Isle of Man TT legends race vintage 1950s bikes in torrential rain at Goodwood
Michael Dunlop, Davey Todd, John McGuinness, Michael Rutter in action
Isle of Man TT icons stole the show at this weekend’s Goodwood Revival.
The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy put bikes on the track that is normally reserved for cars, a race that pays homage to the sole two-wheeled event of the 1951 Goodwood Revival.
The pre-1955 machinery included manufacturers Vincent, Norton, BMW and Triumph.
The race rules meant that riders paired up, to take turns on one bike. And a running start across the grid to hop onto their bike - in the style of the 24 Hours of Le Mans - kicked off the race.
Both races, on Saturday and Sunday, were won by Michael Russell and Michael Rutter, on a 1954 Norton Velocette MSS. They came from 27th on the starting grid.
On Saturday, they edged Dan Jackson and James Hillier (on a 1954 Matchless G80).
Ben Kingham and Josh Brookes finished third, riding a 1954 Vincent Black Shadow.
Also in action were Michael Dunlop, the rider with the most wins ever at the Isle of Man TT. Dunlop and Luke Bailey rode a Norton Manx.
John McGuinness and Barry Burrell were also on a Norton Manx.
On Sunday, victorious duo Rutter and Russell beat Herbert Schwab and Davey Todd (who were on a 1928 BMW R63 Kompressor).
| Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy (combined result) | ||
| Position | Riders | Bike |
| 1 | Michael Russell / Michael Rutter | 1954 Norton Velocette MSS |
| 2 | Dan Jackson / James Hillier | 1954 Matchless G80 |
| 3 | Ben Kingham / Josh Brookes | 1954 Vincent Black Shadow |
| 4 | Ian Bain / Steve Brogan | 1952 Norton International |
| 5 | Tony Perkin / Billy McConnell | 1953 Velocette MSS 500 |
Heavy rain turned the prior practice session into a thrill.
Davey Todd stunningly mastered the tricky conditions to put his BMW R63 Kompressor in pole position.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
