Quick Facts
Biography
Beryl Swain (born Beryl J Tolman, 22 January 1936 – 15 May 2007) was a female motorcycle road racer from the London area. She married Edwin Swain, a motorcycle shop owner, in 1958.
She was noted for being the first solo woman to compete in a TT race on the perilous Isle of Man TT course, a rare occurrence to this day on one of the world's most famous closed public road races. This upset led the male-dominated world of motorcycle racing to revoke her international licence via the introduction of a minimum weight limit which she could not meet, due to the perception of the sport being too dangerous for women, and the resulting ban on female entrants persisted until Hilary Musson competed in 1978.
She finished 22nd on a 50 cc Itom after two laps of the Mountain circuit in the 1962 Race. Her average speed was 48.3 mph after her bike lost top gear on the second lap. This was the first time a 50 cc event had been included in the Island's programme as from 1962 the class carried World Championship points.
After her racing career was cut short, Swain, who was previously an office worker, embarked on a retail career with Sainsbury's grocery supermarkets around the London area.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 50cc | Itom | ESP | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | GER | DDR | NAT | FIN | ARG | 0 | — |
Sources
