Utente:Fappo/Sandbox

Template:About John Kenton Britten (1 August 1950 – 5 September 1995), originario della Nuova Zelanda, è stato un ingegnere meccanico che ha creato una moto da record del mondo con caratteristiche innovative ancora ai vertici del design contemporaneo.

Biografia

John Britten, figlio di Bruce e Ruvae Britten, nasce a Christchurch 10 minuti prima di mezzanotte mentre sua sorella Marguerite appena dopo mezzanotte, quindi, nonostante siano gemelli festeggiano il proprio compleanno in giorni differenti. Già dalla nascita mostra il proprio destino ad essere "diverso". Come dislessico necessita che gli vengano lette le domande d'esame a scuola e durante l'università, e le sue risposte vengono registrate da uno scrittore. Tutto ciò non gli impedisce di divenire un ingegnere e designer d'architetture eccezionale.

I suoi eroi d'infanzia sono i famosi neozelandesi Richard Pearse (aviatore pioneristico), Bill Hamilton (padre della moto d'acqua), Bruce McLaren (pilota campione e fondatore del McLaren Formula One Team), e Burt Munro (pilota di moto campione del mondo e protagonista del film The World's Fastest Indian). Nella sua breve vita Britten è stato regolarmente e con favore comparato a tutti i suoi eroi.

Britten completed a four-year mechanical engineering course at night school before joining ICI as a cadet draughtsman, giving him a wide range of work experience including mould design, pattern design, metal spinning and various mechanical engineering designs.

John travelled to England where he worked for four months with Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners on a highway design linking the M1 to the M4.

Back in New Zealand he was design engineer for Rowe Engineering, designing off-road equipment and heavy machinery. In 1976, he built glass kilns and went into business as a fine artist designing and making hand-made glass lighting, later joining the family property management and development business.

John worked on motorcycle design for some years, developing innovative methods using composite materials and performance engine designs. He created the Britten Motorcycle Company in 1992 to produce revolutionary machines to his own design made of light materials and using engines he built himself, which became famous around the world.

His Britten motorcycles won races and set numerous speed records on the international circuits, and astounded the motorcycle world in 1991 when they came a remarkable second and third against the factory machines in the Battle of the Twins at Daytona, United States Of America.

One of Britten's radical motorcycles is on permanent display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, in Wellington, New Zealand. However there has been some controversy over whether the machine on display is a genuine racer or just a "shadow bike", assembled from spare parts[1].

Nel 1995 la Nuova Zelanda compiange la perdita di John, che muore all'età di 45 anni dopo una breve malattia legata a un tumore della pelle.

Motocicletta

The Britten V1000 and Britten V1100 are rare machines with only 10 plus 1 prototype having been constructed.

Highlights include:

• Carbon fibre body work including rims, front suspension fork and swingarm
• Hand cast, 4 valves per head alloy engine
• Frame-less chassis with engine acting as a stressed member
• Radiator located under the riders seat
• Carbon fibre fasteners (joining body work together)
• Rear suspension shock located in front of engine
• Engine data logging

Non-Britten Components:

• Tyres
• Brakes
• Steel cylinder liners
• Gearbox (sourced from a Suzuki)
• Suspension shocks
• Various electrical components

Riferimenti

• John Britten, Tim Hanna, ISBN 1-877333-08-5
• Britten Motorcycles: The John Britten Story, Felicity Price (2004)
• One man's Dream - Bike Story, (video), Britten Motorcycle Company and Ruffell Films, http://www.ruffells.co.nz

External links

• Britten - Backyard Visionary a full length documentary from 1993 on NZ On Screen
• Richard's Britten Photographs
• http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/britten.html
• http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/FamousNewZealanders/more/JohnBrittenandtheSuperbike.asp
• Britten Motorcycle Company
• Britten Motorcycle - UNOFFICIAL