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Meetings 1907 - 1930

TT 1928

A tragic accident in 1927 led to changes in the practice regulations.

Practice took place on open roads, allowing residents to go about their daily business, and riders were left to take their own precautions. However, early one morning Archie Birkin was practising when he hit a wall trying to avoid a fish van and was killed. The bend where the accident occurred was renamed as a memorial to Birkin, and in 1928 the roads were closed during practice.

Alec Bennett became the most successful TT rider of the time when he achieved his fifth victory in the 1928 Junior. It was not so much his personal performance that caused a stir as that of his 350cc Velocette, in particular its revolutionary foot gear change.

The 1928 Senior was held in appalling conditions following a period of drought. In heavy rain and thick mist Charlie Dodson kept going while the favourites dropped by the wayside to produce a surprise victory on his Sunbeam, but his winning speed of 62. 98 mph was the lowest Senior average for five years, which gives an indication of the hazards he faced.

There as also a new winner in the Lightweight, which Frank Longman led from start to finish on his OK-Supreme.