11 Facts About Francis Beart

Francis Beart was an English racing motor cyclist and motor cycle tuner, and later known for tuning Formula Three racing cars.

Francis Beart was to find himself even busier, tuning for many of the greats of the road racing game, including Johnny Lockett, Ken Bills, Cromie McCandless, Manliff Barrington, Denis Parkinson, Dan Crossly, Peter Romaine and many, many more.

Francis Beart became particularly involved with the Norton marque, and in fact acted as the company's official representative at Daytona, where Nortons tuned by him swept the board in the American classic for three years, 1949,1950 and 1951.

Francis Beart worked with the Cooper Car Company to develop a version of their Mk VII.

The Francis Beart Cooper was driven by Eric Brandon and Alan Brown and occasionally by Stirling Moss.

Francis Beart tuned a pair of Nortons to be raced by Ernie Washer in the Manx Grand Prix in 1957.

The combination of Francis Beart's tuning ability and Washer's riding skills resulted in a 2nd in the 500cc Senior race, with a first and a new lap record in 1958.

Francis Beart continued his involvement with Aermacchi until his retirement in the early 1980s.

Francis Beart was born in 1905 in Ringsfield, a small village near Beccles, in Suffolk.

Francis Beart's family moved to a farm in Yorkshire.

Francis Beart was schooled at Dulwich College, before the family moved again to Sutton.