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Meetings 1907 - 1930

TT 1930

Rudge was the British make everybody was talking about at the 1930 races.

Their new four-valve, single-cylinder machines dominated both racing and practice in a style that had not been seen before, winning both the Senior and the Junior events and also smashing the lap and race records.

The TT was now gaining great international media attention: for the first time the BBC broadcast part of a race (the Senior), and entries were received from 19 countries, no doubt attracted by the new prize and start money fund.

Rudge made clear their intentions of returning home with a large part of the money in the early practice sessions when Tyrell-Smith smashed the Junior lap record by an amazing 26 seconds. The race turned into a much closer affair, however, after seven flat-out laps the Rudges reigned supreme, with less than a minute separating the works trio of Tyrell-Smith, Ernie Nott and Graham Walker.

It was the same story in the Senior, with Wal Handley becoming the first rider to win all three TT classes. He had borrowed a Rudge from Jim Whalley after his FN machine failed to turn up, and the combination proved irresistible. He smashed the lap record by 40 seconds in practice and continued in similar fashion in the race, despite heavy rain during the last couple of laps. Graham Walker was second on another Rudge, with Jimmy Simpson (Norton) third.

The Lightweight event provided Jimmy Guthrie with his first TT win, aboard an AJS. It was a hard ride by the Scotsman, who had been only sixth in the early stages.