Mike Hailwood

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Mike Hailwood

Motorcycle Grand Prix Career
Nationality	British
Active years	1958 - 1967
Team(s)	Honda, MV Agusta
Grands Prix	152
Championships	250cc - 1961, 1966, 1967 350cc - 1966, 1967 500cc -1962,1963,1964,1965.
Wins	76
Podium finishes	112
Pole positions	N/A
Fastest laps	N/A
First Grand Prix	1958 250cc Isle of Man TT
First win	1959 125cc Ulster Grand Prix
Last win	1967 350cc Japanese Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1967 350cc Japanese Grand Prix

Mike Hailwood
Formula One Career
Nationality	British
Active years	1963 - 1965, 1971 - 1974
Team(s)	Lotus, Lola, Surtees, McLaren
Grands Prix	50
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	2
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First Grand Prix	1963 British Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1974 German Grand Prix

Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood MBE (April 2, 1940 – March 23, 1981) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as possibly the greatest racer 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. He married Pauline Barbara Nash on 11 June 1975 and had a son and a daughter.

Contents 1 Motorcycle Racing Career 2 Auto Racing Career 3 The Comeback 4 Legacy 5 Motorcycle Grand Prix results 6 Complete Formula One results 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links

[edit] Motorcycle Racing Career

Hailwood first raced on 22 April 1957, at Oulton Park. Barely 17, he finishing 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 accomplishment 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 greatest Isle of Man race of all time, the 1967 Senior TT against his great rival, Giacomo Agostini.[1]

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.

[edit] Auto Racing Career

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, Hailwood 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. He left Formula One after being injured at the 1974 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

[edit] The Comeback

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.

[edit] Legacy

Hailwood died in an automobile accident on March 23, 1981. His daughter, Michelle, was also killed in the crash, and his son, David, survived.

An annual "Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" takes place in March every year. The start 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. 2006 is the 25th anniversary of this tragic accident.

The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000.

We was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.

