Dan O’Donovan, far left. (In the sidecar is James Norton, who started it all)
Dan O’Donovan was the brother-in-law of Bob Shelley, one of the creditors instrumental in saving the fledgling Norton company when it was struggling in 1913.
Dan designed the company’s first production racer, the BS 490. The invention helped set multiple records in 1914, before the outbreak of World War I halted production and competition motorcycling.
Among those records was one set on this day when Dan, riding a the 490cc Norton, broke the flying 5 mile record at 75.88 mph (122.12 kph), and the standing start 10 mile record at 73.29 mph.