The Isle of Man career of legendary Irish rider Stanley Woods had its beginnings in 1923 with a Junior TT win aboard a 350cc Cotton. In the years up to 1934 he scored a further five victories as a Norton works rider. Disenchanted with the stricture of riding to team orders; he also felt his talents were worth far more than Nortons were prepared to pay. In 1934 he made the decision to become an independent, prepared to offer his services to the highest bidder.
TT Double with Moto Guzzi
Woods’ Husqvarna experience proved to be generally unrewarding, but with Moto Guzzi in 1935 it was quite the reverse. In Wednesday’s 250 Lightweight event Woods scored the first of Moto Guzzi’s 10 Island victories. Conditions for the Lightweight were dismal enough, but for Friday’s Senior they were so atrocious that the start was postponed until Saturday. As expected, Jimmie Guthrie’s Norton built up an early lead over Woods, and at the end of lap six Guthrie’s lead was 26 seconds. It was assumed that Woods must stop for a second time to refuel at that stage, which would place him even further behind Guthrie. As a result Guthrie was given the signal to ease up on his final lap. There was immediate drama when Woods sped past his pit without stopping. Riding as never before he turned a 26 second arrears into a four second advantage, and was the margin by which he won the 1935 Senior TT; surely the most dramatic TT of all time.
Mixed Fortunes with Velocette
For the 1936 season he became number one rider for Velocette, with the proviso that certain modifications were applied to the factory racers. Velocette were prepared to accept his advice, and during the winter of 1935-36 these were put in place. They featured a twin-camshaft 350 and a completely new single-cam 500, but importantly the works machines featured swinging arm rear suspension with oleomatic dampers. Their design set the pattern that continues to this day.
For three successive years, 1936 to 1938 he finished second to Norton in the Isle of Man Senior TT, but on the 350 he had Norton’s measure; and scored wins in the 1938 and 1939 Junior TTs to bring his Isle of Man victory total to ten. An important aspect of the 1939 TT was Stanley’s opportunity to put in a solitary practice lap on the new supercharged shaft drive racer, He was impressed with its performance; in particular the handling, but the blown twin still needed further development to make it competitive. He chose to ride the proven single in the Senior and finished in fourth place. It was to be his last finish at the TT.
The Curtain Falls
Ulster was generally a happy hunting ground for the canny Dubliner. It was fitting that his chequered career should finish there with a masterly win in the 350 class of the 1939 Ulster Grand Prix. A few days later war was declared, and like so many riders, his career suffered postponement; although he came tantalizingly close to making a comeback at the 1947 TT. Woods had entered Freddie Frith on a 500 Moto Guzzi; similar to the model on which Stanley had won the 1935 Senior.
A practice crash at Ballacraine sidelined Frith from the TT and for most of the season. Significantly it left the Guzzi without a rider for the TT. Stanley agonized over a sleepless night whether he should take over Frith’s entry; knowing that he stood a good chance of winning; despite the enforced lay-off due to the war. Eventually he decided against it, but he maintained his association with Moto Guzzi and frequently rode their bikes at Italian test tracks and in the Isle of Man.
The Final Years
Even in his 70s the grand old timer still made parade appearances on “his” 500 Velocette. The historic bike is the actual 1937 ex-works model, and forms part of a fabulous collection of Velocette racers, including the 1939 ‘Roarer’, owned and meticulously rebuilt by Velocette devotees, Ivan Rhodes of Derby, and his sons, Grahame and Adrian.
Right up to the time of his death in 1989, he retained that enthusiasm, enhanced by an infallible memory and razor-sharp faculties. Stanley Woods was remembered with affection by generations of enthusiasts.
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