Frederick William "Flying Freddie" Dixon dies in Reigate, Surrey.
In 1912, at 19, he rode in his first Isle of Man TT. Freddie Dixon had began forging a name for himself, as both a mechanic and rider years earlier, competing in speed and hill climb events in and around Stockton-on-Tees.
After spending four years in the Army Service Corps during WWI he started his own business, Park Garage on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough. It was there that he began designing a sidecar banking system. His work would pay off when Freddie and his passenger Thomas Denney won the 1923 Isle of Man TT riding a Douglas fitted with his banking system. His design raised or lowered the sidecar to suit the particular race circuit bends.
As a HRD factory rider, Dixon would win the 1927 TT becoming the first man to win both a sidecar and solo race at the Isle of Man. He retired from motorcycle racing in 1928.
1948 Douglas hired Freddie to help design on their newest project. Working with ex-Sunbeam designer Erling Poppe (Technical Director) and ex-Norton CS1 designer Walter Moore (Works Superintendent). The old Douglas motor was essentially a generator, designed to run for long periods at a steady speed but it didn't cope well with the varying engine speeds of motorcycle racing. It also had a tendency to shake sideways at low engine speeds which was due to the horizontally opposed engine. The team worked day and night for 5 1/2 months, when the garage doors finally opened the world was introduced to the 1949 Douglas Mark III. Using the design Douglas also produced a Mark III De Luxe, a Mark III Sports, and a rigid-framed motorcycle trials Mark III Competition.
In 1950, David Tye, won the Nevis Trophy and the Special First Class Award in the demanding Scottish Six Days Trial riding the Douglas Mark III Competition model.
The same year works rider Don Chapman, on the Mark III Sports, gave Douglas their only major successes in motorcycle racing by winning at the Silverstone Circuit.
Freddie Dixon was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been successful on two, three and four wheels. He was twice awarded the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) Gold Star.
