Wankel Rotary Norton in the 1991 British Grand Prix

[svenvandeneynde3]

Rocket Ron

[dronesincedawnoftime]

is that the great Murray Walker commentating?

[andrewshere]

Yeah, the Norton's were finally barred due to being unable to determine the c.c. in comparison with standard engines. THe Norton's were un on a real tight budget. I remember doing a regular "public" practice day (ACU licence holders) on a Wedneday afternoon at Mallory Park. Trevor Nation and Steve Spray were both there setting up there bikes. I also remember Phil McCallen sweeping through Gerrards on the outside of me, smooth as you like. Class.

[lsdt01]

@andrewshere

If I remember correctly, Japanese manufacturers offered the ACU more support if it adopted WSB rules. Those rules effectively band the Norton. Essentially, if you can't beat em change the rules. Did that happen in WSB

When Ducatti ruled the roost?

[rx323bug]

check the line up 0.33... list of legends

[andy011264]

does anyone know why we dont see the norton rotary in the super bike racing anymore,

i can remember watching them years ago and wiping the floor with everyone.

heard a rumour that they could not determine there cc, so would'nt let them race,dont know if its true or not.

would love to know what happened,and if we will see the nortons race again.

loved the concept of the rotary engine.

[manxcafe]

Hello from America, loved the Norton rotarys, Trevor Nation and "Rocket" Ron Haslam. The rotarys were the "other" twostrokes that the GP establishment did not respect or take seriously, they made their mark though & would love to see another go of it...

[paragons]

I was there....maate...hwta a noise..!

[Rosatii]

I agree

[Rosatii]

Well, being that he is in 14th place, it seems have though the nips have the edge over this bike

I am a huge rotary fan , but to call them nips if you are a fan of GP racing is just asinine.

Look at what Valentino Rossi drives....

[paragons]

@Rosatii it was a superbike..not a gp bike ......soo....did very well..!

[wheelzwheeler]

Nice,was at that one,remember well.Did two races that day i think and had a faster time in non gp ride race,which would have give him a top 10 finish...

[Factnotfictionpeople]

The 'Nips' hated them - 'cos they always won.....did they ever decide on the actual capacity of these beasties? LOL

[Rosatii]

The nips were the first ones to use a Rotary in Le Mans 24 hr and win from the mazda 787b

That car/motor was subsequently banned after destroying everything else due to its light weight.

But im sure you already know this....

Im not japanese , but lets have some respect.

If you love Rotary engines so much than you should love mazda/japs for exploiting their potential

[Factnotfictionpeople]

See my previous comment - HONDA protested about the Norton rotary because it slaughtered them - then virtually bought out one of its top developers! As for respect for the Japanese - read your mid 20th century, far-eastern history and then perhaps you'll understand my contempt for the Japanese. And finally, take a look at the footage of the Nips slaughtering whales in the southern oceans 'for research purposes!' - against international law! Nips - pah!.......

[Rosatii]

Yes, they were animals and thought they could take over the world along w/ that crazy fuck Adolf. They fucked w/ China, Korea, you name it.

In America, There is a show on Discovery called whale wars exploiting their whaling operations in the south/north pole and a bunch of scientists/activists try to stop them "peacefully" and disrupt them and they eventually take them hostage.

its not for research, they eat the whales and use the fat oils and eat their tounges

Nips? Yes keep it on racing

[junfan79]

Didn't these nortons also ride on the Isle of Man couple of years later????

[Catsbarking]

Yeah and Trevor Nation got dq for oversize fuel tank....massive fan of TV,SS and RH

[auto4union]

@junfan79 Yeah ! Robert Dunlop had already got a podium in `90 or 91 but the late great Steve Hislop battled multiple WSB champ Carl Fogarty in what is generally regarded as the greatest TT race of all time riding the "White Charger" in an epic battle ! Foggy on the Yamaha and Hizzy changed position lap after lap with the Norton finally winning by 4 seconds(I Think?) ! Truly EPIC stuff !! Peace Ye`All !! PS ! Almost forgot ! A rotary won the BSB championship in `95 !Then the rules were changed!

[racer500gp]

"Rocket" Ron is so underrated. This gut was the best development rider of all time and a damn good GP racer.

Too bad he never won a GP.

[ozz100]

sure is scarey, my friend's got one in his conservatory, it has terry rymer's name on it, and it sounds the bollocks.

[rusaccord]

Beautiful, and freaky fast. Looks like it's torquing up the front wheel if he gives it too much gas. Scary beast.