racing

Johnny Allen was a pioneer in the purest sense, a man for whom the fear of the unknown was merely an added incentive to cut through the salt of Bonneville at approaching a third of the speed of sound.

In September 1955, the flat-tracker strapped himself in to the 15-foot-long Devil’s Arrow Streamliner to record a bone-shaking 193mph on the vast expanse of salt.

When a German NSU Motorenwerke team went faster a few months later, the Triumph team returned to Bonneville with a fresh paint job and a new name and smashed the top speed once more to regain the title of the world’s fastest motorcycle.

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Almost as soon as the motorcycle had been invented people wanted to race them, and one of the earliest races was the iconic Isle of Man TT.

From it's very first race in 1907 right up to today Triumph has made history, breaking lap records and taking titles.

THE RACE THAT NAMED A BIKE

Triumph’s domination at one of the world’s most demanding races made worldwide stars of the riders and spawned a generation of sports bikes that bore the name of the venue that made them great.

2014 – ESLICK: A NEW CHAPTER

When Danny Eslick crossed the line at the Daytona 200 in 2014, he was acutely aware that he was following in the tyre tracks of legends.

It was Triumph’s first win at the world’s most gruelling long-distance sprint for almost 50 years, since Eslick’s mentor and friend Gary Nixon took the coveted crown in 1967.

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2014 – ESLICK: A NEW CHAPTER

The 27-year-old won the 73rd Daytona 200 at Daytona Beach in Florida when he powered his Daytona 675 across the finish 11 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

In a poignant tribute to Nixon, Eslick said: “He was always full of encouragement. It’s sad that he’s no longer with us, but I like to think some of my win was for him.”

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1960s – THE NAME-CHANGER

Triumph ended nearly 30 years of US and Canadian leadership at the 200-mile race when Buddy Elmore raced to success from 46th on the grid on a works special Tiger 100 in 1966. The legendary Triumph 500cc racer sacrificed low-speed tractability for a big step up in power at 3,500rpm to deliver arguably the most famous Daytona race in history.

Image Source:  Mick Duckworth/John Nelson archive

1960s – THE NAME-CHANGER

Elmore sped past the whole field to win by a full minute at an average 96mph, and into Triumph and racing folklore.

Just as powerful as its rivals but much lighter at just 315lbs, its place in history was officially recognised when the Daytona name appeared on the Triumph 750 sport bike in 1990-91.

Image Source:  Mick Duckworth/John Nelson archive

NIXON STRIKES AGAIN

Gary Nixon, who ran Elmore close for the ’66 crown, went one better the following year on the same bike to make it two Daytona titles on the trot for the Triumph Works team.

The always-ambitious Nixon’s attitude to racing was simple: ‘Watch the starter, get a good start and then in a few laps, start lappin’ guys. An’ then you win the race.’

That philosophy worked. He also won the AMA Grand National Championship on Triumphs in 1967 and 1968.

Image Source:  Mick Duckworth/John Nelson archive

1970S – GENE ROMERO

One of the best-known and most-flamboyant racers of the late 60s and early 70s, Romero’s proudest moment came when he rode to AMA glory on his favourite bike – a Triumph Trident – in 1970.

The Californian-born rider, the US answer to British World Grand Prix winner Barry Sheene, was better known as a dirt track, scrambling and TT specialist earlier in his career.

After his Triumph Trident breakthrough, Romero – who was sponsored by the legendary Evel Knievel for one season – came close to winning the 1970 and 1971 Daytona 200s before finally triumphing in 1975.

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BEST IN CLASS

In a seminal history spanning a quarter of a century, the 675cc Daytona was hailed by the motorcycle world’s best-known media pundits as ‘the best British sport bike ever’.

Launched in 1990 and named after the historic venue that put Triumph racing on the map, the most recent incarnation has been a force at the British and World Supersport Championships since 2006.

GLEN RICHARDS

Craig Jones was the first to challenge in 2003, riding a Daytona 600 in the British Supersport Championship in conjunction with the factory team as Triumph returned to racing after a 30-year hiatus. 

Australian Glen Richards – who lives near Bruntingthorpe, a stone’s throw from the Triumph factory – rode a Daytona 675 to British Supersport successes in 2008 and 2012.

BILLY MCCONNELL

Fellow Aussie Billy ‘Skippy’ McConnell ushered in the modern racing era for Triumph with a 2014 British Supersport title on a Daytona 675R, and admitted: “To finally win the British Championship is brilliant and I was crying my eyes out on that final lap. I’ve come so close in recent years and it’s probably why my results haven’t been the greatest in the final races as I wanted it so bad.” 

Image Source: Jon Jessop

POWERING THE NEXT GENERATION

The racing DNA will continue into the 2020s with the success of the Street Triple and Triumph’s exclusive engine partnership for the Moto2™ championship from 2019.

The partnership maintains Triumph’s place at the pinnacle of motorsport and builds on the success of the race-winning Daytona 675R powerplant that led the way at the Isle of Man TT, Daytona 200 and British Supersport wins in 2014 and 2015.

Based on the new 2017 Street Triple powerplant, the Triumph Moto2™ 765cc engine has been developed and tuned for a major step up in power and torque.

Triumph’s rich 110-year racing heritage shows no sign of slowing.

GOING FLAT OUT – FAST

Flat tracking, and its addictive blend of speed, dirt and dust, is making an adrenaline-fuelled comeback in the States and once again, Triumph is at the heart of the revival. Today it is called Flat Track Series, but the name ‘Championship’ lives on.

GARY NIXON: THE AMERICAN DREAM

British racer Barry Sheene famously wore the T-shirt of flat-track legend and friend Gary Nixon beneath his leathers. Oklahoman Nixon and Cockney Sheene were unlikely friends, but Nixon’s status forged in the dirt and dust of the AMA Grand National Flat Track Championship had a mesmeric effect on the Londoner.

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GARY NIXON: THE AMERICAN DREAM

Nixon had taken first place in America’s premier motorcycle racing series in 1967 and 1968 on a Triumph 500, beating the field over mile and half-mile courses and TT dirt tracks, before conquering the fourth asphalt section, a feat emulated by Triumph rider Gene Romero in 1970.

The Championship remained the premier motorcycle racing series in the States, from its inception in the 1950s up until the late 1970s when supercross events held in stadiums grew more popular.

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MODERN DAY

In 1986, flat track and road racing became two distinct AMA Pro Racing championships, but it wasn’t until more recently and the arrival of Triumph that the sport truly enjoyed its modern renaissance.

MODERN DAY

Former Triumph America boss Michael Lock took over as American Flat Track CEO and oversaw a revival of the sport to a new generation, with Triumph at the fore.

The new format, entertaining for its constant lead changes over short distances, coincided with a rise in the ranks of purpose-built, specialist bikes on the starting grid in the States and UK at Dirtquake, where customised Triumphs compete as dirt bikes, street bikes and all things in between.

“The competitor I faced was death. And he is the toughest competitor in the world” Evel Knievel.