|
« Back to Thumbnails
Sport & Liesure
The Duke
(Born 1923)
The name of Geoff Duke OBE is synonymous with powersport, for he dominated motorcycle racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and five Isle of Man TT races. Born Geoffrey Ernest Duke on March 29th 1923 in St. Helens, Lancashire, Duke came to prominence after winning the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT and the Senior Manx Grand Prix and was to become the very first post-war motorcycling 'superstar', popularly known amongst the racing fraternity simply as 'the Duke'.
He was signed up to the Norton works team for the 1950 TT, finishing second in the Junior and breaking both lap and race records in the Senior.
After several notable wins for Norton he surprised everybody by moving abroad to Gilera in 1953. In 1955 he was declared the first rider to lap at 100mph. His final race was the 1959 Junior when he finished fourth on a Norton.
Duke cut a distinctive figure on racing circuits as he was the first rider to wear one-piece leathers - he had enlisted his local tailor, Frank Barker from St Helens, to make the first of his now famous one-piece race suits. He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1951, awarded the RAC Seagrave Trophy and, in recognition of his services to motorcycling, was awarded the OBE (the Order of the British Empire) in 1953.
Highly honoured by the Isle of man, where he made so many of his world record breaking rides, a point on the Mountain Course has been named after him. Three sharp bends at the 32nd Milestone between Brandywell and Windy Corner now carry the title 'Duke's'.
Image size: 41 x 51cms
Medium: Oils on stretched canvas
Categories:
Sport / Leisure, Transport
Search Terms:
motorbikes, road racing, TT races, norton, classic bikes
Price: £225.00
Quantity: 1
ADD TO SHOPPING CART
|
