- Mike Hailwood
-
Mike Hailwood Nationality English Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1958–1967 First race 1958 250cc Isle of Man TT Last race 1967 350cc Japanese Grand Prix First win 1959 125cc Ulster Grand Prix Last win 1967 350cc Japanese Grand Prix Team(s) Honda, MV Agusta Championships 250cc - 1961, 1966, 1967
350cc - 1966, 1967
500cc -1962, 1963, 1964, 1965Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 152 76 112 N/A 79 Isle of Man TT career TTs contested 12 (1958 - 1967, 1978, 1979) TT wins 14 First TT win 1961 Lightweight 125 TT Last TT win 1979 Senior TT Podiums 19 Born 2 April 1940 Died 23 March 1981 (aged 40) Formula One World Championship career Active years 1963 - 1965, 1971 - 1974 Teams Lotus, Lola, Surtees, McLaren Races 50 Championships 0 Wins 0 Podiums 2 Career points 29 Pole positions 0 Fastest laps 1 First race 1963 British Grand Prix Last race 1974 German Grand Prix 24 Hours of Le Mans career Participating years 1969-1970, 1973-1974 Teams John Wyer Automotive Engineering, Gulf Research Racing Best finish 3rd (1969) Class wins 0 Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time.[1][2] He was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability. Later in his career he went on to compete in Formula One auto racing, becoming one of the few men to compete at the Grand Prix level on motorcycles and in auto racing.
Mike Hailwood was born at Langsmeade House, Great Milton in Oxfordshire, His father, who also raced in the pre-World War II era, was a successful motorcycle dealer and as such, Hailwood had a comfortable upbringing.[1] He learned to ride at a young age on a minibike as a small boy in a field near his home.[1] He was educated at Pangbourne College, but left early and worked for a short time in the family business before his father sent him to work at Triumph motorcycles.[2] He married Pauline Barbara Nash on 11 June 1975 and had a son and a daughter.
Contents
Motorcycle racing career
Hailwood first raced on 22 April 1957, at Oulton Park. Barely 17, he finished in 11th place, but was soon posting successful results.[1] In 1958, he teamed with Dan Shorey to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race. By 1961, Hailwood was racing for an up and coming Japanese factory named Honda. In June 1961, he became the first man in the history of the Isle of Man TT to win three races in one week when he won in the 125 cc, 250 cc and 500 cc categories.[3] He lost the chance at winning a fourth race when his 350 AJS broke down with a broken gudgeon pin whilst leading. Riding a four-stroke, four-cylinder 250 cc Honda, Hailwood won the 1961 250cc world championship.[4] In 1962, Hailwood signed with MV Agusta and went on to become the first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Championships.[1][4] After his success with MV Agusta, Hailwood went back to Honda and won four more world titles in 1966 and 1967 in the 250 cc and 350 cc categories.[1][4]
Mike Hailwood won the 1965 Hutchinson 100 Production race at the Silverstone racecourse on a BSA Lightning Clubman in heavy rain, beating the Triumph Racing Team's Bonnevilles. The 'Hutch' was the main production race of the season, so it was very important to manufactureres to establish the racing credentials of their latest range. Triumph Bonnevilles were ridden by World Champion Phil Read and ex works rider Percy Tait. BSA Lightning Clubmans were ridden by Hailwood (with a large number 1 on the fairing) and factory rider Tony Smith. Conditions were poor and Smith was out of the race at slippery Stowe Corner. With little regard for the rain, Hailwood was achieving laps of 83 mph (134 km/h) to establish his winning lead.[5]
Hailwood is remembered for his accomplishments at the famed Isle of Man TT. By 1967, he had won 12 times on the island mountain course.[4] He won what many historians consider to be the most dramatic Isle of Man race of all time, the 1967 Senior TT against his great rival, Giacomo Agostini.[1][6] In that race he set a lap record of 108.77 mph (175.05 km/h) on the infamous Honda 500-4, that stood for the next 8 years.[1][7]
In 1968, Honda pulled out of Grand Prix racing, but paid Hailwood £50,000 (equivalent to over £620,000 or US$1.1m at 2006 prices) not to ride for another team, in expectation of keeping him as its rider upon return to competition.[1][8] With no other factory racing teams available to compete against MV Agusta, Hailwood decided to pursue a career in auto racing.
