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Photo ou archives : F-M. Dumas
2904

Capacity : 500
Model : records Brooklands
Production : 1927 - 1928
Category : (R) Racing - Record

GRINDLAY-PEERLESS

500 JAP / Bill Lacey - 1928

The nickel-plated wonder

Between 1907 and 1939, a banked concrete track outside London – the inspiration for the Indianapolis track – was the focus of racing and record-breaking in Britain. In 1928, C.W.G. Lacey, famed for the immaculate preparation of his racing bikes, became the first English motorcyclist to reach 100 mph, riding his stunning nickel-plated 500cc Grindlay-Peerless-JAP, a proud product of a tiny factory in Coventry.

First past the Post

Lacey was not, however, the first Briton to maintain the magic "ton" for an hour. In 1925, Claude Temple had been the first past this barrier with his 998cc OEC-Temple-JAP – but that was at Montlhéry, France, and to a true-born Brit like Bill Lacey, a record set on foreign soil didn't really count!

The Brooklands Bumps

Lacey's achievement was all the more remarkable since, while Montlhéry was nearly new, the track at Brooklands had never recovered from its wartime use as a storage depot and was of a legendary unevenness, particularly to the riders of rigid-framed bikes. To celebrate Lacey's achievement, Grindlay-Peerless produced six official replicas of the record-breaking bike. All were ridden by Bill Lacey and certified to have exceeded 100 mph at Brooklands, though their engines didn't share all the secrets of Lacey's meticulously-prepared "JOR" JAP. It was probably just as well, since during the record run, it had consumed the alcohol fuel stored in its massive 9 gallon tank at the rate of one gallon every 11 miles!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 490cc (80x90mm) air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke; total-loss lubrication

Power Rating: Maximum developed @ 5000 rpm

Valves: overhead; twin exhaust ports

Fuel System: carburetor

Transmission: hand change; chain final drive

Suspension: girder forks (front); rigid (rear)

Brakes: drum (rear)

Wheels: 3.00x21 inch wire (front & rear)

Weight: 250 lb

Maximum Speed: 103 mph

This unique machine, restored from a wreck, is today a star exhibit in the Birmingham National Motorcycle Museum.




Le fichier Moto Passion réalisé par François-Marie Dumas réunit près de deux mille photos accompagnées d'un historique très complet des machines présentées.
Il sera progressivement mis à jour ici et toute information complémentaire est la bienvenue sur info@moto-collection.org.

Cette documentation unique, qui constitue sans doute l'encyclopédie la plus exhaustive jamais écrite sur l'histoire de la moto, a été réalisée avec l'assistance de nombreux spécialistes dont principalement Didier Ganneau, Christophe Gaime, Mick Woollett, Jean Goyard, Bernard Salvat, Christian Rey, Yves Campion, Helmut Krackowizer, Michael Dregni, Michel Montange, etc. que je remercie ici.

Disponible sur demande :
- Les fiches originales sur papier
- Les photos et archives signées de mon nom en haute définition ou les documents originaux.
Me contacter sur info@moto-collection.org pour les conditions et droits d'utilisation.