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+--- Thread: Found today! (/showthread.php?tid=21447)
Found today! - SILJA - 01-02-2016
I was at the library in Orebro today and found an article in a newspaper from Monday August 31st 1936 about the Saxtorp races in southern Sweden. 80 years ago! It is in Swedish of course but there is a picture of James Guthrie who finished 3rd in the race on a Norton behind two German riders. They raced cardan driven BMW:s. Their names were Otto Ley and Karl Gall. The article tells that there were more than 160.000 spectators and that's still the absolute audience record for sports events in Sweden. Will probably never be beaten...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D5nKqaKl1-k/Vq-5E_jPL0I/AAAAAAAAEWo/wCGX7ryUqIc/s1600/Saxtorp19360831%2Bkopia.jpg
RE: Found today! - DBD 34 - 01-02-2016
Interesting article, Otto Ley was replaced by a certain Georg Meier for 1938 season who went on to win the last Senior TT before the outbreak of WW2 and was part of the Nazi Party. Karl Gall died after a crash at Ballaugh during 1939 TT.
Jimmy Guthrie was sadly killed in a crash in the German GP pretty much a year after the article was written.
RE: Found today! - Splashdown - 04-02-2016
Jimmy Guthrie died in the 1937 German Grand Prix, on the last lap whilst leading the race. Ironically the race was won by......Karl Gall.
Gall had an unfortunate experience in the Isle of Man.
He crashed practising for the 1938 TT, allegedly whilst travelling reverse direction down the Mountain near Ramsey on open roads. He suffered serious head injuries, but recovered well enough to lead the team for the 1939 TT, when again he crashed during practice, this time at Ballaugh, (as DBD34 rightly says).
There is a memorial stone to Karl Gall set into the wall on the left hand side of the road about 80 yards past Ballaugh Bridge.
Further irony is that during the 1939 TT members of the German Federation, the Auto Cycle Union, and friends of Jimmy Guthrie gathered at the Cutting (as the corner was then known), to unveil the Guthrie memorial, not far from where Gall crashed in 1938!
RE: Found today! - SILJA - 05-02-2016
Thanx Splashdown! I already knew some but I got some news for me in your text. The memorial for Karl Gall is mentioned in the TT course knowledge!