Auto racing career
During his auto racing career, Hailwood never achieved the same level of success that he had on motorcycles. He posted respectable results in Formula One and World Sports Cars. He won the 1972 Formula Two European title and earned a podium finish at the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans.[9][10] Hailwood participated in 50 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the British Grand Prix on 20 July 1963. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored a total of 29 championship points.[11] Hailwood was recognised for his bravery when in the 1973 South African Grand Prix he went to pull Clay Regazzoni from his burning car after the two collided on the second lap of the race. Hailwood's driving suit caught fire, but after being extinguished by a fire marshall he returned to help rescue Regazzoni, an act for which he was awarded the George Medal, the 2nd highest gallantry award that a British civilian can be awarded.[12] He left Formula One after being injured badly at the 1974 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.
Comeback
On June 3, 1978, after an 11 year hiatus from motorcycling, Hailwood performed a now legendary comeback at the Isle of Man TT.[1][2] Few observers believed the 38-year-old would be competitive after such a long absence. Riding a Ducati 900SS, he was not only competitive, but managed a hugely popular win.[7][13][14] He raced the following year at the Isle of Man TT before retiring for good at the age of 39. In that final Isle of Man appearance, Hailwood rode a two-stroke Suzuki RG500 to victory in the Senior TT.[7] He then opted to use that same 500cc bike in the Unlimited Classic and diced for the lead with Alex George (1100cc Honda) for all 6 laps in yet another TT epic. A minute or two apart on the road, they were rarely a few seconds apart on time each lap, Hailwood losing by just 2 seconds.
Here was a rider from the 'old-school' (he was the first to complete all 6 laps of the magnificent yet notorious Mountain Circuit at over 100 mph (160 km/h) on a single cylinder 500cc machine) coming to terms with vastly different machinery after 11 years away - the tyres, frame, brakes and engine power having undergone a quantum leap in capability, even the full-face helmet and brightly coloured padded leathers must have seemed strange - and yet still being able to get as a much from it as any rider around.
Death and legacy
On Saturday, 21 March 1981, Mike Hailwood set off in his Rover SD1 with his children Michelle and David to collect some fish and chips. As they returned along the A435 Alcester Road through Portway Warwickshire near their home in Tanworth-in-Arden, a truck made an illegal turn through the barriers into the central reservation, and their car hit it. Michelle, aged nine, was killed instantly; Mike and David were taken to hospital, where Mike died two days later, aged 40. David survived. The truck driver was fined £100.
Astonishingly, Mike had been told by a fortune teller, at age 18, in South Africa, that he wouldn't live to 40 and would be killed by a truck. This fact was revealed by Elizabeth McCarthy in a 1981 memoir, while recounting her relationship with Mike, whom she had met at the first Canadian GP in 1967. When he asked her hand in marriage, she replied that she was hesitant to marry someone who could die at any weekend race. He then told her his story and said; "..so you see, it won't happen on a track."[15]
An annual "Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" takes place in March every year. The starting point is the former Norton factory in Aston, Birmingham. The run goes out to Portway, where the accident occurred and then onto the church in Tanworth-in-Arden where Mike and Michelle are buried. The 25th anniversary of this tragic accident was in 2006.
