1973 Isle of Man TT

The 1973 Isle of Man TT motorcycle road races were held between 2-8 June 1973 on the 37-mile Snaefell Mountain Course. It was the fifth round of the 1973 FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship (now MotoGP). In 1973, most of the World Championship contenders were absent from the Isle of Man TT races with the exception of Jack Findlay and the sidecar contenders.[1] The rest joined the reigning 500cc World Champion Giacomo Agostini in boycotting the Isle of Man TT event over safety concerns, despite extensive resurfacing of the circuit.[1] The resurfacing allowed an increasing number of competitors to surpass the prestigious 100 mph average lap time.[1]

The racing began on Saturday, 2 June with Production Class racing that consisted of 750, 500 and 250cc machines as well as the 750cc Sidecar Class.[2] Peter Williams led the 750 class on the John Player Norton by half a minute when a gearbox problem forced him to abandon the race allowing Tony Jefferies to take victory riding a Triumph Trident motorcycle known as Slippery Sam.[1] The victory marked the third of five consecutive Isle of Man TT victories for Slippery Sam.[3][4] Stan Woods (Suzuki) led the 500 class by half a minute, when on the last lap his engine began to misfire, allowing Bill Smith (Honda) to claim the victory.[1] Charlie Williams (Yamaha) won the 250 class.[1] 250 Class competitor John Clarke (Suzuki) was killed in an accident at Union Mills on the first lap.[1] World Champion Klaus Enders and Ralf Engelhardt won the 750 Sidecar Class ahead of his BMW teammates Siegfried Schauzu and Wolfgang Kalauch in second place.[1]

On Monday, 4 June, Charlie Williams rode a Yamaha TZ 250 to win the Lightweight TT while in the 500cc Sidecar TT, Enders set a new lap record and finished the race over 2 minutes ahead of his BMW teammate Schauzu.[1] Tony Rutter won the Junior TT on 6 June in a class dominated by the newly released Yamaha TZ 350.[1] 38-year-old Tommy Robb (Yamaha) won the Ultra-Lightweight TT later that same day, marking the first TT victory of his career which began at the 1958 Isle of Man TT.[5]

The final events of the week were the Formula 750cc TT and the Senior TT held on Friday 8 June. After his abandonment earlier in the week, Peter Williams redeemed himself by setting the second fastest-ever lap of the mountain course at 107.27mph and won the Formula 750cc TT ahead of his John Player Norton teammate Mick Grant.[6] Helmut Dähne scored an impressive ninth place riding a shaft driven BMW R75/5 better known for its long distance touring capabilities.[1] The final race of the week was the Senior TT where 38-year-old veteran Jack Findlay rode a Suzuki TR500 to win the first TT race of his career after Mick Grant (Yamaha) crashed on an oil slick while leading the race at Ramsey Square on the third lap.[1] Peter Williams rode an underpowered but agile single cylinder Matchless G50 prepared by Tom Arter to score an impressive second place result.[7] Williams' average of 100.62 mph was 2.6 seconds quicker than Mike Hailwood's winning speed in 1961 on a Norton Manx, making them the only two competitors at that point in time to have averaged over 100 mph on a single cylinder machine in the Senior TT.[1]

World championship races

1973 Isle of Man Lightweight TT 250cc final standings

Monday, 4 June 1973 – 4 Laps (150.92 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time Points
1 Charlie Williams Yamaha TZ 250 100.05 mph 1.30.30.0 15
2 John Williams Yamaha TZ 250 99.6 mph 1.30.54.6 12
3 Bill Rae Yamaha TZ 250 98.86 mph 1.31.35.4 10
4 Derek Chatterton Yamaha TZ 250 98.00 mph 1.32.23.0 8
5 Alex George Yamaha TZ 250 97.94 mph 1.32.27.0 6
6 Tony Rutter Yamaha TZ 250 97.57 mph 1.32.48.0 5
7 Phil Carpenter Yamaha TZ 250 97.14 mph 1.33.12.8 4
8 Helmut Kassner Yamaha TZ 250 96.73 mph 1.33.39.6 3
9 Tom Herron Yamaha TZ 250 96.61 mph 1.33.43.4 2
10 Barry Randle Yamaha TZ 250 96.05 mph 1.34.16.2 1
Sources:[8]

1973 Isle of Man Sidecar 500cc TT final standings

Monday 4 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time Points
1 Klaus Enders/Ralf Engelhardt BMW 94.93 mph 1.11.32.4 15
2 Siegfried Schauzu/Wolfgang Kalauch BMW 91.4 mph 1.14.18.2 12
3 Rolf Steinhausen/Karl Scheurer König 89.84 mph 1.15.35.4 10
4 Michel Vanneste/Serge Vanneste BMW 86.24 mph 1.18.44.6 8
5 Robin Williamson/Jack McPherson BMW 85.05 mph 1.19.50.8 6
6 Roger Dutton/Tony Wright BMW 83.68 mph 1.21.09.4 5
7 George O'Dell/N Boldison BSA 79.82 mph 1.25.04.6 4
8 Dick Hawes/Eddie Kiff Weslake 79.55 mph 1.25.22.0 3
9 Roy Woodhouse/Doug Woodhouse Honda 77.95 mph 1.27.07.4 2
10 Martin Candy/Eddy Fletcher BSA 77.73 mph 1.27.22.0 1
Sources:[9]

