Five brilliant bikes to see at the Goodwood Revival

This year, aboard motorcycles of a type that raced between 1960 and 1966, former MotoGP racer Dani Pedrosa will be joined by the likes of British Superbike racer Eugene Laverty, former Grand Prix and current Superbike rider James Ellison, and former Grand Prix riders Steve Parrish, Jeremy McWilliams and James Haydon. 

Qualifying will take place on the Friday, followed by racing on both Saturday and Sunday. At what is the most star-studded in recent history, British champions James Whitham, Ian Simpson and Steve Brogan, and former Isle of Man TT winners Mick Grant, Charlie Williams and Iain Duffus will also join the grid. Also representing British Superbikes will be former racers Howie Mainwaring-Smart, Jenny Tinmouth and Scott Smart – the nephew of Barry Sheene himself.

1963 Norton Manx 30M

Among a fleet of Manx Nortons contesting the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy this year, one stands out – not for any particular race wins or mechanical quirks, but for the illustrious rider onboard.

Former MotoGP maestro Dani Pedrosa is set to make a return to racing at the Revival, climbing aboard the 1963 Norton Manx 30M TT bike owned by Joaquín Folch-Rusinol Jnr, with whom he will share the bike in the two-rider race.

The Spaniard left the World Championship at the end of 2018, after 13 seasons racing for Repsol Honda, in which he took 31 race victories, winning races every year from 2006 to 2017.

While he never quite managed to bag a MotoGP championship, the 33-year-old won the 125cc crown in 2003, and took back-to-back 250cc titles in 2004 and 2005 – becoming the youngest 250cc champion in the process. This year, he took on the role of a test and development rider for KTM.

1966 Aermacchi Ala d’Oro

Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer, originally better known for monoplanes than motorcycles. However, after WWII, the company recognised the need for cheap, efficient transport and branched out into two-wheelers, producing a selection of small capacity scooter-come-motorcycles.

But it wasn’t until 1960, when Harley-Davidson bought half of the company, that Aermacchi as a motorcycle manufacturer really took off.

The Ala d’Oro – or the ‘Gold Wing’, according to Google translate – was a 250cc production road racing machine, launched in 1961 and refined over the ensuing years. A 350cc long-stroke engine, mated to a five-speed gearbox, was launched in 1964, although factory riders had been racing it the 350 since 1961. By 1966, the Ala d’Oro was consistently performing, and rider Renzo Pasolini placed third during the 1966 350cc World Championship, while Kelvin Carruthers replicated the feat in 1968.

This bike, which will be competing at the Revival’s Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, was ridden to second in the 1968 Dutch TT by Alan Barnett, finishing behind Agostini on an MV. Factory no. 408 has also been successful in modern classic racing, winning both the 2005 and 2010 Senior Classic Manx GP. Most recently, it finished 5th in 2013 Senior Classic TT, lapping at 107.50mph, the fastest lap by a pushrod machine at that time.

1954 BMW RS54 Oskar Liebmann Special

In post-war Germany, BMW’s engineers worked hard in an attempt to re-establish the manufacturer in international road racing competition. After years of development and design evolution, the first post war iteration of the new Koenigswelle boxer race bike emerged, followed by the long-stroke factory race bikes, which were seen in action by 1953.

Following moderate success, BMW decided to produce a small run of these racers to sell to privateer teams. Of the 25 RS54s produced, 19 were solo and six were sidecar units.

One of these solo motorcycles found its way to America, where German expat, founder of BMW’s first US dealer and race bike builder Oscar Liebmann raced it before shipping it back to Munich in preparation for the 1959 Isle of Man TT.

While visiting, Liebman struck up a strong relationship with Munich, and in particular engineer and racer Max Klankermeier, who headed up BMW’s motorcycle racing division. After explaining the untapped potential he saw in the overhead cam Rennsport engine, it was agreed that Liebmann would receive factory support from Klankermeier in developing a greater horsepower engine. In the early 1960s, he was shipped five Rennsport engine castings, and set to work on re-engineering the layout of the cylinders and heads, canting each cylinder up by two degrees and creating a V-twin.

Following further refinement, the OL Special (part of the BMW agreement was that Liebmann could not campaign the model under the BMW badge), ridden by Liebmann’s son Kurt, went on to win the Canadian Road Racing Championship in 1968, as well as Daytona in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995 and 1996.  Kurt also raced it at the one and only Canadian Gran Prix, Mosport, 1967 against the likes of Agostini and Hailwood.

In this weekend’s Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, the bike will be raced by Maria Costello and Sebastien Gutsch.

1966 Hansen Honda CR450

A Goodwood regular, this Hansen Honda CR450 will be ridden by pioneering female racer Jenny Tinmouth, alongside owner Chris Barfe.

Bob Hansen was a well-known American racer during the 1940s and ‘50s, before becoming a much-sought-after Honda dealer and tuner in the early 1960s, and eventually working his way up to the manufacturer’s Southern California HQ.

While at Honda, he managed a number of semi-factory racing efforts using the manufacturer’s lightweight and middleweight motorcycle. Most successful was the trio of HRC-prepared CB450s that he entered into the 1967 Daytona 200. The bike competing at Revival is thought to be one of these three.

1962 AJS Matchless 7R 500

A combination of two incredible motorcycles, this AJS Matchless 7R 500 features the frame of a 1956 AJS 7R ‘Boy Racer’, and a 1962 498cc Matchless G50 single cylinder engine. With 51hp, the G50 was known for being less powerful than its main competitor, the Norton Manx, but faster round bends making it a highly competitive machine.

The AJS frame and Matchless engine has proven a winning combination in period, with 10 finishes in the Manx GP (with the best finish above 90mph), two championships and winning the Avon class of the Lansdowne series.