George Dance - A 1922 Brooklands BMCRC Bronze Roundel,

Footnotes

Riding his works overhead-valve Sunbeam on 8th April 1922, Dance became the first person to lap Brooklands at over 80mph on a 350, raising the record from 74.5mph (set by AJS's Howard R Davies) to 80.51mph. Having won the 350cc Solo 3 Lap Handicap race he went on to win the 350cc Solo 3 Lap Scratch Race, and then entered the same 350 machine in the 500 Scratch Race, leading Douglas-mounted Cyril Pullin for the first two laps, Pullin's average speed (78.9mph) being exactly the same as Dance's in the 350 Scratch. In a thrilling struggle he finished 2nd to Pullin, being beaten by only a matter of yards.

Like many motorcycle racers of his generation, George Dance was a consummate all-rounder but is best remembered for his countless successes in sprints and hill climbs. He started work at Sunbeam as a mechanic just before the First World War and made his first competitive appearance at a hill climb in Wolverhampton. Signs of his talent did not take long to emerge, and in 1915 at the Style Cop hill climb he bagged a hat-ful of awards on a new Sunbeam 4hp single. In his definitive work on the marque, The Sunbeam Motorcycle, Bonhams' specialist Bob Cordon Champ has this to say about Dance: "George Dance was, simply, a wizard with a sprint motorcycle. Competing in most types of event, he failed to reach the top in the others but his appearance at a hill climb... was enough to cause a pall of gloom to descend upon the paddock". Dance was virtually unbeatable, and as a development engineer at Sunbeam he created the famous 'Sprint' models.

Although a sprint and hill climb specialist, Dance was no slouch either at Brooklands or the Isle of Man TT. On the occasion of his first visit to the Island in 1920 he lapped at record pace before being sidelined by a broken valve on lap three. At the 1921 TT he crashed on lap four while leading, and completed the race with the bike stuck in top gear to finish 8th. It was the only TT Replica he would win, every other outing up to and including his last in 1926 resulting in a 'DNF'. He is also famous for inventing the 'George Dance Knee Grips', developed to enable the rider to cling to his machine while travelling at speed on unmade roads, which were first produced by John Bull in 1923 and are still available today.

As with all Lots in the Sale, this Lot is sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness, and originality prior to bidding.