Christian Sarron - Assen 1988
How it used to be in’t olden days of racing... 🏍️ 🚗 💨
- Thread starter Exige
- Start date
Dave Potter
Pat Hennen
Pat Hennen, the first American rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix and the first person to achieve a sub 20 minute lap time around the Isle of Man TT course, died last year (2024)
He became a front-running world championship contender, taking three wins and 12 podiums across just 17 races – including victory at the first ever British Grand Prix in 1977. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007.
Hennen set his impressive Isle of Man TT lap time in 1978 aboard a 500cc Suzuki in the Senior TT. Unfortunately, a circa 170mph crash later in the same race ended his career, having suffered a head injury in the incident.
The exact circumstances of the crash were never clarified. Over the years a number of stories circulated as to why Pat Hennen crashed. According to unconfirmed reports, before losing control of his Suzuki, Hennen had struck a seagull with his head. Different accounts even indicated Herron collided with Hennen forcing him to crash.
After the horrific accident, Pat Hennen was taken unconscious to Noble's Hospital in Douglas and later was transferred by helicopter to a Liverpool clinic, where he underwent brain surgery. He remained in a coma for many days, with his fiancée Karen Keil at his bedside. Hennen's head injuries proved to be too severe and although he eventually recovered, at the age of 25 his racing career was cut short. He returned home but suffered lasting effects from the injury and was never able to compete again.
Pat was 70 and suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.
Pat Hennen, the first American rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix and the first person to achieve a sub 20 minute lap time around the Isle of Man TT course, died last year (2024)
He became a front-running world championship contender, taking three wins and 12 podiums across just 17 races – including victory at the first ever British Grand Prix in 1977. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007.
Hennen set his impressive Isle of Man TT lap time in 1978 aboard a 500cc Suzuki in the Senior TT. Unfortunately, a circa 170mph crash later in the same race ended his career, having suffered a head injury in the incident.
The exact circumstances of the crash were never clarified. Over the years a number of stories circulated as to why Pat Hennen crashed. According to unconfirmed reports, before losing control of his Suzuki, Hennen had struck a seagull with his head. Different accounts even indicated Herron collided with Hennen forcing him to crash.
After the horrific accident, Pat Hennen was taken unconscious to Noble's Hospital in Douglas and later was transferred by helicopter to a Liverpool clinic, where he underwent brain surgery. He remained in a coma for many days, with his fiancée Karen Keil at his bedside. Hennen's head injuries proved to be too severe and although he eventually recovered, at the age of 25 his racing career was cut short. He returned home but suffered lasting effects from the injury and was never able to compete again.
Pat was 70 and suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.
243 K vues · 4,4 K réactions | Who better to tell the desmodromic system than its creator, Fabio Taglioni? Listen as his voice brings a piece of Ducati history to life. #MuseoDucati #DucatiHeritage #Ducati | Museo Ducati
Who better to tell the desmodromic system than its creator, Fabio Taglioni? Listen as his voice brings a piece of Ducati history to life. #MuseoDucati #DucatiHeritage #Ducati
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Them's some Carlos Fandango's right there
Norton at the TT
Mike Hailwood at the 1971 Daytona 200!
“Mike Hailwood was paid an “undisclosed sum” to race for BSA in the 1970 Daytona 200, even though machine failure robbed him of any hope of beating Dick Mann’s Honda four.
The decision to return to Daytona in 1971 and spend on a magnificent scale, with a five rider dream team, was made on the promise of loans and money the BSA group (which owned Triumph) simply did not have. And the dream almost came true, despite Paul Smart and Hailwood (again!) dropping out with centre cylinder meltdowns.
Dick Mann (curiously “let go” by Honda) took a magnificent win for BSA, its first Daytona victory since Bobby Hill’s win in 1954. Mann was followed home by Romero on his Triumph followed by Don Emde on another BSA, to make the 1971 Daytona 200 a Brit bike one, two, three.
BSA might have been the parent company, and once the largest and most profitable motorcycle manufacturer on earth, but in truth Triumph was the more valuable name in the US and the Daytona winners were really Triumphs. The design and development was Doug Hele’s work from his Meriden office and the engines were prepared at Meriden.
Road racing had always meant America to the group and it was Triumph people both in the UK and in the US who had worked to get these results. It was the same when the triples went trophy hunting at Bonneville Speed Week: the Triumph powered bikes came away with the records.
