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Patrick
is a craftsman where restoring motorcycles is concerned, if he were dealing
with paintings, he would be called an artist of the Vincent school!. Art
is in the Godet family genes, his brother is a renowned and successful
painter in the impressionist style.
Patrick
has an unapproachable record in the restoration of Vincents and Historic
Racing Motorcycles. He is a dedicated user of these machines as well as
a restorer, having toured Europe on his trusty Black Prince and is also
a Classic Racer of no mean ability.
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His
first love is for Vincent motorcycles, he has a passion and feel for these
most charismatic of all of the British classics, incorporating all of
his years of expertise and love into his restoration work.
Patrick
has been a member of the Vincent Owners Club since 1974, he was the youngest
section organiser in the club when he founded the Section de France in
the seventies and was the organiser of its early rallies.
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He
spent the seventies touring Europe on his Vincent attending many rallies
and doing a high mileage. He visited the Shadow Lake Rally in 1977 in
Canada and won the concours award in 1979 in England for his enclosed
'D'.
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Patrick's
first Vincent was a Norvin but he quickly switched to a Black Shadow which
was heavily used both solo and with a sidecar. He then acquired a Black
Prince which he kept until the early '80s when he sold it to start classic
racing, on a Vincent of course! |
His
racing exploits on his big twin became legendary. Working from his Black
Shadow, Patrick converted it to Black Lightning specification, and beyond!,
to win many superb victories , in fact from 1979 to 1983, if he entered,
he usually won, such was the formidable nature of the Godet / Vincent combination.
It would be nice to attribute this success solely to Patrick's riding skills,
but the machine played a large part, indeed Veteran journalist Alan Cathcart
maintains that the Godet Vincent was one of the fastest machines he has
ever ridden, strong praise from a man who regularly tests modern GP Racing
bikes! Cathcart also used the Godet Vincent as a reference point while reporting
on the newly developed RTV machine some 15 years later.
1983 was the last year Patrick regularly campaigned the big twin because he was then the chairman of the newly formed French Classic Racing Club AFAMAC, and found, as many people do, that it was difficult to organise and race as well. He was still successful however, winning his class at the Vintage Motorcycle Club Snetterton meeting that year. |
| To maintain his competition
links, Patrick lent his bike to Hubert Rigal who had recently retired from
a very successfully modern racing career in GP's and endurance racing. Hubert
rode at the Vintage Motorcycle Club's Race of the South at Brands Hatch
and won convincingly, indeed so powerful was the Rigal /Godet /Vincent combination
that day that he won every race he entered and was voted the Rider of the
Day and the Vincent was voted Machine of the Day. Hubert then went on to
Monthlery where he again won, beating John Surtees in the process. |
Hubert Rigal
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These
two victories were the first time that a Frenchman had won an Historic
race on English soil, the old enemy seeking some small revenge for Agincourt,
albeit a little late!.
Pressures
of business and a newly born son, kept Patrick away from serious motorcycling
participation for some years, but not from Vincents or the Vincent Owners
Club.
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the early 1990's Patrick was involved in a large Classic car and Classic
Bike restoration business, his main love was still Vincents, and it was
at this time that he arranged the re-importation of a batch of Vincents
from Argentina. Despite having worked on such exotica as Aston Martin race
cars, Patrick was still a Vincent man at heart and in 1994 he started his
own, somewhat smaller business, specialising in Vincents but with the addition
of other thoroughbred Racing machines. He now has over 25 years of continuous
Vincent experience behind him. |
With permission from Fritz Egli to be the sole manufacture of new machines under the Egli name. The experience within Godet Motorcycles SARL, will ensure continuing production of the highest quality, as befits this historic marque. |
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