Malcolm_Uphill

Malcolm Uphill

Malcolm Uphill

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Malcolm Ernest Uphill (15 April 1935 – 15 August 1999)[1] was a Welsh professional motorcycle racer. He competed in British national-level short-circuit and in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.[2] Uphill was the first competitor in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races to achieve a 100 mph average lap speed on a production motorcycle.[3][4]

Quick Facts Nationality, Motorcycle racing career statistics ...

Motorcycle racing career

A native of Caerphilly, Wales, Uphill later lived at Heol, Trecastle and was educated at Twyn Secondary Modern School. Apprenticed at the Rhymney former railway works near Caerphilly, he worked as a fitter/turner/erector for British Rail.[3][5] In 1965, Uphill achieved a double win in the 350 cc 'Junior' and 500 cc 'Senior' races at the Manx Grand Prix.[6] His best season in world championship competition was in 1968 when he finished in ninth place in the 250cc world championship.[2]

In 1969, he teamed with Percy Tait to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race for production (road-based) machines and at the 1969 Isle of Man TT, Uphill won the 750 Production class on a Triumph Bonneville with a 100 mph lap, which prompted renaming of the Dunlop K81 motorcycle tyre as the TT100.[3][7][8][6] He also won the 750 Production class at the 1970 North West 200 held in Northern Ireland followed by the 1970 TT 750 production class on a Triumph Trident.[6][9]

Uphill died aged 64 in 1999 of asbestosis.[3] In 2011 a pub named The Malcolm Uphill was opened by Wetherspoons in Caerphilly town centre,[10] and in 2013, following local fundraising, a bronze plaque dedicated to Uphill's memory was installed on a wall close to the pub location at Station Terrace.[11]

  • The Malcolm Uphill pub, opened in 2011 on the corner of Cardiff Road and Clive Street in the centre of Caerphilly
  • Commemorative plaque installed into a wall during 2013 at Station Terrace, Caerphilly

References

  1. [1]
    "England and Wales deaths". genesreunited.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  2. [2]
    "Rider Statistics - Malcolm Uphill". MotoGP.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  3. [3]
    "The Malcolm Uphill, Caerphilly". historypoints.org. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  4. [4]
    "Triumph's Return to Isle of Man". webbikeworld.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  5. [5]
    "Malcolm Uphill Profile". iomtt.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  6. [6]
    "Malcolm Uphill Isle of Man TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  7. [7]
    Motorcycle Mechanics, June 1973, Dunlop full page advert, p.6 Every time they race you win. "Tyres like the K70, Ribbed and the fabulous K81, re-named the TT100 after lapping the TT course at over 100 mph on a production machine". Accessed 23 March 2015
  8. [8]
    Dunlop tyres K81 TT100 Retrieved 1 March 2015
  9. [9]
    "North West 200 Results - 1970s". northwest200.org. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  10. [10]
    Caerphilly Observer, 10 October 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2015
  11. [11]
    Motorcycle hero Malcolm Uphill honoured with plaque Caerphilly Observer, 20 September 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2015
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