Norton 500 works & Geoff Duke – 1951 winner Ulster GP & world champion photo

Description

Shown is the absolutely magnificent
Geoff
Duke
and his equally magnificent works
Norton 500cc factory racer
. He is seen in
WINNING
action in the rain during the
1951
500cc
Ulster
Grand Prix
, which was ridden on the
Clady circuit
near
Belfast
on
August 18, 1951
. Geoff won the race and would become 500cc and 350cc world champion that year!
Even though the wet conditions Geoff Duke would win the race with an average speed of
95.18 mph
(153.18 kph), runner up was his teammate Ken Kavanagh on Norton, third finisher was Umberto Masetti on the Gilera 4.
In those days, Masetti and Duke on their Gilera four and Norton single battled out long fights on the circuits and
Ulster
1951 was not different! Geoff Duke would become 500cc World Champion in 1951, with the Norton that is visible on the photograph. He also won the 350cc World Championship that year with a similar machine, yet 350cc.
Geoff Duke
, OBE (born
29 March 1923
in
St. Helens
,
Lancashire
) was a British multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. The name of Geoff Duke is synonymous with motor sports, for he dominated motorcycle racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and five Isle of Man TT races. Duke came to prominence after winning the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT and the Senior Manx Grand Prix and was to become the very first post-war motorcycling 'superstar', popularly known amongst the racing fraternity simply as 'the Duke'. He was signed up to the Norton works team for the 1950 TT, finishing second in the Junior and breaking both lap and race records in the Senior. After winning three World Championships for Norton he surprised everybody by moving abroad to Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Gilera in 1953. With Gilera, he had a string of three consecutive 500cc world championships. His support for a rider's strike demanding more start money led the FIM to suspend him for six months, dashing any hopes for a fourth consecutive title. 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 due to injury. His final race was the 1959 Junior when he finished fourth on a Norton. In 1963 formed Scuderia Duke with Gilera to race the 1957 Gileras against the might of MV Augusta. Duke cut a distinctive figure on racing circuits as he was the first rider to wear one-piece leathers - he had enlisted his local tailor, to make the first of his now famous one-piece race suits. He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1951, awarded the RAC Segrave Trophy and, in recognition of his services to motorcycling, was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1953. Highly honoured by the
Isle of Man
, where he made so many of his world record breaking rides, a point on the Mountain Course has been named after him. Three sharp bends at the 32nd Milestone between Brandywell and Windy Corner now carry the title 'Duke's'. The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2002.
Duke is seen riding the works Norton 500. Norton also had a production race version, the Norton Manx
30M (500cc)
and
Norton Manx 40M (350cc)
. The Manx has a very interesting history. Even though Norton had pulled out of racing in 1954, the Manx would remain the backbone of privateer racing for years to come. It was developed to win the Isle of Man TT from single overhead cam international racers by Norton racing team engineer Joe Craig. The double overhead cam configuration was developed in 1937 and after many problems perfected one year later. The Manx was delayed by the outbreak of World War II but reemerged for the 1946 Manx Grand Prix. The motorcycle was upgraded with new telescopic forks and in 1948 gained twin leading shoe brakes. In 1950 the innovative Featherbed frame was developed, giving the Manx a significant competitive advantage through a low centre of gravity and short wheelbase that was perfectly suited the challenging island TT course. The all-welded, tubular featherbed frame was light and trim, without the usual forgings that added unnecessary weight. In 1950 the featherbed Manx recorded a double hat-trick of podium positions at the TT. The Manx engine was redesigned in 1953 with a much shorter stroke of
86 mm
x 85.6 mm to improve the rev range. 1962 was the last full year for the production Norton Manx. In July AMC announced the transfer of production from
Bracebridge Street
to Woolwich in
London
. 42 Manx Nortons were produced between November 1962 and January
1963. In
