Geoff Duke

Geoff Duke OBE
Geoff Duke (1951)
Nationality	British
Born	(1923-03-29)29 March 1923 St. Helens, Lancashire, England
Died	1 May 2015(2015-05-01) (aged 92) Isle of Man
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1950–1959 First race 1950 Isle of Man TT Last race 1959 Nations Grand Prix First win 1950 500 cc Isle of Man TT Last win 1958 500 cc Swedish Grand Prix Team(s) Benelli, BMW, Gilera, Norton, NSU Championships 350 cc - 1951, 1952 500 cc - 1951, 1953 - 1955 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 89 33 50 N/A 29 359 (371) Isle of Man TT career TTs contested 9 (1949 – 1955, 1958, 1959) TT wins 6 First TT win 1949 Clubmans Senior TT Last TT win 1955 Senior TT TT podiums 8

Geoffrey Ernest Duke OBE (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015), born in St. Helens, Lancashire, was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion.^[1] He raced several brands of motorcycle: Norton, Gilera, BMW, NSU and Benelli.^[2] After retirement from competition, he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man.

Sporting career

After reaching the status of Team Sergeant in the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team, The White Helmets,^[3] Duke was a prominent figure in racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and six Isle of Man TT races.^[1] First entering the Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix in 1948, he retired after four laps of the Junior race. He came to prominence after the 1949 events, finishing second in the Junior race, after remounting due to a spill, and winning the Senior race with a record lap and race-average speeds.^[4][5][6] He also won the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT.^[7] He signed to the Norton works team for the 1950 TT, finishing second in the Junior TT and breaking both lap and race records in the Senior TT.

Duke en route to victory at the 1951 500cc Dutch TT

After winning three World Championships for Norton, he moved abroad to Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Gilera in 1953.^[8] With Gilera, he had a string of three consecutive 500 cc world championships.^[1] His support for a riders' strike demanding more start money led the FIM to suspend him for six months, dashing any hopes for a fourth consecutive title.^[8][9] For 1953 he joined the sports car racing team of Aston Martin (Feltham, Middlesex) to race the DB3.^[10] Teamed with Peter Collins, the pair led the 12 Hours of Sebring until Duke's accident and resulting DNF. In 1955 he was declared the first rider to lap the Isle of Man TT course at 100 mph, though this was later corrected to 99.97.^[11] As a consequence the official first 100 mph lap is credited to Bob McIntyre, also on a Gilera, in 1957. Duke was a non-starter because of injury. His final race was the 1959 Nations Grand Prix.

Duke briefly dabbled in Formula One, entering the 1961 German Grand Prix in a private Cooper-Climax.^[12] Although forced to withdraw from that event as his car was not yet ready, he did race in the non-championship Kanonloppet at Karlskoga two weeks later.^[13]

In 1963, he formed a racing team – Scuderia Duke, with riders Derek Minter and John Hartle – to race the 1957 Gileras against Mike Hailwood riding the MV Agusta.^[8]

During 1964, Duke was appointed Competition Manager for Royal Enfield motorcycles, helping to develop their new GP250 clubman's-category volume-production road racer.^{[14][15][16][17]}

For the 1965 International Six Days Trial held on the Isle of Man, Duke was instrumental in helping to devise the 1,000-mile course and sections held on an island measuring approximately 30 miles long by 10 miles wide, particularly using tracks which would be unavailable in mainland UK due to restrictive legislation, a problem which did not arise on self-governing Isle of Man. Additionally, the island had hotels easily able to cater for the visiting teams, followers and spectators with a traditional goodwill and enthusiasm towards motorcycle sport. Duke acted as Clerk of the Course to the ACU, the governing body of motorcycle sport in Great Britain including the Isle of Man, which interacted with the FIM international organisation.^[18]

In 1967, Duke acted as entrant for the class-winning Triumph Bonneville ridden by John Hartle in the 750 cc capacity section of the newly introduced for 1967 Production class, which required racing machines to be based on roadsters, complying with controlled specifications using selected adaptations only, available from the manufacturers as part-numbered inventory.^[19]

