William Raymond Amm (10 December 1927 – 11 April 1955) was a

Rhodesian Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

professional

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle

road racer Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

. He competed in the FIM motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1951 to 1954. Amm was a six-time Grand Prix race winner including three victories at 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/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing ...

when, he died in 1955 after an accident during a race in Italy.

Biography

Born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally k ...

, Amm was a motorcycle dealer and managed a workshop in his hometown. He began racing when he was 17 years old. After the purchase of an AJS motorcycle shortly after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Amm started

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...

racing near Salisbury and finished last in his first race. The next season the AJS motorcycle was replaced with a Triumph motorcycle. The purchase of a brand new Norton motorcycle allowed Amm to enter the prestigious 1949

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, S ...

200 Motor-Cycle Race in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

and despite breaking the lap-record he finished in 17th place when the clutch started to slip. Again entering the 1950 Port Elizabeth 200, Amm finished in 1st place for the 500 cc race and set a new lap record of 95.86 mph. Another win followed in the 500 cc class for the 1951 Port Elizabeth 2000 Race despite suffering carburation problems. After these successes the Salisbury Motor-Cycle Club helped with his passage to compete in Europe.''TT Special'' Page 15. 12 June 1954 edited by G.S.Davison

Racing in Europe

After ordering two Norton Manx motorcycles before leaving Rhodesia for the

1951 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1951 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the third Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, F.I.M. Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five ...

, Amm discovered on arriving in Europe that they would not be delivered until the start of practice for the 1951 Isle of Man TT Races. To practice on short circuits before the Manx Nortons where delivered, a 'hack' 7R AJS motorcycle was purchased and Ray Amm won the 350 cc class at a Peveril M.C. & L.C.C. meeting in the Isle of Man. The two Manx Nortons arrived on the first day of practice for the 1951 Isle of Man TT Races. Despite trouble with a gear lever finished in 9th place for the 1951

Junior TT The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Engine c ...

Race at an average race speed of 81.59 mph. After a 20-minute delay, Amm finished in 28th place for the 1951

Senior TT The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the Blue Riband event of the festi ...

Race at an average race speed of 75.42 mph. For the 1952 Isle of Man TT Race, Amm crashed at Braddan Bridge on lap 3 of the Junior Race. This was followed by a 3rd place in the 1952 Senior TT Race at an average race speed of 92.40 mph, a race that was won by

Reg Armstrong Reginald Armstrong (1 September 1928 – November 1979) was an Irish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was born in Dublin, grew up in Dublin and raced for the AJS, Velocette, Norton, NSU, and Gilera factory racing teams. He th ...

for Norton.

Norton Team 1952-1954

For the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh ...

Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champi ...

, Amm was a full member of the Norton team and was second to

Geoff Duke Geoffrey Ernest Duke (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015) was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. Born in St. Helens, Lancashire, after retirement from competition he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man. He r ...

in the 350cc Dutch TT and retired from the 500 cc race. At the 1952

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

held at

Solitude Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without dist ...

, Amm crashed and broke a leg, returning later in the

1952 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1952 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the fourth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 18 ...

to win the 350 cc class for the 1952 Nations Grand Prix held at

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of M ...

in Italy. For the 1953 racing season, Amm debuted the controversial Norton Kneeler 350cc motorcycle at the 1953

North West 200 The International North West 200 is a Northern Irish motorsport event established in 1929 for road racing motorcycles held on a street circuit known as ''the Triangle'' between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Causeway Coas ...

Race. Despite overheating problems the Norton Kneeler with the nickname the "''Amm Sandwich''" or "''Silver-Fish''", Amm finished in 9th place in the 350 cc class that was eventually won by Bob McIntyre at an average race speed of 86.86 mph. Despite testing the Norton Kneeler for practice for the

1953 Isle of Man TT The 1953 Isle of Man TT, Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw Ray Amm (Rhodesia) win both Senior and Junior TT races. Bob McIntyre (motorcycle racer), Bob McIntyre retired for his first TT, the Junior. Senior TT (500cc) Junior TT (350cc) Lightweigh ...

Races, Amm reverted to the non-streamlined Norton motorcycles due to handling problems with cross-winds on the Mountain Section of the course and also opposition by the TT Race Scrutineers. It proved a good choice as Amm won the 1953 Junior TT Race at an average race speed of 90.52 mph from

Ken Kavanagh Thomas Kenrick Kavanagh (12 December 1923 – 26 November 2019) was an Australian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racecar driver. In 1952, Kavanagh became the first Australian to win a motorcycle Grand Prix race when he won the 350cc Ul ...

in 2nd place and

Fergus Anderson Fergus Kenrick Anderson (9 February 1909 – 6 May 1956) was a British professional motorcycle racer. He was a two-time Grand Prix World Champion. His name appears on the Nazis' "most wanted" list drawn up prior to their intended invasion of Bri ...

in 3rd place. Another win in the 1953 Senior TT Race for Amm at an average race speed of 93.85 mph completed a prestigious Junior/Senior TT double win for the works Norton team. Following Amm during the 1953 Senior TT Race,

commented on Amm's distinctive riding style;- "After I had caught and passed Ray Amm on the Norton, he passed me at Ballugh when I missed a gearchange! Then there was the frightening experience of following him to the end of the lap, Ray could be pretty lurid when he was trying!" A fall at the 1953 French Grand Prix at

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

in the 350cc class broke a collar-bone and brought about a premature end to championship ambitions for Amm for the

1953 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1953 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the fifth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of nine Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 12 Jun ...