After decades of ill will, the Triumph and BSA teams were increasingly focussed on beating each other rather than the Japanese, in the US especially where there had been a shotgun marriage between the distributors and dealers.
Meanwhile Honda, soon followed by their countrymen, focused on the product and dealer network. Honda cared not that BSA ridiculed their turn signals, electric starters and maintenance free motorcycles (one British executive claiming “motorcyclists like to take their carburettors apart at the weekend”) because that was what Honda’s team were told that their prospective customers wanted.
“Mike Hailwood was paid an “undisclosed sum” to race for BSA in the 1970 Daytona 200, even though machine failure robbed him of any hope of beating Dick Mann’s Honda four.
The decision to return to Daytona in 1971 and spend on a magnificent scale, with a five rider dream team, was made on the promise of loans and money the BSA group (which owned Triumph) simply did not have. And the dream almost came true, despite Paul Smart and Hailwood (again!) dropping out with centre cylinder meltdowns.
Dick Mann (curiously “let go” by Honda) took a magnificent win for BSA, its first Daytona victory since Bobby Hill’s win in 1954. Mann was followed home by Romero on his Triumph followed by Don Emde on another BSA, to make the 1971 Daytona 200 a Brit bike one, two, three.
BSA might have been the parent company, and once the largest and most profitable motorcycle manufacturer on earth, but in truth Triumph was the more valuable name in the US and the Daytona winners were really Triumphs. The design and development was Doug Hele’s work from his Meriden office and the engines were prepared at Meriden.
Road racing had always meant America to the group and it was Triumph people both in the UK and in the US who had worked to get these results. It was the same when the triples went trophy hunting at Bonneville Speed Week: the Triumph powered bikes came away with the records.
After decades of ill will, the Triumph and BSA teams were increasingly focussed on beating each other rather than the Japanese, in the US especially where there had been a shotgun marriage between the distributors and dealers.
Meanwhile Honda, soon followed by their countrymen, focused on the product and dealer network. Honda cared not that BSA ridiculed their turn signals, electric starters and maintenance free motorcycles (one British executive claiming “motorcyclists like to take their carburettors apart at the weekend”) because that was what Honda’s team were told that their prospective customers wanted.
Roger Sutcliffe , Kawasaki at Ramsey 1976 ,Classic TT
Rocket Ron Haslam ,,Pharaoh Yamaha 1979 Junior TT
The Norton "Kneeler," an experimental motorcycle raced by Ray Amm in 1953.
This innovative but unstable bike featured a lowered center of gravity, with the rider kneeling on a cushion and putting their weight on the foot-pegs.
The bike was fast in a straight line but prone to buffeting, leading to its withdrawal from races like the North West 200 and TT due to stability problems.
This innovative but unstable bike featured a lowered center of gravity, with the rider kneeling on a cushion and putting their weight on the foot-pegs.
The bike was fast in a straight line but prone to buffeting, leading to its withdrawal from races like the North West 200 and TT due to stability problems.
Ago -
Getting The MV Airbourne
Bray Hill, IOM TT 1970
Getting The MV Airbourne
Bray Hill, IOM TT 1970
Phil Read leading Bill Ivy
47 Gordon Pantall,
96 Gordon Daniels,
11 Brian Warburton
1969 Manx Senior GP
96 Gordon Daniels,
11 Brian Warburton
1969 Manx Senior GP
Mike the Bike on a 50cc Atom
Barry Sheene
Suzuki RG500 GP500 1977
Mick Grant - Triumph -1974 Production TT - Bike known as Slippery Sam was also ridden by Percy Tait
Tony Rutter , Yamaha 1974 Senior Manx Grand Prix
Is that a ducati green frame
Neil Kelly ,Royal Enfield , Southern 100 ,1966
Monza 1973 Dane Rowe
Dane Rowe was a "Rocker" in the 60s...she later became a Racing sidecar passenger for her husband Rudi Kurth riding the Cat Cresent outfit...which was powered by a Cresent outboard boat engine and was very quick..
Dane Rowe was a "Rocker" in the 60s...she later became a Racing sidecar passenger for her husband Rudi Kurth riding the Cat Cresent outfit...which was powered by a Cresent outboard boat engine and was very quick..