VOLUME 57 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2020 P99
the most significant such aid
coming in 2015, when Norton
was awarded a GBP 4 million
($5,156,369) development
grant—the Commando 961's
various technical problems were
gradually resolved, and produc-
tion built steadily.
However, it's understood
that to date, no Norton model
built during Garner's owner-
versions of the Commando,
several limited-edition models
based on the 961 platform
were built, carrying historical
names from the Norton back
catalogs like Dominator and
Domiracer. Norton was by now
exporting around 80 percent
of its production, which was
claimed to be creeping towards
1000 units annually.
tion, brought the company close
to collapse—just as France's
Voxan had done for the same
reasons little more than a de-
cade earlier.
But thanks to the determined
commitment of both Garner
and Skinner, and financial
support from Santander Bank
and the British government—
ship of the brand has ever been
type-approved in the UK—all
deliveries have been individu-
ally homologated via the UK's
near-unique SVA/Single Vehicle
Approval system. Meanwhile, in
2013, the company expanded
massively with a move to Don-
ington Hall, where alongside
the core Sport and Café Racer
(Left) David Johnson and
teammate Josh Brookes
took a pair of top 10
finishes on the Norton
SG6 at the Isle of Man
TT in the 2017 Senior TT.
(Right) The Superlight
could have been the
silver bullet Norton
needed as a real-world
(if not extra exotic) street
sportbike.
factory alongside the Doning-
ton Park race circuit housing
a dozen employees, Skinner
began work on re-engineering
the Commando 961 for series
production. Deliveries started
in 2010, but problems with lack
of development and Garner's
commitment to employing
primarily UK suppliers un-
equipped for series produc-
