Malcolm David Whitworth (1904 – 3 July 1950) was a British

motorcycle racer The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

who died in a crash at the 1950 350 cc Belgian Grand Prix.

Career

Denied the chance to race abroad by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Whitworth competed in numerous races in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 1935 and 1936 he competed in the

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...

, but retired both times. In 1937 he competed in the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

for the first time, which was thought at the time to be the toughest race in the world. In the 250 cc Lightweight TT race, he competed on a

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

motorcycle but failed to finish. He failed to finish in 1938 as well, but in the 350 cc Junior TT he came sixth on a

Velocette Velocette is a range of motorcycles made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during ...

. In the 500 cc race at the

Ulster Grand Prix The Ulster Grand Prix is a defunct motorcycle racing, motorcycle road racing, road race which took place on the Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Due to the races having the fastest aver ...

he finished third, behind

Jock West John Milns West, (28 February 1909 – 6 June 2004) was a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Great Britain. Motorcycle career West was born in Belvedere, Kent to an English father and a Scottish mother. He initially concentrated on grasstrack ...

and Ginger Wood. In 1939 he finished fifth in the Junior TT and twelfth in the 500 cc Senior TT, in which he competed for the first time. In the first post-war TT in 1947, Whitworth finished second to his teammate, Bob Foster, in the Junior TT, the best TT result of his career. He retired from the Senior TT race. On 2 May 1948, he won the prestigious, pre-season Mettet Grand Prix invitational race. In , Whitworth took part in the newly created World Championship. At both the

Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', and also sometimes known as the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix, is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known ...

and the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...

, Whitworth finished fourth in the 350 cc class resulting in sixth place in the overall championship standings. Outside of the championship, Whitworth won the 350 cc race at the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...

in Saint-Gaudens. In the season, Whitworth took eleventh and nineteenth places in the Junior and Senior TT respectively. For the Senior TT, he competed for the first time as a works rider, for

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

Fatal accident

On 2 July

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

, Whitworth competed in the 350 cc

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...

. He was riding a privately entered

and was in a fight for fifth place with

Harold Daniell Harold Daniell (29 October 1909 – 19 January 1967) was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and auto racing driver. He competed in the 1940s and 1950s. On retiring from racing he owned a Norton motorcycle dealership in Fo ...

Ted Frend Edward Frend (3 November 1916 – 6 September 2006), born in South London, was a British motorcycle sports competitor from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, road racing with the AJS works team from 1948 to 1954. Early years In 1932, employed a ...

and Charlie Salt. On the tenth lap, Whitworth and Salt came together, crashing heavily. Whitworth was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture. The following day, Whitworth died in hospital from his injuries. In accordance with his wishes, which were to be buried close to the scene of any fatal accident he might have, he was buried in the local cemetery in

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

World Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)

References

External links

David Whitworth on MotoGP.com

M David Whitworth results at the Isle of Man TT database

David Whitworth at MotorsportMemorial.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitworth, David 1904 births 1950 deaths English motorcycle racers Motorcycle racers who died while racing 500cc World Championship riders 350cc World Championship riders Sport deaths in Belgium Isle of Man TT riders 20th-century English sportsmen