. However, Amm returned to the abortive Norton Kneeler project in November 1953 to set a number of world speed records at

Montlhéry Montlhéry () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris. History Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to Orléans. Under the Merovingians, it was owned by th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

raising the hour speed endurance record to a distance of 133.70 miles. Also at Montlhéry in November 1953, Amm shared a streamlined Norton Sidecar outfit with

Eric Oliver Eric Staines Oliver (13 April 1911 – 1 March 1980) was an English motorcycle racer best remembered as four-time Sidecar World Champion administered by the FIM, riding a Norton. His passenger in 1949 was Denis Jenkinson. He is also rememb ...

to set further speed records. Again riding for the works Norton in

1954 Isle of Man TT The 1954 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second race in the 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and proved highly controversial for TT Course and race changes. The 1954 Junior TT was the first race where the official race distance was ...

Races, despite leading the 1954 Junior TT a retirement on lap 5 for Amm, allowed Rod Coleman to become the first New Zealander to win a TT Race at an average race speed of 91.51 mph. The 1954 Senior TT race was delayed due to weather conditions and reduced visibility on the Mountain Section of the course. The race is held after a short delay and starts at mid-day. Despite the conditions,

riding the works

Gilera Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio. History In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was, at t ...

and led Amm riding for Norton by 14 seconds on lap 1. On the second lap, Duke lapped in 26 minutes and 23 seconds at an average speed of 86.97 mph and Amm lapped at an average speed of 86.49 to reduce the lead to just 2 seconds.Island Racer 2004 page 115 Further heavy rain and low cloud on the Mountain Section reduced speed further and on lap 2 and Amm used "feet-down" tactics on the slower corners. Then Duke decided to refuel on lap 3 and Amm in second place went straight through without stopping and now led Duke by 32 seconds. At the

Windy Corner Windy Corner may refer to * Windy Corner, Cuinchy, a road junction in the British line in WW1 which is now a cemetery *Windy Corner, Isle of Man, a named corner in the Isle of Man TT motorcycle racing course * Windy Corner, Jutland, a phase in the ...

on lap 4, the visibility was down to 20 yards and a decision was made to stop the race because of the conditions. This allowed Amm, due to refuel at the TT Grandstand on lap 4, to win the highly controversial 1954 Senior TT Race in 1 hour, 42 minutes and 46.8 seconds at an average race speed of 88.12 mph.

1954 Isle of Man Senior TT 500 cc final standings

Friday 18 June 1954 - 4 Laps (150.92 Miles) Mountain Course. The next event after the

Races was the

Ulster Grand Prix The Ulster Grand Prix is a motorcycle race that takes place on the Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first races took place in 1922 and in 1935 and 1948 the Fédération Internati ...

held at the

Dundrod Circuit Dundrod Circuit is a motorsport street circuit used for the RAC Tourist Trophy for sports cars between 1950 and 1955 and for the motorcycle Ulster Grand Prix from 1953 onwards. It is situated near the village of Dundrod in Lisburn, Northern I ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

. In an event that was much affected by rain, Amm won the 350 cc Ulster Grand Prix at an average race speed of 83.47 mph from

Jack Brett Jack Brett (17 June 1917 – 29 December 1982) was a British professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Brett was born in Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, Northern England. He competed in the Grand Prix world championships from 1949 ...

in 2nd place and Bob McIntyre in 3rd place. The 500 cc Ulster Grand Prix was reduced from 27 laps to 15 laps due to heavy rain and again the race was won by Amm at an average race speed of 83.87 mph, although later these result was excluded from the World Championship by the FIM. A further Grand Prix win in 1954 followed for Amm with another 350 cc victory at the German Grand Prix held at Solitudering. At the end of the

1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the sixth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of nine Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 30 M ...

Amm finished in 2nd place in both the 350 cc and 500 cc classifications behind world champions

and

1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season 500 cc Standings

1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season 350 cc Standings

Moving to MV Agusta Team 1955

Despite many offers Amm finally moved from the works Norton motorcycles to the factory

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

racing team. The debut race for Amm and MV Agusta was to be the 1955 Easter Monday race meeting at the

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola, is a motor racing circuit in the town of Imola, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, east of Bologna. It is one of the few major international circuits to run in an an ...

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical r ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Riding a 350cc four-cylinder MV Agusta in the Coppa d'Oro Shell Race, Amm lost control at the Rivazza Corner as he pursued Kavanagh and crashed in slippery conditions and died of his injuries on the way to hospital.

Race results

TT Race Victories

TT Career Summary

FIM Motor-Cycle Grand Prix Results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) † The 500 cc race was stopped by bad weather, and the FIM excluded the race from the World Championship. 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd

Sources

External links

TT database rider profile
iomtt.com
TT database TT results
iomtt.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Amm, Ray 1927 births 1955 deaths Sportspeople from Harare Rhodesian people of British descent White Rhodesian people Rhodesian motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders 350cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Motorcycle racers who died while racing Sport deaths in Italy