Tom Phillis
Tom Phillis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Sydney, Australia | 9 April 1934||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 6 June 1962 Isle of Man | (aged 28)||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Edward Phillis (9 April 1934 – 6 June 1962) was an
Personal and early life
Phillis was born in
Known as Ted to his family,[1] in 1954 Phillis married Betty and they went on to have two children, Debra Ann and Thomas Braddan.[5] Phillis was well-liked, modest and known for his dry sense of humour.[3] He also developed a reputation for poor timekeeping, and having arrived late for the German GP in 1958, and being told that he would not be allowed to practice, shrugged his shoulders and said "Well, I'd better set off for next week's Swedish GP to get there on time."[1]
Career
1953–1957: Early years
With support from his father, Phillis began motorcycle racing, riding a
1958–1962: International career
In 1958, Phillis and his wife sold everything and came to Europe,[3] where they bought new 350cc and 500cc Manx Nortons.[1] Phillis was lauded as "Star of the Day" at his first appearance at Thruxton, where he won the 500cc Senior event after a race-long battle with Derek Powell and set a new 500cc lap record. He also won the 350cc Junior event.[8] He repeated this "double" shortly afterwards at the International Västkustloppet road race on the Falkenberg circuit near Skrea in Sweden,[9] establishing himself as one of the top privateers in Europe.[3]
In 1959, he was chosen by the Auto Cycle Council of Australia as their "most promising rider", and given a grant to take part in the 1959 Isle of Man TT although he was omitted from the official Australian team for the event.[10] He was fifth in the 350cc Formula 1 TT, and retired from the Junior TT on the last lap with a broken con-rod while positioned at eleventh place.[11] He was seventh at the end of the first lap of the Senior TT, but struggled with torrential rain and high winds and eventually finished sixteenth.[12]
In 1960, he became the first non-Japanese rider to be signed on by the
He began 1961 with equal prowess, when at the Victorian Grand Prix event at
Death
He died while competing in the 1962 Isle of Man TT, crashing on the second lap of the 350 cc Junior TT at Laurel Bank.[23] He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at the TT race course startline.[24] The defending 500 cc world champion, Gary Hocking, was so affected by the death of his friend that he immediately retired from competitive motorcycling.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results[25]
Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Points | Rank | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1958 | 350cc | Norton | IOM 32 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | - | 0 | ||||
500cc | Norton | IOM 18 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | - | 0 | |||||
1959 | 350cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM NC |
GER - |
SWE - |
ULS 5 |
NAT - |
2 | 13th | 0 | |||||
500cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM 16 |
GER - |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | - | 0 | |||||
1960 | 125cc | Honda | IOM 10 |
NED - |
BEL - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | - | 0 | ||||||
250cc | Honda | IOM NC |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS 2 |
NAT - |
6 | 6th | 0 | ||||||
350cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM NC |
NED - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
0 | - | 0 | |||||||
500cc | Norton | FRA - |
IOM 4 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS 6 |
NAT - |
4 | 11th | 0 | |||||
1961 | 125cc | Honda | ESP 1 |
GER NC |
FRA 1 |
IOM 3 |
NED 1 |
BEL 2 |
DDR 2 |
ULS 3 |
NAT 4 |
SWE 6 |
ARG 1 |
44 | 1st
|
4 |
250cc | Honda | ESP 2 |
GER NC |
FRA 1 |
IOM 2 |
NED NC |
BEL 2 |
DDR 4 |
ULS 4 |
NAT 3 |
SWE 6 |
ARG 1 |
38 | 2nd | 2 | |
350cc | Norton | GER - |
IOM NC |
NED 1 |
DDR 1 |
ULS 1 |
NAT 1 |
SWE - |
0 | - | 0 | |||||
500cc | Norton | GER - |
FRA - |
IOM 3 |
NED - |
BEL - |
DDR - |
ULS - |
NAT - |
SWE - |
ARG - |
4 | 12th | 0 | ||
1962 | 50cc | Honda | ESP 8 |
FRA - |
IOM - |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
ARG - |
0 | - | 0 |
125cc | Honda | ESP - |
FRA - |
IOM 3 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
ARG - |
4 | 13th | 0 | |
250cc | Honda | ESP 3 |
FRA 3 |
IOM 3 |
NED - |
BEL - |
GER - |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
ARG - |
12 | 4th | 0 | |
350cc | Honda | IOM NC |
NED - |
ULS - |
DDR - |
NAT - |
FIN - |
0 | - | 0 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ainscoe, Raymond (May 2005). "Tom Phillis". Classic Racer (113). Horncastle: Mortons Motorcycle Media: 18–23.
- ^ "Australian Wins Motor-cycle Title". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 30 October 1961. p. 14. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ ISBN 1903135036.
- ^ a b c d Woollett, Mick (19 July 1961). "The 'Retiring ' Aussie". Motor Cycle News. Peterborough: Motorcycle News Ltd. p. 12.
- ^ a b c "Tom Phillis". Motor Cycling (2718). London: Temple Press Ltd: 9. 13 June 1962.
- ^ "First 100 races, 3 October 1953 – 3 May 1959". Tom Phillis website. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Motor Cycling". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 22 November 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "Solos only at Thruxton". Motor Cycling. 97 (2508). London: Temple Press Ltd: 697. 10 April 1958.
- ^ "Tom Phillis wins in Sweden". Motor Cycling. 98 (2521). London: Temple Press Ltd: 354. 10 July 1958.
- ^ Sharpe, Norman. "Sports Gossip". Motor Cycling. 99 (2563). London: Temple Press Ltd: 839.
- ^ "Surtees All The Way". Motor Cycling. 100 (2568). London: Temple Press Ltd: 130, 139. 4 June 1959.
- ^ "Storm lashed Senior TT". The Motor Cycle. 102 (2930). London: Iliffe & Sons Ltd: 770–779. 11 June 1959.
- ^ Sharpe, Norman (17 March 1960). "Sports Gossip". Motor Cycling. 101 (2601). London: Temple Press Ltd: 604.
- ^ "The 250 c.c. T.T.". Motor Cycling. 102 (2614). London: Temple Press Ltd: 233–242. 16 June 1960.
- ^ "Over-the-ton TT". Motor Cycling. 102 (2615). London: Temple Press Ltd: 249–257.
- ^ Sharpe, Norman (30 June 1960). "Sports Gossip". Motor Cycling. 102 (2616). London: Temple Press Ltd: 304.
- ^ "Local ace beats commonwealth challenge". Motor Cycling. 102 (2621). London: Temple Press Ltd: 443.
- ^ "Dramatic Dundrod". The Motor Cycle. 105 (2983). London: Iliffe & Sons Ltd: 176–178. 11 August 1960.
- ^ "Sports Gossip – Honda Handicaps". Motor Cycling. 102 (2624). London: Temple Press Ltd: 532–533. 25 August 1960.
- ^ "Tom Phillis "Treble"". Motor Cycling. 102 (2626). London: Temple Press Ltd: 612. 8 September 1960.
- ^ "Phillis Fireworks". The Motor Cycle. 106 (3005). London: Iliffe & Sons Ltd: 55. 12 January 1961.
- ^ Tom Phillis career statistics at MotoGP.com
- ^ "Tom Phillis". Motor Cycle. 108 (3079). London: Iliffe Publications Ltd: 792. 14 June 1962.
- ^ Tom Phillis career profile at Motorsport Memorial
- ^ Tom Phillis at iomtt.com