Personal life

Duke was the most famous rider to adopt one-piece leathers - he had enlisted his local tailor, Frank Barker, to make the first of his now famous one-piece race suits. Duke had previously used a one-piece lining under his two-piece leather racing suit, to facilitate easy movement, for which he received "ribald remarks from my team-mates!"^[20] He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1951, and was awarded the RAC Segrave Trophy.^[21][22]

He is also known to popularize the "centered" riding style, whereby keeping himself on the saddle while cornering and keeping his upper body on the same lean angle as the bike. He also dismissed the notion of the "body leaning out" riding style would only be a fad. It had since been proven false after his passing, mostly because he was riding on less powerful machinery with thinner all-weather tyres.^[23]

Duke was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1953 New Year Honours "for services to British Motor-Cycle racing."^[24]

He was one of many signatories in a letter to The Times on 17 July 1958 opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'.^[25]

Duke's funeral cortege assembled at TT Grandstand

After retiring from racing, Duke became a businessman, initially in the motor trade and later in shipping services to the Isle of Man. In 1978, he was instrumental in setting up the Manx Line that introduced the first roll-on-roll-off ferry service to the island in competition with the 150-year-old Isle of Man Steam Packet Company^[26] The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2002.^[27]

Highly honoured by the Isle of Man, where he made so many of his world record breaking rides, a point on the mountain section of the TT Course was named after him in 2003. Three sharp bends at the 32nd Milestone between Brandywell and Windy Corner now carry the title 'Duke's'.^[28]

He died, aged 92, at his home on the Isle of Man on 1 May 2015 after being ill for some time.^[29] Duke's funeral cortege assembled at TT Grandstand, Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, Isle of Man on 10 May, prior to a last lap of the Snaefell Mountain Course, followed by a private family funeral service.^[30][31]

World Championship results

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap. An empty black cell indicates that the class did not compete at that particular championship round.)

Year	Class	Motorcycle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Rank	Points
1950			IOM	BEL	NED	SUI	ULS	NAT
	350 cc	Norton	2	3	2	3		1				2nd	24 (28)
	500 cc	Norton	1	Ret	Ret	4	1	1				2nd	27
1951			ESP	SUI	IOM	BEL	NED	FRA	ULS	NAT
	350 cc	Norton		Ret	1	1	Ret	1	1	1		1st	32 (40)
	500 cc	Norton		Ret	1	1	1	5	1	4		1st	35 (37)
1952			SUI	IOM	NED	BEL	GER	ULS	NAT	ESP
	350 cc	Norton	1	1	1	1						1st	32
	500 cc	Norton	Ret	Ret	2	2						7th	12
1953			IOM	NED	BEL	GER	FRA	ULS	SUI	NAT	ESP
	500 cc	Gilera	Ret	1	Ret		1	2	1	1		1st	38
1954			FRA	IOM	ULS	BEL	NED	GER	SUI	NAT	ESP
	500 cc	Gilera	Ret	2	C	1	1	1	1	1		1st	40 (46)
1955			ESP	FRA	IOM	GER	BEL	NED	ULS	NAT
	500 cc	Gilera	Ret	1	1	1	Ret	1		3		1st	36
1956			IOM	NED	BEL	GER	ULS	NAT
	500 cc	Gilera			Ret	Ret	Ret	1				7th	8
1957			GER	IOM	NED	BEL	ULS	NAT
	350 cc	Gilera					Ret	Ret				-	0
	500 cc	Gilera					3	2				4th	10
1958			IOM	NED	BEL	GER	SWE	ULS	NAT
	350 cc	Norton	Ret	Ret	5	Ret	1	4	3			3rd	17
	500 cc	BMW	Ret	Ret	4	Ret						3rd	13
		Norton					1	5	7
1959			FRA	IOM	GER	NED	BEL	SWE	ULS	NAT
	250 cc	NSU		Ret								10th	5
		Benelli			6			3		10
	350 cc	Norton		4	4				3	Ret		5th	10
	500 cc	Norton			9		3		3	3		4th	12