1973 Isle of Man Junior TT 350cc final standings

Wednesday, 6 1973 – 5 Laps (188.65 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time Points
1 Tony Rutter Yamaha TZ 350 101.99 mph 1.50.58.8 15
2 Ken Huggett Yamaha TZ 350 100.58 mph 1.52.31.6 12
3 John Williams Yamaha TZ 350 100.32 mph 1.52.49.4 10
4 Barry Randle Yamaha TZ 350 100.011 mph 1.53.10.2 8
5 Phil Carpenter Yamaha TZ 350 99.49 mph 1.53.45.8 6
6 Derek Chatterton Yamaha TZ 350 98.77 mph 1.54.36.0 5
7 Alex George Yamaha TZ 350 98.76 mph 1.54.36.2 4
8 Helmut Kassner Yamaha TZ 350 96.74 mph 1.57.00.2 3
9 Tom Dickie Yamaha TZ 350 96.68 mph 1.57.04.4 2
10 Paul Cott Yamaha TZ 350 96.41 mph 1.57.24.2 1
Sources:[10]

1973 Isle of Man Ultra-Lightweight TT 125cc final standings

Wednesday, 6 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.19 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time Points
1 Tommy Robb Yamaha TA125 88.44 mph 1.16.47.0 15
2 Jan Kostwinder Yamaha TA125 87.79 mph 1.17.21.6 12
3 Neil Tuxworth Yamaha TA125 86.56 mph 1.18.27.2 10
4 Ivan Hodgkinson Yamaha TA125 85.49 mph 1.19.26.0 8
5 Alan Jones Maico RS-125 83.3 mph 1.21.31.6 6
6 Lindsay Porter Yamaha TA125 82.54 mph 1.22.16.4 5
7 Clive Horton Yamaha TA125 82.43 mph 1.22.23.2 4
8 Richard Stevens Maico RS-125 82.03 mph 1.22.47.0 3
9 Bob Ware Yamaha TA125 82.02 mph 1.22.48.0 2
10 John Kiddie Honda CB125S 81.69 mph 1.23.07.6 1
Sources:[11]

1973 Isle of Man Senior TT 500cc final standings

Friday 8 June 1973 – 6 Laps (226.38 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time Points
1 Jack Findlay Suzuki TR500 101.55 mph 2:13.45.2 15
2 Peter Williams Matchless G50 100.62 mph 2:14.59.4 12
3 Charlie Sanby Suzuki TR500 100.27 mph 2:15.27.6 10
4 Alex George Yamaha TZ 350 98.73 mph 2:17.34.20 8
5 Roger Nicholls Suzuki TR500 98.06 mph 2:18.30.20 6
6 David Hughes Matchless G50 96.62 mph 2:20.34.20 5
7 Dudley P.Robinson Suzuki TR500 95.96 mph 2:21.32.80 4
8 John Taylor Suzuki TR500 94.79 mph 2:23.16.80 3
9 Selwyn Griffiths Matchless G50 94.05 mph 2:24.25.20 2
10 Graham Bayley Kawasaki H1R 94.04 mph 2:24.26.20 1
Sources:[12]

Non-championship races

1973 Isle of Man TT Production 750cc final standings

Saturday, 2 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time
1 Tony Jefferies "Slippery Sam" 95.62 mph 1.34.41.6
2 John Williams Triumph Trident 94.9 mph 1.35.24.8
3 David Dixon Triumph Trident 91.56 mph 1.38.33.6
4 Helmut Dähne BMW R90S 90.32 mph 1.40.14.8
5 Ernie Pitt Triumph Trident 89.38 mph 1.41.57.8
6 Darryl Pendlebury Triumph Trident 88.73 mph 1.42.03.0
7 Hans-Otto Butenuth BMW R90S 87.65 mph 1.43.25.4
8 Hugh Evans Honda CB750 87.27 mph 1.43.45.2
9 Roger Corbett Triumph Trident 86.86 mph 1.44.14.6
10 Ken Huggett Triumph Trident 84.94 mph 1.46.36.4
Sources:[13]

