Geoff Duke is – for many – the definitive motorcycle racer. He was the first to really go beyond the boundary of being a ‘mere’ racer, becoming a household name.
Pics: Mortons Archive
Geoff’s fame came before a time of social media, the internet and the like – this six-time world champion’s popularity came from traditional media outlets: newspapers, the radio and news-reel footage of the time.
Born on March 29, 1923 in St. Helens, Lancashire, Geoff didn’t come from a motorcycling family like some, so it’s interesting that his passion and talent were solely from within and his search for perfection completely self-motivated.
Getting hooked on two wheels aged just 10 while watching off-road races, when he finally went racing himself in 1947 it was no surprise that he would start off in trials before his first Isle of Man ride at the Manx GP a year later.
He was an innovator, too. Early in his career Duke had discovered the potential benefit of a tighter-fitting leather suit. When he taped back the baggy parts of his leather jacket and trousers he soon found he could cut through the air easier and shave tenths off his lap times; he also wore the first ‘one-piece’ leather suit.
Overall, Duke competed in 60 Grands Prix between 1950 and 1959, winning over half of the races he entered. He won 33 Grands Prix, in the 350c and 500cc classes, and finished on the podium in a further 17 races while winning six world titles and six TT races.
On retirement he entered briefly into race team management before putting his energies into business. He began Duke Marketing which sold video reviews of bike and car racing and specialist motorsport books; the firm is still going strong today. He died on the Isle of Man where he’d made his home many years before, aged 92, on May 1, 2015.
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