Defending 500cc world champion Geoff Duke was suspended by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) during the early part of 1956 for supporting a riders’ strike over inadequate start money for privateers at the Dutch TT.

He and his Gilera team-mate Reg Armstrong were two of several top-line riders to lend their support, but it cost Duke dearly (in particular) as he was unable to defend his world title. Duke failed to add to his tally of six TT wins thereafter.

He later admitted that the suspension was the beginning of the end as far his racing career was concerned.

Confined to spectating, he accepted an offer from the weekly ‘Motor Cycling’ publication to write a preview for the 1956 Senior TT instead of riding it.

Admitting that it was impossible to make hard-and-fast predictions, he said that he hoped his suggestions would be somewhere near the mark.

Duke began by describing the decision of his former employer - the AMC-Norton group – to ‘handicap’ their riders from the word go by refusing them to use any form of streamlining on their machines.

He estimated that without streamlining (or a fairing of some sort), lap times in the Senior would be 15 to 20 seconds slower. Considerable over a seven-lap distance.

Geoff tipped John Surtees as a likely winner on the MV Agusta, perhaps even attaining a 100mph lap. He added that John may even decide to run with no more than a nose-cone on the front of his machine.

He thought that Walter Zeller was a bit of an unknown quantity on his privately entered BMW, but discounted Bill Lomas, who he described as the ‘brilliant 350cc world champion’, because he did not appear to be ‘at home’ on the 500cc Guzzi single. The latter’s team-mate, Dickie Dale, Geoff considered was more adaptable and may possibly come up ‘trumps’.

The third member of the Guzzi equipe, Ken Kavanagh, gave him more food for thought than all the others put together. He’d won the Junior a couple of days earlier and was on good form.

Although a private runner in the full sense, Geoff definitely rated Bob McIntyre, who had produced a remarkable performance in the 1955 Junior with a streamlined Norton when he was unfortunate not to win his first TT. If he were to use streamlining on the 500, Duke considered the Scot as a serious threat.

Similarly-mounted John Hartle would be one to watch in mixed conditions. ‘He rides like a man possessed in the wet,’ Duke wrote.

One rider Geoff said he would dearly love to see pull off the big prize was the experienced Jack Brett on a Norton. ‘Jack is the life and soul of any race team,’ he said.

The four other works riders in the shortlist were Castletown man Derek Ennett (Matchless), Canada-born Frank Perris, Alan Trow and Gavin Dunlop.

He made particular mention of the first man on the road in the second morning’s practice when watching with a group of others at Hillberry. ‘John Clarke was on his streamliner, his performance was perfection in itself. Terrifically fast.’

So how did Geoff Duke’s predictions go?

Well Surtees led from start to finish, leading McIntyre by 15 seconds at the end of the opening lap, followed by Lomas, Hartle, Ennett and Zeller.

McIntyre’s race ended at Crosby on lap two, elevating Lomas to second place.

The advantage had stretched to more than one minute after three laps, with Brett impressively up to third, soon to drop back to fifth behind Hartle and Zeller following the fuel stops.

Lomas hit problems on the final lap, slowing down to finish fifth, six seconds down on Zeller’s BMW with Hartle runner-up and Brett third.

In far from perfect conditions, Surtees won his maiden TT at an average speed of 96.57mph with a fastest lap of 97.79mph.

Ennett finished sixth ahead of Trow and Dunlop, with Derek’s fellow Castletown man George Costain 13th, some 10s in front of Perris.

Dennis Christian was 20th on his Norton and Jack Wood 24th on a 350cc Velocette sponsored by Duke himself.