Geoff Duke O.B.E., 29th March 1923 - 1st May 2015
Geoff Duke, the first real superstar of motorcycle racing, has passed away at the age of 92.
The six-time TT winner and multiple World Champion passed away peacefully on Friday evening (1st May).
Geoff first came to prominence with a record-breaking win in the 1949 Senior Manx Grand Prix, following which he was signed up to ride for the legendary Norton team managed by Joe Craig.
Geoff in action at the 1949 Manx Grand Prix
With Norton, and riding the now famous featherbed-framed Manx model, Geoff was catapulted into the limelight with a sensational (and record-breaking) win in the Senior TT of 1950 - then very much the Blue Riband event of World Championship motorcycle racing.
In 1951 he took Nortons to World Championship victory in both the 350cc and 500cc classes, beating off strong opposition from Gilera mounted Alfredo Milani and Umberto Masetti - Masetti having won the 500cc title for the Italian factory in 1950.
Although Geoff took the 350cc honours for Norton again in 1952 it was clear the writing was on the wall for the British single-cylinder machines, as the development Italian multis gathered pace, leaving the singles gasping in their wake at the faster circuits.
Switching to Gilera for the 1953 season, Geoff once more added his name to the roster of 500cc World Champions, sweeping all before him in a dominant season-long performance.
Geoff mobbed by Italian fans having won at Monza for Gilera in 1953
Thanks to his ability to diagnose problems and give accurate feedback to his mechanics and engineers, Geoff was instrumental in maintaining Gilera at the top of the Grand Prix pile, despite the burgeoning threat of MV Agusta.
As well as his victories Geoff will be remembered for silky-smooth style, his professionalism and his innovative approach to the sport.
He was the first to popularise one-piece racing leathers, having noted that the imperfect fit of the older style caused flapping and drag which impacted on the performance of the unfaired Nortons he was racing at the time.
Geoff Duke - a study in style and concentration on the fully-faired Gilera 500cc 4.
His style and success made him a media darling in post-war Britain and besides his racing laurels he won numerous awards including the RAC Seagrave trophy, was voted Sports Personality of the Year and he received an O.B.E. in 1953.
His contribution to two-wheeled motorsport on the Isle of Man continued after his retirement from racing in 1959. In 1965 he was Clerk of the Course when the Island hosted the International Six Days Trial.
He also persuaded the Gilera factory to allow him to bring their four-cylinder machines out of retirement for an attempt at the 1963 World title. Forming his own team, Scuderia Duke, he backed John Hartle and Derek Minter, and later Phil Read, but despite early promise the effort came to naught due to injuries and the precocious talent of Mike Hailwood, then reigning supreme for MV as Duke had once done for Gilera.
Away from two wheels, he showed great promise as a sportscar racer, co-driving with Peter Collins in a Aston Martin DB3 at the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring until a prang forced a DNF.
Geoff remained committed to his first love, motorcycle racing, throughout his life and although his day-to-day involvement in the sport decreased as his business interests evolved, he maintained strong connections across the world of motorcycle racing.
58 years after his first Isle of Man appearance, Geoff played a major role in the celebrations surrounding the TT centenary.
2009 saw a remarkable meeting of multiple World Champions as Geoff and Valentino Rossi swapped stories at the TT.
John McGuinness, an avid fan of TT history, receives the 2008 Senior TT trophy from Geoff Duke.
Amongst the many, many recognitions Geoff received for his contributions to the sport, the TT honoured his huge commitment to the races by naming a series of bends on the TT Mountain Course between Brandywell and Windy Corner in his honour.
Geoff Duke at Buckingham Palace for his O.B.E. investiture in 1953.
In an era when riders faced the very real possibility of serious injury or even death every time they took to the track Geoff lived a long and fulfilling life.
He will be remembered as one of the last, and the best, of a generation of gentleman motorcycle riders who rode in what is now, generally, seen as the golden era of motorcycle racing.
His skill, style and sense of fair play endeared him to his fans, team mates and fellow competitors and that legacy lives on today, especially at the Isle of Man TT.
Geoff Duke, 29th March 1923 - 1st May 2015.
Mountain Course Victories
1949 Senior Manx Grand Prix - Norton
1949 Senior Clubmans TT - Norton
1950 Senior TT - Norton
1951 Junior TT - Norton
1951 Senior TT - Norton
1952 Junior TT - Norton
1955 Senior TT - Norton