[edit] Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Points	Rank	Wins
1958	250cc	NSU	IOM 4	NED 3		W.GER	SWE 6	ULS	NAT							13	4th	0
1958	350cc	Norton	IOM	NED 2	BEL	W.GER 3	SWE 4	ULS	NAT							9	6th	0
1959	125cc	Ducati	IOM 4	W.GER 4	NED 4	BEL	SWE 3	ULS 8	NAT							20	3rd	1
1959	250cc	Mondial	IOM	W.GER 2	NED 3		SWE 2	ULS 6	NAT							13	5th	0
1960	125cc	Ducati		IOM	NED	BEL 1		ULS	NAT							1	10th	0
1960	250cc	Mondial		IOM	NED 2	BEL 3	W.GER	ULS 3	NAT							8	5th	0
1960	500cc	Norton	FRA	IOM 4	NED 2	BEL 3	W.GER	ULS	NAT 4							13	6th	0
1961	125cc	Honda	ESP 3	W.GER	FRA 3	IOM 8	NED NC	BEL NC	E.GER NC	ULS 2	NAT	SWE	ARG			16	6th	1
1961	250cc	Honda	ESP	W.GER	FRA 6	IOM 8	NED 8	BEL 4	E.GER 8	ULS 6	NAT 6	SWE 8	ARG			44	1st	4
1961	350cc	MV Agusta		W.GER		IOM	NED		E.GER	ULS	NAT 6	SWE				6	8th	0
1961	500cc	Norton		W.GER 3	FRA 6	IOM 8	NED 6	BEL 6	E.GER 6	ULS 6	NAT 8	SWE 6	ARG			40	2nd	2
1962	125cc	EMC	ESP 3	FRA	IOM	NED 2	BEL 3	W.GER 4	ULS	E.GER	NAT	FIN	ARG			12	5th	0
1962	350cc	MV Agusta			IOM 8	NED 6			ULS	E.GER 6	NAT	FIN				20	3rd	1
1962	500cc	MV Agusta			IOM	NED 8	BEL 8		ULS 8	E.GER 8	NAT 8	FIN	ARG			40	1st	5
1963	250cc	MZ	ESP	W.GER	IOM	NED	BEL	ULS	E.GER 8		NAT	ARG	JAP			8	8th	1
1963	350cc	MV Agusta		W.GER	IOM	NED 6		ULS 6	E.GER 8	FIN 8	NAT					28	2nd	2
1963	500cc	MV Agusta			IOM 8	NED	BEL 8	ULS 8	E.GER 8	FIN 8	NAT 8	ARG 8				56	1st	7
1964	350cc	MV Agusta		IOM	NED 6		W.GER	E.GER	ULS	FIN	NAT	JPN 6				12	4th	0
1964	500cc	MV Agusta	USA 8	IOM 8	NED 8	BEL 8	W.GER 8	E.GER 8	ULS	FIN	NAT 8					40	1st	7
1965	250cc	Honda	USA	W.GER	ESP	FRA	IOM	NED		E.GER	CZE	ULS	FIN	NAT	JPN 8	8	10th	1
1965	350cc	MV Agusta		W.GER 6			IOM	NED 6		E.GER	CZE	ULS	FIN	NAT	JPN 8	20	3rd	1
1965	500cc	MV Agusta	USA 8	W.GER 8			IOM 8	NED 8	BEL 8	E.GER 8	CZE 8	ULS	FIN	NAT 8		48	1st	8
1966	250cc	Honda	ESP 8	W.GER 8	FRA 8	NED 8	BEL 8	E.GER 8	CZE 8	FIN 8	ULS	IOM 8	NAT 8	JPN		56	1st	10
1966	350cc	Honda		W.GER 8	FRA 8	NED 8	BEL		CZE 8	FIN 8	ULS 8	IOM	NAT	JPN		48	1st	6
1966	500cc	Honda		W.GER		NED NC	BEL NC	E.GER NC	CZE 8	FIN 6	ULS 8	IOM 8	NAT NC			30	2nd	3
1967	250cc	Honda	ESP NC	W.GER NC	FRA 4	IOM 8	NED 8	BEL 6	E.GER NC	CZE 4	FIN 8	ULS 8	NAT NC	CAN 8	JPN NC	50	1st	5
1967	350cc	Honda		W.GER 8		IOM 8	NED 8		E.GER 8	CZE 8		ULS	NAT		JPN 8	40	1st	6
1967	500cc	Honda		W.GER NC		IOM 8	NED 8	BEL 6	E.GER NC	CZE 8	FIN NC	ULS 8	NAT 6	CAN 8		46	2nd	5

[edit] Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Team	WDC	Points
1963	Lotus-Climax	MON	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR 8	GER	ITA 10	USA	MEX	RSA						Lotus-Climax	21st	0
1964	Lotus-BRM	MON 6	NED 12	BEL	FRA 8	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT 8	ITA Ret	USA 8	MEX 16						Lotus-BRM	21st	1
1965	Lotus-BRM	RSA	MON Ret	BEL	FRA	GBR	NED	GER	ITA	USA	MEX						Lotus-BRM	21st	0
1971	Surtees-Ford	RSA	ESP	MON	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA 4	CAN	USA 15					Surtees-Ford	18th	3
1972	Surtees-Ford	ARG	RSA Ret	ESP Ret	MON Ret	BEL 4	FRA 6	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT 4	ITA 2	CAN	USA 17				Surtees-Ford	8th	13
1973	Surtees-Ford	ARG Ret	BRA Ret	RSA Ret	ESP Ret	BEL Ret	MON 8	SWE Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	NED Ret	GER 14	AUT 10	ITA 7	CAN 9	USA Ret	Surtees-Ford	22nd	0
1974	McLaren-Ford	ARG 4	BRA 5	RSA 3	ESP 9	BEL 7	MON Ret	SWE Ret	NED 4	FRA 7	GBR Ret	GER 15	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	McLaren-Ford	11th	12

[edit] References

• 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
• Motorcycle Hall of Fame

[edit] Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

[edit] External links

• " The Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" website

• " The Official Mike Hailwood™ " website

Preceded by: Gary Hocking	500cc Motorcycle World Champion 1962-1965	Succeeded by: Giacomo Agostini
Preceded by: Ronnie Peterson	European Formula Two Champion 1972	Succeeded by: Jean-Pierre Jarier