THE FLYING 50'S
1950
The 1950s are widely regarded as the ‘Golden Age’ of motorcycle racing and as the decade began, the works teams of Norton and Gilera set the standard for others to follow, both using Castrol lubricants.
1957
The Gilera team won six 500 titles in the mid 1950s using Castrol oil. However as the decade began to draw to a close virtually all the Italian factories were forced out of racing during the late 1950s because the arrival of low cost cars had destroyed the market for road bikes. The exception was MV Agusta, which became the pre-eminent name in Motorcycle racing winning 139 grand prix races in the 500cc class from 1952 to 1976.
1958
Castrol and Honda start their highly successful partnership. Honda contacted Castrol prior to their debut in the 1959 Isle of Man races. Using Castrol lubricants, Honda went on to win the manufacturer’s team prize at their first attempt.