1966 Colin Seeley purchased what remained of the spares and tools and which he eventually sold on to John Tickle in 1969. John Tickle took over the Manx name when Norton ceased production and acquired a large quantity of spare parts. He also manufactured complete racers, called the Manx T5 (500) and T3 (350). Both used the short-stroke Manx engines in a frame designed by Tickle but he could not compete against the Japanese racers and sold his stock and the rights in the late 1970s. The stock was bought by Unity Equipe who produce specialist spares and have a complete Triton cafe racer build to order service. In 1994 Andy Molnar purchased the rights to the Manx name and some original tools and spares from Unity Equipe and the Norton Manx is now in complete production again. In January
1961 a
new Norton Manxman 650cc was launched for the American market only. British racer Les Archer worked with frame specialist Ron Hankins and engine tuner Ray Petty to develop a Manx Norton motocross motorcycle. The double-overhead-cam, short-stroke Norton Manx road racing engine was fitted into a Hankins frame and finished with an aluminum tank and titanium axles. The Manx MX was successful, winning the
1956 F
.I.M. 500cc European Motocross Championship, but not able to compete with the emerging two-stroke bikes. Manx Nortons also played a significant role in the development of post war car racing. At the end of 1950, the English national 500 cc regulations were adopted as the new Formula 3. The JAP Speedway engine had dominated the category initially but the Manx was capable of producing significantly more power and became the engine of choice. Many complete motorcycles were bought in order to strip the engine for 500 cc car racing, as Nortons would not sell separate engines. Manx rolling chassis were frequently sold on and paired with Triumph 500cc twin engines to create Triton cafe racers.
The original
Norton
company was formed by James Lansdowne Norton (Known as Pa) in
Birmingham
in
1898. In
1902 Norton began building motorcycles with French and Swiss engines. In
1907 a
Norton ridden by Rem Fowler won the twin-cylinder class in the first Isle of Man TT race, beginning a sporting tradition that went on until the 1960s – The Isle of Man Senior TT, the most prestigious of events, was won by Nortons ten times between the wars and then every year from 1947 to 1954. The first Norton engines were made in 1908, beginning a line of side-valve single cylinder engines which continued with few changes until the late 1950s. In 1913 the business declined, R.T. Shelley & Co., the main creditors, intervened and saved it. Norton Motors Ltd was formed shortly afterwards under joint directorship of James Norton and Bob Shelley. J.L. Norton died in 1925 aged only 56, but he saw his motorcycles win the Senior and sidecar TTs in 1924.
Designed by Walter Moore, the CamShaft One (CS1) engine appeared in 1927, based closely on the ES2 (pushrod) engine and using many of its parts. On his departure to NSU in 1930, an entirely new OHC engine was designed by Arthur Carroll, which was the basis for all later OHC and DOHC Norton singles. (
Moore
's move to NSU prompted staff to claim that NSU stood for "Norton Spares Used") That decade spawned the Norton racing legend. Of the nine Isle of Man Senior TTs (500 cc) between 1931 and 1939 Norton won seven. Up to 1934, Norton bought the excellent Sturmey Archer gearboxes and clutches. When Sturmey decided to discontinue production, Norton bought the design rights, and had them made by Burman, a manufacturer of proprietary gearboxes. Nortons also appealed to ordinary motorcyclists who enjoyed the reliability and performance offered by single-cylinder engines with separate gearboxes. The marque withdrew their teams from racing in 1938, but between 1937 and 1945 nearly one quarter (Over 100,000) of all British military motorcycles were Nortons, basically the WD
16H
(solo) and WD Big Four outfit (with driven sidecar wheel). After the War, Norton reverted to civilian motorcycle production, gradually increasing the range. A major addition in 1949 was the Dominator, also known as the Model
7, a
pushrod 500 cc twin cylinder machine designed by Bert Hopwood. Its chassis was derived from the ES2 single, with telescopic front and plunger rear suspension, and an updated version of the gearbox known as the 'horizontal' box. Post war, Norton struggled to reclaim its pre-WWII racing dominance, since the single cylinder machine was facing fierce competition from the multi-cylinder Italians, and AJS at home. In the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, the first year of the world championship, Norton only made fifth place, and AJS won. That was before the Norton Featherbed frame appeared, developed for Norton by the McCandless brothers of
Belfast
