Cycling to pacing
George Barnes started cycle racing at the age of 15. In 1899 Barnes, aged 16, attempted a motor paced attack on the Brighton and back record run with Fred Chase as his motor pacer. Chase was to be one of Barnesí major motorcycle opponents later on in his career.
Barnes started cycle racing proper in 1901. He showed great promise in these early days, winning four out of five races over Easter. With his tandem partner William Boyington they broke several tandem records, finishing second in the tandem championship at the end of 1901. The record breaking continued in 1902 when Barnes broke the amateur hour record at 32 miles and set new times for distances from one to 50 miles.
Barnes started using motorcycles for pacing purposes from 1902, both cycling behind and riding the pacer. In May 1902 he paced H S Chambers to victory in the Anerley handicap. Barnes continued to partake in motor pacing through 1902 and into 1903.
Pacing to motorcycle racing
By mid-1903 Barnes had completed his transition from racing cyclist to motorcyclist, the transition spread over more than a year, during which he participated in both disciplines. His first motor race was at Crystal Palace on May 23, 1902, and his last pedal powered race was probably the polytechnic event of May 1903. In June 1903, motor pacing for cycling was stopped and so the decision was made for Barnes to move over to motor racing.
In early 1902 Barnes bought a Mitchell motorcycle for the purpose of racing…
“I bought a motor during this season for pacing purposes, and in experimenting with it against the watch, I found that I could equal the then standing records held by the American, Rodgers, and a little more practice confirmed my opinion.”
By May, Barnes had started racing and achieved a record on his first public ride, the Five Miles Standing Start in 8m 37 2/5 secs, beating Rodgers record by 30 seconds. And so his motorcycle record breaking began.
Hour record
Riding a BAT motorcycle, Barnes took the hour record at Canning Town on Wednesday, May 13, 1903, covering 48 miles 1395 yards and it took another two years for Charlie Collier to break the 50 mile target. Barnes recovered his record in 1906.
Bristol accident
On Saturday May 23, 1903, Barnes was involved in a terrible accident at the Post Office Sports at the County Ground in Bristol. Several factors contributed to the tragic outcome. The track was not meant for the speeds that these machines were capable of and Barnes was riding the BAT on which he’d broken the record and the Bristol banking was 4ft. 6in, as opposed to Canning Town’s 9ft 6in. Barnesí opponent Bailey had gone high up the banking and so Barnes had to go higher in order to pass. At the crucial moment, Bailey looked behind, causing his machine to move unexpectedly and Barnes collided with him. The two machines and their riders entered the crowd and 11 spectators were injured, four seriously, and two boys were killed and a third child died a week later from his injuries. The five mile motor race was the first and last to be run on this track.
Wall of Death Stage Act
In October 1906 reports came in of Barnes having a new act. It consisted of two tracks on which two pacing pairs would race against each other. The act travelled to Paris and Madrid before an accident caused problems and records of the act stop thereafter.
Racing in France
On August 16, 1906, Barnes made his Parisian debut at Velodrome díHiver against Italian crack Guiponne. By the final lap of the race Barnes had managed to catch up with Guiponne and on the last banking his tyre burst. In this dramatic crash Barnes was sent bouncing round the velodrome and executed what Barnes described as “an unavoidable twist on my helmet at the finish in true acrobatic style.” Barnes managed to get to his feet and run to his machine to turn it off, to the crowds' delight. This fall not only made him very popular with the French but also earned him the nickname of ‘The English Cannonball’ (Le Boulet Canon Anglais). Barnes continued to race in Paris for nearly two years after this dramatic debut.
Flying
In 1909 Barnes built and flew a monoplane in order to try and win the £1000 prize offered by The Daily Mail, for the flight of a circular mile in an all-British made machine. Unfortunately he was not successful.
Death
On February 1, 1919, George A. Barnes died from Spanish influenza at the age of 35. During his short life, Barnes had achieved a huge amount in a multitude of fields. It was fortunate that he lived during such an exciting time where new inventions were pushing the boundaries of transportation and speed. Starting with the safety bicycle, going through the birth of the motorcycle and onto aviation, Barnes lived this transition to the peak of his ability as an engineer and rider come pilot. He left behind a legacy that had almost been lost in time until David Snow (david.snow@orbit-uk.co.uk) wrote his biography “From Motorcycles to Monoplanes: The Story of George Barnes, an Edwardian Record Breaker, Sportsman and Entertainer,” which I urge you to read if you want to know more about this true legend.