With the FIM World Team Long Track Championship event set to take place at Swingfield on the 18th August. The family of the late Don Godden are pleased to announce the donation of a new Trophy to the FIM in memory of Don and his Grass Track career.
The sport of Grass Track and Long Track lost one of its greatest riders, and finest ambassadors, with the sad passing of Don Godden on the 28
th May 2011. Don started his racing career in 1953, and on the domestic scene was at the very top for a period of 20 years amassing many victories including three British 500cc titles, three second places in the 350cc British Championship, and just to demonstrate his versatility, became the first British 250cc Champion when he raced to victory at the Wetherby Nationals on a Greeves engine special. It was perhaps on the continent that Don had his finest hours, finishing second in the European Championship in 1967, 1968 and 1970, and winning the title in 1969, the first British riders to do so, and effectively making him number one in the world at the time. Don continued to get top 10 finishes in the event, which had become a World Championship in 1970.
Not only was Don a world class rider, but he was also a world class engineer who, after tuning his own engines for many years, turned his hand to producing his own range of track racing engines. Such was his skill as an engineer that, only 20 years after winning the European Championship as a rider, every European and World Track Racing Championship was won by riders using Godden engines.
The trophy has been produced using reclaimed Silver after melting down a number of Don’s racing trophies and will feature a three handle design allowing the three riders to lift the trophy.
(please note the trophy will be similar in design to the one shown)