Realising the Dream at the TT by Mick Duckworth |
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| Tuesday, 24 November 2009 12:12 | ||||
 Anybody who was on the Isle of Man for the 1959 Tourist Trophy motorcycle races could not have predicted that they were witnessing the birth of a racing team and name that would subsequently dominate racing worldwide. Even when Honda secured the 125cc manufacturers team award on its debut and the knockers were silenced, nobody could have predicted that the name Honda and the TT races would become synonymous!From such a good start they went onto take two wins at the 1961 TT races and then during the following six years, Honda’s four-strokes notched up victories in every solo TT race on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course. Even after a break due to withdrawing from racing, Honda returned and virtually made the event a yearly PR benefit for themselves. Some of the greatest TT riders have made their name on Honda machines including Mike Hailwood, Jim Redman, Steve Hislop and Joey Dunlop who took 24 of his 26 victories on Honda’s. John McGuinness the first rider to lap at over 130 mph average did it on a Honda. You could just go on with the facts and records, but it is easier to read about them in the excellent hardback book from Isle of Man based Lily Publications and written by top motorcycle journalist Mick Duckworth. As a boy growing up in the island, Mick witnessed many of the early events and has covered many of the later ones for various publications. He has drawn on this wealth of experience and some of the best TT photographers to write this tribute to Honda who have now recorded 146 TT wins in all classes. Founder Soichiro Honda promised in 1954 he would put all the companies’ efforts into winning the TT and he certainly kept his word. Mick Duckworth has done them proud with this high quality coffee table book that is an excellent companion to his two works on the centennial TT with the same publisher. All I can say is £21.50 is cheap for a work of this quality and should be on every Honda and TT fans book shelf! ISBN 978 1 899 602292 Available from all good bookshops or Gazelle Book Services www.gazellebooks.co.uk Review by Ian Kerr
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