He retired with 76 Grand Prix victories, 14 Isle of Man TT wins and 9 World Championships.[4] He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1979.[16] The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000.[17] He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.[1][18]
Motorcycle Grand Prix results[4][7]
Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points 8 6 4 3 2 1 (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Points Rank Wins 1958 125 cc Paton IOM
7NED
-BEL
-GER
-SWE
-ULS
-NAT
-0 - 0 250 cc NSU IOM
3NED
4GER
-SWE
2ULS
-NAT
-13 4th 0 350 cc Norton IOM
12NED
5BEL
-GER
4SWE
3ULS
-NAT
-9 6th 0 500 cc Norton IOM
13NED
-BEL
-GER
-SWE
-ULS
-NAT
-0 - 0 1959 125 cc Ducati IOM
3GER
3NED
3BEL
-SWE
4ULS
1NAT
-20 3rd 1 250 cc Mondial IOM
NCGER
5NED
4SWE
5ULS
2NAT
-13 5th 0 350 cc Norton FRA
-IOM
NCGER
-SWE
-ULS
-NAT
-0 - 0 500 cc Norton FRA
-IOM
NCGER
-NED
-BEL
-ULS
-NAT
-0 - 0 1960 125 cc Ducati IOM
NCNED
-BEL
6ULS
-NAT
-1 10th 0 250 cc Mondial IOM
NCNED
5BEL
4GER
-ULS
4NAT
-8 5th 0 350 cc AJS FRA
-IOM
NCNED
-ULS
-NAT
-0 - 0 500 cc Norton FRA
-IOM
3NED
5BEL
4GER
-ULS
-NAT
313 6th 0 1961 125 cc Honda ESP
4GER
-FRA
4IOM
1NED
NCBEL
NCDDR
NCULS
5NAT
-SWE
-ARG
-16 6th 1 250 cc Honda ESP
-GER
-FRA
2IOM
1NED
1BEL
3DDR
1ULS
2NAT
2SWE
1ARG
-44 1st 4 350 cc AJS GER
-IOM
NCNED
-DDR
-ULS
-6 8th 0 MV Agusta NAT
2SWE
-500 cc Norton GER
4FRA
2IOM
1NED
2BEL
2DDR
2ULS
240 2nd 2 MV Agusta NAT
1SWE
2ARG
-1962 125 cc EMC ESP
4FRA
-IOM
NCNED
5BEL
4GER
3ULS
-DDR
-NAT
-FIN
-ARG
-12 5th 0 250 cc Benelli ESP
-FRA
-IOM
NCNED
-BEL
-GER
-ULS
-DDR
-NAT
-ARG
-0 - 0 350 cc MV Agusta IOM
1NED
2ULS
-DDR
2NAT
-FIN
-20 3rd 1 500 cc MV Agusta IOM
12NED
1BEL
1ULS
1DDR
1NAT
1FIN
-ARG
-40 1st 5 1963 250 cc MZ ESP
-GER
-IOM
-NED
-BEL
-ULS
-DDR
1NAT
-ARG
-JPN
-8 8th 1 350 cc MV Agusta GER
-IOM
NCNED
2ULS
2DDR
1FIN
1NAT
-28 2nd 2 500 cc MV Agusta IOM
1NED
-BEL
1ULS
1DDR
1FIN
1NAT
1ARG
156 1st 7 1964 350 cc MV Agusta IOM
-NED
2GER
-DDR
-ULS
-FIN
-NAT
-JPN
212 4th 0 500 cc MV Agusta USA
1IOM
1NED
1BEL
1GER
1DDR
1ULS
-FIN
-NAT
140 1st 7 1965 250 cc Honda USA
-GER
-ESP
-FRA
-IOM
-NED
-DDR
-CZE
-ULS
-FIN
-NAT
-JPN
18 10th 1 350 cc MV Agusta GER
2IOM
NCNED
2DDR
-CZE
-ULS
-FIN
-NAT
-JPN
120 3rd 1 500 cc MV Agusta USA
1GER
1IOM
1NED
1BEL
1DDR
1CZE
1ULS
-FIN
-NAT
148 1st 8 1966 125 cc Honda ESP
-GER
-NED
-DDR
-CZE
-FIN
-ULS
-IOM
6NAT
-JPN
-1 15th 0 250 cc Honda ESP
1GER
1FRA
1NED
1BEL
1DDR
1CZE
1FIN
1ULS
-IOM
1NAT
1JPN
-56 1st 10 350 cc Honda GER
1FRA
1NED
1BEL
-CZE
1FIN
1ULS
1IOM
NCNAT
-JPN
-48 1st 6 500 cc Honda GER
-NED
NCBEL
NCDDR
NCCZE
1FIN
2ULS
1IOM
1NAT
NC30 2nd 3 1967 250 cc Honda ESP
NCGER
NCFRA
3IOM
1NED
1BEL
2DDR
NCCZE
3FIN
1ULS
1NAT
NCCAN
1JPN
NC50 1st 5 350 cc Honda GER
1IOM
1NED
1DDR
1CZE
1ULS
-NAT
-JPN
140 1st 6 500 cc Honda GER
NCIOM
1NED
1BEL
2DDR
NCCZE
1FIN
NCULS
1NAT
2CAN
146 2nd 5 Complete Formula One results[11]
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 WDC Pts. 1963 Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 24 Climax MON BEL NED FRA GBR
