Known affectionately by fans as The Duke, Englishman Geoff Duke OBE was a six-time World title winner and the first rider whose image was used to promote the World Championship internationally, after he sprang to prominence in the early 1950s.

Duke retired from the World Championship at the end of the 1959 season at the age of 36, with an enviable record of six World titles and 33 Grand Prix victories. Duke is also credited as the first motorcycle racer to wear one-piece leathers & was awarded an OBE in 1953.