Georg Meier
| Georg Meier | |||||||||||
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Meier with his historic 1939 BMW twin-cylinder Grand Prix race machine
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| Nationality | German | ||||||||||
| Born | 9 November 1910 | ||||||||||
| Died | 19 February 1999 (aged 88) | ||||||||||
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Georg "Schorsch" Meier (9 November 1910, Mühldorf am Inn – 19 February 1999) was a German motorcycle racer famous for being the first foreign winner of the prestigious Senior TT, the Blue Riband race of the Isle of Man TT Races, in 1939 riding for the factory BMW team and the first motorcycle racer to lap a Grand Prix course at over 100 mph.
Meier was born in Mühldorf am Inn, Bavaria, Germany and after leaving school at the age of 14 years, he became an apprentice at a local motorcycle repair shop in Mühldorf am Inn, Bavaria, and became known as "Schorsch" (the Bavarian diminutive for Georg). After hearing that the Bavarian State Police were creating a motorcycle section, at the age of 19 years Meier applied to join and was accepted in 1929. A trainee period of three years had to be completed before Meier was able to transfer to the motorcycle police section in 1932.
After becoming a member of the Bavarian Police Team, Meier competed in 1000 km endurance trials that were popular at the time, considered as good training for motorcycle dispatch riders. In 1934, Meier attracted attention from the German Army motorcycle team after finishing a 1000 km enduro an hour ahead of schedule, riding an unpopular 400 cc single-cylinder BMW R4 with pressed-steel frame and out-moded trailing-link front forks. With fellow competitors Fritz Linhardt and Joseph Forstner in the German Army team, they won so many enduro events that Meier became known as "Der Gusseiserne Schorsch" (Ironman Georg).
After many success at the 1000 km enduro events, Meier was selected for the German Trophy Team for the 1937 International Six Day Trial to be held in Wales. Along with team-mates Joseph Stelzer and Ludwig Wiggerl Kraus who competed with an 600 cc BMW sidecar outfit, the German Trophy team then used 500 cc flat-twin BMW motor-cycles. At the end of the six day trial the British and German Trophy teams where level on points. The event was to be decided on a speed-test at the new Castle Donington race circuit. The British Trophy team used 350 cc machines and due to the handicap system, the 500 cc BMW motorcycles had to complete an extra-lap to win the 1937 ISDT. Two of the British riders had extensive road-racing experience with Vic Brittain riding a Norton and George Rowley riding an AJS. Despite having no road racing experience, Meier won the Donington speed-trial, but the German Trophy Team lost the event to Great Britain Team by 10 seconds on the handicap system. The German Team officials were so impressed by Meier's performance that they suggested to BMW that he should be given a trial for their race-team.
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