1973 Isle of Man TT Production 500cc final standings

Saturday, 2 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time
1 Bill Smith Honda CB500 Four 88.1 mph 1.42.47.0
2 Stan Woods Suzuki T500 88.01 mph 1.42.55.2
3 Keith Martin Kawasaki H1 Mach III 87.87 mph 1.43.02.8
4 Clive Brown BSA B50 87.79 mph 1.43.14.8
5 Roger Bowler Triumph Tiger 100 86.92 mph 1.44.10.2
6 Bill Milne Kawasaki H1 Mach III 85.4 mph 1.46.01.8
7 Ray Knight Triumph Tiger 100 83.05 mph 1.49.01.8
8 Nigel Rollason BSA B50 83.05 mph 1.49.01.8
9 John Wilkinson Suzuki T500 82.98 mph 1.49.02.0
10 Godfrey Benson Suzuki T500 79.55 mph 1.53.49.4
Sources:[14]

1973 Isle of Man TT Production 250cc final standings

Saturday, 2 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time
1 Charlie Williams Yamaha RD250 81.76 mph 1.50.45.0
2 Eddie Roberts Yamaha RD250 81.24 mph 1.51.22.0
3 Tommy Robb Yamaha RD250 80.06 mph 1.53.05.8
4 Roger Hunter Suzuki GT250 79.52 mph 1.53.52.2
5 Peter Courtney Kawasaki S1 Mach I 79.05 mph 1.54.32.4
6 Phil Carpenter Honda CB250 78.65 mph 1.55.08.0
7 Jim Curry Honda CB250 78.09 mph 1.55.57.4
8 John Kiddie Honda CB250 77.76 mph 1.56.26.2
9 Lindsay Porter Suzuki GT250 75.54 mph 1.59.51.8
10 John Kidson Honda CB250 75.28 mph 2.00.12.6
Sources:[15]

1973 Isle of Man Sidecar 750cc TT final standings

Saturday, 2 June 1973 – 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time
1 Klaus Enders/Ralf Engelhardt BMW 93.01 mph 1.13.00.1
2 Siegfried Schauzu/Wolfgang Kalauch BMW 91.72 mph 1.14.02.4
3 John Brandon/Cliff Holland Honda 84.75 mph 1.20.08.0
4 Mick Boddice/Ken Williams Kawasaki 84.54 mph 1.20.20.0
5 Bill Crook/Kenny Arthur BSA 83.53 mph 1.21.18.0
6 Robin Williamson/Jack McPherson BMW 83.08 mph 1.21.44.2
7 Dick Hawes/Eddie Kiff Weslake 82.65 mph 1.22.09.8
8 Richard Wegener/Derek Jacobson BMW 81.35 mph 1.23.29.0
9 Michel Vanneste/Serge Vanneste BMW 81.24 mph 1.23.35.4
10 Mick Potter/Bernie Coverdale BMW 80.62 mph 1.24.14.2
Sources:[16]

1973 Isle of Man Formula 750 Classic final standings

Friday 8 June 1973 – 5 Laps (188.65 Miles) Mountain Course.

Place Rider Machine Speed Time
1 Peter Williams John Player Norton 105.47 mph 1.47.19.2
2 Mick Grant John Player Norton 102.56 mph 1.50.21.6
3 Tony Jefferies Triumph Trident 102.04 mph 1.50.55.2
4 Charlie Williams Yamaha TZ 350 102.03 mph 1.50.56.0
5 Stan Woods Suzuki TR750 101.89 mph 1.51.05.2
6 Ken Huggett Yamaha TZ 350 99.69 mph 1.53.32.4
7 Geoff Barry Oakley-Seeley 99.41 mph 1.53.51.4
8 Paul Cott Yamaha TZ 350 97.43 mph 1.56.10.4
9 Helmut Dähne BMW R75/5 96.79 mph 1.56.56.4
10 Graham Bailey Triumph Trident 96.61 mph 1.57.09.4
Sources:[17]

Sources

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nicholls, B.R. (1 September 1973). "Isle of Man TT". Cycle World. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  2. ^ "TT 1973". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  3. ^ "The Legend of Slippery Sam". roaddirt.tv. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  4. ^ "1974 Triumph Trident Slippery Sam". gasoline.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Tommy Robb Isle of Man TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  6. ^ "John Player Norton, a Monocoque Masterpiece". Motorbike Mad. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  7. ^ "The Arter Matchless G50 – The Ultimate British Single". peterjamesinsurance.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  8. ^ "TT 1973 Lightweight TT Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  9. ^ "TT 1973 Sidecar 500cc Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  10. ^ "TT 1973 Junior TT Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  11. ^ "TT 1973 Ultra-Lightweight TT Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  12. ^ "TT 1973 Senior TT Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  13. ^ "1973 Isle of Man TT Production 750cc Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  14. ^ "1973 Isle of Man TT Production 500cc Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  15. ^ "1973 Isle of Man TT Production 250cc Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  16. ^ "TT 1973 Sidecar 7500cc Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  17. ^ "TT 1973 Formula 750 Classic Race Results - iomtt.com". iomtt.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
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