Andre Loubser worked in the export/sales department of the Porsche factory in Stuttgart from 1962 to 1964 and was closely involved with the Porsche 904 racing sports car project. He drove it back from the factory on those Italian EE (export) plates which Hailwood seemed to have kept on it for a while, maybe until he shipped it to South Africa. Castro and I were talking about tires with Mike and we mentioned this issue of contingency money. Mike "The Bike" won 9 Grand Prix World Championships including four consecutive 500cc World Championships (1962 - 1965). If that was the zenith of his time with Surtees, the nadir quickly followed in 1973. [53], Hailwood was awarded 'Man of the Year' for 1978 after a public vote organised by Motorcycle News weekly newspaper. 1961 G. Hocking I met Mike Hailwood in 1979 at Donington Park; Hailwood was there for two days testing the suspension Girling. I think being in that era it was easier for him to be one of the guys. Hailwood, by contrast, had a more bewildering time trying to make the conversion to F1, his hopes artificially boosted by winning two out of three Formula Junior races, and his equipment at the top level of the sport certainly not on the cutting edge as Surtees had been. Login. One funny conversation that Ill never forget was a night at the bar at the old Plaza Hotel on the beach (its still there, but under a different name which escapes me now). I recognized this fascinating story by Mr Loubser, which is essentially his article we printed in our UK Club mag some years ago. This is a short extract from the book Chasing Down a Legend. [15], Hailwood enjoyed great success at the Isle of Man TT. But World Championship gratification was a little harder to come by. He was given no chance; sure enough he won. I just think of him as being a good friend and a good guy.. He left the house to take a call and returned with the shattering news that Michelle, aged nine, had been killed. Read all Directors Jon Carey Adam Darke Stars Carl Fogarty The 25th anniversary of this tragic accident was in 2006. [1][16] In that race he set a lap record of 108.77mph (175.05km/h) on the Honda RC181, that stood for the next eight years. Cocktail Comeback. After relocating to South Africa in 1967, he confirmed to Motorcycle Mechanics in 1968 that he would only be spending the same length of time there as in the previous eight years when he spent two winter months staying at the farm of racer Paddy Driver near Johannesburg. I mean he was the guy so to speak.. In an F1 car, Hailwoods efforts were solid rather than startling, driving for Reg Parnell Racing in a year-old Lotus 24-Climax, then a Lola Mk 4, in a handful of championship and non-championship F1 races in 1963. 1982 J. Tournadre [63], The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000. 1961 M. Hailwood Before he himself was injured, Hailwood was singled out for heroism. 02 victoria warehouse manchester. However, he phoned me the next day to tell me that his Paint-a-Car associates had him tied up worldwide. But Mike the Bike would also find himself thrust into the limelight in his very first F1 Grand Prix for Surtees Monza 1971, when he claimed fourth in that Hollywood-unbelievable finish. Over his 10-year Grand Prix career, Hailwood won 76 races, collected 112 podiums, and 79 fastest laps. His return was a well fabled success. Regazzoni was knocked unconscious and his car caught fire. The 40-year-old was on his way to get some fish and chips with his son David and daughter. Mike's son David Hailwood completed a demonstration lap of the Isle of Man TT course on 3 June 2002, riding Mike's Daytona 1971 BSA Rocket 3 carrying large letters 'H' instead of a race number. At the culmination of what would stand as the fastest ever GP (150.754mph) for the next 32 years, five drivers Peter Gethin, Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Hailwood and Howden Ganley passed the checkered flag covered by just 0.61sec. No one really would talk to us, because we were just the mechanics., When Hailwood came in with his date, he immediately came over to us and asked us if we would like a drink. He switched to running an automotive business in the UK, but in 1981 on a family outing to a local restaurant, a truck driver made an illegal 'U' turn in front of Hailwood's car. Hailwood then went on to win the GP race, which carried World Championship points, in the afternoon of the same day. Hailwood was very special. