of history in this category. This was also his first major victory on the European mainland.
In 1925, Jimmie Simpson denied beside the 350 and the 500 TT on the Isle of Man and the team race, which he finished in fifth place. In the junior race he finished third in the half-liter class, he retired again from. In July of this year, the Briton won on a Sunbeam the 500 cc race for the 6ème Grand Prix de l' UMF in Montlhery.
1926 Samson celebrated on A.J.S. with second place behind Alec Bennett in the junior race until then best TT finish of his career. A little later he won at Spa- Francorchamps ahead of Austrian Rupert Karner ( Sunbeam ) and the Irishman Stanley Woods ( Norton ) the half-liter run around the Grand Prix of Belgium and crowned himself becoming the first and only time in his career for 500 cc European Champion. In August, Simpson also won at the Berlin AVUS the 350cc race for only the second time discharged the Grand Prix of Germany.
The 1927 season was the most successful so far in Jimmy Simpson's career. He won on the first few weeks earlier Nürburgring opened the 350 - run around the Grand Prix of Germany, who was simultaneously Championship run this year, and was so ahead of compatriot Frank Longman for the second time European champion in this class. A little later the Briton also won two 350- cc race at the Grand Prix of Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.
Between his racing operations Jimmy Simpson worked as a test driver for the street machines from AJS. Doing His philosophy was simple but effective. He put through a very brutal style of driving relentlessly reveals the weaknesses of each machine. Up to and including 1928 Simpson played a total of twelve TT races for the producer from Wolverhampton, but it was only four times the finish. His best finish was second place in the junior race 1926.
Norton works driver (since 1929)
In 1929, Jimmy Simpson moved to Norton. In the first season for the manufacturer him his TT pitch remained faithful. Both the junior, as well as in senior TT races he left. In 1930, he prevented by his third place in the 500 rainy run a triple victory of Rudge. On 31 August of the year Simpson won by winning the half-liter run around the inaugural Grand Prix of Sweden in Saxtorp his first international victory for the producer from Birmingham.
From the year 1931, the Norton single-cylinder four-stroke machines possessed a degree of confidence which is tantamount to their speed and the large classes she was partially dominant to 350 and to 500 cm ³ at will until the Second World War. In the Senior TT race of the year Simpson walked around the first driver ever to Snaefell Mountain Course at an average speed of over 80 mph (129 km / h), but dropped out later and had to concede victory to his teammate Percy Hunt. The Grand Prix of Sweden, he was able to win in the 500cc category again.
In the season 1932 Jimmy Simpson completed as third in the Senior TT race behind Stanley Woods and Jimmie Guthrie a Norton Triple victory. In the junior race, he left. On the European continent, he won the 350 cc runs at the Grand Prix of UMF in Reims and the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa- Francorchamps.
1933 Simpson finished second behind teammate Woods at the Senior TT. After a victory in the 350cc race at the Grand Prix of the UMF, the Briton also won the 350cc race at the Grand Prix of Sweden in Saxtorp in which the motorcycle championship in 1933 extended. He stood up to his Scottish teammates Jimmie Guthrie and won the 350cc European Championship third title of his career.
Successful season and career end ( 1934)
Even before the 1934 season, Jimmy Simpson decided to end his coined by some serious accidents retires at year end. What followed was the most successful season of his career. Both the junior and in senior TT he finished second behind Jimmie Guthrie. In the race, the lightweight category ( 250 cc class) could Simpson prevail on a Rudge against his fellow Ernie Nott and Graham Walker. He put on top of that a new lap record for the class, and gave the manufacturer from Coventry recent victory in its history in the Isle of Man.
In the following weeks Simpson arrive at Norton five Grand Prix victories. He won the 350cc race at the Dutch TT Circuit van Drenthe in the Netherlands in Assen, in which the EM 1934 was extended, and thus the fourth 350cc championship of his career. The following weekend, the victory was followed by the 350 cc race at the Grand Prix of Germany on the Badberg Quadrangle in Hohenstein- Ernstthal. A week later, Simpson won the 350cc and 500cc race at the Grand Prix of Switzerland in Bremgarten and the following weekend he won for the third time in the 350cc race at the Grand Prix of Belgium. End of the season Jimmie Simpson also won the 350 cc race at the Ulster Grand Prix in Northern Ireland in August.
After the end of his active career Jimmie Simpson remained the racing and the TT connected as a member of the racing department of the oil company Shell.
Balance
In his 13 -year career Jimmie Simpson won five European titles, making him the most successful rider of the European Championship before the Second World War. With four titles in the 350cc class he is the most successful pilot of the EM- history in this until 1948, discharged category.
In the great national Grands Prix on the European continent Simpson get about 20 wins. On the Isle of Man TT, the Briton took part in a total of 26 times, but was able to celebrate only one win.
Statistics
Title
Isle-of -Man TT victories
Race wins
( colored background = European Championship race )