Thruxton 500
Encyclopedia
The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle
endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit
, near Andover
in Hampshire
, United Kingdom
, which is the fastest racetrack in the country. Only one motorcycle race a year is now held at Thruxton - a round of the British Superbike Championship but in the 1960s the Thruxton 500 was very important to British motorcycle manufacturers as it was a 500-mile test of their bikes. A win in the Thruxton 500 boosted sales so there was keen competition around the fast and demanding track.
airfields, RAF Thruxton
found a new role in the 1950s as a motorcycle racing circuit. Declared surplus to RAF requirements in 1946, the early track included both the runways and perimeter roads. The first race at Thruxton was organised by the Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club and took place on the 4th of August 1952. In 1953 a longer circuit was used but in 1968 the British Automobile Racing Club
took over the track and on the 1st of March that year a 2.35 miles (3.8 km) circuit (in use to this day) saw its first race. Racing at Thruxton became famous for the endurance racing for production motorcycles, and the Thruxton 500 in particular. The bikes were supposed to be the same as you could buy, but most factories of the time invested in a racing team that invariably developed the bikes as much as they were able to. Due to the long distance, the 500 mile race (originally known as the Thruxton 9 hour race) was normally shared between two riders.
Motorcycle racing continued on the bumpy wartime tarmac (which was slowly breaking) until 1965, when plans were agreed for a new track. The new layout ignored the original runways and followed the perimeter road with an added chicane
and three tight corners in succession (named Campbell, Cobb and Segrave) which became referred to as the complex. Even with these tight corners Thruxton remains the fastest race circuit in the UK.
The Triumph Thruxton 900
is a motorcycle
made by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
. Launched in 2004 it was named after the Thruxton racing circuit
where Triumph won the first three places in 1969, establishing the "cafe racer" era where standard production motorcycles were modified to improve racing performance.
s to represent the company in the Isle of Man TT
races and the Thruxton 500. The Nortons achieved success over five seasons, during which time several improvements and modifications were developed.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
, near Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which is the fastest racetrack in the country. Only one motorcycle race a year is now held at Thruxton - a round of the British Superbike Championship but in the 1960s the Thruxton 500 was very important to British motorcycle manufacturers as it was a 500-mile test of their bikes. A win in the Thruxton 500 boosted sales so there was keen competition around the fast and demanding track.
History
As with many World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfields, RAF Thruxton
RAF Thruxton
RAF Station Thruxton is a former World War II airfield in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately west of Andover; about southwest of London...
found a new role in the 1950s as a motorcycle racing circuit. Declared surplus to RAF requirements in 1946, the early track included both the runways and perimeter roads. The first race at Thruxton was organised by the Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club and took place on the 4th of August 1952. In 1953 a longer circuit was used but in 1968 the British Automobile Racing Club
British Automobile Racing Club
The British Automobile Racing Club is one of biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.-History:The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands as well as rallies and sporting trials. Among the founder...
took over the track and on the 1st of March that year a 2.35 miles (3.8 km) circuit (in use to this day) saw its first race. Racing at Thruxton became famous for the endurance racing for production motorcycles, and the Thruxton 500 in particular. The bikes were supposed to be the same as you could buy, but most factories of the time invested in a racing team that invariably developed the bikes as much as they were able to. Due to the long distance, the 500 mile race (originally known as the Thruxton 9 hour race) was normally shared between two riders.
Motorcycle racing continued on the bumpy wartime tarmac (which was slowly breaking) until 1965, when plans were agreed for a new track. The new layout ignored the original runways and followed the perimeter road with an added chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
and three tight corners in succession (named Campbell, Cobb and Segrave) which became referred to as the complex. Even with these tight corners Thruxton remains the fastest race circuit in the UK.
