Pierre Terblanche and Dan Van Epps on the new Norton

Despite an ailing economy, nose-diving new bike sales and naysayers insisting it simply cannot be done, looks like the new Norton’s comeback is on track. Two recent big-name hires certainly have increased the start-up company’s chances of success. First it was announced that American Dan Van Epps was coming onboard as head of Norton’s U.S. operations. Van Epps was formerly CEO of Ducati North America before transferring to Bologna to lead the company’s overseas sales and product marketing. More recently he was in charge of sales strategy at Bimota. Bigger news was that designer Pierre Terblanche, best known for the many Ducati models he has penned, was moving to the British Midlands to become Norton Motorcycles Ltd.’s new full-time chief of design.

Hell For Leather talked exclusively with Terblanche, who had been in his new office at Norton’s Donington Park headquarters for just two weeks.

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