Mike Hailwood

Mike Hailwood Nationality British Grand Prix motorcycle racing career Active years 1958–1967 Teams 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 79 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 Date of birth 2 April 1940(1940-04-02) Date of death 23 March 1981(1981-03-23) (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 Mike Hailwood Nicknames Mike the Bike Nationality English 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 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 1 Motorcycle racing career 2 Auto racing career 3 Comeback 4 Death and legacy 5 Motorcycle Grand Prix results[3][6] 6 Complete Formula One results[10] 7 External links 8 References 8.1 Footnotes 8.2 Sources

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. Riding a four-stroke, four-cylinder 250 cc Honda, Hailwood won the 1961 250cc world championship.^[3] In 1962, Hailwood signed with MV Agusta and went on to become the first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Championships.^[1][3] 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][3]

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.^[4]

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 including three straight wins during the 1961 event,^[3] losing the fourth when his 350 AJS broke down with a broken gudgeon pin whilst leading. 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][5] 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][6]

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][7] 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.^[8][9] 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.^[10] Hailwood was recognised for his valor 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.^[11] 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.^[6][12][13] 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.^[6] 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."^[14]

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.^[3] He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1979.^[15] The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000.^[16] He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.^[1][17]

Motorcycle Grand Prix results^[3][6]

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

() (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 7	NED -	BEL -	GER -	SWE -	ULS -	NAT -							0	-	0
	250 cc	NSU	IOM 3	NED 4		GER -	SWE 2	ULS -	NAT -							13	4th	0
	350 cc	Norton	IOM 12	NED 5	BEL -	GER 4	SWE 3	ULS -	NAT -							9	6th	0
	500 cc	Norton	IOM 13	NED -	BEL -	GER -	SWE -	ULS -	NAT -							0	-	0
1959	125 cc	Ducati		IOM 3	GER 3	NED 3	BEL -	SWE 4	ULS 1	NAT -						20	3rd	1
	250 cc	Mondial		IOM NC	GER 5	NED 4		SWE 5	ULS 2	NAT -						13	5th	0
	350 cc	Norton	FRA -	IOM NC	GER -			SWE -	ULS -	NAT -						0	-	0
	500 cc	Norton	FRA -	IOM NC	GER -	NED -	BEL -		ULS -	NAT -						0	-	0
1960	125 cc	Ducati		IOM NC	NED -	BEL 6		ULS -	NAT -							1	10th	0
	250 cc	Mondial		IOM NC	NED 5	BEL 4	GER -	ULS 4	NAT -							8	5th	0
	350 cc	AJS	FRA -	IOM NC	NED -			ULS -	NAT -							0	-	0
	500 cc	Norton	FRA -	IOM 3	NED 5	BEL 4	GER -	ULS -	NAT 3							13	6th	0
1961	125 cc	Honda	ESP 4	GER -	FRA 4	IOM 1	NED NC	BEL NC	DDR NC	ULS 5	NAT -	SWE -	ARG -			16	6th	1
	250 cc	Honda	ESP -	GER -	FRA 2	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 3	DDR 1	ULS 2	NAT 2	SWE 1	ARG -			44	1st	4
	350 cc	AJS		GER -		IOM NC	NED -		DDR -	ULS -						6	8th	0
		MV Agusta									NAT 2	SWE -
	500 cc	Norton		GER 4	FRA 2	IOM 1	NED 2	BEL 2	DDR 2	ULS 2						40	2nd	2
		MV Agusta									NAT 1	SWE 2	ARG -
1962	125 cc	EMC	ESP 4	FRA -	IOM NC	NED 5	BEL 4	GER 3	ULS -	DDR -	NAT -	FIN -	ARG -			12	5th	0
	250 cc	Benelli	ESP -	FRA -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	GER -	ULS -	DDR -	NAT -		ARG -			0	-	0
	350 cc	MV Agusta			IOM 1	NED 2			ULS -	DDR 2	NAT -	FIN -				20	3rd	1
	500 cc	MV Agusta			IOM 12	NED 1	BEL 1		ULS 1	DDR 1	NAT 1	FIN -	ARG -			40	1st	5
1963	250 cc	MZ	ESP -	GER -	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	ULS -	DDR 1		NAT -	ARG -	JPN -			8	8th	1
	350 cc	MV Agusta		GER -	IOM NC	NED 2		ULS 2	DDR 1	FIN 1	NAT -					28	2nd	2
	500 cc	MV Agusta			IOM 1	NED -	BEL 1	ULS 1	DDR 1	FIN 1	NAT 1	ARG 1				56	1st	7
1964	350 cc	MV Agusta		IOM -	NED 2		GER -	DDR -	ULS -	FIN -	NAT -	JPN 2				12	4th	0
	500 cc	MV Agusta	USA 1	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	GER 1	DDR 1	ULS -	FIN -	NAT 1					40	1st	7
1965	250 cc	Honda	USA -	GER -	ESP -	FRA -	IOM -	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	ULS -	FIN -	NAT -	JPN 1	8	10th	1
	350 cc	MV Agusta		GER 2			IOM NC	NED 2		DDR -	CZE -	ULS -	FIN -	NAT -	JPN 1	20	3rd	1
	500 cc	MV Agusta	USA 1	GER 1			IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 1	ULS -	FIN -	NAT 1		48	1st	8
1966	125 cc	Honda	ESP -	GER -		NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	IOM 6	NAT -	JPN -		1	15th	0
	250 cc	Honda	ESP 1	GER 1	FRA 1	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS -	IOM 1	NAT 1	JPN -		56	1st	10
	350 cc	Honda		GER 1	FRA 1	NED 1	BEL -		CZE 1	FIN 1	ULS 1	IOM NC	NAT -	JPN -		48	1st	6
	500 cc	Honda		GER -		NED NC	BEL NC	DDR NC	CZE 1	FIN 2	ULS 1	IOM 1	NAT NC			30	2nd	3
1967	250 cc	Honda	ESP NC	GER NC	FRA 3	IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 2	DDR NC	CZE 3	FIN 1	ULS 1	NAT NC	CAN 1	JPN NC	50	1st	5
	350 cc	Honda		GER 1		IOM 1	NED 1		DDR 1	CZE 1		ULS -	NAT -		JPN 1	40	1st	6
	500 cc	Honda		GER NC		IOM 1	NED 1	BEL 2	DDR NC	CZE 1	FIN NC	ULS 1	NAT 2	CAN 1		46	2nd	5

