Description
By: David Mason .
Frederick William Dixon was rightly hailed by Sir Malcolm Campbell as "the Man with the Heart of a Lion." From modest beginnings in the north-east of England, Freddie, as he was known, became a master of racing in the 1920s and 1930s, and the only person to win the TT on two, three and four wheels.
An inspired engineer, Dixon designed and built an innovative and victorious banking sidecar, and went on to prove that he was the undoubted master at tuning the unsupercharged engine. His remarkable achievements in the TT, on the Isle of Man, at Brooklands and at Donington are legendary.
On two wheels, Dixon rode Indian, JAP, Harley Davidson and Douglas mounts to great effect. He went on to show that the Riley marque was capable of competing with the best in car racing. His riding and driving were spirited to the point of being reckless and 'Flying Freddie' always thrilled the watching crowds, who viewed him as a hero.
Dixon was a visionary. He sought to change the way in which record-breaking cars were conceived, and from this interest in lightweight, ultra-fast cars he became a pioneer of four-wheel drive with his eccentric creation, 'The Crab'. Whilst his involvement with the dictatorial Sir Harry Ferguson proved to be an unhappy one, it was Dixon who inspired the genesis of four-wheel drive technology.
On and off the track, Dixon was a colourful and vivid presence. The true story of his controversial trial and imprisonment is told here for the first time. Dixon's wild exploits set him apart from his competitors, but do not detract from his many achievements.
David Mason practises as a barrister. He has had a life-long passion for cars and racing. It was his ownership of a 1933 Riley Lynx that led him to the Freddie Dixon story.