in January, 1950, used in the legendary Manx Norton, and raced by riders including Geoff Duke, John Surtees and Derek Minter. Overnight the featherbed frame was the benchmark by which all other frames were judged. Nortons were winners again. Norton also experimented with engine placement, and discovered that moving the engine slightly up/down, forward/back, or even right/left, could deliver a "sweet spot" in terms of handling. In 1951 the Norton Dominator became available in export markets as the Model 88 with the Featherbed frame. Later, as production of this frame increased, it became a regular production model, and was made in variants for other models, including the ohv single cylinder machines. The racing successes were transferred to the street through Cafe racers, some of whom would use the feather bed frame with an engine from another manufacturer to make a hybrid machine with the best of both worlds. The most famous of these were Tritons - Triumph twin engines in a Norton feather-bed frame. Despite, or perhaps because of the racing successes, Norton was in financial difficulty. Reynolds could not make many of the highly desired featherbed frames, and customers lost interest in buying machines with the older frames. In 1953, Norton was sold to Associated Motorcycles (AMC), who also owned the brands AJS, Matchless, Francis-Barnett and James. The
Birmingham
factory was closed in 1962 and production was moved to AMC's Woolwich factory in south east
London
. Under AMC ownership, a much improved version of the Norton gearbox was developed, to be used on all the larger models within the corporation under the AJS, Matchless and Norton banners. Again, the major changes were for improved gear selection. In late
1955 a
600 cc Dominator 99 appeared. The 1946-1953 Long Stroke Manx Norton was 79.6 mm x
100 mm
, initially sohc, the dohc engine becoming available to favoured racers in 1949. The Short Stroke model (1953-1962) had bore and stroke of
86 mm
x 85.6 mm. It used a dry sump 499 cc single cylinder motor, with two valves operated by bevel drive, shaft driven twin overhead camshafts. Compression ratio was 11:1. It had an Amal GP carburettor, and a Lucas racing magneto. The 1962 500 cc Manx Nortons produced 47 bhp (35 kW) at 6500 rpm, weighed
142 kg
(
313 lb
), and had a top speed of
209 km/h
(
130 mph
).[6] The new price was £440. Manx Nortons also played a significant role in the development of post war car racing. At the end of 1950, the English national 500 cc regulations were adopted as the new Formula 3. The JAP Speedway engine had dominated the category initially but the Manx was capable of producing significantly more power and became the engine of choice. Many complete motorcycles were bought in order to strip the engine for 500 cc car racing, as Nortons would not sell separate engines. Manx rolling chassis were frequently resold, and equipped with Triumph engines. These motorcycles were known as Tritons. In
1960, a
new version of the featherbed frame was developed, with the upper frame rails bent inwards to reduce the width between the rider's knees for greater comfort. The move was also to accommodate the shorter rider, as the wide frame made it difficult to reach the ground. This frame was made in-house by AMC, and is known as the 'slimline' frame - the earlier frames then became known as the 'wideline'. The last Manx Nortons were sold in 1963. Even though Norton had pulled out of racing in 1954, the Manx had become the backbone of privateer racing, and even today are quite sought after. In January
1961 a
new Norton Manxman 650c was launched for the American market only. One year later a Norton 650SS appeared,for the
UK
market along with the Norton Atlas
750 in
1962. For the American market more power was desired. Featherbed frames were still used, but the increases to the vertical twins engine capacity had caused a vibration problem at 4500 rpm. A 500 cc vertical twin is smoother than a single cylinder, but if you enlarge the vertical twin's capacity, vibration increases. The 750 Norton Atlas proved too expensive, and costs could not be reduced. Financial problems gathered. There was an export bike primarily for use as a desert racer, sold up until 1969 as a Norton P11, AJS Model 33, and as a Matchless G15, which used the Norton Atlas engine in a modified Matchless G85CS scrambler frame, with Norton wheels and front forks. This bike was reputed to vibrate less than the featherbed frame model. AMC singles were also sold with Norton badging in this era. By the late 1960s competition from
Japan