Complete Formula One results^[10]

(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 8	GER										NC	0
		Lola Mk4	Climax							ITA 10	USA	MEX	RSA
1964	Reg Parnell Racing	Lotus 25	BRM	MON 6	NED 12	BEL	FRA 8	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT 8	ITA Ret	USA 8	MEX 16						21st	1
1965	Reg Parnell Racing	Lotus 25	BRM	RSA	MON Ret	BEL	FRA	GBR	NED	GER	ITA	USA	MEX						NC	0
1971	Team Surtees	Surtees TS9	Ford	RSA	ESP	MON	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA 4	CAN	USA 15					18th	3
1972	Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees	Surtees TS9B	Ford	ARG	RSA Ret	ESP Ret	MON Ret	BEL 4	FRA 6	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT 4	ITA 2	CAN	USA 17				8th	13
1973	Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees	Surtees TS14A	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	NC	0
1974	Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren M23	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	11th	12

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
• Mike Hailwood Videos
• Langsmeade House
• Mike Hailwood at Find a Grave

References

Footnotes

Sources

• 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Sporting positions
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
Preceded by Phil Read	TT Formula One World Champion 1978	Succeeded by Ron Haslam

500cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions     1949 – L. Graham 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. Surtees 1960 – 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. Agostini 1970 – 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. Roberts 1980 – 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. Lawson 1990 – W. Rainey 1991 – W. Rainey 1992 – W. Rainey 1993 – K. Schwantz 1994 – M. Doohan 1995 – M. Doohan 1996 – M. Doohan 1997 – M. Doohan 1998 – M. Doohan 1999 – À. Crivillé 2000 – K. Roberts, Jr. 2001 – V. Rossi 2002 – V. Rossi 2003 – V. Rossi 2004 – V. Rossi 2005 – V. Rossi 2006 – N. Hayden 2007 – C. Stoner 2008 – V. Rossi 2009 – V. Rossi 2010 – J. Lorenzo

350 cc Motorcycle World Champions     1949 - F. Frith 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. Surtees 1960 - 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. Agostini 1970 - 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. Ballington 1980 - J. Ekerold 1981 - A. Mang 1982 - A. Mang

250cc/Moto2 Motorcycle World Champions     1949 – B. Ruffo 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. Ubbiali 1960 – C. Ubbiali 1961 – M. Hailwood 1962 – J. Redman 1963 – J. Redman 1964 – P. Read 1965 – P. Read 1966 – M. Hailwood 1967 – M. Hailwood 1968 – P. Read 1969 – K. Carruthers 1970 – R. Gould 1971 – P. Read 1972 – J. Saarinen 1973 – D. Braun 1974 – W. Villa 1975 – W. Villa 1976 – W. Villa 1977 – M. Lega 1978 – K. Ballington 1979 – K. Ballington 1980 – A. Mang 1981 – A. Mang 1982 – J. Tournadre 1983 – C. Lavado 1984 – C. Sarron 1985 – F. Spencer 1986 – C. Lavado 1987 – A. Mang 1988 – S. Pons 1989 – S. Pons 1990 – 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. Rossi 2000 – 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. Aoyama 2010 – T. Elías