Freddie Frith was born at Grimsby in 1910 and became involved in trials and club events during the late 1920s. In 1930 he made his Isle of Man debut, gaining third place on a KTT Velocette in the Junior Manx Grand Prix. His perseverance in the Manx series culminated in 1935 with a win in the Junior event on a Norton and second place in the Senior.
Norton works’ team
Not surprisingly Freddie Frith was recruited into the 1936 Norton works team, along-side the legendary Jimmie Guthrie and John White. Frith justified his inclusion in the team with a win and fastest lap in the Junior TT. Over the ensuing two years Guthrie, Frith and White featured strongly in the continental Grands Prix where the finishing order was usually Guthrie first and Frith second, but it was Frith who scored a decisive win in the 500 class of the 1936 Ulster GP., and with a record lap of 95mph.
The 1937 TT series provided the usual surprises and excitement, with Guthrie heading a Norton 1-2-3 in the Junior event, but Friday’s Senior was packed with drama. Guthrie assumed a comfortable lead until lap five, when he was forced to retire at the Cutting, which later became the site of the Guthrie Memorial. Velocette’s number one, Stanley Woods was then holding second place, and with Guthrie’s retirement he inherited the lead; and try as he might he was unable to hold off a challenge by a determined Frith. His final lap was a record-breaking 90 mph, which was sufficient to beat Woods by a mere 15 seconds, after three hours of incredibly close racing.
Tragedy at the Sachsenring
Following the TT, the Norton team made its regular foray to contest the continental events. In August of that year the German Grand Prix was held on the fast Sachsenring circuit. During the 500 cc race Guthrie held off a strong BMW challenge and was poised to receive the chequered flag when he crashed fatally on the final bend. This was a shattering blow for the team, and as a mark of respect it was withdrawn from the forthcoming Ulster Grand Prix.
1938 and 1939 events
It was left to the Norton team to uphold British prestige in the 500cc class during 1938 and 1939. By then BMW had achieved the reliability to win Grand Prix events, with Georg Meier becoming European Champion for 1938. In 1939 he became the first foreign rider to win a Senior TT on a foreign machine. In second place was an Englishman, the burly Jock West, also on a BMW; and in a race that he described as his toughest ever was third-placed Freddie Frith. The 1939 Ulster TT was the final pre-war road race and a resounding success for Serafini on the supercharged Gilera four. His greatest challenge came from a gallant Freddie Frith who brought his Norton home in second place.
World Champion 1949
Following army service as a riding instructor he returned to racing in 1947. Fred was entered on a potential TT winner with a 500 Moto Guzzi sponsored by Stanley Woods, but a practice crash sidelined him from the TT and other classics. On works-supported Velocettes he scored wins in the 1948 Junior TT, and in the memorable rain-soaked Ulster Grand Prix. In 1949 he gained another first in the Junior TT riding the new twin camshaft Velocette. It was also the first year of the official World Championships; and with victories at the TT and in every classic 350cc race Frith and Velocette were undisputed winners in that category. His fiercest rival in those continental rounds was Bob Foster. In 1950 Bob gained the 350 World Championship; and like Fred he too rode for Velocette.
Retirement
At the end of the season Fred announced his retirement, and the following year he was awarded an OBE for services to motor racing. He opened a successful motorcycle business in that area, while still maintaining his interest in the racing scene, particularly the Isle of Man. Freddie Frith died in May 1988 following a brief illness; a respected member of that elite band of inaugural world champions. His 1949 contemporaries were 500cc champion Les Graham and sidecar maestro Eric Oliver.
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