One of the biggest names in grass-track racing history, Don Godden won several British national championships and in 1969 became European Longtrack Champion. A gifted engineer as well as talented rider, Godden designed and built his own DGS frames for the ubiquitous JAP engine and then – in 1975 – was one of the first to fit the new Weslake four-valve motor.

In 1978 he went one step further, manufacturing his own overhead-camshaft four-valve engine - the GR500 - which made it possible to offer complete Godden DGS machines for both speedway and grass-track racing. Since then, Goddens have won countless races and championships worldwide, including the World Individual Speedway Championship on three occasions (Hans Neilsen in 1986, 1987 and 1989) and the World Longtrack Championship twice (Shawn Moran in 1983 and Marcel Gerhard in 1992). Doubled up to form a v-twin, the Godden engine has also proved highly competitive in grass-track sidecar racing. Godden Engineering still exists today and is one of the South East’s leading specialist engineering and manufacturing companies.