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Neil Robinson (29 July 1962 – 13 September 1986) was a motorcycle circuit and road racer from
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...
,
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
, Northern Ireland. Robinson died aged 24 during a practice session at
Oliver's Mount Oliver's Mount is an area of high ground overlooking Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It offers views over the town, a tribute monument to the war dead, camping and caravanning at selected times of the year, 10 football pitches, 1 rugby l ...
racing circuit,
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
.


Racing career


Early years

In 1983 Robinson made an immediate impact on the British domestic racing scene, winning the 250cc Championship riding a
Yamaha RD250 The Yamaha RD250 is a two-stroke motorcycle produced by Yamaha Motor Corporation is a Japanese mobility manufacturer that produces motorcycles, motorboats, outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in the ...
.


1986 season

For the 1986 racing calendar Robinson initially campaigned
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
machinery in a
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
capacity, being sponsored by a used car business. Making his debut at the
Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...
in June of that year Robinson was entered in three races: the TT Formula 1, Production B and the
Senior TT The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the wiktionary:blue ribbon, blue r ...
. Robinson enjoyed a constructive week in the pre-race practices and qualifying, being timed as the 12th fastest for the Formula 1 TT. Building on his practice lap times, in the Formula 1 race he took his machine home in 11th place, recording an average race speed of following 226.38 miles of racing and which resulted in him being the best placed of the newcomers. This was followed by the Production B Race with Robinson securing 22nd place with an average race speed of . The week's racing concluded with disappointment for Robinson when he was forced to retire in the premier race, the Senior TT. The 1986 Isle of Man TT was the subject of a documentary film produced by
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
. The documentary, entitled ''The Mecca of Motorcycling,'' featured Robinson prominently as it focused on his getting to understand the 37.73 miles of the
Snaefell Mountain Course The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' or ''Snaefell Mountain Course'' or ''Elmo’s Mountain Course'' is a street and Road racing, public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''T ...
and the various
idiosyncrasies An idiosyncrasy is a unique feature of something. The term is often used to express peculiarity. Etymology The term "idiosyncrasy" originates from Greek ', "a peculiar temperament, habit of body" (from ', "one's own", ', "with" and ', "blend ...
involved with competing at the Isle of Man TT. Despite his setback in the Senior TT race, Robinson's consistency had come to the attention of Suzuki Racing's Rex White who offered Robinson a limited contract with the Skoal Bandit Suzuki Team. This allowed Robinson the chance to replace Chris Martin whose season had ended through injury, and thereby offered Robinson the opportunity of competing in the TT Formula 1 World Championship on factory machinery alongside Paul Iddon. Robinson made his debut for Suzuki at the
Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', and also sometimes known as the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix, is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known ...
held at
TT Circuit Assen The TT Circuit Assen is a motorsport race track built in 1955 and located in Assen, Netherlands. Host of the Dutch TT, it is popularly referred to as "The Cathedral of Speed" by motorcycle racing fans. The venue has the distinction of holding th ...
. Robinson made an immediate impact, dicing at the head of the field along with
Joey Dunlop William Joseph Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish roadracing motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star. Dunlop lies second on the list of all-ti ...
and
Kevin Schwantz Kevin James Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1988 to 1995, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory rac ...
he was well placed for a podium finish when he suffered a broken chain. The following round was held at
Circuito de Jerez Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto (formerly known as Circuito de Jerez and Circuito de Velocidad Jerez), is a racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in the ...
, Spain. Although the hot track conditions experienced during the race were something to which Robinson was not particularly accustomed to, he nevertheless managed to secure third place behind race winner Graeme McGregor. Technical misfortune accompanied Robinson at the following round which was raced on the road circuit at
Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...
. Again Robinson started the race brightly and led the field until a loose fairing forced him to stop and make adjustments. The time lost undergoing the alterations meant Robinson slipped down the field, finally coming home in fifth place. The Championship then moved on to Finland with the
Imatra Circuit The Imatra Circuit is a motorsport street circuit in Imatra, Finland. The circuit has existed in two versions, and has been exclusively used for the "" motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheel ...
playing host. Robinson was again at the head of the field, tussling for the lead when his machine sustained a puncture. Whilst this resulted in him missing out on top spot, Robinson was still able to secure the third step on the podium. The World Championship concluded at the 1986
Ulster Grand Prix The Ulster Grand Prix is a defunct motorcycle racing, motorcycle road racing, road race which took place on the Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Due to the races having the fastest aver ...
where Robinson achieved a memorable performance in the Formula 1 Race. In wet conditions Robinson claimed victory over
Joey Dunlop William Joseph Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish roadracing motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star. Dunlop lies second on the list of all-ti ...
, who at that time was the newly crowned World TT Formula 1 Champion. Robinson's further endeavours at the meeting resulted in disappointment in the TT Classic Race which saw him retire with a blown engine whilst Dunlop upped the outright lap record to . A collection of results saw Robinson standing on the threshold of what promised to be a brilliant international career, being on the cusp of signing a full-time contract with the factory Suzuki Racing Team when he became the 13th rider to die on the
Oliver's Mount Oliver's Mount is an area of high ground overlooking Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It offers views over the town, a tribute monument to the war dead, camping and caravanning at selected times of the year, 10 football pitches, 1 rugby l ...
circuit at Scarborough. Competing at the circuit for the first time, Robinson crashed in dense undergrowth and trees on the uphill Quarry Hills section on his sixth lap of practice. He suffered head injuries and a broken leg, and died in the evening in Hull Royal Infirmary.


Legacy


Neil Robinson Trophy

Robinson's name remains very popular within the motorcycle racing fraternity. The Neil Robinson Trophy is considered as one of the most prestigious in Irish Motorcycle Racing. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the Irish Minibike Championship. Previous winners of the trophy include
Joey Dunlop William Joseph Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish roadracing motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2015, he was voted Northern Ireland's greatest-ever sports star. Dunlop lies second on the list of all-ti ...
,
Carl Fogarty Carl George Fogarty (born 1 July 1965), often known as Foggy, is an English former motorcycle racer and one of the most successful Superbike World Championship, World Superbike racers of all time. He also holds the third highest number of rac ...
and
Alastair Seeley Alastair Seeley (born 4 October 1979) is a motorcycle road racing, road racer from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. At the close of the North West 200 2023, Seeley had won a record 29 races in the event. He competes in the British Superbike Ch ...
.


90 Club

The 90 Club was a group formed to support Robinson during his racing career.


Donny Robinson

Robinson's older brother, Donny Robinson (1956 - 1999), was killed in a racing accident at the 1999 North West 200 at Coleraine. He crashed heavily at the Mill Road Roundabout whilst riding a 125cc machine during a wet practice session and died the next morning at Coleraine Hospital from multiple injuries. Aged 43 at the time of death, Donny had retired from his Grand Prix career in 1985 to concentrate on road racing.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Neil 1962 births 1986 deaths Motorcycle racers from Northern Ireland Motorcycle racers who died while racing Sportspeople from Ballymena Motorsport people from County Antrim People from Cullybackey