James Guthrie (23 May 1897 – 8 August 1937) was a Scottish motorcycle racer.
A motorcycle garage proprietor and professional motorcycle racer from Hawick Roxburghshire, Jimmie Guthrie was known as the “Flying Scotsman,” with a hard-charging motor-cycle racing style winning 14 European Continental Grand Prix in a three-year period 1934–1937 out of a total of 19 European Grand Prix victories .
While racing with the works Norton motorcycle team, Jimmie Guthrie won the 500cc FICM 500cc European motor-cycle championship for three consecutive years 1934–1937 and the 350cc category in 1937. During the 1930s, Jimmie Guthrie won the North West 200 races on three occasions and a further six wins at the Isle of Man TT races.
While leading on the last lap of the 1937 German Grand Prix, Jimmie Guthrie crashed avoiding a collision with another motorcycle competitor and died later in hospital from the injuries.
Biography
Guthrie was born in Hawick, Scotland.
War service
After a period as an apprentice engineer, Guthrie joined the local regiment, the 4th (The Border) Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers. The 4th Bn Kings Own Scottish Borders were part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division and while moving from Scotland to Gallipoli were involved in the Quintinshill rail crash near Gretna Green with the 1/7th Bn Royal Scots which resulted in the death of 210 officers and men from the 52nd Division. While serving with the 4th Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers, Guthrie saw service at Gallipoli and in Palestine. The 52nd (Lowland Division) also served in France in 1918 during the Second Battles of the Somme and Arras. During this time on the Western Front in France, Guthrie served as motorcycle dispatch rider.
Hawick & District MCC
After war service and returning to his native Hawick, Guthrie and his brother Archie joined the local Hawick Motor-Cycle Club. After participating in many local hill-climb and grass-track races, the Hawick MCC nominated Guthrie to race at the Isle of Man TT races for the 1923 season. Although Guthrie did not return to the Isle of Man TT Races until 1927, he competed at the Scottish Speed Championships at St Andrews and won the 1926 and 1927 championships.
Memorials
During the 1937 Isle of Man TT races he won the Junior TT but retired on lap 5 of the 1937 Senior TT race at The Cutting on the A18 Mountain Road section of the course. After his death in 1937 when competing in the 1937 German Grand Prix, a memorial funded by public subscriptions was erected on the TT course in 1939, at the place where he retired in his last race, previously known as The Cutting, called Guthrie's Memorial (Ordnance Survey Map SC 435 935 GB Grid) ever since. The inscription on the memorial reads as follows:
A further memorial was created on the Hohenstein-Ernstthal or Sachsenring course in 1949 at the site of the fatal accident and is called the "Guthrie Stone."
There is also a memorial stone and bronze bust of Guthrie in his native town's park.
Isle of Man TT race career
The 1923 Isle of Man TT was the first race on the Snaefell Mountain Course for Guthrie competing in the Junior Race that produced a first-time win for Stanley Woods. It was an inauspicious beginning for Guthrie, starting the 1923 Junior Race at number 38 riding a Matchless motorcycle and retiring at Kirk Michael on lap 1 with valve problems.
Returning to the TT after an absence 4 years, the 1927 races held contrasting fortunes for Guthrie. Starting the Junior race with number 36 riding a New Hudson motorcycle, Guthrie retired on lap 5 at Ballacraine with a broken petrol pipe. This was followed by a fine second place, 8 minutes and 17 seconds behind the winner Alec Bennett riding for the works Norton team in the Senior race, again on a New Hudson at number 18, despite being delayed at the TT Grandstand on lap 2 to tighten a loose footrest. Guthrie finished the race in 4 hours, and 4 minutes at an average race speed of 66.02 mph.
After lying in 6th place during 1928 Junior TT race Guthrie was 2½ minutes behind the leader Alec Bennett. During a refuelling stop at the TT Grandstand on lap 3, as Guthrie prepared to pull out, the engine backfired and set a fire to a petrol overspill and caused the Norton motorcycle to catch fire which led to his retirement. During the 1928 Senior TT race, Guthrie retired at Kirk Michael on lap 1 with an engine problem and the race was won by Charlie Dodson riding a Sunbeam at an average race speed of 62.98 mph. For the 1929 races, Guthrie was a non-starter for both the Junior and Senior Races after suffering injuries from a crash at Greeba Bridge during practice.