Looking through a few various threads and cant help but notice how often Mike is referred to,after all these years he,s still with us,just what made the man so special?A complete one off to whom all are rated,on any sort of track.I wonder if we,ll ever see the like again.

Hi Ian, simple answer, no we will never see the likes of Mike again, mainly because GP's are so different now, riders only ride in one class not two, three or even four on the same day. One could argue that the TT is as close as it gets for riders to enter different classes but there again in Mike's day the TT was only another round of the world championships and you had to be able to ride the road circuits as well as the closed circuits. As I have said on here before, and on the "Dark Side", what makes Mike so special for me was not just his winning comeback to the TT but two days later winning at Mallory probably the shortest of all short circuits at that time. No disrespect to any current TT or GP rider its just not feasable to prove how versitile a rider can be these days. IMHO 

My favorite rider ever, he was so smooth and fast, with the ability to ride anything without complaining.

As has already been said he was a great all rounder - any bike, any circuit and even cars. He had a very smooth, precise and 'unruffled' riding style He also had great determination and courage (see this clip). 

Whilst Joey was the king of the roads Mike was a the greatest all rounder IMHO.

(25-01-2015, 03:08 PM)panman Wrote: As has already been said he was a great all rounder - any bike, any circuit and even cars. He had a very smooth, precise and 'unruffled' riding style He also had great determination and courage (see this clip). 

Whilst Joey was the king of the roads Mike was a the greatest all rounder IMHO.

Apart from Mike being one of the best ever motor cycle racers, on any short, GP circuit or road circuit, and on any machine, being Two stroke or Four stroke, single cylinder or multi cylinder, he was also a gentleman, he was polite, he did not use bad language in the company of children or lady's, he said please and thank you, dressed respectfully, and did not wear silly woolen hats !!!!!

V twin mechanic, Could'nt agree with you more, a true racer and gentleman, spoke to him many times,
always very polite, and had time for everyone.

Thanks,VTM,and that,s straight from the horses mouth,so to speak.You will have many great memories of Mike,so easy to work with.Did he really just hop on and ride round any problems as we are told?

I bought the Hailwood rep off the great man himself back in 1980 from his shop in brum biggest mistake in my whole life was selling it they are worth a lot more than what I paid for it now. He said to me I would start it up for you but my foots knackered and that's from car racing nothing to do with bikes! And I will make you a cup of tea instead. Great man one who I will never forget.

Iam sure the Guys over at Keep 2 Strokes alive wont mind me posting this pic here,

Many Thanks to Simon Drew for a cracking pic

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...927&type=1

DOMMYMAN, GREAT PICTURE OF A LEGEND,

(26-01-2015, 10:05 PM)BRADDAN OAK Wrote: DOMMYMAN, GREAT PICTURE OF A LEGEND,

At the Hutchinson 200, Brands Hatch, Druids. So Derek Minter wouldn't keep winning  I'm sure thats not the real reason they run the race anti clockwise

(27-01-2015, 10:06 AM)Yamanx Wrote:

(26-01-2015, 10:05 PM)BRADDAN OAK Wrote: DOMMYMAN, GREAT PICTURE OF A LEGEND,

At the Hutchinson 200, Brands Hatch, Druids. So Derek Minter wouldn't keep winning  I'm sure thats not the real reason they run the race anti clockwise

Spot on Yamanx, I marshalled at Druids for years in the sixties.  I have to admit, I was marshalling and the time, but we all used to take a few sneaky photos in those days when the Chief Marshal was not around.

(25-01-2015, 05:38 PM)ian charlton Wrote: Thanks,VTM,and that,s straight from the horses mouth,so to speak.You will have many great memories of Mike,so easy to work with.Did he really just hop on and ride round any problems as we are told?

