Leslie Graham, a racer, a mechanic, a man among men, is killed at the 1953 Isle of Man aboard an MV Augusta.
Leslie Graham started racing in the dirt at Liverpool's old Stanley Speedway and in the mud at Stropshire's Park Hall Oswestry circuit, riding used Dot-JAP bikes in 1929. By 1936 he scraped enough money together to buy a 250cc OHC OK-Supreme with a burnt valve. He rebuilt it, and entered it in the Ulster Grand Prix. After completing a lap of the Clady Circuit, the lower-end seized. He rebuilt and entered the 1937 North West 200, after 8 laps it sucked a valve. He rebuilt the motor once again, this time for a race at Donington and, lo-and-behold, he won. After the victory he was approached by John Humphries (the son of OK-Supreme's founder) and was offered a job building OK's OHC motors.
In summer of 1938 on an OHC OK-Supreme he entered the South Eastern Championship on Layhams Farm (Croydon) "mountain mile" grass track. Les took home the 20 lap Matchless Trophy as he set the track record. He left OK-Supreme after a dispute and entered the Isle of Man TT riding a Rudge powered Chris Tattersall of St. Annes (CTS), and was running fourth on the second last lap, when he spun a bearing. Heavy sigh.
After the war Les Graham returned to racing as a member of the AJS factory racing team and riding an AJS Porcupine won the first Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championship in 1949, in the prestigious 500cc class. The Championship began with Graham leading by 90 seconds in the 1st round, at the 1949 Isle of Man TT. With only a few miles to go, the magneto drive sheared and he pushed home to finish 9th. He won round 2 at Bremgarten in Switzerland. Round 3 was the Dutch TT where he finished 2nd to Nello Pagani. He failed to finish in round 4 at Spa in Belgium. Round 5 was the Ulster Grand Prix in which he would win and collect the fastest lap. The final round was held at Monza in Italy where local hero Nello Pagani on a Gilera won. A rider's best three finishes counted. Les had two wins and a second, Pagani had two wins and a third. Les Graham took the title even though the Italian's overall score was higher.
Graham rode an MV Agusta to their first ever 500cc win, plus the fastest lap, in front of a crazy Italian crowd at Monza in 1952. This was followed by a second win in Spain. He finished the season second to Gilera's Umberto Masetti in the championship.
Finally, in 1953, Graham would win an Isle of Man TT, winning the Lightweight 125cc class for MV. Tragically, in the Senior TT, he lost control of his bike at high speed, as he took the rise after the bottom of Bray Hill, and was killed instantly. Carlo Bandirola and the rest of the MV racing team withdrew from the Championship that year as a mark of respect.
Robert Leslie Graham served as a pilot in the RAF during World War II. He was assigned to the 166 Squadron from 1940-1946, flying Lancaster bombers over Germany. He attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1944 for bravery.
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