TT Assen Dutch Motorcycle Races Poster – Charles Burki – 1937

TT Assen Dutch Motorcycle Races Poster – 1937

This vintage TT Assen motorcycle racing poster will appeal to a great many motorcycle enthusiasts. The TT Circuit Assen is viewed as a motorcycle racing’s Mecc. It is one of the most beloved circuits among motorcycle racers. Located in the Dutch city of Assen, it is referentially referred to as ‘The Cathedral’ (of motorcycle racing) amongst its fans.

The posters stunning racing image was realised by the artist  Charles Burki. It features two motorcyclists, heads down, no-nonsense racing, bursting across the centre of the Dutch TT poster. The motorbikes are shown speeding in front of the two large TT letters set against a bright red background.  The city of Assen is located in northeastern Netherlands and is probably best known for its TT Circuit Assen. It is at Assen on the last Sunday in June the Dutch TT is raced.

The poster reads, Groote Prijs Van Nederland der K.N.M.V. Assen 26 Juni 1937. Internationale Mottorraces O/H Circuit Van Drenthe. The KNMV or De Koninklijke Nederlandse Motorrijders Verenigingis the Royal Dutch Motorcyclists Association. Originally the KNMV was founded on June 26, 1904, as the Dutch Motorcyclists Association (NMV). It is still going and now has more than 55,000 members with more than 300 motorcycle clubs are affiliated to them.

In the 1920s it was commonplace for motorsport races to be held on the streets of towns. Assen was initially no exception. The inaugural TT Assen took place in 1925 and was organised by the Motorclub Assen en Omstreken. The race was contested on cobblestone roads, country lanes and unpaved tracks between the Drenthe villages of Rolde, Borger, Schoonloo and Grolloo. The circuit was 17.75 miles (28.57 km) long.

In 1926, the TT Assen course was adjusted. It was still a street circuit but now it ran through the towns of De Haar, Barteldsbocht, Oude Tol, Hooghalen, Laaghalen and Laaghalerveen. The street course remained in use right up until 1955.

For the 1937 edition, the event this poster advertised, the Dutch Tourist Trophy fell on 26 June. The winner of the 250cc race was the German motorcycle rider, Walfried Winkler. It was his third victory at TT Assen in four years. Winkler was one of the most successful German motorcycle racers before the Second World War. In 1934, riding for DKW he became European champion, won four German road championships and the International Six-day race.

The TT Assen event attained world championship status in 1949 when it was sanctioned by the FIM as part of the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship season. It is now the oldest event on the MotoGP calendar and the venue holds the record for being the only circuit to have hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix event every year since the series was created in 1949.

A completely new race circuit was built in 1955. It incorporated a third of the original street circuit and added purpose-built sections. When it was built the new course was 4.788 miles (7.705 km) in length. A third of the length of the original street circuit. Today this has been reduced further to just 2.8 miles (4.5km), almost a sixth of its predecessor. However, the course includes 18 turns, 12 right and 6 left mixture of super fast flat-out and slow corners, with the longest straight being 560m long. The course is designed with modern day motorcycle racing in mind and the race track is still a popular motorcycle race events venue. It’s a great place where motorcycle enthusiasts come to watch important dates in the Motorsport calendar including World Championship motorcycle racing, the Dutch TT, World SBK and the Sidecar World Championship.

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.

The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.