Quirky history - Yorkshireman knocked down by car gets back up to win 200-mile road race

A Yorkshireman who was knocked down by a car moments before he was about to enter an international road race ended up winning it.Doughty Denis Parkinson, from Wakefield, had just stepped out of the village post office when he was struck by a car, which sent him sprawling into the road.He was about to take part in the Leinster 200, an international road race in Ireland.“I walked out of the village post office and was knocked down by a motor-car,” recalled Denis back in 1949. “I sprawled in the road but fortunately my leather suit and helmet saved me from serious injury.”Brushing himself off, Denis straddled his Norton 350 motorcycle and went on to cover 33 laps - 200 miles - to snatch first place by just nine seconds from Dublin star Reg Armstrong. His average speed was 77.04mph and the race was dubbed one of the most exciting in years. It wasn’t the only setback for the Yorkshireman. On practice day, he smashed his gearbox, meaning he had to spend that time making repairs.

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