| Birth name | Michael Alan Duff |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 13 December 1939 |
| Birth place | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Death date | 23 July 2025 (aged 85) |
| Death place | Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Gp active years | 1960–1967 |
| Gp teams | Aermacchi, AJS, Bultaco, Cotton, Matchless, MZ, Norton, Yamaha |
| Gp championships | 0 |
| Gp race wins | 3 |
| Gp podiums | 24 |
| Gp total points | 164 (176) |
| Gp poles | 0 |
| Gp fastest laps | 5 |
| Gp first race | 1960 Isle of Man TT |
| Gp first win | 1964 250cc Belgian Grand Prix |
| Gp last win | 1965 250cc Finnish Grand Prix |
| Gp last race | 1967 500cc Canadian Grand Prix |
Michelle Ann Duff (born Michael Alan Duff; 13 December 1939 – 23 July 2025) was a Canadian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
Riding
Duff's best season was in 1965, winning the 250cc Finnish Grand Prix and finishing the year in second place to Phil Read.[1][2]
Duff suffered a near-fatal crash in Japan and required extensive surgery and physical therapy.[3] The recovery was documented in the 1967 National Film Board of Canada short documentary film Ride for Your Life, directed by Robin Spry.[4]
Personal life and death
Duff married a Finnish woman in 1963 and had a son with her the same year, and a daughter two years later. In 1984, she changed her name to Michelle and commenced transition, separating from her wife.[5] Following gender-affirming surgery, she wrote about her experiences as a professional motorcycle racer (note that this book is not about her life as a trans woman) in Make Haste, Slowly: The Mike Duff story.[6][7]
Duff died in Liverpool, Nova Scotia on 23 July 2025, at the age of 85.[8][9]
World Championship results
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Points | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap. An empty black cell indicates that the class did not compete at that particular championship round.)
| Year | Class | Motorcycle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | GER | ULS | NAT | ||||||||||
| 500 cc | Norton | Ret | — | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1961 | ESP | GER | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | DDR | ULS | NAT | SWE | ARG | ||||||
| 350 cc | AJS | 15 | 6 | 6 | 17th | 2 | |||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | 14 | 4 | 5 | 11th | 5 | |||||||||||
| 1962 | ESP | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | GER | ULS | DDR | NAT | FIN | ARG | ||||||
| 350 cc | AJS | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9th | 5 | |||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | Ret | — | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1963 | ESP | GER | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | ULS | DDR | FIN | NAT | ARG | JPN | |||||
| 125 cc | Bultaco | 6 | Ret | 16th | 3 | ||||||||||||
| MZ | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 350 cc | AJS | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10th | 5 | |||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6th | 11 | ||||||||||
| 1964 | USA | ESP | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | GER | DDR | ULS | FIN | NAT | JPN | |||||
| 250 cc | Cotton | Ret | 4th | 20 | |||||||||||||
| Yamaha | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 350 cc | AJS | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3rd | 20 (24) | |||||||
| 500 cc | Norton | 4 | 4th | 18 | |||||||||||||
| Matchless | Ret | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 1965 | USA | GER | ESP | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | DDR | CSK | ULS | FIN | NAT | JPN | ||||
| 125 cc | Yamaha | 3 | 1 | 6th | 12 | ||||||||||||
| 250 cc | Yamaha | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2nd | 42 (50) | |||||
| 350 cc | AJS | Ret | — | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | 3 | 11th | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 1966 | ESP | GER | FRA | NED | BEL | DDR | CSK | FIN | ULS | IOM | NAT | JPN | |||||
| 125 cc | Yamaha | 6 | 4 | 10th | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 250 cc | Yamaha | 5 | 3 | 4 | Ret | 9th | 9 | ||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | Ret | — | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1967 | ESP | GER | FRA | IOM | NED | BEL | DDR | CSK | FIN | ULS | NAT | CAN | JPN | ||||
| 350 cc | Aermacchi | Ret | — | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 500 cc | Matchless | Ret | 3 | 11th | 4 | ||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Mike Duff career statistics at MotoGP.com". Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ Mojo (2017-02-15). "Michelle Duff Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend". Motorcycle Mojo. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ Fowler, Rich (2010-06-19). "Ride for your life - A Documentary about Grand Prix racer Mike Duff". Motorsport Retro. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ Spry, Robin. "Ride for Your Life". Documentary film. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ "The curious case of Michelle Duff.". Half of My Life - Phil Hall's Motorcycling. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ "Michelle Ann Duff (1939 - ) Motorcycle racer". 2008-04-19.
- ^ Duff, Michelle Ann (1999). Make Haste, Slowly: The Mike Duff story. Toronto: [mad8 Publishing] [www.michelle-duff.ca]. p. 366.
- ^ https://www.motorcyclingcanada.ca/post/michelle-duff-1939-2025
- ^ "Michelle Duff, Famed Racer, Passes Away". Motorcycle Mojo. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.