The Stanley Woods Story
In 1923 The Irish Teenager Scored the First of His 10 TT Victories
In a racing career that began in 1922 and ended in 1939 Ireland’s Stanley Woods established himself as possibly the greatest of his era. His record of 10 TT wins surpassed that of Jimmie Guthrie; his nearest rival with 6; while in continental events Woods was equally dominant. Undoubtedly his most profitable period was spent as a Norton teamster; a time that yielded five Isle of Man wins plus a host of victories on the continent.
Stanley Woods TT Debut
Stanley Woods’ Isle of Man career began in 1922, and in unique circumstances. He overcame the lack of a bike by sending letters to various makers, offering his services as a potential works rider. Not surprisingly the unknown teenager was not besieged with offers; with one exception. F.W. Cotton, founder of the Cotton Motor Company did provide a mount for the Junior TT. Woods began the race in determined fashion and following a series of mishaps that would have dismayed most individuals the tyro Woods did finish the race.
TT Victory
Cottons were sufficiently impressed with his efforts to offer him full works support for the1923 Junior TT. Despite running out of road and bending the bike’s forks during the race, Woods came through to win his first TT. The next two years were generally unrewarding for Woods, and during that period he rode in trials and road races on Royal Enfields and New Imperials respectively.
Norton Team Member
His fortunes improved markedly in 1926 when he was offered full-time employment with Nortons; and despite the near-obsolescence of their current works bikes Woods gained his first Senior Trophy. He was unfortunate not to repeat his success the following year, which was the debut of the CS1 camshaft Norton. Woods set off in meteoric style to lead second-placed Alec Bennett by over 3 minutes. He refueled on the fourth lap but his pit crew simply advised him to maintain his present pace. Unaware of his actual lead he pressed on, only to experience clutch trouble and retire on the fifth lap.
It was a bitter result for Woods, but it opened his eyes to the pitfalls of haphazard signaling in road races. The Senior TT debacle set off the train of thought that led to the evolution of his unique signaling system.
Two TT Doubles
Alec Bennett took the CS1 to its only Isle of Man success and the period between 1927 and 1930 saw the dominance of firstly Sunbeam and later Rudge. That all changed dramatically with Tim Hunt’s Junior/Senior TT double in 1931. Stanley Woods emulated Hunt’s feat in 1932 and to reinforce his record he repeated the performance in 1933.These successes would normally have been financially rewarding but the Great Depression was biting deeply into all aspects of commerce. Trade bonuses and prize money had been reduced considerably, and for a professional rider it was absolutely vital to seek out the best possible retainer. At the end of the 1933 season Woods made the bold decision to leave Nortons. Despite his run of success with them he considered he was worth far more than they were prepared to offer. Another situation that irritated him was the stricture of riding to team orders.
Woods Husqvarna Season
Other manufacturers, notably Husqvarna and Moto Guzzi were keen to obtain his services. For 1934 he signed with Husqvarna for the TT and other continental events. Woods was impressed with the performance of the V- twin Husqvarna which had achieved a degree of success during the1933 season. But his TT misfortunes began even before the ‘Huskies’ left Sweden when the lorry containing the works bikes dropped from its crane sling during loading on to a steamer. They were extensively damaged and as a result their carburetion and other details were not fully sorted until race eve. Despite this handicap Woods made fastest lap in a wet Senior race only to run out of fuel on the final lap.
Read the concluding article of Stanley Woods' career.
Stanley Woods
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1923 Junior TT
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