Mike
Hailwood ®
The greatest motorcycle
racer of all time 1940-1981 |
|
Tick-Clocks are an official licensee of the Estate of Mike
Hailwood ®. MIKE HAILWOOD
and MIKE THE BIKE are trademarks of the Estate of Mike
Hailwood ® in the United States, England, Spain and
other countries.
Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM (April 2,
1940 – March 23, 1981) was a British Grand Prix
motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the
greatest racers of all time. 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 Great Milton in Oxfordshire,
His father, who also raced in the pre-World War II era,
owned a large motorcycle distributorship and young Hailwood
was raised in relative affluence. He began riding at
an early age, starting on a minibike as a small boy.
He learned to ride in an eight-acre field near his home
and wore an oval track from the constant laps he rode
on Sunday afternoons after church. 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.
Hailwood first raced on 22 April 1957, at Oulton Park.
Barely 17, he finished in 11th place, but was soon winning
on a regular basis. By 1961, Hailwood was racing for
a Japanese upstart factory named Honda. Riding a four-stroke,
four-cylinder 250cc Honda, Hailwood won the 1961 250cc
world championship. In 1962, Hailwood signed with MV
Agusta and went on to become the first rider to win
four consecutive 500cc World Championships. After his
success with MV Agusta, Hailwood went back to Honda
and won four more world titles in 1966 and 1967 in the
250cc and 350cc categories.
Hailwood is perhaps best known for his accomplishments
at the renowned Isle of Man TT. By 1967, he had won
12 times on the infamous island mountain course. 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.
In 1968, Honda pulled out of Grand Prix racing, but
paid Hailwood not to ride in expectation of keeping
him as its rider upon return to competition. But Hailwood
would never return to motorcycle racing on a full-time
basis, instead electing to pursue a career in auto racing.
While he never attained the success in cars that he
had on motorcycles, Hailwood became a respected driver
in Formula One and World Sports Cars. He won the 1972
Formula Two European title and earned a podium finish
at the 24 Hours of LeMans. He participated in 50 Formula
One Grands Prix, debuting in the British Grand Prix
on July 20, 1963. He achieved two podium finishes, and
scored a total of 29 championship points. Hailwood earned
the admiration of fans and fellow drivers when in the
1973 South African Grand Prix, he stopped his car on
the circuit to pull Clay Regazzoni from his burning
car after an accident, an act for which he was awarded
the George Medal, the 2nd highest gallantry award that
a British civilian can be awarded. He left Formula One
after being injured at the 1974 German Grand Prix at
the Nürburgring.
In 1978, after an 11 year hiatus from motorcycling,
Hailwood performed a now legendary comeback at the Isle
of Man TT. Few observers believed the 38 year old would
be competitive after such a long absence. Riding on
a Ducati 900SS, he was not only competitive, but managed
a hugely popular win. He raced the following year at
the Isle of Man TT before retiring for good at the age
of 39. He retired with 76 Grand Prix victories, 14 Isle
of Man TT wins and 9 World Championships.
He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1979.
This article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from
the Wikipedia article "Mike
Hailwood".
Visit the official website
of Mike Hailwood at www.mikethebike.com
- designed and maintained by Biker-Gifts.
The Mike Hailwood ® Commemorative
Clock is only available from Tick-Clocks
and www.mikethebike.com
|
Biker-Gifts are official
licensees to the estate of Mike Hailwood ®
The Mike The Bike ®
gifts have now been extended to include a fabulous
range of products bearing his name and now include
bookmarks, pin badges, sculptures, glassware
and limited edition prints.
|
Tick-Clocks are an official licensee of the Estate of Mike
Hailwood ®. MIKE HAILWOOD
and MIKE THE BIKE are trademarks of the Estate of Mike
Hailwood ® in the United States, England, Spain and
other countries.
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