Kicking open doors

And now, a new book, ‘Enterprise on the edge of industry’ tells the story of how a poor boy from rural Hampshire became chief tester in Norton’s experimental department and 1953 world champion sidecar rider. This deeply engaging book, co-written by Stan Dibben and his son Mark, offers 442 pages of insight into British motorcycle development, its stars and its industry in its most dynamic era. Here, Stan and Mark Dibben talk about ‘Enterprise on the edge of Industry’ and offer a glimpse of the book in a two-part series.

Welcome to part one, kicking open doors.

“Give me the child until he’s seven and I will show you the man,” or so the saying goes.

This is certainly true of the life story of world champion sidecar rider Stan Dibben. Only, in Stan’s case, his fascinating career in the motorcycle world isn’t down to strict parenting alone: it’s in his DNA. The same spark that ignited Stan’s indefatigable ascension to the higher echelons of the motorcycle industry and motorcycle racing likewise propelled his father and his grandfather out of poverty.

‘Enterprise on the edge of industry’ charts the Dibben history, from the birth of George Dibben, 1796, to Stan’s work at NGK Spark Plugs and beyond. Describing his father’s approach to life, Mark Dibben says: “Dad has always told me ‘If one door shuts another doors