Harold Daniell (29 October 1909 – 19 January 1967) was a British professional
Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and
auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
driver. He competed in the 1940s and 1950s. On retiring from racing he owned a Norton motorcycle dealership in
Forest Hill, London
Forest Hill is a district of the London Borough of Lewisham in south London, south east London, England, on the South Circular Road, London, South Circular Road, which is home to the Horniman Museum.
History
Like much of London, Forest Hil ...
.
Harold Daniell and
George Rowley rode the supercharged
AJS V4
The AJS V4 (1935 – 1939) started out as a prototype air-cooled V4 road bike, but became a water-cooled and supercharged racing bike.
The 1935 Olympia Show bike
In 1935, at the Olympia Show, the Bert Collier designed air-cooled 495cc sohc AJS 5 ...
s in the
1936 Isle of Man Senior TT, but despite its high top speed, it lacked acceleration. Both riders retired due to mechanical problems.
In the
1938 Isle of Man TT
The 1938 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the Senior TT lap record of 90.27 mph set by Freddie Frith the previous year broken in 1938 when Harold Daniell completed a lap at 91.00 mph on his Norton, a record which would stand for 12 years. ...
' Daniell completed the first under 25-minute (24min.52.6sec), 91.00 plus mph, lap of the
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
Snaefell Mountain Course
The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally for the Isle of Man TT Races and also the sep ...
on his
Norton Norton may refer to:
Places
Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada
* Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan
*Norton Parish, New Brunswick
**Norton, New Brunswick, a ...
in the
Senior TT
The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the Blue Riband event of the festi ...
, a record which would stand for 12 years. He won, beating
Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods (1903 – 28 July 1993) was an Irish motorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins in the 1920s and 1930s, winning the Isle of Man TT races ten times in his career, plus wins at Assen and elsewhere. He was also a skill ...
by only 14.4 seconds.
Daniell competed in the
1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season riding on a 500cc Norton and finished sixth overall with 17 points in the World Championship while
Leslie Graham
Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949.
Early Career (1929 ...
and
Nello Pagani
Cirillo Pagani (11 October 1911 – 19 October 2003), nicknamed "Nello", was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. He was born in Milan, Lombardy, and died in Bresso.
He was known for his long career, spanning fr ...
finished first and second respectively. In the same year he also won the
Isle of Man
)
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, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
Senior TT and was placed fifth in the
Junior TT
The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.
Engine c ...
.
His victory in the Senior TT makes him the first race winner of the MotoGP (then 500 cc) class.
Daniell's Isle of Man TT racing career spanned the years from 1930 until 1950 and included three victories and several placings in the Tourist Trophy races but he also competed in the
Manx Grand Prix
The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or 'Snaefell Mountain Course, Mountain Circuit') every year for a two-week period, usually spanning the end of August and early September. New for 2022 is a period re ...
.
Daniell declared that the new Norton was like "riding on a featherbed" compared with riding the "garden gate" - and it has been called the
Featherbed frame
The featherbed frame was a motorcycle frame invented by the McCandless brothers and offered to the British Norton motorcycle company to improve the performance of their racing motorcycles in 1950. It was considered revolutionary at the time,"'' ...
ever since.
After his motorcycle racing career, Daniell began
auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
, entering
Formula 3
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...
events at the wheel of an
Emeryson
Emeryson was a Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). T ...
car.
World Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)
References
External links
Harold Daniell profile at iomtt.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniell, Harold
1909 births
1967 deaths
British motorcycle racers
English motorcycle racers
500cc World Championship riders
Isle of Man TT riders
English racing drivers
Place of birth missing