8GER NC 0 Lola Mk4 Climax ITA
10USA MEX RSA 1964 Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 25 BRM MON
6NED
12BEL FRA
8GBR
RetGER
RetAUT
8ITA
RetUSA
8MEX
1621st 1 1965 Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 25 BRM RSA MON
RetBEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX NC 0 1971 Team Surtees Surtees TS9 Ford RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA
4CAN USA
1518th 3 1972 Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees Surtees TS9B Ford ARG RSA
RetESP
RetMON
RetBEL
4FRA
6GBR
RetGER
RetAUT
4ITA
2CAN USA
178th 13 1973 Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees Surtees TS14A Ford ARG
RetBRA
RetRSA
RetESP
RetBEL
RetMON
8SWE
RetFRA
RetGBR
RetNED
RetGER
14AUT
10ITA
7CAN
9USA
RetNC 0 1974 Yardley Team McLaren McLaren M23 Ford ARG
4BRA
5RSA
3ESP
9BEL
7MON
RetSWE
RetNED
4FRA
7GBR
RetGER
15AUT ITA CAN USA 11th 12 Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mike Hailwood at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- ^ a b c Who Was The Man Many Call The Greatest Roadracer Ever?, by Dean Adams, Superbike Planet, 1998
- ^ "T.T Ace Killed On Last Lap". Evening Times. 16 June 1961. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lexAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EqcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2098,5993772&dq=mike+hailwood&hl=en. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Mike Hailwood career statistics at MotoGP.com
- ^ Reynolds, Jim (1990). Best of British Bikes. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-033-0.
- ^ 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
- ^ a b c d Mike Hailwood Isle of Man TT results at iomtt.com
- ^ Goodwin, C. 1999. Untouchable... Unforgettable... Mike Hailwood. Motor Sport. LXXV/6, 86-93
- ^ 1972 Formula 2 season results at www.formula2.net
- ^ 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours Competitors & Results at www.experiencelemans.com
- ^ a b Mike Hailwood Formula 1 results at www.4mula1.ro
- ^ www.grandprix.com
- ^ Alan Cathcart (September/October 2009). "Road Test: Mike Hailwood's Ducati 900TT1 racer". Motorcycle Classics. http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/mike-hailwood-ducati-900tt1-racer.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ 1978 Isle of Man TT at iomtt.com
- ^ My Memories of Mike Hailwood, by Elizabeth McCarthy
- ^ www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk
- ^ MotoGP Legends at MotoGP.com
- ^ Mike Hailwood at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Sources
- 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
External links
- " The Official Mike Hailwood " website
- Mike Hailwood at the Isle of Man TT.com
- Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- Heroes' Heroes: Murray Walker, former motor racing commentator, on Mike Hailwood
- Memories of Mike Hailwood
- The Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" website
Sporting positions Preceded by
Gary Hocking500cc Motorcycle World Champion