and a rapidly declining home market had driven the whole British motorcycle industry into a precipitous decline. In 1966 AMC collapsed and was reformed as Norton-Villiers part of Manganese Bronze. The 750 Norton Atlas, was noted for its vibration. Rather than change engines, Norton decided to change the frame, and the isolastic-framed Norton Commando 750 was the result. In 1969 the Commando was introduced; its styling, innovative isolastic frame, and powerful engine made it an appealing package. The Commando easily outperformed Triumph and BSA, and was the most powerful and best-handling British motorcycle of its day. The "isolastic frame," derived from the Featherbed, made it much smoother than the Atlas. It used rubber bushings to isolate the engine and swingarm from the frame, forks, and rider. As the rubber bushings wore, however, the bike became prone to fishtailing in high-speed turns. The customer could choose between single and dual carburettors, and the bike came in several different styles: the standard street model, a pseudo-scrambler with upswept pipes, and the Interstate, packaged as a tourer. Electric start was introduced in 1974. Sales were respectable, but the company declined financially and went into liquidation in
1975. In
1976 a
Norton with a US-flag theme on the tank could be purchased for 76. The 'Combat' engine was released in January 1972, with a twin roller bearing crank, 10:1 compression and making 65 bhp (48.5 kW) at 6,500 rpm. Reliability immediately proved a problem. (Older engines had used one ball bearing main, and one roller bearing main.) This fragility did not show up well, especially when compared to the reliability of the Japanese bikes. In 1972, the former giant of British motorcycle manufacturing BSA was also in trouble. It was given government help on the condition that it merged with Norton-Villiers, and in 1973 the new Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT) was formed. The Triumph Motorcycles name came from BSA's Triumph subsidiary. In April 1973 an 8.5:1 compression 828 cc "850" engine was released with German SuperBlend bearings, which made 51 bhp (38 kW) at 6,250 rpm however the stated power does not give a true picture of the engine performance because increased torque seemed to make up for the lower horsepower. In 1974, the outgoing government withdrew the subsidies, although the incoming government restored them after the election. Rationalisation of the factory sites to
Wolverhampton
and
Birmingham
(BSA's Small Heath site) only caused industrial disputes at Triumph's
Coventry
site; Triumph would go on as a workers cooperative alone. Despite mounting losses, 1974 saw the release of the ‘828 Roadster’, ‘Mark 2 Hi Rider’, ‘JPN Replica’ (John Player Norton) and ‘Mk.2a Interstate’. In 1975 this was down to just two models, the 'Mark 3 Interstate' and the 'Roadster', but then the Government asked for a repayment of its loan and refused export credits, further damaging the company's ability to sell abroad. Production of the two lone models still made was ended and supplies dwindled. In the 1980s, the company went through several incarnations – mainly because, both the name was popular, and now owned by several parties: in liquidation from NVT, the global rights were split between (at least) Norton UK,
Germany
,
America
and Rest of the World. The name was relaunched on an ambitious scale in
Lichfield
in 1988. The new models have succeeded on the race track – winning the Senior TT in 1992 – but they have moved rather more slowly in the commercial market. The British company had some success making the Wankel-engined Interpol 2 motorcycle for civilian and military police forces and the RAC. This led to a civilian model in 1987 called the Classic. Subsequent Norton Wankels were water-cooled. The Commander was launched in 1988 and was followed by the Spondon-framed F1. This model was a replica of Norton's RCW588 factory racing machines which won many races including the 1992 Isle of Man TT. The F1 was succeeded by the restyled and slightly less expensive F1 Sport. At this point the Department of Trade and Industry stepped in to investigate improprieties in the investment web of financier Philippe LeRoux and his associates. LeRoux resigned his position as Chief Executive. Norton is now a small entity dealing with the approximately 1000 Norton Rotary motorcycles. During the 1990s, Kenny Dreer of
Oregon
evolved from restoring and upgrading Commandos to producing whole machines. He modernised the design and in the early 2000s went into series production, but then suspended operations in April 2006. After fifteen years of US ownership the Norton brand has now been secured by Stuart Garner,
UK
businessman and owner of Norton Racing Ltd. Garner plans to develop a new 15000 sq foot Norton factory at
Donnington
Park
. In the
UK
a number of firms such as the remnant of the Shenstone Norton factory, Norvil, Unity Equipe and Norman White, a former team racer and mechanic, supply parts for various generations of Norton motorcycles.
It is a very nice
non period
photo that reflects a wonderful era of Norton’s rich history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this photo, the size is a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca.20 x
30 cm
).
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files
and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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