Tommy Robb (motorcyclist)

Tommy Robb (born 14 October 1934) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Northern Ireland.

Robb began riding in trials and scrambles during 1950. His first event was a road time-trial riding a 197 cc James. He then competed on Irish grasstracks, winning six national titles and a 25-mile sand race between 1954 and 1956, before turning to short circuits on tarmac and road-racing. His first road race was at Lurgan Park, outside of Belfast, in 1957 riding a 197 HJH. He was noticed by Belfast sponsor Terry Hill, himself a trials rider, who provided a 173 MV and a 250 cc NSU Sportmax for 1957 and 1958 with Robb finishing third in the 1957 Ulster Grand Prix and second in the 1958 race.^[1][2]

Robb was then sponsored by tuners Geoff Monty and his business partner Allen Dudley-Ward until joining the works Honda team from 1962,^[1] winning his first world championship race in the 1962 250 class at the Ulster Grand Prix with two further wins at the inaugural Japanese Grand Prix in Tokyo.^[1]

In the 1962 season, Robb became one of the first non-Japanese riders hired by the Honda factory racing team. He enjoyed his greatest success with Honda, finishing second to his teammate, Jim Redman, in the 1962 350 world championship.^[3]

In 1973, he won the Lightweight 125 TT at the Isle of Man TT races, aboard a Yamaha.^[4] He was also a five-time winner of the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland.

Towards the end of his competitive riding, Robb established a road-race school in conjunction with former Motor Cycle magazine journalist and retail motorcycle shop owner David Dixon, using Yoshimura-equipped CB250, and CB450 Hondas, with Dixon being the UK importer and distributor of Yoshimura tuning equipment.^[5][6]