Dear Motorcycle Road Racing Fans,
I’m a thirtyseven years old and I ‘ve been always interested in motorcycle road racings especially for the fifties era .
As many others nostalgic Italian fans I’m very interested in Les Graham’s careers an incomparable but forgotten British Champion .
My interest has started reading an old book written by Ezio Pirazzini an old Italian motorcycle racing reporter , where there is a short but intriguing Leslie Graham’s biography .
During the last four years I’ve made an hard research improving my knowledge not only in his important pre-war and post-war racing career ,but also in his thrilling military career : I read a lot of interesting books speaking about the R.A.F.’s tasks during the WWII and I contacted a lot of people and finally I got to those men who shared with Les the same hard and thrilling times .From their evidences I was able to trace his fascinating real life .
Les Graham in my point of view represent the history of Motorcycle Road Racing in the U.K. as he lived two separated motorcycle racing era : the pre-war era with a lot of local events and post-war era with the most important International events . Les Graham left a good memory of him in England and in Italy and many old reporters were very attracted from his personality and his intelligence ,other than his reckless drive (despite his not early age).
I really think that he could be the most representative motorcycle rider of that time and actually I don’t understand why not enough credit has been given to him : some elderly riders I’ve contacted confessed that Les Graham stands out above all other riders of his era but strangely nobody has ever written a biography on the man who was after all the very first ever Motorcycle World Champion with the British A.J.S. Porcupine 500cc .
I think it could be a wonderful idea to commemorate fifty years from his tragic death,that happened in june ’53 during the senior Tourist Trophy ,and I’m sure to find a lot of fans like me who want to recall his memory .
Please let me know your opinion .

Happy New Year .

Gerardo Bellia

Gerardo,
You may have read this story, but it typifies the kind of person Les Graham was.
At the height of his fame in 1949 he started in the Senior TT with the earnest desire to add this most prestigious event to his is list of wins. He started well and established a commanding lead, but victory was to elude him. On the last lap his magneto cut out at Hillberry. He rolled the machine as far as possible then pushed it across the line (in 10th place) with a broad smile across his face despite the crushing disapointment inside.
Does anyone know his first name? His initials are RLG.

Hi Gerardo, and you too Don,

While I have two Les Graham fans in sight, can you tell me which year Les rode the No. 86 MV Four at the TT? I have a photo which is undated, taken by the late Hugh Rutherford, which I would like to use in our KDMC history Archive.

Regards to all for 2003,

Jake

Good Morning Don,
Good Morning Jake,
many thanks for your e-mail .Robert Leslie Graham was really something special .As Mr.Geoff Duke confirm ,in wet condition Les Graham was unbeatable .He won the Suisse Grand Prix at Berne in 1951 with a private Velocette 350cc .
Les started his motorcycle racing career in the thirties with speedway races :that's the reason of his ability .
Regards
Gerardo

Hi Jake,
I will try to find out for you but in the meantime I can tell you it was NOT the 1952 Senior TT because his number was 17 for that race in which he finished 2nd.
Regards Don.

Hy Jake ,
in this moment I can't see my records .Anyway I remember n.90 for the 1951 senior TT ,n.17 (as Don told you )for the 1952 senior TT and number 18 for the tragic 1953 senior TT .In 1953 he rode also MV 350cc four n.26 .
I shall be in touch again soon.
Gerardo

Hi Jake,

Firstly, are you sure that it's Les Graham in the photo? He never had a riding number 86 in any TT.

In the 1953 Senior TT, 86 was Carlo Bandirola's number on the other MV that started - he withdrew in sympathy after Les's fatal accident. Carlo rode with a star on the front of the hat.

It may be a practice shot - you can tell, since side numbers were not used in practice. It may well be that Les took out Carlo's bike in practice, but there's no reference to this in the contemporary reports.

If you'd like to scan the photo to me, I'll be able to tell you who it is!!

Hi all,

Yes Larry, it is Les, and your information fixes the scene as a testing session, complete with mechanics and tools, or unofficial practice on Carlo's machine in 1953. The informaton as passed to me along with the photos was accurate right enough! Well, nearly!
The suggestion was that Les was checking which MV was the quickest, his or his team mates, without letting on! Thanks again all, it's great to have this help when I'm doing this stuff! Jake