Isle of Man MGP 8mm Footage From the 1950’s

There must be something in the water on the Isle of Man.  It seems like for as long as we could remember, motorcyclists from all over the world have gone there to race along its street course.  Actually, it’s been around for one hundred and six years, with no apparent end in sight.  While the Isle of Man TT is legendary for its notoriety, there’s another race with no less importance (or danger) on the racing calendar: the Manx Grand Prix.

It started ninety years ago and was called “Manx Amateur Road Races’ or MARC until 1930.  The race runs along the Snaefell Mountain Course, just like the Isle of Man TT.  However, this event is for amateur racers and a number of past competitors have gone on to contend in the TT, as well as other high-speed road courses.  This video montage by Tim Dudley is entirely comprised of 8mm footage from the early 1950’s.  It’s incredible that in the sixty odd years since the original films were shot, the bikes and outfits may be very different, but the daring spirit of these motorcyclists is very much the same.

Hat tip to http://habermannandsons.tumblr.com/
Information Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_Grand_Prix