IT'S A PRODUCTION. The TT class

The first races took place at the 1967 Diamond Jubilee TT as the ACU celebrated the occasion with the newly introduced format of racing. Held over three laps of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, the race was split into three categories – 750cc, 500cc and 250cc – and held under a national licence, and was seen by many as being a return to the original Tourist Trophy concept. It also has a unique spot in the TT’s history as it featured a Le Mans style start.

At the time, Production racing was very much seen as a growth class and it had the backing of Britain’s biggest manufacturers, the BSA-Triumph combination and Norton Villiers. They couldn’t produce pure Grand Prix machines to match the Italian and Japanese factories but they could still race showroom models which acted as an extremely useful marketing tool.

1967

Despite their common ownership, the BSA and Triumph race teams had a healthy rivalry and they concentrated on the 750cc class with John Hartle coming out on top for the latter. Riding the popular 650cc Bonneville sports machine, albeit with clip-on handlebars, aluminium fuel tank, race fairing and slight engine tweaks, the popular Hartle came home almost two minutes clear