Classic Racer

Phil Read, who passed away on October 6, was a seven/eight time world champion. Racing in a time of greats, Phil would win the 250cc crown four times (1964, 65, 68, 71) the 125cc title once (1968) and 500cc titles in 1973 and 1974 – the last of MV Ag

In the beer tent, at the Isle of ManTT in 1996 and Phil Read – the Prince of Speed – is holding court. As a newbie race reporter, I’m hanging on the coat-tails of the greats: not just great racers and champions like Read, but journalists like John Br

Many recall Frederick Burdette Spencer’s amazing double title win in 1985, when he took both the 500cc and 250cc titles for Honda on their NSR250 and NSR500 two-stroke machines but his first title was no less dramatic. This was to be a direct battle

Two of British motorcycling’s biggest names, including a king of the jungle, are set to entertain the fans at the first major classic bike event of 2023. Carl Fogarty and James Whitham will take centre stage at the Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic o

Although female passengers were taking part in the sidecar class of postwar TT races (there has never been a sidecar Manx Grand Prix) it was not until 1962 that a woman rode in the solo classes, that famously being Beryl Swain in the inaugural 50cc e

A great historic motor race meeting, and the only sporting event of its kind to be staged entirely in a period theme, the Goodwood Revival is an immersive celebration of a less disposable world, where ‘make do and mend’ was a way of life, ensuring a

Valentino Rossi had many fierce rivalries during his astonishing 26-year career in Grands Prix; from Sete Gibernau to Casey Stoner, and Jorge Lorenzo to Marc Marquez, but there was no one he hated more than Max Biaggi. That the feeling was entirely m

Forget MotoGP or even World Superbike. The most dramatically entertaining and closely fought international category in road racing today is the so-called Post-Classic Superbike category. This has caught on bigtime around the world in the past decade,

When Gerald Davison joined the Honda Motor Company as a young import and distribution manager in 1968, the firm had just withdrawn from all racing activities, despite Mike Hailwood winning the 250 and 350cc world championships for Honda and finishing

Snetterton is where the CRMC held its first ever meeting in 1980, and the club was back at the Norfolk venue for the first time in three years for its penultimate get together of the season. The former Second World War USAF bomber base has undergone

The CRMC was at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit for its seventh and final meeting of the 2022 season, with a 29-race timetable comprising the final two legs of the club championships, the last round of the ACU series and a one-off Race of the Year fo

It was a welcome return of classic racing motorcycles to Mona’s Isle at the Manx Grand Prix. Four months after breaking both ankles in a collision at the Cookstown 100, Mike Browne chalked up his first victory on the Snaefell Mountain Course in the L

// RACE REPORTS // LINE ART // WHATEVER HAPPENEDTO //YOUR RACE MACHINES AND PICTURES AND MUCH // MUCH MORE! * THE COOL KIWI! CONTINUED WITH NICK JEFFERIES The next issue of Classic Racer is on sale on February 16. The editor reserves the right to