Rodney Gould (10 March 1943 – 16 April 2024) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and UK short circuit specialist.
Gould began racing in 1961 and made his first Isle of Man TT appearance in 1967. He rode a variety of machines including Manx Nortons and two-stroke Bultacos for the smaller classes, and was supported by UK Aermacchi concessionaire Syd Lawton from 1966,[1] before turning to Yamaha TD2s and TR2s.
Gould won the 1970FIM 250cc world championship on a Yamaha.[2] After finishing third in the 250 class and fourth in the 500 class in 1972, Gould retired from competition and took a position as Yamaha's European racing manager.[3]
Gould in action during the 1971 250cc Dutch TT.
In 1979 Gould established a retail motorcycle dealership in Birmingham named Hailwood and Gould, in partnership with famous former-racer Mike Hailwood, who was subsequently killed in a road traffic accident in 1981. In 1984, Gould was briefly Sales Manager for the second incarnation of Hesketh Motorcycles based at Lord
Hesketh's Easton Neston stately home.
Gould died at his home in Cheltenham on 16 April 2024, at the age of 81.[4]
