Robert MacGregor McIntyre (28 November[1] 1928 – 15 August 1962) was a Scottish motorcycle racer. The first rider to achieve an average speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) for one lap of the Snaefell Mountain Course in 1957, McIntyre is also remembered for his five motorcycle Grand Prix wins which included three wins at the Isle of Man TT races, and four victories in the North West 200. He died nine days after injuries sustained racing at Oulton Park, Cheshire, England in August 1962.
| Bob McIntyre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Scottish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 November 1928 Glasgow, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 15 August 1962 (aged 33) Chester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
editMcIntyre was born in Scotstoun, Glasgow. He entered competition in 1948 on his only transport, an Ariel Red Hunter, and was soon competing in off-road scrambles. After a few seasons he began road racing, but the roads were not always well surfaced. McIntyre rode a BSA at Balado Airfield near Kinross. The concrete track had patches of loose gravel, and he won three of the four races he entered.[2]
Racing at Isle of Man
editFor 1952 he rode a BSA to second in the Isle of Man Junior Clubmans TT, averaging 80.09 mph (128.89 km/h) on his fastest lap. A long association with the Isle of Man Mountain Circuit had begun.[3] Later that year McIntyre returned to win the Manx Junior (350cc) and come second in the Manx Senior (500cc) riding the same AJS 7R in both classes.
AJS rider
editIn 1953, following some English National short circuit wins, McIntyre went to the North West 200 for his first International win on an AJS 7R in the 350 cc class. Despite having to retire at the TT that year, his performance was noticed by AJS, and he joined that team for the 1953 Grands Prix World championship. The only win was at Pau in France, there was a third at the Ulster Grand Prix, and he was in the first six placings for the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. In the 1954 Isle of Man Senior TT McIntyre came 14th on an AJS.[2]
Potts Norton privateer
editAJS pulled out of racing, and McIntyre was soon riding the 'Dustbin' faired Potts Norton, and winning. The TT looked to be within reach, and in the 1955 Isle of Man Junior TT he did lead for four of the seven laps, but brake overheating and suspension problems forced him to slow, allowing Bill Lomas on a Moto Guzzi to go on to victory, with McIntyre second. In the Senior he managed fifth, with an average of 93.83 mph (151.00 km/h), very good for a private entrant among works teams. Giulio Carcano offered him a Guzzi ride after, but he did not accept.
He continued to ride the 'Dustbin' faired Norton for Joe Potts, from Bellshill near Glasgow, and continued to win races other than the TT. The 1956 TT saw retirements with mechanical problems.
Gilera and the World Championship Grand Prix
editIn 1957, owing to personal intervention by injured Gilera works rider Geoff Duke, McIntyre was offered a ride on the four cylinder Gileras for the Isle of Man TT. Race week began with the Junior TT. He broke the lap record with a 97.42 mph (156.78 km/h) and his race average was 94.99 mph (152.87 km/h). In celebration of the Golden Jubilee, the Senior was run over eight laps, a race of 302 miles (486 km). The Gileras had pannier fuel tanks built into the side of the fairings to carry extra fuel. The extra fuel weight didn't stop him from making a 99.99 mph (160.92 km/h) first lap. The second lap saw 101.03 mph (162.59 km/h), and the fourth lap was the fastest at 101.12 mph (162.74 km/h). He caught up to, and overtook 1956 World Champion, John Surtees who was riding an MV Agusta 500. McIntyre went on to win, after racing for three hours, two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. This was McIntyre's best TT.
The 1957 World Championship looked to be within reach, but a crash at Assen, in the Dutch TT meant he was out of action for a couple of months. He did come second in the 500 cc Ulster Grand Prix, and won the 350 cc Nations Grand Prix at Monza. His teammate Libero Liberati won the 500 cc World Championship that year, with McIntyre coming second. McIntyre was third in the 350 cc World Championship as well.[2]
At the end of 1957 the Italian teams quit Grand Prix racing citing increasing costs. In November 1957, with racing over, McIntyre rode a 350 cc Gilera racer around the banked circuit at Monza in an attempt to break the one-hour speed record, and he averaged 141 mph (227 km/h) on the bumpy Monza surface.[2] This record was not bettered until 1964, by Mike Hailwood at 144.8 on an MV Agusta, on the track at Daytona.[4]
In the 1961 Isle of Man TT Lightweight race McIntyre raised the lap record to 99.58 mph (160.26 km/h), and had a strong lead, when his engine seized, ending his race. Riding a Norton in the Senior TT he came second. He won the 1961 250cc Ulster Grand Prix. In the 1962 Isle of Man Lightweight TT, he raised the lap record to 99.61, and then retired with electrical problems. He also rode in Grand Prix races on Honda and Bianchi, making the podium in the Netherlands, Belgium, and East Germany.[2]
In 1962 McIntyre finished second in the Spanish and French Grands Prix, while he had a non-start in the 500 Senior TT and mechanical problems in both the 250 and 350 cc events.
He went on to win the Belgium GP at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes, his last victory on the World stage.
