Keith Campbell

Keith Ronald Campbell (2 October 1931 – 13 July 1958) was an Australian professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from to .

Campbell grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran with the ambition to be a champion racing motorcyclist. He became Australia's first motorcycling road racing world champion when he won the 1957 FIM 350cc world championship as a member of the Moto Guzzi factory racing team.

Campbell married Geraldine, the sister-in-law of Britain's championship rider Geoff Duke and came back to Australia on his honeymoon in December 1957. He returned to Europe as the star rider at the 500cc Grand Prix de Cadours near Toulouse in France. According to a newspaper report, in trials he had beaten all records for the circuit, lapping at 71.5 miles an hour. He was leading the race when he failed to round a bend known as Cox's Corner, crashed and was killed instantly. His cause of death was said to be a fractured skull. This same corner claimed the life of Frenchman Raymond Sommer in 1950 and the circuit is named in his honour. Campbell's wife Geraldine was watching the race from the pits but did not see the accident.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results Source:

Points system from 1950 to 1968 Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points 8 6 4 3 2 1 5 best results were counted up until 1955.

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Points Rank Wins 1950 250cc Excelsior IOM- SUI- ULS6 NAT- 1 17th 0 1954 500cc Norton FRA- IOM- ULS- BEL5 NED- GER- SUI- NAT- ESP- 2 19th 0 1955 350cc Norton FRA- IOM- GER9 BEL3 NED- ULS- NAT- 4 11th 01957 350cc Moto Guzzi GER- IOM2 NED1 BEL1 ULS1 NAT- 30 1st 3 500cc Moto Guzzi GER- IOM5 NED- BEL- ULS- NAT- 2 15th 01958 350cc Norton IOM7 NED3 BEL3 GER- SWE- ULS- NAT- 8 7th 0 500cc Norton IOMNC NED- BEL2 GER- SWE- ULS- NAT- 6 9th 0