Beryl Swain
| Beryl Swain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Beryl Swain aboard her 1962 TT race entry 50 cc Itom motorcycle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 January 1936 Walthamstow, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 15 May 2007 (aged 71) Epping, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Beryl Swain (born Beryl J Tolman, 22 January 1936 – 15 May 2007)[1] was a female motorcycle road racer from the London area. She married Edwin Swain, a motorcycle shop owner,[2] in 1958.[3]
She was noted for being the first solo woman to compete in a TT race on the perilous Isle of Man TT course,[4] a rare occurrence to this day on one of the world's most famous closed public road races. This upset led the male-dominated world of motorcycle racing to revoke her international licence via the introduction of a minimum weight limit which she could not meet, due to the perception of the sport being too dangerous for women, and the resulting ban on female entrants persisted until Hilary Musson competed in 1978.[5][6]
She finished 22nd on a 50 cc Itom after two laps of the Mountain circuit in the 1962 Race. Her average speed was 48.3 mph after her bike lost top gear on the second lap.[7] This was the first time a 50 cc event had been included in the Island's programme as from 1962 the class carried World Championship points.[8][9][10]
After her racing career was cut short, Swain, who was previously an office worker, embarked on a retail career with Sainsbury's grocery supermarkets around the London area.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results[]
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 50cc | Itom | ESP | FRA | IOM 22 |
0 | — |
Sources[]
- ^ England and Wales births www.genesreunited.co.uk, Retrieved 2015-01-18
- ^ Girl Racer 1962 www.britishpathe.com, Retrieved 2021-03-10
- ^ England and Wales marriages www.genesreunited.co.uk, Retrieved 2015-01-18
- ^ Beryl Swain The first woman solo motorcyclist to finish in a TT race www.thetimes.co.uk, Retrieved 2021-03-10
- ^ Goddess of the Gas Pedals BBC Isle of Man, 13 November 2014 Retrieved 2015-01-18
- ^ Female Rider Profiles on the Isle of Man TT Website - Hilary Musson www.ttwebsite.com, Retrieved 2021-03-10
- ^ Stealing Speed by Mat Oxley, p.179
- ^ IoM TT Database 1962 www.iomtt.com Retrieved 2015-01-18
- ^ Isle of Man celebrates 100 years of TT magic - Bike Trader UK - News and Reviews Hub www.autotrader.co.uk
- ^ History: The TT Goddess of the gas pedals - by the Isle of Man BBC. www.classic50racingclub.co.uk, Retrieved 2021-03-10
External links[]
- Girl Racer - Beryl Swain at British Pathé
- Times Obituary - Swain, Beryl (non-public access, transcript of content can be found here)
- History of women in the TT
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- 1936 births
- 2007 deaths
- People from Walthamstow
- English sportswomen
- English motorcycle racers
- Isle of Man TT riders
- Female motorcycle racers
- English motorcycle racing biography stubs