Manliff Barrington

Manliff Barrington
Nationality Irish
Born (1912-11-19)19 November 1912
Died 1999 (aged 86–87)
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1949 - 1951
Team(s)AJS, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Vincent-HRD
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
1 1 0 0 12
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested9 (1935-1938, 1947-1951)
TT wins2
First TT win1947 Lightweight TT
Last TT win1949 Lightweight TT
Podiums2

Manliff Barrington (19 November 1912 – 1999[1]) Monkstown, County Dublin, was an Irish motorcycle racer famous for winning Isle of Man TT races twice in his career.

Racing career

The son of an official importer for CAV (a predecessor of Lucas) for tractors in Ireland, Barrington first competed in the 1935 Isle of Man TT on an Excelsior, finishing the Senior TT in 11th place at an average race speed of 72.06 mph. Manliff also occasionally raced cars including finishing 4th at Phoenix Park in 1937 driving a Rapier.

Motorcycle Grand Prix Career

Entered by the then-recently retired from racing Stanley Woods to ride Moto Guzzi in the 1947 Isle of Man TT races, the 250 cc Lightweight TT race was won Manliff Barrington in what proved highly controversial circumstances from team-mate Maurice Cann.

1947 Lightweight TT Race Results

Rank Rider Team Speed Time
1 Republic of Ireland Manliff Barington Moto Guzzi 73.22 mph 3:36.26.6
2 England Maurice Cann Moto Guzzi 72.972 3:37.10.8
3 England Ben Drinkwater Excelsior 70.139 3:34.57.0

Despite Maurice Cann lapping consistently for the whole race at an average race speed of over 74 mph and Barrington at just over 73 mph, the 1947 250cc Lightweight TT Race was awarded to Barrington. Despite a protest to the ACU, the result was allowed to stand as "....in those days of wind-up watches and hand-written records, the officials had under-estimated Barrington's time by a minute."[2]

The first event of the new 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 1949 Isle of Man TT Race. A further race win for Barrington in the new Grand Prix Championship was the 1949 250 cc Lightweight TT race at an average race speed of 77.99 mph again riding a Moto-Guzzi.

During practice for the 1952 Senior TT race, Barrington was riding a 500 cc Norton when engine seizure at the left-hand bend before the Barregarrow cross-roads resulted in a crash, and a broken thigh caused his retirement from motorcycle racing.[3]

TT Race Wins

Year Race & Capacity Motorcycle Average Speed
1947 Lightweight 250cc Moto Guzzi 73.22 mph
1949 Lightweight 250cc Moto Guzzi 77.99 mph

TT career summary

Finishing Position 1st 5th 11th 17th 18th 39th DNF
Number of times 2 1 1 1 1 1 7

World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Class Motorcycle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Position Points
1949 IOM SUI NED BEL ULS NAT
250 cc Moto Guzzi 1 6th 10
350 cc Norton 18 — 0
1950 IOM BEL NED SUI ULS NAT
350 cc AJS 39 — 0
500 cc Vincent-HRD Ret — 0
1951 ESP SUI IOM BEL NED FRA ULS NAT
350 cc Norton 17 — 0
500 cc Norton 5 19th 2

Sources

  1. ↑ Manx Independent page 58 dated 11 June 1999
  2. ↑ Manx Independent Page 58 dated 11 June 1999
  3. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner dated 6 June 1952
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