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle world championships from 1958 to 1967 and in Formula One between 1963 and 1974. At the end of his run with the Italian marque, Hailwood became the first racer to seize four consecutive 500cc titles in a row. 1982 A. Mang, 1949 B. Ruffo Hailwood, who once interrupted his own race to pull a burning competitor out of his blazing Formula One race car and save his life, would himself die tragically at age 40 along with his daughter. However, Honda pulled out of World Championship bike racing at the end of 67, and Hailwood had a lot more time on his hands as the Japanese marque had paid him a years salary to not race for anyone else in 68. 2017 F. Morbidelli Hailwood was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability on bikes with a range of engine capacities. Comedian, Terry Thomas, who owned a blue Jaguar XK150 lived a few doors up from Coys. I gave him all the relevant info and photos after which he went off the radar screen. On the Friday I went to Parys to arrange for the wreck to be railed to our head office workshop thats when I took the photos. Mike's unassuming, fun-loving personality won him numerous friends and fans. That guidance led Hailwood to his race debut in 1957 at the tender age of 17. Mike had returned from retirement in New Zealand. St. Pete IndyCar: Herta, McLaughlin top FP2, Dixon shunts, RLL drivers puzzled by underperformance in St. Pete FP1, RLL puzzled by St. Pete FP1 issues In fact, Mike Hailwood owned two Grifos, the first was #081/D, a white 1966 350hp 4 speed car which was owned for many years by one of our members until quite recently. 1996 M. Biaggi [14] It was unable to compete in the 500cc category, the Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) deeming that it was not classified as a production machine as it had two overhead camshafts. 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 third lap of the race. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Not just motorcycles [1][9], In February 1964 during preparations for the US Grand Prix, Hailwood set a new one-hour speed record on the MV 500cc recording an average speed of 144.8mph (233.0km/h) on the oval-shaped, banked speed-bowl at the Daytona circuit. An annual "Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" takes place in March every year. Then in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in March, he was the only driver to keep Emerson Fittipaldis dominant Lotus 72 in sight, and he finished a worthy second. In 1962, aged 22, I left Cape Town to join the export/sales division of the Porsche factory. Reunited at Le Mans the following year, this time in a Gulf Porsche 917, Hailwood would suffer his most embarrassing accident. [9] 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. 2019 M. Mrquez, 2020 J. Mir Letter from Mike Hailwood to Andre Loubser. Of course, the '77 Six Hour was the race where Mike Hailwood, nine-time world champion and winner of 76 grands prix and 12 Isle of Man TTs, pulled on leathers again for something approaching a serious race, as opposed to a bit of fun on historic bikes. F1- 1973- 03 Kyalami- Mike Hailwood Tries To Help Clay Regazzoni on fire. As per . He crashed at low speed when waving to the spectators at Governor's Bridge, a tight hairpin bend close to the end of the 37-mile course. Gives a great insight into a great character, and his involvement with Isos. 1956 B. Lomas Later in January 1969 I went to Durban to take photos of Mike for the Autospray brochure. 2001 D. Kato It was a wonderful enclave with Coys and the Queens Arms part of the furniture. I ordered a bonnet, a roof panel, fenders, a windscreen and other parts from Iso and these we air freighted. 2022 F. Bagnaia, 1950 B. 1966 G. Agostini Hailwood became the first rider to capture three race wins at the TT with victories in the 125cc, 250cc, and 500cc classes. Mike Hailwood's Crashed Iso Grifo Fortunately the poor animal was killed instantly. They are in my thoughts today, together. Not pit stops and red flags and eviscerated left legs of riders I know, but something that left me with a feeling that Id gone to the market and forgotten something on a list. [1][65], After Hailwood's victory at the 1978 Isle of Man Formula One motorcycle race, Ducati offered a 900SS-based Mike Hailwood Replica for sale. Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE GM (2 April 1940 23 March 1981) was a British professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. I had also heard that Jaguar Heritage had bought the Yellow Iso but when I tried to phone the appropriate person the phone was mostly on voice mail. After having the flames put out by a fire extinguisher, Hailwood went back again to try again. Mike Hailwood, MBE, GM, who won 10 world motor cycle championships, died yesterday at the age of 40, as a result of injuries he had sustained in a car accident on March 21. 1957 L. Liberati He told me that his three mechanics were South Africans, brothers Ed and Bud Rossler and Piet van Asperen. