A young Ago
How it used to be in’t olden days of racing... 🏍️ 🚗 💨
- Thread starter Exige
- Start date
A young John Surtees - aged 15 in 1949
Jasus I cant believe anyone in that picture is under 40
In 1958 the Isle of man welcomed an 18 year old Mike Hailwood to the Isle of Man for the first time and this photo is from a practice night shot as he pulled in at The Manx Arms to retire his 125 Paton.
The crowd in the doorway of the Blue Dragon cafe were impressed and all smiles from Mike as he went past.
The crowd in the doorway of the Blue Dragon cafe were impressed and all smiles from Mike as he went past.
The Herron Race Team at the Imola 200 in April 1977 with Tom (in his 1976 leathers), his wife Andrea, and mechanics Peter Kelly and Nick Lee.
Saarinen remains the only Finn to have won a motorcycle road racing world championship.
Winning 15 Grands Prix during his career, Saarinen was also a six time Finnish road racing national champion.
Winning 15 Grands Prix during his career, Saarinen was also a six time Finnish road racing national champion.
The Legend Burt Munro
TFW when you turn up for a track day and a bunch of other guys are wearing the same type of leathers.
No idea, really! The Tesi really could use a good day out though.
Perhaps he'll lend it to someone for that purpose?
A Gilera being warmed up at Silverstone around 1990 - it was later ridden by John Surtees
| Tony Moran was a prominent British motorcycle racer in the 1980s. During his career he won races and championships in a variety of machinery, including a Suzuki RG500 and his famous Yamaha TZ750, nicknamed "Red Rocket" which was fitted with a 700 cm3 engine with Fahron barrells. After his retirement from active racing, Tony Moran enjoyed a bit of fun, participating in a track day at Donington Park. Sadly, he received severe injuries in a huge crash, from which he was killed. It happened on Saturday, 08 May 1999. Albeit not yet confirmed, it is most likely that the event in which Tony Moran suffered his fatal accident was organized by the Britain's Kawasaki Riders Club which hired the circuit for the day, giving its members the chance to hone their biking skills. |
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Sammy Miller has one of those, when he sets up his mini curcuit in the carpark in the summer he rides round, it sounds lovely.
He also takes HIS Moto Guzzi V8, that is something very special.
I helped Tony Moran uncrate his brand spanking TZ500 at Snetterton. He was next to us in the paddock at a club meeting the day before a national or home international meeting, could have been the Race of Aces. He got the right hump when the organisers wouldn't let him run the bike in because it was on slicks which weren't allowed in club racing.
Once a racer always a racer!!
Phil Read raced for the works John Player Norton (JPN) team during the 1972 season, notably finishing fourth at the 1972 Daytona 200 on a 750cc John Player Norton.
He was part of the Norton team alongside Peter Williams and Tony Rutter, competing in Formula 750 events including the Transatlantic Trophy and the Isle of Man TT.
He was part of the Norton team alongside Peter Williams and Tony Rutter, competing in Formula 750 events including the Transatlantic Trophy and the Isle of Man TT.
Peter Williams was not only a brilliant racer but a forward-thinking designer and engineer with considerable impact on the John Player Norton team with whom he enjoyed many successes including winning the F750 TT IN 1973.
It was a career, and indeed a mission, he pursued after his forced retirement from racing following a serious crash at Oulton Park in 1974. Physically, he never totally recovered from that crash, but his determination to revolutionise the way that motorcycles were constructed grew.
Lightweight monocoque frames, disc brakes, six-spoke electron wheels became all the unique features of the Tom Arter AJS and Matchless bikes on which Peter had many of his early successes including fourth in the world 500cc championship of 1967.
Many successes followed when John Player sponsored Norton and started to take on the big boys like BSA and Triumph with Peter as designer/rider. The accident at Oulton changed all that but during that period he had met up with Norman White and he persuaded Peter Inchley, boss of the Norton development base at Thruxton, to take him on.
It was a relationship which lasted 50 years and Norman still runs Norman White Norton at Thruxton.
He said of Peter: “Whether it be his engineering ability or his racing skills, Peter Williams was without question up with the very best in the World, although you would never know his stature in motor cycle racing having just met him.
“Modest, quietly spoken with an intellect akin to a rocket scientist, he raced to be the fastest on the track, to make a lap as short as possible, rather than beat the opposition. As it happens, he would more often than not do just that, beat the opposition. His success in designing and developing his vision of the very best “bicycle”, with the knowledge the power unit available was well past it, is well documented.
He died aged 81 in 2020.
It was a career, and indeed a mission, he pursued after his forced retirement from racing following a serious crash at Oulton Park in 1974. Physically, he never totally recovered from that crash, but his determination to revolutionise the way that motorcycles were constructed grew.
Lightweight monocoque frames, disc brakes, six-spoke electron wheels became all the unique features of the Tom Arter AJS and Matchless bikes on which Peter had many of his early successes including fourth in the world 500cc championship of 1967.
Many successes followed when John Player sponsored Norton and started to take on the big boys like BSA and Triumph with Peter as designer/rider. The accident at Oulton changed all that but during that period he had met up with Norman White and he persuaded Peter Inchley, boss of the Norton development base at Thruxton, to take him on.
It was a relationship which lasted 50 years and Norman still runs Norman White Norton at Thruxton.
He said of Peter: “Whether it be his engineering ability or his racing skills, Peter Williams was without question up with the very best in the World, although you would never know his stature in motor cycle racing having just met him.
“Modest, quietly spoken with an intellect akin to a rocket scientist, he raced to be the fastest on the track, to make a lap as short as possible, rather than beat the opposition. As it happens, he would more often than not do just that, beat the opposition. His success in designing and developing his vision of the very best “bicycle”, with the knowledge the power unit available was well past it, is well documented.
He died aged 81 in 2020.
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I met Phil Reed at Sammy Millers, i won his book Rebel Reed The Prince of Speed in a raffle and got to have an interesting chat with him. He signed the book aswell. Can't remember what year, i've read some of the book but as ever you get side tracked. 
So he's still alive then?...
Bill Ivy
I met him at the ace Cafe a good few years ago. There was a stall selling his books so I bought one and the lady who served me asked if id like Phil to sign it. Turned out he was the ragged old fella that was sweeping up rubish. We had a good old chat. He'd been to nz a few times. Nice guy. Had a small bit of success in racing!I met Phil Reed at Sammy Millers, i won his book Rebel Reed The Prince of Speed in a raffle and got to have an interesting chat with him. He signed the book aswell. Can't remember what year, i've read some of the book but as ever you get side tracked.
He seemed to be more intersted in my X wife, fucking Guinness, your welcome to a whole world of pain when he was alive back then!
