In today’s high-tech Moto Grands Prix events the spoils of victory are fiercely contested between the giants of the motorcycle world. It would be a remarkable achievement should the head of one of those mighty organisations be seen to ride one of his own products to victory in a major Grand Prix. Such an event did occur, although we are comparing a scenario from a bygone era.
Isle of Man Debut
Howard R. Davies was a well-known and successful TT rider; in particular during the heady decade of the 1920s. He was born in 1896, and on leaving school Davies gained an apprenticeship, firstly with AJS and later with the Sunbeam factory as a test rider. Sunbeam were keen supporters of road racing in those pioneering pre-Kaiser days and not surprisingly young Howard was eager to represent the firm, hopefully at the Isle of Man. He was 18 at the time, and with youthful enthusiasm he became a Sunbeam rider at the 1914 Senior TT. Howard justified his entry with a fine second place behind the Rudge of the more experienced Cyril Pullen.
Royal Flying Corps
Later, in August 1914, the tragedy that was the Great War broke out and Howard Davies was soon in the thick of the action. He served first with the Army as a motorcycle dispatch rider and later as a pilot in the RFC. In 1917 he was shot down in France and captured; however it was not until his repatriation following the armistice that he became aware that he had been presumed to be killed in action.
AJS Works Rider
Howard wasted no time in resuming his interrupted racing career, and in 1920 he rejoined AJS as a tester and works racer. His firm was experiencing a continuing run of success in the 350cc category, in particular at the Isle of Man, where they were winners at the 1914, 1920 and 1921 Junior TTs. Following his second place in the 1921 Junior TT Howard felt confident enough to contest the 500cc Senior TT, still using his Junior mount. He took the precaution of fitting the engine from the Junior model into a new frame and running gear.
Senior Victory
In those early days of indifferent road surfaces and ill-sprung machines, the TT was a stern test of a rider’s stamina. For Howard Davies it was a tribute to his determination that he prevailed against the more powerful machines of his rivals. In the process he became the first and in all probability the only 350 rider to ever win a Senior TT.
HRD
In 1924 Davies made the bold decision to set up as a manufacturer in his own right; and at his factory near Wolverhampton the purposeful HRD was created. Proprietary components; such as a J.A.P. engine and Burman gearbox were employed; however its maker held definite views concerning frames and accessories, and these ideas were incorporated in the new model. The HRD was unveiled at the 1924 Olympia Show where it was well received by the motorcycle fraternity.
HRD Victory
In 1925 Davies became a rider/entrant in the forthcoming Isle of Man TT. His second place in the Junior TT, behind Walter Handley’s Rex Acme was a satisfying result for the new model, however Friday’s Senior result was even more gratifying. After a meteoric start and record lap at 69mph by Jimmy Simpson’s AJS, there was the predictable retirement for ‘Unlucky Jim’. Unwilling to be drawn into a machine-killing pace, Howard prevailed to gain another Senior TT, with a race speed of 66.13mph to put over 4 mph on to Alec Bennett’s 1924 winning speed on the Norton.
HRD Finale
It was a remarkable achievement for the new manufacturer, riding his own product, and in 1927 the mercurial Freddie Dixon added further fame to the marque with a comprehensive win at the Junior TT. For Howard R. Davies, the successful HRD name was to join many other firms unable to withstand the fluctuations of a falling market. Sadly.the firm went into receivership, although in the late 1920s its HRD title would re-emerge as the ‘Vincent HRD’; surely the most evocative name in British motorcycle history. But that, as they say, is another story.
Article sources: Pastmasters of Speed: Dennis May 1958
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