International Motorcycle Road Racing Archive
This website provides you ALL the results of the most notorious motorbike races of the 20th century.
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Belle Epoque
The days of the pioneers, from the early motoring contests to the first Grands Prix, from novelty entertainment to a new form of sport. Often in the shadow of automobile racing, motorcycling slowly finds its own way(s), and its first landmark event : the TT.
Roaring Twenties
The age of maturity, the days of plenty. Motorcycling grows with the industrial boom of the inter-war years. More races are held every year, and the first Continental road racing title is created in Europe, as are many classic Grand Prix events
Classic Era
With the Great Depression the sport becomes more elitist. Factory teams dominate the road racing landscape, the bikes are faster than ever, the races more popular than ever. It was the times of Jimmie Simpson, of Jimmy Guthrie, of Omobono Tenni. And then it was the times of guns and death. Again.
Golden Age
The wounds of WW2 are long to heal. In the early post-war years everything is to rebuild. Great Britain and Italy lead the way, and with the creation of the FIM Road Racing World Championships in 1949, motorcycle racing embarks on a glorious journey of speed, thrills, and fame.
Centaurs of the Rising Sun
The arrival of the Japanese “Big 4” manufacturers in Grand Prix racing changes the face of the sport forever. The FIM is slow to capitalize on this change, and the ways of old remain prevalent. The modern era is just round the corner though, and the advent of the Rising Sun era also signals the sunset for classic motorcycle road racing.
The Speed Merchants
The decade of change. Sponsorship is allowed, more money is infused into the sport and professionalism increases. Autodromes are in, natural road races are out. Politics, strikes, chaos – it's a painful growth. But a fantastic growth it is, fueled by the American riders who start a 15-year domination of the sport from the mid-70s onwards.
Continental Circus Farewell
The World Championships become everything, and everything becomes more professional. Television coverage increases every year, autodromes are now the norm, and the entertainment factor dictates it all. Auto racing and its F1 Barnum become the model, and the transformation is underway.
Post-Modern Space Age
The digital era begins. Computers are the new tools of the trade, and the internet is about to enter the equation. But the morph into F1 is messy and laborious, with several casualties along the way, among which international sidecar racing. Real road racing survives though, here... there... and at the TT !