Rennmax Wrote:Well, eye witnesses are few and far between I suppose... I have no idea about the circumstances of the fatal crash at Ballaugh in '39, but anyway he was on the island in '38 and probably did some laps before his accident then, so he was'nt a complete newcomer to the circuit. I think he experienced some pressure from the up-and coming Meier, but it's hard to understand that he tried so hard in his first practice lap...well, it's easy to judge when you are sitting in the armchair

Yes, he did some practice laps in 1938 before to crash heavely on open roads. But we know interesting details about his fatal accident at Ballaugh Bridge....In any case this is how Meier was racing that year on the isle of Man TT course:
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speed.../epoca.jpg
It's a famous shot published on "The Motor Cycle" of those days, and it impressioned John Surtees when he was child. Surtees is actually an owner of a BMW Kompressor racing machine.