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Geoff Duke

Geoff Duke
Geoff Duke (1951).jpg
Geoff Duke (1951)
Nationality United Kingdom 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 50 359 (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
Podiums 8

Geoffrey Ernest Duke OBE (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015) was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. Born in St. Helens, Lancashire, after retirement from competition he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man.

After reaching the status of Team Sergeant in the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team, The White Helmets, Duke was a prominent figure in racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and six Isle of Man TT races. 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. He also won the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT. 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.

After winning three World Championships for Norton, he moved abroad to Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Gilera in 1953. With Gilera, he had a string of three consecutive 500 cc world championships. His support for a riders' strike demanding more start money led the to suspend him for six months, dashing any hopes for a fourth consecutive title. For 1953 he joined the sports car racing team of Aston Martin (Feltham, Middlesex) to race the DB3. 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. 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.


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