500 mile race results
| Year | Riders | Motorcycle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Mike Hailwood Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability... , Dan Shorey Dan Shorey Dan Shorey was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best season was in 1968 when he finished the year in ninth place in the 500cc world championship. In 1958, he teamed with Mike Hailwood to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race.- References :*... |
650 Triumph | 66.0 mph |
| 1959 | John Lewis, Bruce Daniels Bruce Daniels Dr. Bruce Daniels is an American computer programmer and business executive who has worked for Hewlett Packard, Apple Computer, Oracle, Borland, Sun Microsystems and his own start-up Singular Software, which created Mac database management software... , Tony Godfrey |
600 BMW, R69 | 66.88 mph |
| 1960 | Ron Langston, Don Chapman | 650 AJS. 31CSR | 68.48 mph |
| 1961 | Tony Godfrey, John Holder John Holder John Wakefield Holder is an English former professional cricketer and first-class and Test umpire.As a player for Hampshire County Cricket Club Holder was a brisk right arm medium pace bowler. In the 1970 season Holder took 55 wickets at 23.27 runs. His best bowling figures were 6 for 49 and 7... |
650 Triumph T120R | 67.29 mph |
| 1962 | Phil Read Phil Read Phillip William Read is an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer nicknamed "The Prince of Speed." Although he would often be overshadowed by his contemporary, Mike Hailwood, he would become the first man to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.-Biography:In 1964,... , Brian Setchell |
650 Norton | 76.45 mph |
| 1963 | Phil Read Phil Read Phillip William Read is an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer nicknamed "The Prince of Speed." Although he would often be overshadowed by his contemporary, Mike Hailwood, he would become the first man to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.-Biography:In 1964,... , Brian Setchell |
647 Norton | 68.57 mph |
| 1964 | Brian Setchell, Derek Woodman Derek Woodman Derek Woodman was a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best season was in when he rode an MZ to finish the year in third place in the 125cc world championship, behind Hugh Anderson and Frank Perris... |
650 Norton | 68.57 mph |
| 1969 | Percy Tait Percy Tait Percy Tait is a former professional motorcycle road racer and senior road tester for Triumph motorcycles, where he was estimated to have clocked over a million miles of road testing... , Malcolm Uphill Malcolm Uphill Malcolm Uphill was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His best season was in 1968 when he finished in ninth place in the 250cc world championship. In 1969, he teamed with Percy Tait to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race. At the 1969 and 1970 Isle of Man TT, Uphill won the 750 Production... |
650 Triumph | 84.30 mph |
| 1970 | Peter Williams Peter Williams (motorcyclist) Peter Williams is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His father was Jack Williams who ran the Associated Motor Cycles race department. Peter trained in mechanical engineering and introduced many innovations that are commonplace on today's road bikes, such as alloy wheels and disk brakes... , Charley Sanby |
745 Norton | 74.80 mph |
| 1971 | Percy Tait Percy Tait Percy Tait is a former professional motorcycle road racer and senior road tester for Triumph motorcycles, where he was estimated to have clocked over a million miles of road testing... , Dave Croxford |
744 Triumph | 84.64 mph |
| 1972 | Dave Croxford, Mick Grant Mick Grant Mick Grant is a former professional motorcycle road racer. He is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various bikes, including 'Slippery Sam', a three-cylinder Triumph Trident... |
745 Norton | 85.00 mph |
| 1973 | Rex Butcher, Norman White | 745 Norton | 82.57 mph |
Triumph at Thruxton
Triumph Thruxton 900
The Triumph Thruxton 900 is a British motorcycle made by Triumph Motorcycles. Launched in 2004, it was named after Thruxton racing circuit where Triumph won the first three places in the Thruxton 500 mile endurance race in 1969, establishing the "café racer" era where standard production...
is a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
made by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer, which was established in 1984 by John Bloor after the original manufacturer Triumph Engineering went into receivership...
. Launched in 2004 it was named after the Thruxton racing circuit
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
where Triumph won the first three places in 1969, establishing the "cafe racer" era where standard production motorcycles were modified to improve racing performance.
Nortons at Thruxton
In 1969 the Norton Motorcycle Company set up a development department at Thruxton circuit to support two racing Norton CommandoNorton Commando
The Norton Commando is a British motorcycle with an ohv pre-unit parallel twin engine, launched by the Norton Motorcycle company in 1967. Initially a nominal 750 cc displacement, actually , in 1973 it became an 850 cc, actually ....
s to represent the company in the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
races and the Thruxton 500. The Nortons achieved success over five seasons, during which time several improvements and modifications were developed.