Mick Grant

Mick Grant (born 10 July 1944) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer and TT rider. A works-supported rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, he is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various bikes, including 'Slippery Sam', a three-cylinder Triumph Trident.^[1] For British racing fans of the 1970s, the soft-spoken, down-to-earth Yorkshireman from Wakefield, provided a sharp contrast to the brash, playboy image presented by Londoner Barry Sheene.^[2]

Grant racing in the North West 200 in Portrush, 1975

The son of a coal miner, Grant began his racing career as a privateer, entering his first Manx Grand Prix in 1969 on a Velocette 500 cc, and his first TT in the following year, again using the Velocette and placing 18th in the Junior (350 cc) class on a Lee-sponsored Yamaha TD2.^[3][4]

Later supported by businesses including Clive Padgett, heading Padgetts of Batley, on TD2 250 cc and TR2 350 cc Yamahas, and Brian Davidson of John Davidson Group on TZ Yamahas,^[5] he was equally versatile on either two- or four-stroke machines.

Mick Grant demonstrating a Kawasaki in 2009

He quickly became a works Norton rider alongside Peter Williams and Phil Read, part of the first Norton factory team assembled for ten years, headed by ex-racer Frank Perris.^[6] In 1972, he teamed with Dave Croxford to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race on a 745 cc Norton Commando,^[7] and finished second to Williams in the 1973 F750 TT.^[8][9] In 1975, it was Grant who finally broke Mike Hailwood's Isle of Man TT lap record, which had stood since 1967,^[10] raising the average-speed of one lap to 109.82 mph on a Kawasaki two-stroke triple entered by the Boyer of Bromley team headed by Stan Shenton.^[4][11]

Grant raced in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit in 1977 for the Kawasaki factory team alongside team-mate Barry Ditchburn and the following year with Kork Ballington and Gregg Hansford.^[12] In 1979, Honda chose Grant to help develop their exotic oval-cylindered NR500, unfortunately with disappointing results.^[13] Grant also won the Macau Grand Prix in 1977 on the Kawasaki KR750 and again in 1984, riding a Heron-Suzuki.

He usually raced with number 10 and carried the initials JL on his helmet, even after retirement from competition, as a tribute to his early sponsor – mechanic, fabricator and frame-builder Jim Lee of the 'Dalesman' marque.^{[4][10][14][15]}

Grand Prix motorcycle racing results^[1][12]

Points system from 1969 onwards:

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

References