Agreed BT. I also don’t think each time a new buyer takes over a business they should jettison any associated history, or disassociate themselves from any achievement that was not of their direct doing? That would clearly be a barking proposition, and commercial suicide in Norton Birmingham‘s case.
It was the marque, its profile and racing ethos that also succeeded at the TT recently, along with the individuals that made it happen. Garner was just the latest custodian of that marque, despite the fact that he plucked it from obscurity.
Would a ‘random group’ with a somewhat unknown/underdeveloped bike have even got to start line of the TT? I don’t know. They certainly wouldn’t have got top riders. Garner did it in large part because or the Norton Marque. Would any of that have been possible without the government investing in ‘Norton’.
Norton Birmingham (under TVS) has every right to lean on racing history and reference that to a bike that raced relatively recently and is just about to go on sale. I doubt there’s a bike or car manufacturer in business today with a racing pedigree, that doesn’t lean on that history. Many would have changed hands multiple times.
No doubt TVS is well aware of the future benefits of maintaining that racing pedigree - I’m pretty sure future intent has been mentioned in articles and interviews over the past couple of years.
Norton CEO Dr Robert Hentschel confirms the company will return to racing and plans to invest heavily in new electric models
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