From The Archive

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.

When the Melbourne Corner section was added to the Donington Park circuit in 1938, the first motorcycle meeting saw a flock of stars in attendance.

As the eco movement gains more credence and applies pressure to the motorsports world perhaps there is room for change.