- Jack Findlay
Infobox Former Grand Prix motorcycle rider
Caption =
Name = Jack Findlay
Nationality = flagicon|AustraliaAustralia n
Years = 1961 - 1978
Teams =Suzuki
Races = 156
Championships = 1975Formula 750
Wins = 3
Podiums = 25
Points =
Poles = 1
Fastest laps = 1
First race = 1961 500cc Nations Grand Prix
First win = 1971 500ccUlster Grand Prix
Last win = 1977 500cc Austrian Grand Prix
Last race = 1978 500cc West German Grand PrixCyril John Findlay (
February 5 ,1935 -May 19 ,2007 ) was anAustralia n former Grand Prixmotorcycle road racer. He is noted for having one of the longest racing careers in Grand Prix history spanning 18 years. He competed at the highest level despite racing as a privateer - that is, not as a contracted member of a factory team - through most of his racing career.Findlay was born in
Mooroopna, Victoria , roughly 120 miles north ofMelbourne . He began racing aged 15, two years under age, taking the name "Jack" so he could use his father's identication documents. After leaving school, he worked as a trainee accountant atCommonwealth Bank of Australia until 1957.He moved to England in 1958 to race, joining the Grand Prix circuit with a 350cc Norton Manx. He competed in his first
Isle of Man TT in 1959. He competed on the Grand Prix circuit from 1961 to 1978.His best championship result was in 1968 when he rode a
Matchless to finish second behindGiacomo Agostini in the 500cc class. His greatest victory came in 1973 when he won theIsle of Man TT after 15 years of trying. He rodeSuzuki TR500s in 1973 and 1974. In 1974, he was a member of theSuzuki factory racing team and helped develop the RG500, withBarry Sheene andPaul Smart . In 1975, he defeatedBarry Sheene for the FIMFormula 750 championship. An accident that fractured his skull curtailed his racing career, and he retired in 1978. A further high-speed accident in 1987 stopped him riding motorcycles.He married Dominique Monneret, the widow of
George Monneret , and made his domestic base in France. He was appointed Grand Prix technical director by theFédération Internationale de Motocyclisme in 1992, retaining the post until he retired in 2001. He was assisted by his fluency in French and Italian.A bronze statue of Findlay on a TT-winning Suzuki by
Philip Mune was unveiled in July 2006, in a park in his hometown that was renamed the Jack Findlay Reserve.External links
* [http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Jack+Findlay Jack Findlay career statistics at MotoGP.com]
* [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21766043-23770,00.html "Aussie ex-rider Findlay dies"] ,Fox Sports ,20 May 2007
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/04/db0401.xml Obituary] , "The Daily Telegraph ",4 June 2007
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1917521.ece Obituary] , "The Times ",12 June 2007
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