1962–1965Succeeded by
Giacomo AgostiniPreceded by
Ronnie PetersonEuropean Formula Two
Champion
1972Succeeded by
Jean-Pierre JarierPreceded by
Phil ReadTT Formula One World Champion
1978Succeeded by
Ron Haslam500cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions 1950 – U. Masetti
1951 – G. Duke
1952 – U. Masetti
1953 – G. Duke
1954 – G. Duke
1955 – G. Duke
1956 – J. Surtees
1957 – L. Liberati
1958 – J. Surtees
1959 – J. Surtees1960 – J. Surtees
1961 – G. Hocking
1962 – M. Hailwood
1963 – M. Hailwood
1964 – M. Hailwood
1965 – M. Hailwood
1966 – G. Agostini
1967 – G. Agostini
1968 – G. Agostini
1969 – G. Agostini1970 – G. Agostini
1971 – G. Agostini
1972 – G. Agostini
1973 – P. Read
1974 – P. Read
1975 – G. Agostini
1976 – B. Sheene
1977 – B. Sheene
1978 – K. Roberts
1979 – K. Roberts1980 – K. Roberts
1981 – M. Lucchinelli
1982 – F. Uncini
1983 – F. Spencer
1984 – E. Lawson
1985 – F. Spencer
1986 – E. Lawson
1987 – W. Gardner
1988 – E. Lawson
1989 – E. Lawson2010 – J. Lorenzo
2011 – C. Stoner350cc Motorcycle World Champions 1950 - B. Foster
1951 - G. Duke
1952 - G. Duke
1953 - F. Anderson
1954 - F. Anderson
1955 - B. Lomas
1956 - B. Lomas
1957 - K. Campbell
1958 - J. Surtees
1959 - J. Surtees1960 - J. Surtees
1961 - G. Hocking
1962 - J. Redman
1963 - J. Redman
1964 - J. Redman
1965 - J. Redman
1966 - M. Hailwood
1967 - M. Hailwood
1968 - G. Agostini
1969 - G. Agostini1970 - G. Agostini
1971 - G. Agostini
1972 - G. Agostini
1973 - G. Agostini
1974 - G. Agostini
1975 - J. Cecotto
1976 - W. Villa
1977 - T. Katayama
1978 - K. Ballington
1979 - K. Ballington250cc/Moto2 Motorcycle World Champions 1950 – D. Ambrosini
1951 – B. Ruffo
1952 – E. Lorenzetti
1953 – W. Haas
1954 – W. Haas
1955 – H. Müller
1956 – C. Ubbiali
1957 – C. Sandford
1958 – T. Provini
1959 – C. Ubbiali1990 – J. Kocinski
1991 – L. Cadalora
1992 – L. Cadalora
1993 – T. Harada
1994 – M. Biaggi
1995 – M. Biaggi
1996 – M. Biaggi
1997 – M. Biaggi
1998 – L. Capirossi
1999 – V. Rossi2000 – O. Jacque
2001 – D. Kato
2002 – M. Melandri
2003 – M. Poggiali
2004 – D. Pedrosa
2005 – D. Pedrosa
2006 – J. Lorenzo
2007 – J. Lorenzo
2008 – M. Simoncelli
2009 – H. AoyamaCategories:- English motorcycle racers
- 500cc World Championship riders
- 350cc World Championship riders
- 250cc World Championship riders
- 125cc World Championship riders
- Isle of Man TT Riders
- English racecar drivers
- English Formula One drivers
- Lotus Formula One drivers
- McLaren Formula One drivers
- European Formula Two Championship drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Tasman Series drivers
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees
- Segrave Trophy recipients
- People from South Oxfordshire (district)
- People from Tanworth-in-Arden
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Recipients of the George Medal
- Road accident deaths in England
- Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductees
- 1940 births
- 1981 deaths
- Old Pangbournians
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