Raymond Amm was a Southern Rhodesian road racer. In 1950, aged 22, he won the prestidgious Port Elizabeth 200 Motorcycle Race on a 500cc Norton. It was no fluke - he went back and won it again the following year.
Amm ordered two Norton Manx motorcycles, a 500cc and a 350cc,.and made the trip to Europe for the Isle of Man TT round of the 1951 FIM Grand Prix season, finishing 9th in the Junior TT and 28th in the Senior TT.
On the island he crashed in the Junior TT but reached the podium in the Senior race, coming 3rd. At the following round, the Dutch TT, Ray became a full member of the Norton team,an came 2nd to Geoff Duke on his 350cc machine. He did finally finally reach the top step with a win at Imola in the 350cc class.
With his career on the ascendency, Amm raced the works Nortons in the 1953 IoM TT and won both races. Geoff Duke, who placed second in the Senior TT, commented, “After I had caught and passed Ray Amm on the Norton, he passed me at Ballaugh when I missed a gearchange! Then there was the frightening experience of following him to the end of the lap, Ray could be pretty lurid when he was trying!”
Despite five podium finishes in the first six races, Ray’s championship ambitions were curtailed by a crash at the French round at Rouen that broke his collar-bone.
Now a top contender for the championship, in 1954 Ray retired while in the lead in the Junior TT. The weather was poor for the Senior race and particularly bad on the mountain. Geoff Duke was leading but came in to refuel, handing the lead to Amm. With visibility down to 20 yeards a Windy Corner, the race was stopped and Ray declared the winner. As a runner-up in both the 250cc and 500cc class, the 1955 titles were certainly within reach.
In 1955, Ray moved to the MV Agusta factory team. It must have been with high hopes that he started the Italian race at Imola on this day in 1955, but he lost control of the four-cyclinder 350cc bike at Rivazza in slippery conditions and crashed heavily. Ray Amm, aged just 27, died of his injuties on the way to hospital.
