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Alan Shepherd (28 September 1935 – 16 July 2007) was a British
Shepherd was born in Keswick, Cumbria. His family moved to Cartmel at the outbreak of World War II. His first motorcycle was a Royal Enfield Bullet earned from a job doing a milk round with his father. He later moved to City of Bradford, Bradford where he served as an apprentice cabinet maker. Shepherd was a member of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team during his National Service.
In 1956, Shepherd was persuaded to compete in the Isle of Man TT. He rode his own motorcycle to the dock in Liverpool and took the ferry to the Isle where, he finished in an impressive third place in the Clubmans Junior TT at the 1956 Isle of Man TT. Shepherd won the 1958 Junior Manx Grand Prix riding an AJS. He scored a double victory at the 1962 North West 200 when he claimed first place results in the 350cc and 500cc classes.
Shepherd's greatest success came when he joined the East German MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk, MZ factory racing team led by their lead Development Engineer Walter Kaaden, known for his groundbreaking work in two stroke engine technology.''Halcyon days: MZ a potted history'' Alan Turner, Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, No. 577 October 2008, pp114-118 Although MZ provided him with a motorcycle, the impoverished factory struggled to provide much support and, he competed while functioning as his own mechanic. Despite competing on a limited budget, Shepherd managed to finish the 1964 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1964 250cc world championship season in third place behind the powerful Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha and Honda teams represented by Phil Read and Jim Redman.
In 1964 when a resident of Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire, England, he was allowed to keep his MZ 125 cc Single-cylinder engine, single cylinder and MZ 250 cc Straight-twin engine, twin cylinder machines as part of his earnings due to currency difficulties with East Germany. He offered these two MZ for sale through The Motor Cycle, ''Motor Cycle'', a UK weekly magazine.
Shepherd retired in 1965 after recovering from a head injury suffered in late 1964 when testing a Honda RC series, works Honda in preparation for the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix, 1964 Japanese Grand Prix. He told The Motor Cycle, ''Motor Cycle'''s David Dixon (motorcycle journalist), ''David Dixon'' in June 1965 that – whilst he felt fully recovered – he no longer had the confidence to be a top-runner, and would not ride Hondas unless he could give the best possible performance.
He died peacefully at Summerhill Nursing Home, Kendal, Cumbria in July 2007, with a funeral service at Cartmel Priory followed by cremation at Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster.Obituary archive, originally from Westmorland Gazette
, July 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2014
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
motorcycle road racer
Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...
. His best seasons were in 1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
and 1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
, when he rode a Matchless to finish in second place in the 500cc world championship, both times to Mike Hailwood. Shepherd was a three-time winner of the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland and finished on the podium twice at the Isle of Man TT.
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Motorcycle racing career
Shepherd was born in Keswick, Cumbria. His family moved to Cartmel at the outbreak of World War II. His first motorcycle was a Royal Enfield Bullet earned from a job doing a milk round with his father. He later moved to City of Bradford, Bradford where he served as an apprentice cabinet maker. Shepherd was a member of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team during his National Service.
In 1956, Shepherd was persuaded to compete in the Isle of Man TT. He rode his own motorcycle to the dock in Liverpool and took the ferry to the Isle where, he finished in an impressive third place in the Clubmans Junior TT at the 1956 Isle of Man TT. Shepherd won the 1958 Junior Manx Grand Prix riding an AJS. He scored a double victory at the 1962 North West 200 when he claimed first place results in the 350cc and 500cc classes.
Shepherd's greatest success came when he joined the East German MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk, MZ factory racing team led by their lead Development Engineer Walter Kaaden, known for his groundbreaking work in two stroke engine technology.''Halcyon days: MZ a potted history'' Alan Turner, Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, No. 577 October 2008, pp114-118 Although MZ provided him with a motorcycle, the impoverished factory struggled to provide much support and, he competed while functioning as his own mechanic. Despite competing on a limited budget, Shepherd managed to finish the 1964 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1964 250cc world championship season in third place behind the powerful Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha and Honda teams represented by Phil Read and Jim Redman.
In 1964 when a resident of Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire, England, he was allowed to keep his MZ 125 cc Single-cylinder engine, single cylinder and MZ 250 cc Straight-twin engine, twin cylinder machines as part of his earnings due to currency difficulties with East Germany. He offered these two MZ for sale through The Motor Cycle, ''Motor Cycle'', a UK weekly magazine.
Shepherd retired in 1965 after recovering from a head injury suffered in late 1964 when testing a Honda RC series, works Honda in preparation for the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix, 1964 Japanese Grand Prix. He told The Motor Cycle, ''Motor Cycle'''s David Dixon (motorcycle journalist), ''David Dixon'' in June 1965 that – whilst he felt fully recovered – he no longer had the confidence to be a top-runner, and would not ride Hondas unless he could give the best possible performance.
He died peacefully at Summerhill Nursing Home, Kendal, Cumbria in July 2007, with a funeral service at Cartmel Priory followed by cremation at Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster., July 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2014
Motorcycle Grand Prix results
(Template:MotoGP results legend, key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Alan 1935 births 2007 deaths English motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders People from Cartmel People from Grange-over-Sands Sportspeople from Kendal People from Keswick, Cumbria Sportspeople from Bradford 125cc World Championship riders 250cc World Championship riders 350cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Sportspeople from Cumbria