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. Hennen's new record had lasted only four days when Mick Grant produced a brilliant display in the six-lap Classic. NEUTRAL: A worthy tribute to one of the most versatile racers in the world and as far out of reach as almost any of us are to Mike Hailwood's talent with bikes or cars. It has been a labour of love for Brook Henry of Vee Two Australia, but the result is about as perfect a replica of Mike's Bike as you can create. His speed was a record for the track. In February 2012 I met up with Jim Redman during the David Piper classic series at Killarney. four in a bed contestant dies. I first met Mike Hailwood at Daytona in 1971. [1] In 1958 he won ACU Stars at 125cc, 250cc, and 350cc classes, earning him the Pinhard Prize,[6] an accolade awarded yearly to a young motorcyclist under 21, who is adjudged to have made the most meritorious achievement in motorcycle sport during the preceding year. With David Hobbs, he finished third in a John Wyer Automotive Ford GT40 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while in an Epstein-Cuthbert-entered Lola-Chevrolet, he finished third in the European Formula 5000 championship, winning at Brands Hatch, taking four other podium results and scoring three pole positions. Can This 43-Year-Old Suzuki GS 850GL Run Again? I stuck with the Goodyears, as did Castro and everyone else on the team except Dick Mann. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He had also raced, in the pre-World War II era. Mike did the first stint and was practically last away at the Le Man's start because of his injured ankle and having to kick-start the Ducati. Driving down to the office this morning and putting a to-do list in my head, running todays date against the date a year ago, somehow my coffee addled brain came up with the mystery item Id left out of the sack. [32] Pauline Hailwood died in June 2020 following an illness.[33][34]. It is the only photo of Carrachi in the entire shop. Already got a Trove account. [59] The starting point was the former Norton factory in Aston, Birmingham, then on to Portway, where the accident occurred, followed by a service at the church in Tanworth-in-Arden. Hailwood rushed to Regazzoni's car and tried to pull him out only for his own clothing to be set alight footage of the incident shows Hailwood frantically waving his flaming hands around. He said there had been an accident and Mike had been seriously injured. The problem was that Goodyear Blue Streaks were what we had all been using up to that time over here and Goodyear also had a contingency program. 1966 M. Hailwood 1958 J. Surtees There is also an inscription for each. A great motor cycle champion. The Grand Prix racer, 40, had left his house with his two. As Stirling had problems with them we couldnt do a deal and he wished me well. Up until a couple of years ago he was the workshop doorman/caretaker type guy up at the Yamaha workshop in Amsterdam and I kind of met him at the door and he was pretty upset and he told me then., Carruthers believes it ironic that Hailwood lived through a dual racing career when safety standards were shockingly bad, then to die in a street car crash after he had retired. The yellow car which he crashed in South Africa was #162/D, a 67 350hp 5 speed. His return to motorcycle racing after his time on four. The first five finishers were covered by only 0.61 seconds, and Hailwood was fourth, 0.18s behind the winner Peter Gethin. Two days later, on March 23, barely a week before his 41st birthday, one of the greatest racers of all time succumbed to his injuries. 1974 P. Read It was a warm sunny day and it was slow moving nose to tail traffic on both sides of the dual carriageway. 1950 U. Masetti By 1961 he was riding for the MV Agusta factory, winning four 500cc World Championships. Knowing that the twentieth anniversary of Hailwoods death was approaching, over the past year or so I asked some of the people who knew him to share their thoughts on SMB Hailwood. Hi Andre, They purchased Dr James Hulls huge collection of cars which included many important Jaguars. A switch to McLaren, alongside two former World Champions, Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme, saw Hailwood directly compared with his stiffest competition yet. Hailwood won no less than 59 races, riding in 125, 250, 350 . On the second lap, Hailwood and Clay Regazzoni collided. By an eerie coincidence the damage to Mikes Rover 3500 in which he and his daughter were fatally injured in March 1981 was virtually identical to that of the Iso Grifo with head lights intact and the roof peeled off and twisted towards the left rear.
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