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Gary Hocking

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Gary Hocking
Hocking after winning the Dutch TT in 1961
Born(1937-09-30)30 September 1937
Caerleon, Wales, United Kingdom
Died21 December 1962(1962-12-21) (aged 25)
Durban, South Africa
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years19581962
First race1958 500cc Dutch TT
Last race1962 Isle of Man 500cc Senior TT
First win1959 250cc Swedish Grand Prix
Last win1962 Isle of Man 500cc Senior TT
Team(s)MZ, MV Agusta
Championships350cc – 1961
500cc – 1961
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
38 19 33 N/A 21
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1962
TeamsLotus
Entries1 (0 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1962 South African Grand Prix
Last entry1962 South African Grand Prix

Gary Stuart Hocking MBE (30 September 1937 – 21 December 1962) was a Rhodesian former professional motorcycle road and car racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1958 to 1962, most prominently as a member of the MV Agusta factory racing team where he won the 1961 250cc and 350cc world championships.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, Monmouthshire, in south-east Wales, but grew up in Southern Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980)[2] where he attended Gifford High School.[3] As a teenager, he began racing motorcycles on grass tracks.[2] Before long, he had moved on to road racing circuits.

Motorcycle racing

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He left Rhodesia to compete in Europe in 1958 and made an immediate impact, finishing 3rd behind the works MV Agustas at the Nürburgring. He was sponsored by Manchester tuner/dealer Reg Dearden, who provided him with new 350 and 500 cc Manx Norton racing motorcycles. He spent the winter of 1958/1959 with the Costain family at their home in Castletown on the Isle of Man, learning the Mountain Course with George 'Sparrow' Costain, an established rider for the Dearden team, who had won the Senior Manx Grand Prix on a 500 Dearden-tuned Manx in 1954.[4] In the Junior TT of 1959 he finished 12th from 22nd on the grid.[5][6]

Hocking in action during the 1961 500cc Dutch TT.

In 1959, he was offered a ride by the East German MZ factory and finished second in the 250cc championship. During practice for the 1959 Junior TT, his 350 Manx Norton, and the machines of teammates Terry Shepherd and John Hartle, were fitted with the top-secret works 350 cc Desmodromic engine, but they ran standard engines for the actual race.[citation needed] MV Agusta offered Hocking full factory support for the 1960 season and he repaid their confidence by finishing 2nd in the 125 cc, 250 cc and 350 cc classes.[2][1]

Following the retirement from motorcycle racing by defending champion, John Surtees in 1961, Hocking became MV Agusta's top rider and went on to claim dual World Championships in the 350 cc and 500 cc classes, in a dominant manner against little factory mounted opposition.[1]

Auto racing

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Hocking was deeply affected by the death of his friend, Tom Phillis at the 1962 Isle of Man TT.[5][7] After winning the Senior TT, he announced his retirement from motorcycle racing and returned to Rhodesia. He felt motorcycle racing was too dangerous and decided a career in auto racing would be safer.[8] He entered the Danish Grand Prix, Gold Cup and Rand Grand Prix, achieving two fourth places.

Later that year, on 22 December, he was killed during practice for the 1962 Natal Grand Prix at the Westmead circuit. His car, a Rob Walker entered Lotus 24, ran off the edge of the track at the end of the long right hand corner and somersaulted end over end twice. Hocking's head struck the roll hoop[citation needed] and he died some hours later in the Addington hospital in Durban. It is possible that the car suffered a front nearside[citation needed] suspension failure,[9] and it is also possible that incorrectly reassembled steering – Hocking asked for a change on this item – might have been the cause;[9] whatever was the reason, this caused the car to veer sharply to the left and somersault as he was going uphill and was approaching the crest of the rise.[9] It is also likely that he was dehydrated and lost consciousness from that. He had been entered for the South African Grand Prix shortly awards, which would have allowed him to make his world championship debut, but following his death this was withdrawn.[9] He was 25 years old.[2]

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

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Source:[1][6]

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

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

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Points Rank Wins
1958 500cc Norton IOM NED
6
BEL GER
3
SWE
4
ULS NAT 8 6th 0
1959 125cc MZ IOM GER NED BEL SWE ULS
2
7 9th 0
MV Agusta NAT
6
250cc MZ IOM GER NED BEL SWE
1
ULS
1
NAT 16 2nd 2
350cc Norton FRA
2
IOM
12
GER
2
SWE ULS NAT 12 4th 0
500cc Norton FRA
3
IOM GER NED BEL
2
ULS NAT 10 5th 0
1960 125cc MV Agusta IOM
2
NED
2
BEL
5
ULS
2
NAT
5
18 2nd 0
250cc MV Agusta IOM
1
NED
2
BEL
2
GER
1
ULS NAT 28 2nd 2
350cc MV Agusta FRA
1
IOM NED
2
ULS NAT
1
22 2nd 2
1961 250cc MV Agusta ESP
1
GER FRA IOM
NC
NED BEL DDR ULS NAT SWE ARG 8 8th 1
350cc MV Agusta GER IOM
2
NED
1
DDR
1
ULS
1
NAT
1
SWE 32 1st 4
500cc MV Agusta GER
1
FRA
1
IOM
NC
NED
1
BEL
1
DDR
1
ULS
1
NAT SWE
1
ARG 48 1st 7
1962 350cc MV Agusta IOM
2
NED ULS DDR NAT FIN 6 8th 0
500cc MV Agusta IOM
1
NED BEL ULS DDR NAT FIN ARG 8 5th 1

Formula One results

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Complete Formula One World Championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Pts.
1962 RRC Walker Racing Team Lotus Climax NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA
WD

Non-championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
1962 Tim Parnell Lotus 18/21 Climax Straight-4 CAP BRX LOM LAV GLV PAU AIN INT NAP MAL CLP RMS SOL KAN MED DAN
4
OUL
Ret
MEX
Rob Walker Racing Team Lotus 24 Climax V8 RAN
4
NAT
DNS

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Gary Hocking career statistics at MotoGP.com". Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Gary Hocking". ozebook.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  3. ^ I.P. Maclaren, ed. (1981), Some Renowned Rhodesian Senior Schools 1892–1979, Bulawayo: Books of Zimbabwe, p. 155
  4. ^ Isle of Man Examiner – Brialtagh Ellan Vannin page 33 Final Whistle Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2018) Tindle Newspaper Group – Newsprint (Knowlsey) Ltd   Tuesday 18 December 2018
  5. ^ a b "Gary Hocking profile". iomtt.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b Gary Hocking Isle of Man TT results at iomtt.com
  7. ^ Zuehlke, Jeffrey (2008). Motorcycle Road Racing. LernerClassroom. ISBN 9780761341970. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ^ The Guardian page 7 Saturday 22 December 1962
  9. ^ a b c d Fearnley, Paul (May 2004). "Gary Hocking: An easy rider born to drive". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 February 2022.


Preceded by Formula One fatal accidents
21 December 1962
Succeeded by