Eric Oliver

For other uses, see Eric Oliver (disambiguation).

Eric Oliver
Oliver at the Vintage Motor Cycle Club's Founder's Day rally, race meeting and parade gathering, 27 April 1969
NationalityBritish
Born(1911-04-13)13 April 1911
Died1 March 1980(1980-03-01) (aged 68)
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1949 - 1960
First race1949 Isle of Man TT
Last race1960 Isle of Man TT[1]
First win1949 Swiss Grand Prix
Last win1954 Belgian Grand Prix
Team(s)Norton, Velocette
Championships4 (1949, 1950, 1951, 1953)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
17 19 160 (162)
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested14 (1937 - 1960)
TT wins1
First TT win1954 Sidecar TT
Last TT win1954 Sidecar TT
TT podiums1

Eric Staines Oliver (13 April 1911 – 1 March 1980) was an English motorcycle racer best remembered as four-time Sidecar World Champion administered by the FIM, riding a Norton. His passenger in 1949 was Denis Jenkinson. He is also remembered for his innovation, being the first sidecar competitor to use a dustbin fairing, rear suspension and the first to adopt a semi-kneeling riding position.[2]

He was also an accomplished solo racer and continued to ride a 350 Grand Prix bike while racing a sidecar.

Oliver made a surprising appearance in the 1958 Isle of Man Sidecar TT race on a standard Norton Dominator 88 with a Watsonian "Monaco" road sidecar with Mrs Pat Wise in the sidecar, finishing tenth ahead of many specialised race machines. Oliver's last TT appearance was in the 1960 with passenger Stan Dibben but they had a bad crash in practice with Oliver breaking his back in two places and Dibben was nearly decapitated. Both men decided to retire from racing after this.[1]

Oliver later switched to car racing with a Lotus Elan[3] and on 1 January 1955 opened a motorcycle dealership in Staines,[4] later selling Reliant cars.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Competitor Profile: Eric Oliver". www.iomtt.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Eric Oliver". www.motopaedia.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. ^ Jenkinson, Denis (May 1965). "Journey to Sicily". Motor Sport.
  4. ^ "News - Eric Oliver-Dealer". Motor Cycling. 91 (2345). London: Temple Press Ltd: 318. 6 January 1955.
  5. ^ "Eric Oliver Reliant Sales and Service, 93-101 London Road, Staines". Motor Cyclist Illustrated: 54. May 1968.