Mike Hailwood

Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1963 - 1965, 1971 - 1974
Teams	Lotus, Lola, Surtees, McLaren
Entries	50
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	2
Career points	29
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	1963 British Grand Prix
Last entry	1974 German Grand Prix

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 Langsmeade House 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 8-acre (32,000 m²) 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.

Motorcycle racing career

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 250 cc 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 250 cc and 350 cc categories.

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 wiining lead.

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 including three straight wins during the 1961 event. 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] In that race he set a lap record of 108.77 mph on the infamous Honda 500-4, that stood for the next 8 years.

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. But Hailwood would never return to motorcycle racing on a full-time basis, instead electing to pursue a career in auto racing.

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

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. In that final IoM appearance, Hailwood rode a 2-stroke 500cc Suzuki in the Senior and he won the race. 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. Many knew this was the last time they would see his smooth, sublime and tidy riding style around 'The Island'.

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 100mph 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.

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.

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. He returned along the A435 Alcester Road through Portway Warwickshire near his home in Tanworth-in-Arden. A truck made an illegal turn though the barriers into the central reservation. The Rover hit it. Michelle, aged nine, was killed instantly; Mike and David were taken to hospital. Mike died two days later age 40. David survived. The lorry driver was fined £100.

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. The 25th anniversary of this tragic accident was in 2006.

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

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

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

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

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

Complete Formula One results

(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

References

Sources

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

External links

• " The Mike Hailwood Memorial Run" website
• " The Official Mike Hailwood " website
• Motorcycle Hall of Fame
• Memories of Mike Hailwood
• Mike Hailwood Videos

Langsmeade House * [2]

• Mike Hailwood at Find a Grave