Alan Shepherd

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Alan Shepherd
NationalityBritish
Born(1935-09-28)28 September 1935
Keswick, Cumbria
Died16 July 2007(2007-07-16) (aged 71)
Kendal, Cumbria
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years19591964
First race1959 350cc Isle of Man TT
Last race1964 250cc Nations Grand Prix
First win1962 500cc Finnish Grand Prix
Last win1964 250cc United States Grand Prix
Team(s)MZ
Championships0
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
35 2 20 N/A 3 141

Alan Shepherd (28 September 1935 – 16 July 2007) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best seasons were in 1962 and 1963, when he rode a Matchless to finish in second place in the 500cc world championship, both times to Mike Hailwood.[1] Shepherd was a three-time winner of the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland and finished on the podium twice at the Isle of Man TT.[2]

Motorcycle racing career[edit]

MZ 250 cc GP as ridden by Shepherd

Shepherd was born in Keswick, Cumbria.[3] His family moved to Cartmel at the outbreak of World War II.[3] His first motorcycle was a Royal Enfield Bullet earned from a job doing a milk round with his father.[3] He later moved to Bradford where he served as an apprentice cabinet maker.[3] Shepherd was a member of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team during his National Service.[3]

In 1956, Shepherd was persuaded to compete in the Isle of Man TT.[3] He rode his own motorcycle to the dock in Liverpool and took the ferry to the Isle where, he finished in an impressive third place in the Clubmans Junior TT at the 1956 Isle of Man TT.[4] Shepherd won the 1958 Junior Manx Grand Prix riding an AJS.[5] He scored a double victory at the 1962 North West 200 when he claimed first place results in the 350cc and 500cc classes.[6]

Shepherd's greatest success came when he joined the East German MZ factory racing team led by their lead Development Engineer Walter Kaaden, known for his groundbreaking work in two stroke engine technology.[3][7] Although MZ provided him with a motorcycle, the impoverished factory struggled to provide much support and, he competed while functioning as his own mechanic. Despite competing on a limited budget, Shepherd managed to finish the 1964 250cc world championship season in third place behind the powerful Yamaha and Honda teams represented by Phil Read and Jim Redman.[1]

In 1964 when a resident of Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire, England, he was allowed to keep his MZ 125 cc single cylinder and MZ 250 cc twin cylinder machines as part of his earnings due to currency difficulties with East Germany. He offered these two MZ for sale through Motor Cycle, a UK weekly magazine.[8]

Shepherd retired in 1965 after recovering from a head injury suffered in late 1964 when testing a works Honda in preparation for the 1964 Japanese Grand Prix. He told Motor Cycle's David Dixon in June 1965 that – whilst he felt fully recovered – he no longer had the confidence to be a top-runner, and would not ride Hondas unless he could give the best possible performance.[9]

He died peacefully at Summerhill Nursing Home, Kendal, Cumbria in July 2007, with a funeral service at Cartmel Priory followed by cremation at Lancaster.[10]

Motorcycle Grand Prix results[edit]

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 11 12 Points Rank Wins
1959 350cc AJS FRA
-
IOM
NC
GER
-
NED
-
BEL
-
SWE
-
ULS
-
NAT
-
0 - 0
500cc Matchless FRA
-
IOM
7
GER NED BEL SWE ULS NAT
0 - 0
1960 350cc AJS FRA
-
IOM
7
NED
-
BEL
-
GER
-
ULS
-
NAT
-
0 - 0
500cc Matchless FRA
-
IOM
NC
NED
-
BEL
-
GER
-
ULS
3
NAT
-
4 10th 0
1961 125cc MZ ESP
-
GER
2
FRA
-
IOM
NC
NED
3
BEL
5
DDR
-
ULS
-
NAT
-
SWE
-
ARG
-
12 7th 0
250cc MZ ESP
-
GER
5
FRA
-
IOM
NC
NED
-
BEL
-
DDR
5
ULS
5
NAT
-
SWE
-
ARG
-
6 10th 0
350cc Bianchi GER
-
IOM
-
NED
-
DDR
-
ULS
5
NAT
4
SWE
-
5 10th 0
1962 125cc MZ ESP
-
FRA
-
IOM
-
NED
-
BEL
-
GER
-
ULS
-
DDR
-
NAT
-
FIN
3
ARG
-
4 13th 0
350cc MZ IOM
NC
NED
-
ULS
4
DDR
-
NAT
-
FIN
3
7 6th 0
500cc Matchless IOM
NC
NED
4
BEL
2
ULS
2
DDR
2
NAT
-
FIN
1
ARG
-
29 2nd 1
1963 125cc MZ ESP
-
GER
6
FRA
-
IOM
-
NED
-
BEL
-
ULS
-
DDR
2
FIN
3
NAT
-
ARG
-
JPN
-
11 8th 0
250cc MZ ESP
-
GER
5
IOM
NC
NED
-
BEL
-
ULS
-
DDR
2
NAT
4
ARG
-
JPN
-
11 6th 0
350cc MZ GER
-
IOM
35
NED
-
BEL
-
ULS
-
DDR
-
FIN
-
NAT
2
JPN
-
6 6th 0
500cc Matchless IOM
NC
NED
3
BEL
3
ULS
4
DDR
3
FIN
2
NAT
-
ARG
-
21 2nd 0
1964 250cc MZ USA
1
ESP
-
FRA
-
IOM
2
NED
-
BEL
3
GER
-
DDR
-
ULS
4
NAT
5
JPN
-
23 3rd 1
350cc MZ IOM
NC
NED
-
GER
-
DDR
-
ULS
-
FIN
4
NAT
-
JPN
-
3 13th 0

[1][2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Alan Shepherd profile". motogp.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Alan Shepherd Isle of Man TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Shepherd (1935-2007)". findagrave.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  4. ^ "1956 Clubmans Junior TT results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  5. ^ "1958 Junior Manx Grand Prix results". iomtt.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  6. ^ "1960s North West 200 results". northwest200.org. Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  7. ^ Halcyon days: MZ a potted history Alan Turner, Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, No. 577 October 2008, pp114-118
  8. ^ Motor Cycle 24 September 1964, p.593 Racing Line by David Dixon. "Who wants to buy an MZ? Alan's address is Appledene, Lindale, Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire". Accessed 24 November 2014
  9. ^ Motor Cycle 3 June 1965, p.742 Racing Line by David Dixon. "Alan Shepherd Quits". Accessed 7 April 2014
  10. ^ Obituary archive, originally from Westmorland Gazette Archived 7 April 2014 at archive.today, July 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2014