The first professional motorbike racer to be sponsored by Bitcoin

On May 26th, 2016, Bruce Anstey, a ten-time Isle of Man TT winner from New Zealand, became the first professional motorbike racer to be sponsored by Bitcoin.
 

The sponsorship was facilitated by CoinCorner, a British bitcoin exchange. CoinCorner had previously sponsored Anstey in 2015, and they decided to continue their support into the following year. For the Isle of Man TT 2016, Anstey proudly displayed both the CoinCorner logo and the Bitcoin logo on his helmet.

In 2016, Bruce Anstey won the SES TT Zero Challenge. This race is for electric machines, and Anstey’s victory marked his 11th win on the Mountain Course. He rode for Team Mugen, a Japanese tech-specialist team, and achieved a lap speed of 118mph. 
 

Bruce also won the Sure Lightweight Classic TT. Anstey was riding a Honda RS 250 fielded by the Valvoline Racing/Padgett’s Motorcycles team. He made a fast start with a 117.170mph opening lap and led the four-lap Lightweight Classic TT from start to finish. He won by just over one minute from veteran Welsh rider Ian Lougher on a Yamaha TZ 250.
 

This race marked the return of 250cc two strokes to the TT Mountain Course for the first time since 2002. In a stunning race, Anstey posted the fastest ever Lightweight Mountain Course lap on his way to winning the inaugural Sure Lightweight Classic TT Race.