Robert Holden (motorcyclist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Holden was a motorcycle
road racer
from New Zealand
.
He was the most successful of all Ducati Supermono
racers. In 1994 Holden placed second in the Isle of Man TT
, then returned to the 1995 Isle of Man TT
to win the singles title. Holden also won in Ireland's North West 200
Supermono
class in 1995. Holden died the following year in practice at the Isle of Man TT while riding a Ducati 916
.
Holden would ride up to 4 different machines stepping off his Superbike onto a 250 Production machine then straight onto a 600 sports production bike followed by 15 laps and his Rotax
250 GP bike, it seemed at the time that Holden's only rest was during the sidecar race. He was helped early on in his career by Steve Dundon from Wellington
Motorcycle Centre the combination of Dundon's experience and technical skills and Holden's hard riding led to many NZ titles.
One of Holden's more famous exploits was known as "The Holden Sign" incident. This happened at the Manfeild Autocourse
in Feilding. While leading the Open Production Race on his 1135 GSX Suzuki
, he crashed at 200 km/h, the bike slid and cartwheeled through a large sign advertising "Holden
" cars. The whole incident was televised and was shown on the 6 o'clock news. Holden was unhurt and walked back to the pits to the applause of the crowd.
Later on in his career, Holden teamed up with retired Ducati racer turned team manager Dallas Rankine. The BMS team supplied Holden with eight-valve Ducati 916 motorcycles and a Ducati Supermono. Some of New Zealand's best racing was seen during the early nineties between Holden on the Ducati and Andrew Stroud on the famous Britten V1000
. Holden's death at the Isle of Man
in 1996
was a devastating loss for New Zealand racing. Dallas Rankine withdrew from all professional involvement in racing after losing his rider and close friend.
The Robert Holden Memorial feature race at the famous Cemetery Circuit
meeting in Wanganui, New Zealand is named in his honor.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
road racer
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
He was the most successful of all Ducati Supermono
Ducati Supermono
The Ducati Supermono is a lightweight, single-cylinder racing motorcycle made by Ducati. It is named for the Supermono racing class. The Supermono is arguably one of the most collectable Ducatis in any era...
racers. In 1994 Holden placed second in the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
, then returned to the 1995 Isle of Man TT
1995 Isle of Man TT
-Results:*Race 1 – TT Formula One*Race 2 – Sidecar Race A*Race 3 – Singles TT*Race 4 – Ultra Lightweight*Race 5 – Lightweight TT*Race 6 – Junior TT*Race 7 – Sidecar Race B*Race 8 – Senior TT-External links:*...
to win the singles title. Holden also won in Ireland's North West 200
North West 200
The North West 200 is a motorcycle race meeting held each May in Northern Ireland. The course, made up of public roads running between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush is one of the fastest in the world, with speeds in excess of . It is one of around fifteen events run on public...
Supermono
Supermono
Supermono is a class in European motorcycle road racing. Supermono class machines have a single-cylinder engine with a maximum displacement of 850 cc....
class in 1995. Holden died the following year in practice at the Isle of Man TT while riding a Ducati 916
Ducati 916
The Ducati 916 is an Italian sports motorcycle manufactured by Ducati from 1994 to 1998. In contrast to Japanese inline four-cylinder competitors of the time, its V-twin engine produced less outright power, but a more even torque spread...
.
Holden would ride up to 4 different machines stepping off his Superbike onto a 250 Production machine then straight onto a 600 sports production bike followed by 15 laps and his Rotax
Rotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...
250 GP bike, it seemed at the time that Holden's only rest was during the sidecar race. He was helped early on in his career by Steve Dundon from Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Motorcycle Centre the combination of Dundon's experience and technical skills and Holden's hard riding led to many NZ titles.
One of Holden's more famous exploits was known as "The Holden Sign" incident. This happened at the Manfeild Autocourse
Manfeild Autocourse
The Manfeild Autocourse was built by the in 1973 as a purpose built course. In 1990 extra land was acquired and the circuit extension built, bringing Manfeild up to international standards...
in Feilding. While leading the Open Production Race on his 1135 GSX Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
, he crashed at 200 km/h, the bike slid and cartwheeled through a large sign advertising "Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
" cars. The whole incident was televised and was shown on the 6 o'clock news. Holden was unhurt and walked back to the pits to the applause of the crowd.
Later on in his career, Holden teamed up with retired Ducati racer turned team manager Dallas Rankine. The BMS team supplied Holden with eight-valve Ducati 916 motorcycles and a Ducati Supermono. Some of New Zealand's best racing was seen during the early nineties between Holden on the Ducati and Andrew Stroud on the famous Britten V1000
Britten V1000
The Britten V1000 is a handbuilt race motorcycle designed and built by John Britten and a group of friends in Christchurch, New Zealand during the early 1990s...
. Holden's death at the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
in 1996
1996 Isle of Man TT
This was the year where Phillip McCallen of Honda achieved 4 wins in a week – a record not beaten until 2010. He won all of the main races with Jim Moodie and Joey Dunlop picking up the smaller bike wins....
was a devastating loss for New Zealand racing. Dallas Rankine withdrew from all professional involvement in racing after losing his rider and close friend.
The Robert Holden Memorial feature race at the famous Cemetery Circuit
Cemetery Circuit
Cemetery Circuit is a temporary motorcycle street racetrack in downtown Wanganui, New Zealand. It was named because the track circles the old town cemetery. The daylong meeting is traditionally held on Boxing Day each year and has been running since 1951...
meeting in Wanganui, New Zealand is named in his honor.