A History of Road Racing, new on DVD from Duke, combines evocative archive footage and interviews to recall the circuits, machines and riders who played key roles in road racing.
Not intended as an exhaustive history lesson, the DVD highlights milestones and memories from 100 years of drama. It charts the story of road racing from the beginning of the 20th century, when public road circuits like the Isle of Man TT led the way, through the controversy and tragedies of the 1970s which saw racing on roads almost brought to an end, and on to the resurgence of ‘real’ road racing.
Wonderful on-track action recalls the arrival of ‘classic’ circuits like Monza and Donington Park in the 1920s and 1930s, the formation at the TT in 1949 of the championship now known as MotoGP, the creation of dedicated racing facilities on airfields, such as Silverstone, the golden era of motorcycle competition in the 1950s and 1960s, when road circuits remained a central part of World Championship competition, and the eventual removal of road circuits from the Grand Prix calendars.
The desire for greater safety saw road courses fall out of favour, with only those able to adapt to meet demanding standards surviving as world championship venues. It looked like the days of racing at the TT could be numbered – until a certain Mike Hailwood made an unbelievable return to the Mountain Course.
In addition to archive race footage from many of the most important circuits, A History of Road Racing features interviews with legendary racers including Giacomo Agostini, John Surtees, Geoff Duke and Stanley Woods, as well as Murray Walker, a lifelong TT fan and son of a TT winner.
In addition to our look through the archives, the DVD includes six on-board laps letting viewers experience some of today’s famous road racing circuits – Including the Isle of Man Mountain Course, Dundrod and the street circuit of Macau – from the rider’s point of view.
Fascinating footage from the last 90 years of motorcycle road-racing, from the very grainy pictures of the 1920s to the 1960s.
Recommended. | 
