London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
– 16 September 1931
Berne
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, websit ...
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...
world speed record holder throughout the 1920s and earned the nickname the 'Wizard of Brooklands' for his exploits at
Brooklands
Brooklands was a Auto racing, motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's fir ...
.
An expert racing engine tuner, le Vack worked for some of the great marques and in the late 1920s joined
Motosacoche
Motosacoche was founded in 1899, by Henri and Armand Dufaux, in Geneva, Switzerland. Motosacoche was once the biggest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer, known also for its MAG (Motosacoche Acacias Genève) engines, used by other European motorcycle ma ...
in Switzerland as the works rider, chief designer and tuner. Le Vack was killed in a sidecar accident on 16 September 1931 near Bern, but is generally regarded as being one of the greatest racing motorcyclists of his day.
Life
Bert le Vack was born in North London and was of Scottish descent, the son of an upholsterer and antique dealer Albert Edward le Vack. Bert's grandfather was John le Vack, a Scottish steam locomotive engineer, who moved to London from his birthplace in
Caithness
Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded b ...
London General Omnibus Company
The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.
Overview
The London General Omnibus Company was fou ...
. Le Vack began his racing career on bicycles but once he visited
Brooklands
Brooklands was a Auto racing, motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's fir ...
he began tuning motorcycles and won the first hill climb he entered on a 1909 Triumph. In 1912 he competed in the London to Edinburgh Run and in 1913 he was working with another JAP test rider at Brooklands called John Wallace, who was sacked for being 'under age'. On the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
they both joined Scottish car makers
Arrol-Johnston
Arrol-Johnston (later known as Arrol-Aster) was an early Scottish manufacturer of automobiles, which operated from 1895 to 1931 and produced the first automobile manufactured in Britain. The company also developed the world's first "off-road" veh ...
and turned their talents to designing, assembling and testing aero engines. Wallace founded Duzmo Motorcycles In the 1914 Senior TT he averaged and won a Gold Medal.
After the war le Vack had his own garage and it was a chance exchange of a Scott for an MAG-engined Edmund that re-awakened his interest in motorcycle racing. Tuning up the Edmund led to the neglect of his business, so when he had an offer of employment from Wallace he agreed and began developing Duzmo engines. He then built a competition motorcycle that he used in competitions and demonstrations. He called the bike the 'Ace' and then it became the 'Duzmo' in 1920 when Bert became well known as a racer.
Towards the end of 1920 Bert moved to the Hendee Manufacturing Co, who made
Indian motorcycles
Indian Motorcycle (or ''Indian'') is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc.Springfield,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. He joined their London Depot and developed the eight valve Indian engine. Bert married Ethel Dale in 1912 and there were four children. He divorced Ethel in 1929 and later remarried.
Le Vack was very much in favour of using alcohol-based fuels in racing and obtained supplies from a London distillery. This led to an offer to work as an engine designer for John A. Prestwich, founder of the JAP company who produced racing engines for many top marques, including
Brough Superior
Brough Superior ( ) motorcycles, sidecars, and automobile, motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce car, Rolls-Roy ...
. Le Vack used his experience of the Indian Powerplus on which he won the famous 500-Mile Race at Brooklands in 1921 to help JAP develop their British vee-twin into what he called a "Yank-buster" – the 'Super Big Twin', so called because of its 986 cc ohv engine. (Indian subsequently dropped out of international competition).
Although le Vack only stayed with JAP for four years he played a significant part in their success and JAP advertisements in the ''Motor Cycle'' showed Bert on a
Brough Superior
Brough Superior ( ) motorcycles, sidecars, and automobile, motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce car, Rolls-Roy ...
with the 976 cc vee-twin JAP engine. As well as his tuning knowledge, le Vack gained a reputation for blending special racing fuels and had his own workshop in the
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Walthams ...
factory. Described as a quietly spoken man with few friends, le Vack became something of an enigma. in a rare interview for ''
The Motor Cycle
''The Motor Cycle'' was one of the first British magazines about motorcycles. Launched by Iliffe and Sons Ltd in 1903, its blue cover led to it being called "The Blue 'un" to help distinguish it from its rival publication ''Motor Cycling'', wh ...
'' in 1923 with the title 'The Making of a Speed Man', he described his early days when he nearly blew himself up by looking into a petrol tank at night with a match.
On the 1st January 1930 he joined
Motosacoche
Motosacoche was founded in 1899, by Henri and Armand Dufaux, in Geneva, Switzerland. Motosacoche was once the biggest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer, known also for its MAG (Motosacoche Acacias Genève) engines, used by other European motorcycle ma ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...
, Switzerland, for whom he had already ridden in the 1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Motosacoche built racing motorcycles and le Vack joined as the works rider, chief designer and tuner and was killed in the
Swiss Alps
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Sw ...
on 16 September 1931, while driving a motorcycle combination, 16km from Berne on a business trip to Geneva, accompanied by a Bosch engineer as his passenger. He appears to have had a stroke or heart attack, which caused the outfit to swerve off the road, hitting a tree. Both Le Vack and Passenger were thrown off. Le Vack broke his neck, but the passenger was uninjured. The event was reported in the Journal de Geneva of 17th September 1931. His ashes were returned to England and interred near Brooklands in St Mary's churchyard,
Byfleet
Byfleet is a village in Surrey, England. It is located in the far east of the borough of Woking, around east of West Byfleet, from which it is separated by the M25 motorway and the Wey Navigation.
The village is of medieval origin. Its windin ...
not far from the grave of racing driver Parry Thomas. The inscription on his gravestone simply states 'In Loving Memory of Herbert Le Vack, Dearly Beloved Husband of Mary Helen Le Vack, Who Died in Switzerland, 16 September 1931'.
Racing career
Bert le Vack rode for
Brough Superior
Brough Superior ( ) motorcycles, sidecars, and automobile, motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce car, Rolls-Roy ...
and helped keep T. E. Lawrence's Broughs tuned. He also rode for the leading manufacturers of the 1920s, including Indian, New Imperial and Zenith, After a time in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
at the New Hudson works, Bert went to Motosacoche and rode for them in the 1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races. Bert won the Brooklands 500 in 1921 on a 1000 cc Indian. In 1923 he secured second place in the 1923 Lightweight Tourist Trophy Races with a New Imperial 250 cc – despite a breakdown that meant he had to push the bike half a mile to the finish.
Motorcycle Land-Speed Record
The motorcycle land-speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a motorcycle on land. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. AMA National Land Speed Records requires 2 passes ...
References
Bird, Roger (2008) ‘A Glimpse of the Vintage Years of Motorcycling at Brooklands’ (published by the author, no ISBN).