Bill Lomas passed away

Two-time world champion Bill Lomas died on Tuesday August 14 at the age of 79 from a heart attack. Driver in the 1950s, Bill Lomas had won two consecutive world champion titles in the 350 cc class in 1955 and 1956.

Born March 8, 1928 in Scotland, Bill Lomas was one of the great figures of motorcycle sport. He has just left us at the age of 79, after being hospitalized on Sunday following a heart attack.

Double world champion on Moto Guzzi in the 350 cc category (1955 and 1956), Bill Lomas succeeded in particular Fergus Anderson, winner of the 350 cc world title in 1953 and 1954 on Moto Guzzi as well, as well as Geoff Duke, double champion of the category world in 1951 and 1952 on Norton.

The following year, it was the Australian Keith Campbell who won the world crown still on Moto Guzzi, followed in 1958, 1959 and 1960 by the British John Surtees (MV Agusta), before the heyday of the Rhodesian Jim Redman on Honda (quadruple world champion from 1962 to 1965) then of course from Giacomo Agostini (7 350 cc titles from 1968 to 1974 on MV Agusta then Yamaha).

Bill Lomas also distinguished himself on the Tourist Trophy by driving many different motorcycles (Royal Enfield, Velocette, AJS, MV Agusta, etc.) and by winning a double victory in 1955: first the Mountain Course on his single-cylinder Guzzi , on which he beats the lap record by imposing for the first time a "foreign" machine on the Isle of Man circuit in the Junior category, then the Clypse Course on the handlebars of his MV Agusta 250 cc.

The following year, Bill Lomas was to take the start of the Senior TT riding the famous Moto Guzzi V8 but it was not ready: he finally had to resume his single-cylinder version to finish fifth..

Finally 1957, when a serious racing accident in Imola forced him to withdraw from competition at the age of 29, he took part as a biker in Romolo Marcellini’s film Fidanzati della Morte (The fiances of death).

The entire Moto-Net team shares in the grief of his family and loved ones, especially his wife Kathy and his two sons Mike and Tim.

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