• As the 1970s dawned, the four-stroke seemed likely to disappear from international open-class racing altogether; but not before a final flourish – in a new class – led by Britain’s last ailing giants.

• Brazen, brash, irritating to the ear and very fast, the first big-bore two-strokes began to appear in 1972 and Paul Smart was right there when it mattered.

• Yamaha’s trim, purposeful motorcycles have formed the backbone of racing for half a century; but there was never a time that emphasized their potential quite like the mid-1970s.

• Finally, F750 had its world championship for 1977 – but it came too late to be much more than a one-make, one-model competition. Little wonder the alternatives were gaining ground.

• Problem: the TT is stripped of its world championship status after 1976. Solution: the TT stages its own world championship, and offers one path to cheaper racing.

• At Ontario in 1973, it was called Superbike Production. Soon it would become AMA Superbike, and routinely offer some of the world's tightest racing – just ask Eddie, Freddie, Mike and Wes.

• "They're hard men here," said Roger Marshall on a visit to Australia for the Swann Series. They were smart too: Superbike racing quickly took root down under.

• By the middle '80s, the brute power of the air-cooled 1000s was a thing of the past. And as 750s grew stronger, the World Superbike Championship assumed shape and substance.

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