Doug Hele
Encyclopedia
Douglas Lionel Hele was a pioneering British motorcycle
engineer with Triumph and other firms: BSA
, Douglas
and Norton. He was born in Birmingham
in 1919 and died in Hagley
, Worcestershire
on the 2 November 2001.
at the Longbridge
factory in Birmingham
where he worked throughout the Second World War. He move on to Douglas Motorcycles
in Bristol
in 1945 where he worked as a draughtsman
in the motorcycle design team under former Norton chief designer Walter Moore. Moore encouraged him to go to the Norton factory, where he helped Polish
engineer Leo Kusmicki design and develop the Featherbed frame
d Manx Norton single-cylinder racing models that won world championships in the early 1950s.
After a short time at BSA where he worked on the 250cc single-cylinder racer with BSA chief designer Bert Hopwood
he returned to Norton to continue development of the "Manx" and it is his 1961 version that is the most sought after by collectors today.
His next project was the development of the 500cc Norton Dominator
into a racing motorcycle. Hele's prototype "Domiracer" came third in the 1961 Isle of Man TT
averaging over 100 mph but the project was abandoned when Associated Motor Cycles
ended racing development at Norton to cut costs. Hele's Domiracer was however successful in the Thruxton 500
production endurance race. Hele was encouraged and developed the 650cc sports which went on to win the Thruxton race for three years in a row giving Norton much needed publicity.
Norton closed the Birmingham factory in 1962 and moved production to Plumstead
, South London, but Doug Hele was ready for a change and took a job with the Ford Motor Company
in their Dagenham
factory. Things didn't really work out so it was with great relief when he accepted the position of Head of Development with Triumph in Meriden
. His first project was improve the Triumph Bonneville T120
. At the 1969
Belgian Grand Prix
on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes
, Triumph's factory tester Percy Tait
led the world champion Giacomo Agostini
for three laps and finished second at an average speed of 116 mph on Doug Hele's Triumph Tiger Daytona
. Hele went on to design the three-cylinder Triumph Trident and develop them into the most successful race bikes of their time, dominating the 750cc races in Europe and the US.
By the early 1970s the BSA-Triumph group was in financial trouble and Hele moved to the experimental team at Kitts Green
in Birmingham
. When Triumph finally closed Doug Hele turned down a job from a Japanese company and joined outboard motor makers British Seagull
in Dorset
. In his 70's Hele ended his career working as a freelance designer on the rotary-engined
Norton model.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
engineer with Triumph and other firms: BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
, Douglas
Douglas (motorcycles)
Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907–1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family, and especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined bikes and as manufacturers of speedway machines...
and Norton. He was born in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in 1919 and died in Hagley
Hagley
Hagley is a village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001, but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
on the 2 November 2001.
Career
Described as an 'outstanding student' at King's Norton Secondary School. Hele started his career in engineering as an apprentice with the Austin Motor CompanyAustin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
at the Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
factory in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
where he worked throughout the Second World War. He move on to Douglas Motorcycles
Douglas (motorcycles)
Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907–1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family, and especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined bikes and as manufacturers of speedway machines...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1945 where he worked as a draughtsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
in the motorcycle design team under former Norton chief designer Walter Moore. Moore encouraged him to go to the Norton factory, where he helped Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
engineer Leo Kusmicki design and develop the Featherbed frame
Featherbed frame
The featherbed frame was a motorcycle frame developed by the British Norton motorcycle company to improve the performance of their racing motorcycles around the twisting and demanding Isle of Man TT course in 1950. It was considered revolutionary at the time, and the best handling frame that a...
d Manx Norton single-cylinder racing models that won world championships in the early 1950s.
Bert Hopwood
Herbert "Bert" Hopwood was a British motorcycle designer. He helped with some of the most influential designs for the British motorcycle industry and worked for Ariel, Norton, BSA and Triumph.-Motorcycle design career:...
he returned to Norton to continue development of the "Manx" and it is his 1961 version that is the most sought after by collectors today.