See also

• Duke Road Racing Rankings

References

Footnotes

• All Grand Prix results are taken from Walker, pp. 248–252

1. "Geoff Duke". Motogp.com. 29 March 1923. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
2. Gouinguenet, Hervé (15 October 2015). Pilotes légendaires de la Moto. edi8. ISBN 9791030100938. Retrieved 4 January 2018 – via Google Books.
3. "Picture special: MCN meets veterans from the White Helmets army display team". MCN. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
4. Motor Cycle, 5 November 1964, p.797. Help Club accessed 31 January 2015
5. "Race Results - Manx Grand Prix Official Website". Manxgrandprix.org. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
6. "Race Results - Manx Grand Prix Official Website". Manxgrandprix.org. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
7. "Race Results - Isle of Man TT Official Website". Iomtt.com. 29 March 1929. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
8. "Geoff Duke | MotoGP". Crash.Net. 29 March 1923. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
9. "Geoff Duke Must Finish Six Months' Suspension". The Bulletin. 18 August 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
10. "Aston Martin And The Last 100 Years - Aston Martin News Details". Hwmastonmartin.co.uk. 15 January 1913. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
11. "Geoff Duke - Competitors - Isle of Man TT Official Website". Iomtt.com. 29 March 1929. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
12. "Germany 1961 - Race entrants • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
13. "VII Kanonloppet • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
14. Motor Cycle, 3 September 1964. p.486 Lightweights stir it up during Manx Grand Prix practising. "New from stem to stern, the model is in the care of Geoff Duke who is helping Royal Enfields with the racing design". [image caption]: "Manxman Dennis Craine chats with Royal Enfield's Jack Booker and Geoff Duke.". Accessed 2015-07-02
15. Motor Cycle, 19 November 1964. 'Earls Court Show Guide'. p.847 "Geoff Duke demonstrates the riding position of the new Royal Enfield racer..."Accessed 2013-08-18
16. Motor Cycle, 9 September 1965. p.371 SLIM and LOW by David Dixon. Track test at Oulton Park of RE GP with Racing Manager Geoff Duke. Accessed 2013-08-18
17. Royal Enfield 250GP at Bonhams Retrieved 2013-08-18
18. Motor Cycle 28 January 1965 pp.104-107 Manx Recce. Peter Fraser weighs up the venue for this year's ISDT. Accessed 2015-06-12
19. Motor Cycle 15 June 1967 pp.808-811 Diamond TT edition, race report. Production machine race. Super speeds on roadsters. [image caption] "John Hartle pilots the big Geoff Duke-entered Triumph through the right-hander at Quarter Bridge". Accessed 25 June 2015
20. Duke, Geoff. In Pursuit of Perfection (1988). Osprey, London. ISBN 0-85045-838-2
21. "The Segrave Trophy". Royalautomobileclub.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
22. "1950s Motorcycle Racing Star Geoff Duke Passes at 92". ultimatemotorcycling.com. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
23. Mike on Bikes (3 January 2018). Evolution of MotoGP Riding Styles - From Leaning Out to Elbow Dragging. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via YouTube.
24. UK list: "No. 39732". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1952. p. 13.
25. Brown, Geoff and Hogsbjerg, Christian. Apartheid is not a Game: Remembering the Stop the Seventy Tour campaign. London: Redwords, 2020, p. 16 ISBN 9781912926589
26. John Moss. "Ricky hatton, Andrew Freddy Flintoff, Paula Radcliffe, Geoff Duke, Stanley Matthews & David Lloyd - British Sportsmen and Sportswomen from the Northwest region". Manchester2002-uk.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
27. "· MotoGP Legends". Motogp.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
28. Isle of Man TT Official site Retrieved 2015-06-12
29. Miller, Robin (2 May 2015). "Grand Prix and TT legend Geoff Duke has died". Bikesportnews.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
30. Isle of Man TT champion Geoff Duke's coffin to take final lap BBC Sport, 10 May 2015, Retrieved 2015-07-07
31. TT legend Geoff Duke makes last lap of Mountain Course Archived 8 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Yorkshire Evening Post, 10 May 2015, Retrieved 2015-07-07

Books

• Walker, Mick (2007). Geoff Duke: The Stylish Champion. MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 9781859835456. Retrieved 30 January 2016.