Motorsport has long been a passion for some of the figures in motor retailing. John Cleland, the 1989 and 1995 British Touring Car Championship winner, runs a Volvo and Jaguar dealership in Galashiels, Scotland, and fellow BTCC and FIA GT racer Steve Soper took on a Lincoln BMW dealership as he retired from his race career.

The history of John Banks Group follows a similar pattern. John Banks was one of Britain’s leading motocross racers in the 1960s, winning the domestic championship four times and finishing second in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1968 and 1969 with the BSA team. As the end of his racing career neared, in 1973 he opened an independent garage and forecourt in the quickly growing Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds, and added a Honda motorcycle franchise a year later.

The history of John Banks Group follows a similar pattern. John Banks was one of Britain’s leading motocross racers in the 1960s, winning the domestic championship four times and finishing second in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1968 and 1969 with the BSA team. As the end of his racing career neared, in 1973 he opened an independent garage and forecourt in the quickly growing Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds, and added a Honda motorcycle franchise a year later.

The history of John Banks Group follows a similar pattern. John Banks was one of Britain’s leading motocross racers in the 1960s, winning the domestic championship four times and finishing second in the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship in 1968 and 1969 with the BSA team. As the end of his racing career neared, in 1973 he opened an independent garage and forecourt in the quickly growing Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds, and added a Honda motorcycle franchise a year later.

Five years on the business had outgrown its location so moved to a newly built showroom, from where John Banks Group retailed 1,000 motorcycles a year. Current managing director Mark Banks, John’s son and also a 125cc British Motocross champion, recalled how his father was close to Hirotoshi Honda, the head of tuning and race division Mugen and son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, and Hirotoshi would often stay at their home when visiting.