16 replies to this topic

[brands77]

Victor Palomo was not only the Formula 750cc World Champ in 1976 but also a European and Spanish Junior Waterskiing champion and represented Spain at Bobsleigh in the Olympics.

 

Has any other rider been successful outside of bike/car racing? I know there are plenty who have crossed over to car/truck racing and some who went from motocross to road racing - such as Bayle and Pirovano, but waterskiing and bobsleigh are really very different disciplines from bike racing.

 

The closest I can think of is that Dave Thorpe 500cc Motocross champion in 85 and 86 was apparently on QPR's books as a teenager - but then he never road raced to my knowledge.

Edited by brands77, 09 April 2022 - 08:45.

[messy]

Jeff Ward went from highly successful motocross rider to successful Indycar driver which is the first one that comes to mind, but I suppose technically both still motor racing - just rather opposite ends of that spectrum.

Edited by messy, 09 April 2022 - 09:20.

[jcbc3]

If we go there the correct answer is Surtees.

[brands77]

Yep, the number who made it to F1 are quite a few, Surtees, Hailwood, Beltoise, Driver and Brambillia. Agostini had a go at Aurora F1 and Ivy did F2. Sheene and Parrish did truck racing. But I was thinking of outside of motorsport.

[Vitesse2]

George Duller is an obvious one: successful jockey and racing driver.

 

https://www.motorspo...y-racing-driver

 

Stirling and Pat Moss were both successful show jumpers before taking up motor sport. And in the early years quite a few racing cyclists made the transition to motor sports on two, three or four wheels.

 

Christian Kautz was an accomplished winter sportsman and probably near international level in downhill skiing, although I don't think he competed seriously* after leaving Oxford University - IIRC he skied for both Oxford and Combined Universities and he certainly did the Cresta Run as well.

 

Le Mans winner Luis Fontes was a leading powerboat racer in the late 1930s, after having been imprisoned and banned from driving due to a succession of drink/driving convictions which culminated in a fatal accident. The lack of a road licence meant he couldn't get an RAC competition licence either, so he turned to racing boats and aircraft (in which he was less successful). His powerboat had an Alfa Romeo tipo B engine ...

 

It would also - unfortunately - be remiss to ignore Violette Morris.

 

* Kautz did win a downhill skiing competition for racing drivers in 1939, but it was by no means 'serious', given that one of the main sponsors was the Roederer champagne company!

[karl100589]

An obvious one is Alex Zanardi. Two time CART Champion to gold medal winning hand-cyclist.

[Sterzo]

Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, 11th Marquess of Portago, to name just one. Equine sports (to Grand National level) and bobsleigh (Olympics).

[Sterzo]

Fernand Charron was a competitive cyclist before taking up car racing. He won a French cycling championship in 1891. Other pioneer racing drivers were also cycling enthusiasts (and indeed bicycle makers such as Peugeot turned to motor racing). I expect there'd be others who competed successfully, though I only know of Charron.

[tonyed]

Gianfranco Bonera was quite a successful track cyclist prior to turning to motorcycle racing. 

[Vitesse2]

Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, 11th Marquess of Portago, to name just one. Equine sports (to Grand National level) and bobsleigh (Olympics).

Henry Taylor was another bobsledder and part of the British Olympic squad, but had to withdraw from that due to the injuries he received in his serious shunt in the 1961 British GP. He was apparently originally the first choice to drive the GB two-man bob in the 1964 Winter Olympics. He'd also raced speedway bikes before moving into F3.

[brands77]

Motorbike racers seem to be far less represented outside of their field compared to car racers. So far I have found that Yvon Duhamel was a top class snow mobile racer and Reg Armstrong represented Ireland at Clay Pigeon shooting at the 1978 world championships and in F1 Jack Stewart was also an Olympic standard shooter.  I wonder if we could include Takazumi Katayama as a pop singer! Also Ted Henter the american racer is credited with inventing the JAWS screen reader computer software for blind people to use the computer.

 

Other F1 drivers to excel outside motorsport include: Divina Galicia a very successful skier and Alex Wurtz a BMX racer.

 

Jean Behra, Jonny Cecotto,Bob Anderson and Gary Hocking all raced F1 after starting in motorbike GPs.

[GregThomas]

Woolf Barnato had the money and time to do more than motor racing. Pomeroy quotes him as "probably the only County Cricket wicketkeeper to have won Le Mans three times "

 

Also a successful powerboat racer, horse breeder etc.

 

Here in NZ we have an ex bike racer made good - if you'll accept making money as a sporting activity.  Mike Pero.  Multi NZ championship winning roadracer turned mortgage broker now added a very successful nationwide real estate agency.  And he still sponsors Classic and Post Classic meetings - and rides at them too.

[Jim Thurman]

If we go there the correct answer is Surtees.

 

And Leonard, Goldsmith, Weatherly, Hepburn.

[GregThomas]

i'll offer a professional yachtsman turned bike racer. Grant Dalton of Team NZ Americas Cup outfit. Besides Round the World races and Americas Cup's he's done the Manx GP and the Classic TT.

 

Briggs Cunningham is the American equivalent, having been involved with the Americas cup and of course as a motorsport participant.

[Vitesse2]

Also Ted Henter the american racer is credited with inventing the JAWS screen reader computer software for blind people to use the computer.

In similar non-sporting vein, triple Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose - whose day job was as an engineer with GM and who was involved in their XP-21 Firebird 1 turbine project as a test driver - designed aids for disabled drivers.

[Robin127]

 Kim Newcombe was a world class hydroplane racer before becoming a successful road racer having previously been a top class motocross and speedway racer in New Zealand and Australia.

 

Didier Peroni F1 and offshore powerboat racing.

[Michael Ferner]

Well, if Katayama san is mentioned for his singing, let's not forget Bruce Penhall for his acting...

 

There are plenty of examples in car racing (no more so than Dale Blaney playing basket ball professionally, and only taking up the 'family sport' once his ball career faltered due to injury), but the OP specifically asked about "riders", so let's stick with that.

 

Bicycle racing was well represented amongst the early competitors in 'motor cycle' racing, although we should be aware that that mostly refered to racing tricycles, not real motor bikes; there were probably more riders who had started out on bicycles than not, and several were pretty successful on both: e.g. Joseph Collomb and Edmond Jacquelin were huge stars pedalling with or without motive power.

 

Klaus Klaffenböck was, I believe, a world class bobsleigh racer.

 

I'm sure there are more once you really start digging.