Frederick “Flying Freddie” Dixon, successful racer on two, three and four wheels, died in 1956. aged 64.
Dixon acquired his first motorcycle in 1909 and within a year was competing in speed and hill climb events. His first Isle of Man TT race was in 1912, when he was 19, on a Cleveland Precision motorcycle but the machine wasn’t up to the challenge.
After four years in the Army Service Corps during World War I, Freddie went into business for himself. During this time he gained many placings in the Isle of Man in various categories in 1921(2nd - Senior TT, Indian), 1923 (3rd - Senior TT, Douglas. 1st - Sidecar TT, Douglas), 1924 (3rd - Senior TT, Douglas), 1926 (4th - Junior TT, Douglas) and 1927 (6th - Senior TT, HRD & 1st - Junior TT, HRD)
Freddie at the 1921 TT
He was quite an expert at motorcycle and sidecar racing, culminating in first place in the 1923 Isle on Man TT with passenger Thomas Walter Denney on a Douglas fitted with his banking sidecar system and three-wheel disc brakes. His design leaned the sidecar following the motorcycle direction around the race circuit bends, and was operated by the passenger moving a large lever attached to the sidecar chassis, as was the sidecar brake.
Freddie’s victory in 1927 was on an HRD Machine as a factory rider, becoming the first man to win both a sidecar and solo race at the Isle of Man TT. He retired from motorcycle racing in 1928.
