Ralph Bryans [SEP] country of citizenship
Ralph Bryans
Ralph Bryans (7 March 1941 – 6 August 2014) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Northern Ireland. Bryans was Ireland’s only Grand Prix world champion, winning the 50 cc title in 1965.
Racing career.
Bryans started road-riding on a BSA Bantam when working as a sixteen-year-old apprentice fitter. He entered his first race, the 1959 Tandragee 100, on a borrowed Ambassador 199 cc. For the 1960 season, he fitted a Triumph Terrier 150
on the classes in which he was not yet a world champion, the 250 and 500 cc, and Ralph Bryans rode his six-cylinder Honda. Bryans led for five laps, but was passed by Agostini, who quickly established a lead. Now that the title had been decided in favour of Honda, the 350 cc race at Monza was more for the Italian honour for Agostini and Renzo Pasolini (Benelli). They fought a hard fight, but for second place as Ralph Bryans was already way out in front on