From The Archive

Velocette’s LE – for Little Engine – doesn’t perhaps spring immediately to mind as a long-distance mount, but that didn’t deter this 1956 tourist.

Simon Crafar has the strange honour of being the best rider never to have won a World Superbike race, and yet when he went to 500cc GPs he became one of the few to beat the dominant Mick Doohan…

After an 11-year title drought, Ducati finally recaptured the World Superbike crown in 2022. It was a remarkable year for the Italian manufacturer, where it also took the MotoGP championship, the Bologna-based factory now has a total of 15 titles in the WSB series since its inception in 1988. Impressive.

The London to Land’s End trial first began as a reliability trial in 1908.

Mysterious picture of a motorcycle with right-hand attached sidecar in 1911 London, being blown a kiss by a stage star.

We delved deep into the Mortons Archive to pull out these rarely-before-seen racing images. Interested in seeing more? Explore the Mortons Archive here or take out a subscription to Classic Racer here.

Here is a warming image of the works Scott team at the Isle of Man TT in 1925. It seems a far cry from today’s professional and serious garage set-ups, yet the work, the conversations, and the ultimate goal remain the same 97 years on.

John Kocinski is a legend and a double world champion, winning the 250cc Grand Prix world title in 1990, but also the World Superbike series in 1997.

The young Kevin Schwantz didn’t get into road-racing until comparatively late, but when he did he set the sport alight.