Jimmy H. Simpson (1898–1981) was a British

motorcycle racer Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Oth ...

. Simpson spent many years as a works rider, first with AJS and later with

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 ...

. He was one of the most successful riders before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Career

Beginnings

Simpson was the elder brother of novelist John Hampson. In 1922, he took part in 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 ...

for the first time. He competed in the 500 cc Senior TT race on a Scott and retired after half a lap with damage to his motorcycle.

Works rider for AJS (1923-1928)

In 1923, Simpson moved to AJS. His first TT for them was the 350 cc Junior TT and despite setting a new lap record for his class, he fell whilst leading the race by over a minute. In 1924, Simpson took part in both the 500 cc Senior TT and the Junior TT and finished neither race. That year, the European Championship was held for the first time, at the Circuito di Milano in Monza,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Simpson won the 350 cc race, becoming the first European champion in that category. 1925 saw Simpson once again take part in both the Senior TT and Junior TT races on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , 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 ...

, as well as the

Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

TT, in which he finished fifth. In the Senior TT he failed to finish but came third in the Junior TT. In July, Simpson won the UMF Grand Prix at

Montlhéry Montlhéry () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris. History Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to Orléans. Under the Merovingians, it was owned by the ...

on a Sunbeam. In 1926, Simpson achieved his best result so far at the Isle of Man TT with second place in the Junior TT. He also won the 500 cc race at the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of ...

, held at

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

. The race carried the European Championship title and so Simpson won his second European title, albeit his only win in the 500 cc category. In August, Simpson won the 350 cc

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

at the

AVUS The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße ('Automobile traffic and training road'), known as AVUS, is a public road in Berlin, Germany. Opened in 1921, it was also used as a motor racing circuit until 1998. Today, the AVUS forms the northern p ...

track. 1927 was Simpson's most successful year so far. He came third in the Junior TT and again won the 350 cc European Championship at the German Grand Prix, held at the Nürburgring. He also won the 350 cc races at the Swiss, Belgian and

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

Grands Prix.

Works rider for Norton (1929 onwards)

In 1929, Simpson moved to

. He failed to finish either the Senior or Junior TTs, but in 1930 he came third in the Senior TT before winning the 500 cc race at the inaugural Swedish Grand Prix, his first international win for Norton. From 1931, Norton possessed a level of confidence in their single cylinder four stroke engines that would later lead to them dominating the larger 350 cc and 500 cc classes. At the Senior TT, Simpson became the first person to lap the Snaefell Mountain Course at but he retired. Once again he won the Swedish Grand Prix in the 500 cc category. In 1932, Simpson came third at the Senior TT. He also won the 350 cc UMF and Belgian Grands Prix. At the 1933 Isle of Man TT, Simpson finished second in the Senior TT to his teammate,

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 ski ...

. He won the 350 cc Swedish Grand Prix which carried the European Championship title, becoming European Champion in the 350 cc class for the third time.

End of career (1934)

At the Isle of Man TT in 1934, Simpson finished second to his teammates in both the Senior and Junior TT. In the 250 cc Lightweight TT, Simpson competed on a Rudge. He beat his teammates, Ernie Nott and Graham Walker, whilst setting a new lap record for the class and securing his first victory at the TT, which was also to be Rudge's last. Simpson won the 350 cc European Championship title for the fifth time at the Dutch TT. He also won the 350 cc German Grand Prix, the 350 cc and 500 cc Suiss Grands Prix, the 350 cc Belgian Grand Prix and the 350 cc

Ulster Grand Prix The Ulster Grand Prix is a motorcycle race that takes place on the Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first races took place in 1922 and in 1935 and 1948 the Fédération Internatio ...

After retiring from active competition, Simpson joined the

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

petrol company as a member of its racing division.

Jimmy Simpson Trophy

The Jimmy Simpson Trophy is an annual award at the

Isle of Man TT Races 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 ...

. Donated by Arthur Birkett the trophy was first presented at the

1948 Isle of Man TT In the 1948 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy festival Harold Daniell, lap record holder since 1938, failed to finish the 1948 Senior TT on his Norton, and victory went to Norton team member, Artie Bell, the flying Ulsterman. Norton dominated, taking th ...

and is presented to the rider who completes the fastest lap of the meeting.Isle of Man Times, Saturday, June 05, 1948; Page: 5

Summary

Titles

* 1924 – 350 cc European champion on an AJS * 1926 – 500 cc European champion on an AJS * 1927 – 350 cc European champion on an AJS * 1933 – 350 cc European champion on a

* 1934 – 350 cc European champion on a

Isle of Man TT wins

Race wins

''A yellow background denotes that the race carried European Championship status''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jimmie 1898 births 1981 deaths English motorcycle racers Place of birth missing