JOHN LEE HARGREAVES
John Hargreaves, the man whose original idea led to the birth of the Classic races in the Manx Grand Prix, has died at the age of 89.
John was a latecomer to classic and historic motorcycle racing, but he saw the opportunity to promote the movement and make an exciting addition to the Classic racing calendar.
The Isle of Man Tourist Board declined his original suggestion in 1982, so John approached the Manx Grand Prix Club which was due to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 1983.
John wrote to Bill Bennett, the secretary of the Manx Club, requesting that it consider a ‘Vintage and Classic’ racing field for the anniversary races with a race for ‘clubmen’ on the original bikes, rather than professionals.
The club agreed and, with the help of many people, the Classic Manx Grand Prix Races were born and would go on to be, arguably, the most important part of the Manx GP.
Over the following years thousands of competitors have come from all over the world and many and varied thoroughbred racers which otherwise would have still been silent in some garage or museum have now been struck up once more on the Glencrutchery Road.
John was born in Manchester in 1933 and worked as an office clerk before being called up for his National Service in 1951 where, due to his bookkeeping abilities, he was soon working on the Army pay staff and promoted to corporal with his own room. He was duly asked to help with the officers’ private accounts and, with no payment possible for this service, he was able to obtain passes at will as recompense. These passes allowed him to explore the local area on his ever-present motorcycle and on one of these trips, he saw Geoff Duke ride the new Featherbed at Blandford Camp; on another he met his wife-to-be, Margaret.
In the late 1970s, several visits to the TT culminated in his starting vintage racing, firstly on a 350 Goldstar, and soon followed by a 500cc Norton Dominator and a 600cc sidecar outfit, scaring various passengers including Dave Tuley and Keith Wilde.
The start of the Classic Manx saw John enter on his Domi racer, as one of the 56 that first year but, with the realisation of the speed of the competition, John enlisted retired Norton guru John Hudson to build and tune a second Dominator, using a lightweight International Featherbed frame, and an engine more to the works specification.
John Hargreaves used the new machine on the Island for seven years, accompanied by John Hudson.
John Hudson would insist that, due to morning practice, Hargreaves be in bed early, only for
John to wait for Hudson’s light to go out, whereupon he would head for a night out on the town.
With John Hudson no longer available, in 1992 John turned up at the Manx with the ex-Geoff Monty 250 GMS, raced previously by many star riders including Tommy Robb, Bob Anderson, Alan Shepherd and Bill Ivy. This machine was owned at the time – and to this day – by Gerry Kershaw of Rochdale, the well-known Manx engine builder.
The small GMS was constructed with a special frame, and John, being of more generous proportions than previous riders, found it difficult to make the qualification time, and so decided to end his Manx adventure at the grand age of 59.
John continued racing with the British Historic Racing Club before selling both of his Nortons to a fellow clubman.
But his next adventure was to take up and learn ballroom dancing and his expertise was good enough to allow him to sail for several years with the large cruise ships as a dancing host.
In recent years John regretted that the original idea for the Classic Manx had been allowed to be blown away with professionals taking over, along with machines that never existed in the period.
John Hargreaves was a true character, engaging and funny and I, among others, should be grateful for his original thought which started the Classic Manx Grand Prix, giving myself and thousands of other competitors a great deal of pleasure.
To finish, as John often would say: “Oh, what a lovely story.”
Obituary by Bruce Hosie, Classic Manx competitor 1985 to 2003