During the late 1980s, Kiwi inventor John Britten developed and built a revolutionary racing motorcycle. He pursued his dream all the way to Daytona International Speedway, where, in 1992, as an unlikely underdog, he proceeded to beat the biggest and richest manufacturers in the world. Britten: Backyard Visionary documents the maverick motorcycle designer that Guggenheim curator Ultan Guilfoyle described as "the New Zealander who stood the world of racing-motorcycle design on its head."
Guggenheim curator Ultan Guilfoyle, describes inventor John Britten, as "the New Zealander who stood the world of racing-motorcycle design on its head" and in a poll compiled by the world's leading motorcycle writers to rank the ...
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I remember this so well. John was my uncle and a massive inspiration in my life. Anyone who is an aspiring creative visionary should read this article also: http://www.designindustry.co.nz/articles/the-myth-of-a-backyard-visionary.htm
I am not that interested in motorbikes but someone recommended this doco to me. I have to say it was fantastic and would quite happily watch it again. So have shared it with all my friends.
Awesome documentary. You never know when you are filming that you are documenting a Legend! How can I buy this on DVD?
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Jed
Posted at 11.43AM - 17.03.2010
I am still learning more about John Britten, but his story is almost too good to be true. The man was unbelieveable, and completely fearless to take on the huge dynasty of European and Japanese motorcycling conglomerates. An amazingly inspirational story - I can only imagine that he must be regarded as a deity in N.Z. Talk about David vs. Goliath(s!) - he was a true "giantkiller".
It's funny, but I like to tinker and fix things, and lots of people I know seem fairly impressed by that. I do enjoy it, but all I am doing is repairing old things, finding what's broken and fixing it, and occasionally having to get creative with a solution, and persistence will get you EVERYWHERE. I think the reason that I am not very impressed with what I do is that every so often I hear about somebody like John and what they can and do accomplish, and the sheer awe and admiration for what HE did never really leaves you. In that light, it is pretty hard for us mere mortals to be overly impressed with our minor accomplishments. The world could really use a lot more people like him - bold visionaries who show us what many could hardly dream up, let alone execute, despite the odds. Just unbelieveable....