1947-2025
Well-known motorcycle racing historian Bill Snelling lost his long battle with illness in the second week of April, only a couple of days after his 78th birthday. Veteran Manx newspaper sports correspondent John Watterson reports on his sad demise.
Born and raised in Canterbury, Bill had a lifetime fascination with motorcycle sport on the Isle of Man, beginning as a 13-year-old when he first visited the TT with his father on a Vincent. Visits to the TT became an annual pilgrimage for him, and after arriving for the 1975 event, he ended up staying on the Island for the next 18 months, having found a job at the Lucas depot of EB Christian on North Quay in Douglas. A year back in the South of England followed, but the Isle of Man’s lure became too great.
Shortly after returning, he entered the 1978 Manx Grand Prix Newcomers race on a Seymour Velocette Metisse, finishing 12th out of 20 in poor conditions on the Mountain. He then took 53rd in the MGP Senior riding the same bike and 45th in his only other MGP appearance, in 1980 on a Ducati. He was always immensely proud of his finishers’ medals.
However, beyond his own racing exploits, Bill Snelling became widely regarded for his extraordinary output as a historical author. He wrote, co-wrote and published an impressive stream of books on TT and MGP racing heritage. These included the History of the Manx Grand Prix (1923-1998), Isle of Man TT: The Photographic History, and Aurora to Ariel – on the life of Manx racing pioneer J.Graham Oates. His final book, published in 2020, was a colourful autobiography.
Bill also became hailed as the custodian of approximately a quarter of a million digitised images of racing on the Island, a treasure trove of generally copyright-free material covering the TT, Manx Grand Prix, Southern 100 and other events, distributed under the banner of FoTTofinders BikeSport Photo Archives. Disseminated from the Snelling cottage in Laxey (on the Isle of Man, of course!), these have graced the pages of magazines and specialist publications all over the world, earning the praise of a long list of obsequiously grateful editors.
Bill Snelling’s knowledge of motorcycle sport’s many facets was second to none. He will be sorely missed, a loss to everyone who knew him – all of whom no doubt extend their heartfelt sympathy to Pat, his wife and partner of 30 years standing.