Tony Rutter


Tony Rutter was a British professional motorcycle road racer. He was a street circuit specialist, who won seven Isle of Man TT Races between 1973 and 1985.

Racing career

Rutter competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle world championships from 1969 to 1976. He was the British road racing national champion in the 350cc class in 1971, on a Yamaha, and the 250cc class in 1973 again on a Yamaha.
Rutter completed the first-ever 110 mph lap of the North West 200 circuit in 1973. He was inducted into the North West 200 Hall of Fame after winning the event nine times. Rutter also won four consecutive Formula Two World Championships from 1981 to 1984.
His career was effectively ended by a very bad accident at the Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1985 – however even after this incident he recovered and continued to ride in the TT until 1991.

Personal life and death

Rutter's son, Michael, followed in the footsteps of his father and became a professional motorcycle racer.
Tony Rutter died on 24 March 2020, at the age of 78 following a short illness.