John Newbold (14 December 1952 - 15 May 1982) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Newbold was born in

Jacksdale Jacksdale is a village in the Ashfield local-government district of Nottinghamshire, England, once a mining community. The population of Jacksdale ward in Ashfield district was recorded as 3,158 in the 2011 census, and was estimated at 3,097 in ...

, where his parents ran a butchers shop, and was brought up in

South Normanton South Normanton is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover District of Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 9,445. An ex-mining village, it is two miles east of Alfreton. The historic industries of the village were agr ...

. He began riding

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s on grass when he was 15. He progressed from riding at Darley Moor on a bike loaned to him by John Cooper, to performing in front of 50,000 crowds at Silverstone Circuit. His best season was in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

when he finished in fifth place in the 500cc world championship riding a Suzuki motorcycle. Newbold won his only world championship race in

at the 500cc Czechoslovakian Grand Prix. He was a teammate of

Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing and was a two-time world champion, winning consecutive 500cc titles in 1976 and 1977 ...

and

Mick Grant Mick Grant (born 10 July 1944) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer and TT rider. A works-supported rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, he is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various m ...

at Suzuki. Newbold won the 1978

North West 200 The International North West 200 is a Northern Irish motorsport event established in 1929 for road racing motorcycles held on a street circuit known as ''the Triangle'' between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Causeway Coast ...

race in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. He made his debut at 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 ...

in 1981, finishing fourth and third. Also in 1981, Newbold was the top points scorer for Great Britain in the

Transatlantic Trophy The Transatlantic Trophy (initially called Anglo-American Match Races) was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Br ...

competition between British and American riders of the day. Newbold was killed after colliding with Mick Grant at the 1982 North West 200 in Coleraine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newbold, John 1952 births 1982 deaths People from Jacksdale Sportspeople from Nottinghamshire English motorcycle racers 350cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Isle of Man TT riders Motorcycle racers who died while racing Sport deaths in Northern Ireland People from South Normanton Sportspeople from Derbyshire