Oulton Park and death
editMcIntyre still competed in non-championship events, and it was at one such event at Oulton Park, Cheshire in August 1962[5] that he won the 250 cc race, and then started in the 500 cc race on his Manx Norton. After a bad start in poor conditions, he fought his way to the front before aquaplaning across a stream of water, losing control and crashing into a post holding an advertising sign, sustaining serious head injuries. After nine days in hospital he died.[2]
Tribute
editIn 2017, Michael Dunlop recreated McIntyre's achievement with a parade/demonstration on the TT course, at a similar speed with a 100-mph lap on a replica 1957 Gilera, and wearing period clothing.[6]
Results
editManx Grand Prix races
edit| Year | Race & Capacity | Make of Motorcycle | Average Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 1st Junior | AJS | 85.73 mph (137.97 km/h) |
| 1952 | 2nd Senior | AJS | 87.67 mph (141.09 km/h) |
Isle of Man TT races
edit| Year | Race & Capacity | Make of Motorcycle | Average Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 2nd Clubmans Junior TT | BSA | 78.57 mph (126.45 km/h) |
| 1954 | 14th Senior TT | AJS | 80.13 mph (128.96 km/h) |
| 1955 | 5th Senior TT | Norton | 93.83 mph (151.00 km/h) |
| 1955 | 2nd Junior TT | Norton | 91.79 mph (147.72 km/h) |
| 1957 | 1st Senior TT | Gilera | 98.99 mph (159.31 km/h) |
| 1957 | 1st Junior TT | Gilera | 94.99 mph (152.87 km/h) |
| 1959 | 5th Senior TT | Norton | 82.34 mph (132.51 km/h) |
| 1959 | 1st 500 cc Formula 1 TT | Norton | 97.77 mph (157.35 km/h) |
| 1960 | 3rd Junior TT | AJS | 95.11 mph (153.06 km/h) |
| 1961 | 2nd Senior TT | Norton | 99.20 mph (159.65 km/h) |
| TT Career Summary | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finishing Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | DNF |
| Number of times | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
FIM Motor-Cycle Grand Prix races
edit| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Points | Rank | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 350cc | AJS | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
FRA - |
ULS 2 |
SUI - |
NAT - |
ESP - |
6 | 8th | 0 | ||
| 1954 | 350cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM - |
ULS 3 |
BEL 6 |
NED 4 |
GER - |
SUI 6 |
NAT - |
ESP - |
9 | 8th | 0 | ||
| 500cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM 14 |
ULS - |
BEL 4 |
NED 6 |
GER - |
SUI - |
NAT - |
ESP - |
4 | 16th | 0 | |||
| 1955 | 350cc | Norton | ESP - |
FRA - |
IOM 2 |
GER - |
BEL - |
NED 5 |
ULS - |
NAT - |
8 | 8th | 0 | |||
| 500cc | Norton | ESP - |
FRA - |
IOM 5 |
GER - |
BEL - |
NED - |
ULS 4 |
NAT - |
5 | 11th | 0 | ||||
| 1956 | 350cc | Norton | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | – | 0 | |||||
| 500cc | Norton | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | – | 0 | ||||||
| 1957 | 350cc | Gilera | GER - |
IOM 1 |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT 1 |
22 | 3rd | 2 | |||||
| 500cc | Gilera | GER 2 |
IOM 1 |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS 2 |
NAT - |
20 | 2nd | 1 | ||||||
| 1958 | 350cc | Norton | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS 5 |
NAT - |
2 | 12th | 0 | ||||
| 500cc | Norton | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS 2 |
NAT - |
6 | 9th | 0 | |||||
| 1959 | 350cc | AJS | FRA - |
IOM NC |
GER - |
BEL - |
SWE - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | – | 0 | ||||
| 500cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM 5 |
GER - |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS 2 |
NAT - |
8 | 6th | 0 | |||||
| 1960 | 350cc | AJS | FRA - |
IOM 3 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
4 | 10th | 0 | ||||
| 500cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | – | 0 | |||||
| 1961 | 250cc | Honda | ESP - |
GER - |
FRA - |
IOM NC |
NED 2 |
BEL NC |
DDR 8 |
ULS 1 |
NAT NC |
SWE - |
ARG - |
14 | 5th | 1 |
| 350cc | Bianchi | ESP - |
GER - |
FRA - |
IOM NC |
NED 2 |
BEL - |
DDR 3 |
ULS - |
NAT - |
SWE 3 |
ARG - |
14 | 4th | 0 | |
| 500cc | Norton | ESP - |
GER - |
FRA - |
IOM 2 |
NED 3 |
BEL 3 |
DDR - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
SWE - |
ARG - |
14 | 4th | 0 | |
| 1962 | 250cc | Honda | ESP 2 |
FRA 2 |
IOM DNS |
NED 2 |
BEL 1 |
GER 2 |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
ARG - |
32 | 2nd | 1 |
| 350cc | Honda | ESP - |
FRA - |
IOM NC |
NED NC |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
ARG - |
0 | – | 0 |
Sources
edit- ^ Bob Mcintyre: The Flying Scot, Author: Mick Walker, Publication Date: June 2006, Publisher: Breedon Books Pub Co Ltd, pp8, ISBN 1-85983-500-7
- ^ a b c d e f [1][permanent dead link] BikeSportNews.com (Retrieved 1 December 2006)
- ^ [2][permanent dead link] IOM TT Race results (Retrieved 6 December 2006)
- ^ "Soup :: Who Was the Man Many Call the Greatest Roadracer Ever?". Archived from the original on 13 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-10. SuperBikePlanet.com Mike Hailwood Remembrance (Retrieved 10 December 1961), with his reputation as an outstanding rider firmly established, he started riding a "works supported" Honda. The Japanese manufacturers were beginning to make their presence felt in the motorcycling world, though the major impact they would have on motorcycle racing was yet to come.
- ^ "Other News : Bob McIntyre - the Flying Scot". Archived from the original on 19 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-10. IOM TT Books, Bob McIntyre (Retrieved 9 December 2006)
- ^ Michael Dunlop honoured to ride Gilera 500 in Bob McIintyre tribute lap iomtt.com, 28 August 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020
Further reading
edit- "Being There" Hugh Anderson ISBN 978-0-473-29994-1
- 50 Years of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999