A Paton of progress
It’s almost impossible to miss a Paton racing past – even with your eyes closed. The machine’s deep, resonating hum is enough to identify the Italian racer even from half-a-mile off. And if you can’t hear it, you’ll spot the machine’s bright green, super fun, toy-like livery from just as far away. In comparison, everything else seems a bit dour.
But this is nothing new: the Paton has been catching people’s eyes (and ears) for decades. Among its converts is Raymond Ainscoe, who wrote ‘Paton GP Racers: 1958 to 1975’ He said: “I’ll never forget it – I was just a kid at the Isle of Man TT and I can remember it very well because the 250cc race was on the same day as the sidecar race and the sidecar race had a Gilera running second”
“The Paton struck me in particular because it was a rare Italian bike and I had probably never heard of it before. It was 1964 so there must have been three or four works Hondas, a works Benelli and some Cottons,