It is hard to think of any other rider who could race and win on Two strokes, four strokes, single cylinders, twin cylinders and multi cylinder machines, also ride and win in 2 or 3 Gp's on the same day. Mike to adapt to almost any situation, apart from his win in the 1978 IOM F1 TT one of his other outstanding rides was at the " Mr Topps" F1 race at the post 78 TT event at Mallory park in 1978. This event was a round of the British F1 championship and the cream of British short circuit "scratchers" were competing. Mike was riding the SMC F1 TT winning Ducati, a machine that many said would be, because of it's low revving V twin engine and long wheel base, Un- cometitive, well Mike Hailwood that day out paced, out braked and out thought everybody, top flight Japanese works machenery was made to look normal and slow.

My sentiments entierley "V Twin" have quoted the same feat many times. Film of the Mallory race was thought to have been lost/destroyed years ago but you can view it on Youtube try this link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LnNP7mw7XY

(27-01-2015, 08:46 PM)V Twin Mechanic Wrote:

(25-01-2015, 05:38 PM)ian charlton Wrote: Thanks,VTM,and that,s straight from the horses mouth,so to speak.You will have many great memories of Mike,so easy to work with.Did he really just hop on and ride round any problems as we are told?

It is hard to think of any other rider who could race and win on Two strokes, four strokes, single cylinders, twin cylinders and multi cylinder machines, also ride and win in 2 or 3 Gp's on the same day.  Mike to adapt to almost any situation, apart from his win in the 1978 IOM F1 TT one of his other outstanding rides was at the " Mr Topps" F1 race at the post 78 TT event at Mallory park in 1978. This event was a round of the British F1 championship and the cream of British short circuit "scratchers" were competing. Mike was riding the SMC F1 TT winning Ducati, a machine that many said would be, because of it's low revving V twin engine and long wheel base,  Un- cometitive, well Mike Hailwood that day out paced, out braked and out thought everybody, top flight Japanese works machenery was made to look normal and slow.

I was there that day pat we knew we were seeing something special, there  was a story going around that day that after practice Mike said to steve to lop a couple of inches off the footrests as they were grounding everywhere, don't know if that was the case or not.

Yes, after practice Mike thought that he could get the bike over a lot further so I was asked to saw about one inch of the end of both footrests. I do have a photograph of Mikes worn out Right boot, however I have no idea how to post photographs on this site.

(24-01-2015, 08:27 PM)ian charlton Wrote: Looking through a few various threads and cant help but notice how often Mike is referred to,after all these years he,s still with us,just what made the man so special?A complete one off to whom all are rated,on any sort of track.I wonder if we,ll ever see the like again.

Motorcycle racing is so specialised today that it's unlikely we'll ever see the likes of the great Mike Hailwood again. Could you imagine Marc Marquez competing and winning in a British championship round on one of our short circuits on a borrowed (not a works) machine? Hailwood did it regularly. I'm just grateful I saw him in action both on the short circuits and at the TT. I also saw him race cars in Formula 5000 and he was good at that too.

The best around  the Island I reckon.

I'm gutted I never got to watch him race, documentaries & archive footage is good to watch but it will never replicate the real thing.

As my first post I remember back in 79 I worked in the evening for Ted Macaulay at the daily mirror. I was his messenger and remember a book signing Mike was doing at Sherrat and Hughes in Manchester, I couldn't afford his book but had a copy of Mick Grants road racing which contained as a centre page a picture of Hailwood on the Ducati. I queued for the best part of an hour to see my hero and then explained my impoverished state and asked if he would signe the centre page picture. He duly signed it and thanked me for asking, he was an absolute gentleman and later told Ted to give me a copy of the book. Back in those days me and a few pals spent every Saturday morning at Sports motorcycles in Manchester pestering the sales staff for a glimpse of the Ducati Hailwood was to ride at the TT. Needless to say I was there on Gods own island in 78 to witness the impossible being made possible by the only man capable of doing it not just then but before and certainly since. Suffice to say I still have the picture, now framed and taking pride of place in my home.