Competitor Profile:
N Osborne
TT Career Summary
Position | 23 |
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No of times | 1 |
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Biography
I am now 90 years of age and hold the lap record at the Matlock
Golf Club using a ''ride-on’ golf buggy - true.
HISTORY
1937 - bought a Norton International - decided to race it.
1938/1939 - Entered my first races at Donington not knowing it was an
International Event. Francis Beart, the chief Norton tuner, saw my bike,
patted me on the head and advised me to go home. I started in one race -
finished but fell off in the other. Nortons'' did give me a new carb.
1939 -WW2 -Commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps - served against the Japanese and on returning home was posted to Blandford Forum in 1947 in charge of National Service Driver Training
I saw the possibilities of the internal camp road as a race track and in
cooperation with The Blackmore Vale Motorcycle Club I prevailed upon the
Army Authorities to allow us to race. The first and subsequent races were
all supported by all the works teams. I had a Tiger 100 and that had to be
raced and I had quite a few races at Blandford.
I decided I was a potential TT winner and entered the 1948 Clubman''s race and won an entry to the Manx Grand Prix that year. I crashed at Laurel Bank on a patch of oil from a previous accident - remounted but crashed again later at Ramsey and retired.
1949 - acquired a 7R AJS. Racer for the 1949 Manx but the 3rd gear went -
I finished, but well down.
1949 - Posted all over the world after that and never had the opportunity to
race again. I managed to see the 1953 TT. Bob Foster who I had raced
against and knew well at Blandford I think was killed in the Senior.
I visited the Isle of Man a few years later playing golf but made sure it coincided with TT week.
My interest these days is watching Superbikes and wondering how they manage to stay on.
If it is of interest I have my own Web Site -WWW.neil-osborne.co.uk
Regards
Neil Osborne
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