His next project was the development of the 500cc Norton Dominator
Norton Dominator
The Dominator is a twin cylinder motorcycle developed by Norton to compete against the Triumph Speed Twin. The original Dominator was designed in 1947 and 1948 by Bert Hopwood, who had been on the Speed Twin design team at Triumph....
into a racing motorcycle. Hele's prototype "Domiracer" came third in the 1961 Isle of Man TT
1961 Isle of Man TT
-1961 Isle of Man Lightweight TT 125cc final standings:3 Laps Mountain Course.-1961 Sidecar TT final standings:3 Laps Mountain Course.-1961 Isle of Man Lightweight TT 250cc final standings:...
averaging over 100 mph but the project was abandoned when Associated Motor Cycles
Associated Motor Cycles
Associated Motor Cycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by the Collier brothers as a parent company for the Matchless and AJS motorcycle companies...
ended racing development at Norton to cut costs. Hele's Domiracer was however successful in the Thruxton 500
Thruxton 500
The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, United Kingdom, which is the fastest racetrack in the country...
production endurance race. Hele was encouraged and developed the 650cc sports which went on to win the Thruxton race for three years in a row giving Norton much needed publicity.
Norton closed the Birmingham factory in 1962 and moved production to Plumstead
Plumstead
Plumstead is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead is a multi cultural area with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, in similarity to local areas such as Woolwich and Thamesmead...
, South London, but Doug Hele was ready for a change and took a job with the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in their Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
factory. Things didn't really work out so it was with great relief when he accepted the position of Head of Development with Triumph in Meriden
Meriden
-Australia:*Meriden School, an Anglican school for girls in Strathfield, New South Wales, Australia-United Kingdom:*Meriden, Hertfordshire, England*Meriden, West Midlands, England**The Meriden Gap, named after the above village...
. His first project was improve the Triumph Bonneville T120
Triumph Bonneville T120
The Triumph Bonneville T120 is a British motorcycle that was designed and built by Triumph Engineering between 1959 and 1975, when the engine size was increased to .-Development:...
. At the 1969
1969 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1969 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 21st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc...
Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix
The Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season from 1949 to 1990.-Multiple winners :-Multiple winners :-By year:...
on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
, Triumph's factory tester Percy Tait
Percy Tait
Percy Tait is a former professional motorcycle road racer and senior road tester for Triumph motorcycles, where he was estimated to have clocked over a million miles of road testing...
led the world champion Giacomo Agostini
Giacomo Agostini
-Non-riding career:Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron B42-BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06...
for three laps and finished second at an average speed of 116 mph on Doug Hele's Triumph Tiger Daytona
Triumph Tiger Daytona
The Triumph Tiger Daytona is a motorcycle made by Triumph from 1967 to 1974.-Development:The 'Daytona' name was derived from American rider Buddy Elmore's win at the 1966 Daytona 200 race held at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida...
. Hele went on to design the three-cylinder Triumph Trident and develop them into the most successful race bikes of their time, dominating the 750cc races in Europe and the US.
By the early 1970s the BSA-Triumph group was in financial trouble and Hele moved to the experimental team at Kitts Green
Kitts Green
Kitts Green is an area of Birmingham, England which is situated on the borders of Stechford, Ward End, Shard End, Lea Village and the Meadway. The original green which belonged to 'Mr Kitts' is located opposite St Richards Church near Lea Hall railway station....
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. When Triumph finally closed Doug Hele turned down a job from a Japanese company and joined outboard motor makers British Seagull
British Seagull
British Seagull was a British manufacturer of two-stroke outboard engines from the early 1930s until the mid 1990s. The company went out of business due to the motor design not being able to keep up with more modern boat engines and increasingly tight emissions regulations...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. In his 70's Hele ended his career working as a freelance designer on the rotary-engined
Rotary engine
The rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...
Norton model.
