Born into a racing dynasty, Tony Hinton had big boots to fill. Here’s how he achieved success
Growing up in the circus is a cliche. Tony Hinton did it from age six to nearly 10, as part of the Continental Circus in the 1960s with racer father Eric, mother Kath and elder brother Peter.
Tony went on to win two Australian Grands Prix at Mt Panorama, becoming the third-generation Hinton on the Bathurst honour roll. He retired recently after 25 years with Honda Australia, rising to General Manager of Powersports and Products for more than 20 years.
Eric Hinton had his second European stint in the second half of the 1960s. Kath Hinton homeschooled the boys for a year, but as young tearaways they ended up attending school in Kent, UK, for the next three years.
In 1970 Eric was back in Sydney and working at his father Harry Snr’s dealership in Lidcombe. Tony was back in Australia and looking for new friends so Mick Smith, who spun the spanners for Robert Hinton, found him some in an Under-9 local rugby league team. Years later they would work together at Honda. “A lovely man, Mick,” he says.
By age 11 or 12 Tony had a Yamaha YZ80B and Peter a YZ125, and began dirt-track racing at Fairburn Park in the ACT. Wayne Gardner and Tony Lacey were the guns there.
“I started motocrossing on a 125 and started being successful at schoolboy/club level,” Tony says. “Dad put the engine on methanol and modified the rear suspension for much longer travel. By 18-19 I wanted to road race, but Mum was against that because we’d lost Harry Jnr after a road-race crash in Italy. But I won out, bought the last new Yamaha TZ250F and started doing laps at Oran Park. The beauty of having a racer father is you’re around experienced people right from C-Grade.”
Tony upgraded to a Yamaha TZ250J in 1981-82 and started to win at state level, with fourth and fifths at Australian title level.
“I had a lucky break in 1983 when George Huse offered me an MBA 125 twin for Bathurst. I diced with Ian Saunders on another MBA until the last lap, when I missed a gear on Mountain Straight and had to settle for second,” he says.
“For 1984 I was determined to reverse that result. I spent months thinking about it. It came down to a braking duel on the last corner. We braked about the same. I had the inside line, which made the difference. I was proud to be the third-generation Hinton winner there.
“In 1985 Peter had a Yamaha TZ500J but he was out for a year with injury. I rolled my eyes… first ride on a 500 at Bathurst! During the race I boiled the brake fluid and had to pump the lever to maintain some front brake, which isn’t something you want at the end of Conrod. John Pace crashed and I was perhaps fortunate to win, but – as Robert says –you have to first finish to finish first.”
Here we need to backtrack briefly, to a cold September day at Adelaide International Raceway in 1983. “Peter and I figured conditions would get wetter. Others stayed on slicks, but Peter had the latest Michelin wets and I had Goodyears. Not Goodyear wets, but I now think they were Goodyear flat-track tyres! Peter had a puncture and I won by 13 seconds from Richard Scott.”
After years on Yamaha racers, Hinton saw the success of Rotax-powered 250s in Europe and decided on a change.
“Dad had ridden Bultacos for Bert Flood. He sold me two Rotax engines at a good price. Graeme McMillan built the chassis and fairing. The bike’s first outing was Bathurst, which wasn’t ideal; it overheated and had some other initial gremlins. Best result on the Rotax was ARRC 1985 at Oran Park with third in the 500cc race (first 250) and third in the 250 race.
“Then I had an offer to do the 1985 250cc Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, travelling with Robert, with some funds from my then employer Norton adhesives.” There’s a coincidence. Tony worked for a company with the same name his grandfather rode for.
“Yamaha provided a semi-factory TZ250N. Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer were there. Freddie was really fast; unbelievable through the esses.” Same story as lots of privateers, the money soon ran out and it was time to concentrate on a business career.
Hinton’s working career has taken him through adhesives, the oil industry with BP and Ampol, and in 2000 to Honda. “That’s where I found my ‘home’, with a big say in racing… involved with things I loved. Stuart Stickland was there for the first 10 years. He said, ‘You know the front wheel from the rear wheel.’ He showed me commitment to Honda and a serious work ethic. With Honda I was also lucky enough to meet Aika-san, who had been a Honda team mechanic in the 1960s GP glory days, and his son. One of those six degrees of separation.”
Tony left Honda in August 2025 after 25 years. He has two daughters in their 20s. “They both work in digital marketing and they never ask me about motorcycles!”
