The 1933 Manx Junior had 4 Lightweight bikes, of which Ron Harris on a New Imperial was awarded the Lightweight Trophy. It appears that A.R Foster was the only Lightweight not to finish the race.

Can someone with access to a programme tell what machine Bob Foster was riding?

The other two machines were Denis Parkinson on an O.K. Supreme (2nd) and J. Fletcher on a Sunbeam (3rd).

Also does anyone have a photo of the New Imperial that Ron Harris was riding?

The reason for my interest is that my late father's 250 New Imp was one of two Grand Prix bikes built, on 29 August 1933, just one week before the 1933 Manx (5-7 September 1933). It is the first Model 50 Grand Prix built by New Imperial.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Peter Shannon

Bob Foster rode a New Imperial in 1933, a marque he was associated with in his early years.
I can only find this shot.

(28-12-2010, 07:24 PM)Bill Snelling Wrote: Bob Foster rode a New Imperial in 1933, a marque he was associated with in his early years.
I can only find this shot.

Thanks for this information Bill. Your help is always welcome.

So both Bob Foster and Ron Harris were on 250 New Imperials.

The factory had only just completed their first batch of two 250 Model 50 Grand Prix bikes and 4 Model 60 (350) Grand Prix bikes on 29 August 1933. So it could be that Ron and Bob raced these 2 model 50 GP bikes or they were built in anticipation of future sales to competition riders on the back of a good showing in the Manx the following week.

I am also in contact with Chas Lipscombe here in Australia of the New Imperial Owners Association in regard to the possibility of these Model 50 GP bikes having been raced.

Here again is a photo of my late father's New Imp with the first GP motor made by New Imperial:





Peter Shannon

I do need some further info in my search for a photo of Ron Harris from the 1933 Manx.

I see from the photo provided by Bill that Bob Foster's racing number was 7 in the Junior/Lightweight race.

Can anyone tell me what Ron Harris's racing number was in this event?

Peter

Can anyone tell me what Ron Harris's racing number was in this event?

Peter

51, Peter

Hello,
Well a photo has finally come to light of the No. 51 New Imperial machine on which Ron Harris won the first Lightweight Trophy at the 1933 MGP. It is definitely a Works or ex-Works machine and so is not the Grand Prix machine of my fathers. I believe this photo is to be shortly published in the New Imperial Owners Association magazine.

Investigations into the other 250 New Imperial in that race which was the No. 7 machine ridden by Bob Foster, causes a bit of a mystery. Bill Snelling has kindly added a photo of this machine to this topic, however it is not detailed enough to see whether it is a Works or production Model 50 ‘Grand Prix’ machine.

Bob Foster in the book, “Pastmasters of Speed”, talks about his early involvement with New Imperial and this is where the confusion arises.

Bob Foster says:


He was an honorary mechanic for someone riding a 350 New Imperial in the 1932 Manx of which there were only four riders: J. H. Carr, T. A. Hampton, Ron Harris and K.J. Whistance. There was only one 250 in the 1932 race and it was not a New Imperial (according to G.S Davison’s book on the Manx). Anyone have any knowledge as to who Bob Foster was honorary mechanic??

Bob says he later became the owner of that “350cc Grand Prix bike” and as the first Model 50 Grand Prix production bike was not dispatched until 28 August 1933, the term used by Bob Foster must have been a generic term to describe a bike that had been used in the Grand Prix. Bob says he entered, I am assuming it was, the 1933 Manx on this machine and says New Imperial lent him a crate of special bits for this 1933 entry. He describes hitting the wall and falling off in practice, and then in the race as running off the road and bending the wheel and so retiring.

However from G.S. Davison’s book it appears Bob Foster raced a 250 in that race not a 350, so was it the same machine he practiced on? Did he obtain a replacement machine after his mishap in practice or was he always entered on a 250cc in this 1933 Manx? Could it have been the 350 machine sleeved down?

Can anyone shed any light on this mystery or as to whose 1932 bike he obtained?

Also is there any info of Bob Foster at the Donington race of the 1933 National Rally?


Peter

Well after a bit more research into Bob Foster and New Imperial it seems that Bob maintained his earlier involvement(1933) with the well known Shipston-on-Stour dealer, Arthur Taylor, as in 1936 when Bob Foster won the Lightweight TT on the sole Unit Construction Works bike for New Imperial , it appears Arthur Talyor was his entrant. So it seems Arthur Taylor was well up in the know at New Imperial.

It has been written that Bob Foster rode a 250cc New Imp in the 1933 Junior Manx and also rode his own 350cc New Imp (the one someone raced the year before in the Manx) in the Senior 1933 Manx. It has also been written that Bob Foster was given his first factory bike by New Imp to race in the 1934 Manx, so he could not have been using a factory works bike (250cc) in the 1933 Junior Manx GP.

The New Imp he used in the 1933 Junior remains a mystery and may have been supplied by Arthur Taylor. No doubt Bob had his own 350cc to use in practice and the 250 may have been supplied at the last minute.

Can anyone with access to articles or photos of this period confirm any of this?

Bob Light did publish a book “First Rich Mixture” in 2000 with 4 pages on Bob Foster but this book is unavailable here in Australia, so I am unsure if this sheds any more light on the 1933 250 bike.

Any input on this is more than welcome.

Peter