Pat Hennen, the first American rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix and the first person to achieve a lap time under 20 minutes at the Isle of Man TT course, has passed away.
Hennen secured his first victory at the 1976 Finnish GP in Imatra and became a teammate of double world champion Barry Sheene in the official Suzuki team.
He became a leading contender for the world championship title, with three wins and 12 podiums in just 17 races – including victory in the first-ever British Grand Prix in 1977. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007.
Hennen set his impressive lap time at the Isle of Man TT in 1978 aboard a 500cc Suzuki in the Senior TT. Unfortunately, an accident at around 273.5 km/h later in the same race ended his career, as he suffered a head injury in the incident.
Prior to the accident, Hennen and Kenny Roberts Senior were separated by just one point at the top of the world championship standings, with Roberts becoming the first American to win the 500cc world championship.
All of the Motorcycle Sports team’s thoughts are with Pat’s family at this difficult time.
